🌏 Airbus is stuck on cruise

Plus: Trump Media melts.

Image for article titled 🌏 Airbus is stuck on cruise
Photo: Niall Carson/PA Images (Getty Images)

Good morning, Quartz readers!


Here’s what you need to know

Wholesale inflation cooled in the U.S. The stock market jumped in response, but shoppers are still dealing with economic uncertainty.

United Airlines halted flights between the U.S. and Israel. Conflict between Israel and Iran is threatening to escalate to all-out war.

Advertisement

Trump Media stock fell to its lowest share price since April. Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to X was behind the drop.

Advertisement

The United Auto Workers union filed federal labor charges against Elon Musk and Donald Trump. The UAW said Trump and Musk made anti-union comments during an hours-long interview on X.

Advertisement

Paramount Global began laying off 15% of its workforce. Paramount is also shutting down its TV studio. 

Ford and Mazda told hundreds of thousands of their customers to stop driving. Dangerous — in some cases, deadly — airbags are the culprit.

Advertisement

TikTok vocab test: #UnderconsumptionCore

The latest TikTok trend is a play on consumption-oriented aesthetics like cottagecore or Barbiecore — and the original, millennial root word: normcore. But this one is subversive.

Advertisement

“Underconsumption core” TikTok influencers boast broken mirrors poached from trash bins and bare mattresses on floors. These influencers are apparently using their influence to go against the grain for the sake of sustainability.

But some experts worry the trend is just another form of fetishizing poverty. And others worry it may end up leading to more consumption for the sake of appearing to buy less. Quartz’s Madeline Fitzgerald has the story.

Advertisement

Airbus can’t seize the moment

Airbus is struggling to take full advantage of the mess embroiling Boeing, its biggest rival. After a door plug blew off one of Boeing’s 737 Max 9 planes and invited a massive amount of regulatory and investor scrutiny, Airbus said that it would go full speed ahead in a bid to shore up its superior position. But that hasn’t been the case.

Advertisement

More from Quartz

📈 Nvidia stock is about to make a big comeback, analysts say

🚀 Biden announced $150 million for a ‘cancer moonshot’ program

☕️ Starbucks stock soared after it poached Chipotle’s CEO

💰 Warren Buffett’s Apple stock selloff will cost $15 billion in taxes — more than what Coca-Cola makes in a year

Advertisement

🚗 Donald Trump is a big fan of Elon Musk and Tesla’s ‘incredible’ electric cars — but not all EVs

✈️ A bumpy American Airlines flight sent flight attendants to the hospital


Surprising discoveries

There’s a spacecraft cemetery in the south Pacific Ocean. The area is centered around Point Nemo, 1,670 miles away from land.

Advertisement

Demand for mini goats is going through the roof. Mini goats are one of the most popular petite farm animals that have been very-in-demand since the pandemic.

Washing clothes with synthetic materials is the single greatest contributor to ocean microplastics. Sustainability experts say to avoid fabrics that blend natural and synthetic materials.

Advertisement

Lice can help answer questions about human evolution. Lice was attached to the heads of the first humans crossing into North America, between 15,000 and 35,000 years ago.

Christian minion memes are going viral on TikTok. Some Christian influencers are apparently trying to spread the word of Jesus by showing crucified minions.

Advertisement

Did you know we have two premium weekend emails, too? One gives you analysis on the week’s news, and one provides the best reads from Quartz and elsewhere to get your week started right. Become a member or give membership as a gift!

Our best wishes on a safe start to the day. Send any news, comments, mini goats, and dead spacecraft parts to talk@qz.com. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Laura Bratton, Morgan Haefner, Melvin Backman, and Madeline Fitzgerald.