🌏 Amazon’s reckoning?

Good morning, Quartz readers!

Here’s what you need to know

The US Federal Trade Commission and 17 states are suing Amazon in a landmark case. The lawsuit says the e-commerce giant uses its position to choke out the competition, violating both federal and state antitrust laws.

The EU said X is the social network most responsible for fake news. European Commission vice president Věra Jourová said Elon Musk needs to get ahead of it before Russia does real damage as election season looms.

JPMorgan is settling over its ties to late financier and sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The bank agreed to pay $75 million to the US Virgin Islands, with $55 million earmarked for local charities that help victims of domestic abuse and trafficking.

Apple, you’re being awfully quiet about AI over there…

Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Amazon may be the noisy ones about artificial intelligence these days, but there’s been barely a peep from everyone’s favorite iPhone-maker.

That doesn’t mean Apple’s been idle. In fact, it’s been on a shopping spree, buying up more AI and machine learning companies than anyone else.

Michelle Cheng takes a look at what companies Apple’s buying and how AI could be integrated into its devices in the near future.

Who’s cheering for Blue Origin’s new CEO?

Jeff Bezos’s 24-year-old space company has yet to catch up to its lofty ambitions of putting thousands of humans into space. Thus far, its greatest accomplishment has been the New Shepard small rocket and space capsule, which has been grounded for a year.

Blue Origin’s culture under outgoing CEO Bob Smith has had problems, too, with rumors of sexual harassment and criticism of unchecked safety concerns. So Bezos has turned to Amazon’s device division chief Dave Limp, who Bezos announced on Monday will take over in December.

Why is the space industry crossing its fingers that Limp can turn the tide? As Quartz Space Business reporter Tim Fernholz explains, it comes down to SpaceX: “Blue Origin has long been held as the only company with the capital and the vision to compete with SpaceX at a time when Elon Musk’s firm has a virtual monopoly on satellite launch and human spaceflight in the US and Europe.”

Ford said, CATL said

Ford is halting work on its $3.5 billion electric-vehicle battery factory in Michigan, but the automaker’s partner in the project—the Chinese battery giant CATL—insists that the EV collaboration is ongoing.

Who to believe?

🚘 Ford says: A “number of considerations” lie behind the decision to suspend work on the plant, though specifics have not been shared.

🔋CATL says: Its partnership with Ford is forging ahead and the suspension is “fake information,” according to Chinese state-run business outlet STAR Market Daily (link in Chinese).

🔧 The United Auto Workers union says: The hiatus is a “shameful, barely veiled threat by Ford to cut jobs” amid its current strike.

Mary Hui explains the possible rift in a partnership that the US government had already been investigating as a potential threat to national security.

Quartz’s most popular

🤖 Luddites saw the problem of AI coming from two centuries away

🎥 Hollywood’s writers have a deal—and little to do while actors are still striking

🥤 Coke is launching a new drink “co-created” with AI

🎲 Young hackers are sticking up Las Vegas casinos for hefty ransoms

❄️ After a record hot summer, get ready for an El Niño-influenced winter

😱 Project Gutenberg has implemented one of the worst AI fears of striking actors

Surprising discoveries

Higher temperatures may be contributing to increased instances of drug and alcohol abuse. This does not bode well for humans on a warming planet.

“The Cash Flow King” podcaster was running an $11 million Ponzi scheme. Readers, we cannot dispense financial advice, but it’s a good rule of thumb to avoid giving money to anyone that fits the above description.

This quarter’s “world’s best-performing currency” award goes to… the Taliban?

By some metrics, auto executives at the “big three” US automakers make about 300 times more than their workers. That’s a bigger wage gap than in the railroad and airline industries.

AI companies are hiring creative writers. Do you have what it takes?

Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, creative writing samples, and things you could do with your money other than giving them to a guy on a podcast to talk@qz.com. Reader support makes Quartz available to all—become a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Susan Howson.