Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The NATO summit begins in London. The transatlantic defense pact holds its 70th anniversary summit amid doubts about its mission, with US president Donald Trump demanding Europe pay more for its own defense, and French president Emmanuel Macron recently calling the arrangement “brain dead.”
Elon Musk goes to court in Los Angeles. The Tesla CEO will testify as part of a defamation suit brought against him when he tweeted that a British man who helped in the Thai cave rescue was a “pedo guy.” Vernon Unsworth is seeking punitive and compensatory damages.
The US House intelligence committee votes on its impeachment report. Panel members will review and approve the document, which will be released publicly today and is expected to detail findings on Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Based on the report, the House judiciary committee will consider the historical and constitutional standards for an impeachment in a hearing tomorrow.
While you were sleeping
Najib Razak stood trial. The former Malaysian prime minister testified in his own defense in Kuala Lumpur regarding his involvement in the 1MDB scandal, including transfers of 42 million ringgit ($10.1 million) into his personal bank accounts.
The US considers heavy tariffs on French goods. Duties of up to 100% could be slapped on cheese, handbags, champagne, and other goods from France in response to the country’s new digital services tax. The move comes just hours after Trump said he would reinstate taxes on steel and aluminum imports from Argentina and Brazil.
Prince Andrew could be forced to testify in a US court. The lawyer for five women who have accused the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse said he would serve subpoenas to the British royal to give evidence in the cases.
Riot Games settled a gender discrimination case.
The maker of
League of Legends
will
pay $10 million in compensation
to 1,000 former and current female employees, more than a year after it was sued by multiple workers.
A major typhoon lashed the Philippines. Fierce winds and rain forced the Manila airport to shut and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of thousands. The storm is also disrupting the Southeast Asian Games, which opened on Saturday and was already snarled by logistical problems.
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Around 10% of health care expenditure goes towards the treatment of dementia. In this week’s field guide, Quartz reporter Katherine Ellen Foley investigates how we’re managing patient care as the problem becomes increasingly acute, with some countries aging faster than others.
Quartz obsession
Polls aren’t perfect. Since 1916, we’ve relied on these fallible tools to take the pulse of national sentiment—and they’ve let us down on more than a few memorable occasions. As households abandon landlines in favor of cellphones, our old methods of measuring the public’s views are no longer working. Take a sample with the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Distracted walking should be made illegal. Pedestrians with noses buried in a screen are road safety hazards.
Face-to-face first dates are over. The future of romance will be video calling potential suitors through dating apps.
Modern wars can’t be won. Today’s conflicts tend to descend into long, drawn out endgames.
Surprising discoveries
An amateur found the crash site of India’s moon lander. An engineer who looks at lunar images in his spare time managed to help solve the mystery of the spacecraft’s failed landing.
North Korea opened a new “socialist utopia” city. State media called Samjiyon, Kim Jong Un’s signature construction project, the “epitome of modern civilisation.”
A researcher might have found the world’s oldest chess piece. A small sandstone figurine unearthed in 1971 has been identified as potentially a rook, dating to between 680 and 749.
Ikea gave a Mars habitat a makeover. A designer added a few practical touches to a model research facility to make it feel more homey.
Frozen 2 “monopolized” South Korean theaters. An NGO filed an antitrust suit against Disney for occupying 88% of the country’s screens.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Martian furniture, and lunar crash sites 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 written by Mary Hui and edited by Isabella Steger.