Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
KLM is finally set for a $3.8 billion bailout. The European Commission today approved a proposal by the Dutch government to help the struggling airline. In general, European governments are not allowed to intervene in private businesses.
Manchester City escaped a devastating ban. The English soccer team, owned by oil-rich Abu Dhabi’s royal family, had its punishment for “serious breaches” of financial regulations reduced to an $11.3 million fine by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Florida reported a record number of Covid-19 cases. The state saw nearly 15,300 new infections over a 24-hour period, which would make it fourth in the world if it were a country, after it began lifting restrictions way back in May. Even Disney World is open.
Poland’s prime minister narrowly won re-election. The country’s electoral commission announced this morning that conservative Andrzej Duda secured 51.2% of the vote to defeat challenger Rafal Trzaskowski, the socially liberal mayor of capital Warsaw.
What to watch for
Monday: The US resumes federal capital punishment after nearly 20 years. Washington DC’s football team reportedly announces its name change. Earnings: Pepsi.
Tuesday: Mary Trump, the niece of the US president, publishes her tell-all book. Ghislaine Maxwell has a bail hearing. Earnings: Delta, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Fidelity.
Wednesday: A court in New York hears arguments for releasing president Trump’s tax returns. Earnings: Goldman Sachs, UnitedHealth Group, Alcoa.
Thursday: A Texas county votes on millions in subsidies for a $1.1 billion Tesla factory. Earnings: Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Netflix, Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Charles Schwab, Domino’s.
Friday: The US Senate returns from recess. Earnings: BlackRock.
Saturday: G20 finance ministers and central bankers meet.
Charting the US economy’s decoupling from electricity generation
The US is doing the most with less energy. For most of the 20th century, there was a strong correlation between a country’s economic growth and its energy demands. But in the last two decades, GDP has more than doubled in the US while electricity generation has barely budged, rising 40% since 1990.
For members: How to build an anti-racist company
What does it mean to be an anti-racist company? As protests prompt organizations around the world to rethink the way they do business, our latest field guide offers ideas for how to combat injustice—from learning from the experiences of post-apartheid South Africa to running meetings like a TV writers’ room.
Fractured Atlas, a New York City-based nonprofit with roughly 30 employees that helps artists access funding, has a number of unique practices in place to create an anti-racist work culture. They include:
- Race-based discussion groups to address issues tied to oppression and equality.
- An entirely remote workforce, which has significantly widened their candidate pool.
- Altering the reimbursement policy so that everyone has access to a corporate card.
- Nixing education requirements on job postings.
- Listing the same job posting under two different levels of seniority.
- Ditching the practice of starting interviews with questions like, “Tell us about a time when.”
✦Read more about organizations trying to create an environment where people can learn from one another about the ways in which racism shapes society, in our field guide to creating an anti-racist company. Get started with a seven-day free trial.✦
Surprising discoveries
Bison are back. For the first time in 6,000 years, bison will soon roam free in the UK, as part of a program to reintroduce the animals and protect the endangered species’ future.
A vintage Super Mario game sold for $114,000. A 1985 version of the pioneering game broke the previous record of $100,150.
Argentines devised a game of human foosball. The field is divided into rectangular zones and players restricted to their boxes as a way to enforce social distancing.
A Moscow city contract was written in disappearing ink. The ploy may have allowed a company to inflate the price it charged to replace an elevator in an apartment building.
Tomato plants talk. Scientists observed electrical signaling carried through fungal networks in the soil, but what the plants are saying is still a mystery.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, disappearing numbers, and chatty tomato plants 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 Hasit Shah, Michael Coren, Jackie Bischof and Yinka Adegoke.