🌍 Political violence in the U.S.

Good morning, Quartz readers.

Here’s what you need to know

The U.S. Republican National Convention kicks off today in Milwaukee. Donald Trump is expected to accept the party’s nomination this week after an assassination attempt on the former president at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

The leaders of the world’s biggest and most influential companies said political violence in the U.S. is undermining democracy. Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk were among the tech leaders who responded to Saturday’s attack.

The assassination attempt sent Bitcoin surging. The cryptocurrency jumped past $60,000 over the weekend as analysts predict that traders think Trump’s chances of getting elected are more likely after the attack. Meanwhile, investors will likely turn to more safe-haven assets like gold and the Swiss franc amid the instability.

Netflix’s stock is outperforming most of the “Magnificent Seven.” Big Tech shares (barring Meta and Nvidia) haven’t kept up with the streaming service’s 34% rise this year.

A U.S. oil giant got slapped with a historic fine for polluting Native land. The Justice Department reached a $240 million settlement with Marathon Oil for contaminating North Dakota’s air.

McDonald’s $5 meal deal is working. Foot traffic at the chain has seen a significant uptick after the bundle was launched.

Cruise ship medical bills can cost as much as the vacation

More people than ever are climbing aboard huge cruise ships that are decked out with far more than water slides these days (think parks with 30,000 plants and rooms that cost $11,000 a night).

But in the fine print of the cruise line’s terms may be a hidden expense: medical bills. In the worst case scenario, vacationers could be forced to pay thousands of dollars before they’re even allowed to leave the ship. Here are some digits to mull:

34.7 million: People expected to take a cruise this year

$2,500: Bill one man had to pay in 2022 before exiting a cruise ship to receive care on land

95%: Share of conditions reported to cruise medical staff that are treated on deck

$20,000 to $100,000: Approximate cost of air medical evacuations from cruise sites

The reason behind the high costs is that cruise ships largely don’t accept health insurance. Curious why? Quartz’s Bruce Gil looked into it.

The turbulent business of airline credit cards

Most people have to fly to the destination where a cruise starts to get onboard, and if they’ve racked up enough miles on their airline credit cards, it might have even been paid for.

But why did airlines build out a credit card business line in the first place? And how did credit rewards come to make sky-high profits — and draw ire from the U.S. federal government?

Rocio Fabbro, the host of season 8 of the Quartz Obsession podcast, asks these questions to Brian Kelly, the Founder of The Points Guy, in episode four — Airline credit cards: The high-flying loyalty game.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora

👓 Or, read the transcript.

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Surprising discoveries

Tesla’s factory in Germany is missing 65,000 coffee cups. Mugs are probably the least of the gigafactory’s worries.

Scientists with the European Space Agency made Lego-like bricks out of meteorite dust. The 3D-printed material is being tested as a possible means to build structures on the satellite.

And if you want to live in those structures, a new spacesuit design can turn your urine into water. The purification process takes less than five minutes.

Kale isn’t as popular as it seems. Spinach is still king of the leafy greens.

High-protein food is now a $30 billion business in the U.S. Millennial shoppers and weight loss drugs are fueling the craze.

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Our best wishes on a safe start to the day. Send any news, comments, Tesla coffee mugs, and bunches of kale to [email protected]. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner.