Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A Scottish court rules on a Brexit extension. Judges are expected to give their decision this morning on whether a court can ask for a Brexit delay if prime minister Boris Johnson fails to reach a deal by October 19. However, the court has hinted it could suspend the hearing.
The Federal Reserve releases September meeting minutes. Investors will search for signs of more monetary easing, which could move markets. Also, the US releases data on job vacancies. Economists expect to see a drop in openings, showing a strong US economy despite—waves at everything.
The Nobel Prize in chemistry. Informal online polls indicate the winner could be lithium-ion battery pioneer John B. Goodenough and his collaborators—but don’t count out CRISPR developers Jennifer Doudna, Emmanuelle Charpentier, and Yoshizumi Ishino. Watch the live announcement here.
While you were sleeping
The Turkish offensive against the Kurds started. Turkey has crossed into Syria, aiming to push Kurdish forces away from the Turkish border. This follows Donald Trump’s decision on Sunday to withdraw American support from northern Syria where Kurdish troops have been instrumental in combatting the Islamic State.
Trump expanded his legal team. Former congressman Trey Gowdy agreed to serve as outside counsel and public face of the impeachment defense last night. Trump has vowed to totally halt cooperation with the process despite polls showing that most Americans—and nearly a third of Republicans— support the inquiry.
California cut power to 800,000 San Francisco Bay Area homes. Embattled regional utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) began the cuts at midnight, saying the outage could last for up to a week. The cuts are designed to reduce wildfire risk during a period of high winds.
China responded to US visa restrictions. China is planning to restrict visas for some US travelers in response to new US State Department curbs on visas for Chinese government and Communist Party officials. MIT also announced that it would review its work with the Chinese AI firm SenseTime after it was blacklisted earlier this week.
Facebook approved a false Biden attack ad. The Trump campaign video accuses the former vice president and his son, Hunter, of corrupt activities in Ukraine. The social media giant rejected Biden’s request to take down the video citing “Facebook’s fundamental belief in free expression.”
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The battlefields of the future will be shaped by technology that allows soldiers to strike targets from thousands of miles away, to soar overhead using autonomous drones, or even leave the atmosphere behind entirely. Join Quartz reporter Daniel Wolfe as he asks where the battles will be fought in the future of war.
Quartz Obsession
Bachelorette parties are a relatively new pre-wedding ritual. Called “hen dos” in the UK, they’ve evolved from a wild night out to weekend-long affairs that can be pricey and elaborate. Why is one last blow-out with the girls so important? The Quartz Obsession dons a “Bride Tribe” t-shirt and investigates.
Matters of debate
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Losing our privacy isn’t inevitable. Big Tech relies on Americans’ respect for “progress” to sell us invasive devices we don’t need.
Automation can help fight climate change. The fourth industrial revolution could cut carbon emissions, but only if it’s done the right way.
The NBA needs to choose between China and its values. Otherwise, decades of building a $4-billion market could be for naught.
Surprising discoveries
A large platinum-dense meteorite hit our planet 13,000 years ago. Scientists now have evidence that the incident may have helped cool the global climate.
Don’t buy a brown Tesla. Just because the color was difficult to find, doesn’t mean it’ll resell well.
You’re not hearing things. The world is getting louder, and your body is taking notice.
Putin’s latest photoshoot dropped. This time Russian president chilled in a forest setting, among flowers, and, casually, on rocks.
Diamonds have gone meta. The “Russian nesting doll diamond” is one precious gem within another.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, diamonds within diamonds, and then more diamonds within those diamonds 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 Luiz Romero and Max Lockie.