Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and this weekend
Hong Kong bills are on Donald Trump’s desk. President Trump could sign new measures into law that would curb the export of law enforcement supplies to Hong Kong’s police force as soon as today. The embattled territory is still scheduled to hold elections on Sunday despite months of increasing public unrest.
Tesla’s “cybertruck” is almost here. Tesla’s first pickup is due to be unveiled near SpaceX’s rocket factory in Los Angeles today, and while we don’t know too much about it besides a rumored starting price of around $50,000—it probably won’t look like anything you’ve seen before.
Bougainville will vote on declaring independence. More than 200,000 people in eastern Papua New Guinea will decide on whether to become the world’s newest country. The vote starts this Saturday and will last through December 7, marking the end of the 18-year peace agreement that led to the referendum.
While you were sleeping
Y Combinator shut down its China unit. The startup incubator issued a statement saying that “now is not the right time to run a new, country-specific version of Y Combinator.” The Bay Area institution claims that the decision is not related to rocky US-China relations.
Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted. Israel’s attorney general issued bribery and fraud charges against the prime minister today, making him the country’s first sitting head of government to be indicted.
Charles Schwab may acquire TD Ameritrade. The two firms are reportedly in the midst of merger talks, which could lead to a combined discount-brokerage behemoth with over $5 trillion in assets under management. Shares of both firms rose after the news was reported.
WeWork announced global layoffs of 2,400 employees. The firings will reduce overall headcount at the beleaguered office space rental company by 20%. SoftBank COO Marcelo Claure wrote that the layoffs were concentrated in “areas of the business that do not directly support our core business goals.”
Valve unveiled a new Half-Life game, the first in 13 years. A generation of fans have been waiting for a follow-up to 2004’s Half-Life 2 and Valve (owner of Steam, the world’s most popular PC gaming platform) today finally delivered with a trailer for Half-Life Alyx—a virtual reality game set for a March 2020 release.
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The worst-case scenario for ETFs. One of the big questions about exchange-traded funds is the extent to which their rapid growth can be tied to a growing number of flash crashes and a heightened risk of even worse ones on the horizon. One bad trade can have disastrous consequences.
Quartz Obsession
Tarot is coming up from the underground. The mystical cards have had several recent high-profile appearances in movies, fashion shows, and even Goop’s gift guide—and yes, of course, there’s an app for that as well. Get a reading with the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of Debate
It’s time for Arab-Israeli engagement. A new group of Arab thinkers is moving beyond boycotts with their mission to help the Palestinian cause.
“I got a vasectomy because of climate change.” A popular outdoors writer says taking children out of the equation is the best thing he can do to save the planet.
Selling Silicon Valley scooters to toddlers is a bit much. A venture-backed electric scooter startup now offers analog models for little kids, complete with conspicuous branding.
Surprising discoveries
Caddy costs add up. President Trump’s golf cart rentals have now cost US taxpayers more than half a million dollars.
You can’t take it with you. The world’s first “human composting” facility where human remains are turned into soil has opened in Seattle.
What goes up… The marble-mining company ArtGo was this year’s best-performing stock until it lost 98% of its value today.
Even animals have that awkward phase. Youthful animals have poor judgment and engage in risky behavior, just like human teens.
From booty to bounties. Rare coins found in rural England shed light on lost history, but a failure to account for the discovery has already led to arrests.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, rare coins, and adolescent aardvarks to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android, and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Patrick deHahn and Max Lockie.