Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
China and the US resume trade talks. Discussions resume in Washington on Oct. 10 and 11, just a week before threatened US tariffs on Chinese goods are set to increase. It’s unclear how Trump’s call for China to investigate the Bidens will complicate the already tense negotiations.
Nobel Prizes on deck. First up is the prize in medicine or physiology. Scientists who made discoveries leading to new treatments for breast cancer and hepatitis C are among the favorites.
Presidential portraiture. An exhibit of paintings by former US president George W. Bush opens today at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The show features portraits of veterans of the wars the US entered after Sept. 11, 2001.
Over the weekend
Talks between the US and North Korea failed. Or did they? While North Korean envoys said discussions broke down because the US “brought nothing to the negotiation table,” the US side was more sanguine.
The UN calls for a probe into Hong Kong violence. Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner on human rights, called for an independent inquiry after two teenagers and a journalist were injured in the protests last week.
Another whistleblower comes forward. The attorney representing the first whistleblower over the White House’s call with Ukraine says a second person with knowledge of the allegations has spoken with the inspector general.
Warren is winning. As Joe Biden was sucked into Trump’s Ukraine scandal and Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack, Elizabeth Warren’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination is surging.
“Joker” runs wild. The controversial movie starring Joaquin Phoenix as Batman’s nemesis shattered the box-office record for October openings with a $93.5 million debut weekend.
Quartz Obsession
The koi fish is increasingly fashionable. Over the past century, the fancy carp have been bred for glamour, leading to beauty contests and big business. A starter koi can cost from $50 to $500, but a prize koi can go into the millions (and outlive you). If that sounds like too much money or effort, koi tattoos are chic, too. Dive in at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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No one wants to fly commercial airplanes without pilots. With demand for air travel soaring amid a global pilot shortage, autonomous flights make sense—but only if passengers accept them.
Net neutrality is alive and well. While a federal court upheld the FCC’s deregulation of telecoms, allowing them to discriminate against internet providers, it allowed states to continue to regulate them, potentially leading to even tighter restrictions.
A women’s underwear company wants us to imagine men having periods. A national campaign for Thinx is asking questions we’ve never been asked before.
Surprising discoveries
Rick Steves is imposing a carbon tax on himself. The man who encouraged millions of Americans to travel is reckoning with its cost to the environment.
No one in Qatar wants to watch track and field. Attendance for the world championships in Doha was disappointing, an ominous sign for the soccer World Cup in 2022.
Many African country names derive from European mistakes. They’re still living with colonial-era mispronunciations and geographical confusion.
It’s been 10 years since the swine flu pandemic. The outbreak sent many to pharmacies for flu shots, forever changing how we are vaccinated.
Belva Lockwood is an American hero almost no one has heard of. The first woman to argue before the US Supreme Court ran for president in 1884, despite not being allowed to vote.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, koi fish, and underwear to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Oliver Staley and Katie Palmer.