Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
Boris Johnson made a small compromise. The British prime minister proposed that the government seek parliamentary approval before invoking controversial clauses in a domestic Brexit law that would breach the UK’s withdrawal agreement with the EU. The internal market bill covers how trade will work between the four countries comprising the UK.
WeChat gets its day in court. Ahead of a hearing in San Francisco on local users opposing a possible ban of the Chinese messaging app, a government filing said the ban wouldn’t stop US users from using it. Separately, president Donald Trump said he would be unhappy with any TikTok proposal that leaves ownership with Chinese parent ByteDance—as a tie-up with Oracle might do.
A Belarus opposition leader was charged with endangering national security… Maria Kolesnikova was grabbed last week by masked men. Authorities tried to get her to leave the country, as they did with presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, but she tore up her passport.
…and the US considered charging protesters with sedition. Attorney general William Barr advised federal prosecutors to use serious charges against protesters held for violence during protests against police brutality, including a little used federal law relating to plots to overthrow the government.
A name game
Another day, another streaming video announcement. Today, it’s the folks at ViacomCBS who are engaging in a rebranding effort around their direct-to-consumer offering. But what’s in a name? According to the streaming companies, the answer is: Lots of plus signs and action words like GO, NOW, and MAX.
So based on your industry knowledge, can you tell which one of these streaming services doesn’t actually exist?
Find the answer at the bottom of this email. And if you had any trouble figuring it out, let Quartz’s extensive library of field guides on the subject get you sorted.
Charting a special correlation
Job markets in the US and Europe are surprisingly similar. Though the US unemployment rate of 8.4% is running higher than that of the EU, which typically runs several percentage points higher than the US, the actual states of the labor markets have parallels.
The change in total hours worked in the US and Britain are roughly even, which shows that a good chunk of people in the UK counted as employed are actually on government support. In Britain, more than 5 million people, including furloughed employees, were temporarily away from work in July. Economists expect the number of unemployed Brits to jump higher when the furlough support ends next month. Read more.
Limited attention span
If you did well on our streaming platform name quiz, it could be because you’re watching a lot of TV. But we’re willing to bet you’re watching a lot of other things, too. These days, viewers’ time is being claimed by a lot of different types of media.
The last 20 years has also seen the rise of entirely new vehicles for advertising—web search and social media—that attract billions of eyeballs. Consumers are everywhere and advertisers are struggling to figure out how best to reach them. Read more in our field guide on the TV ad of the future.
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Build a sustainable productivity routine
How to build a more efficient, sustainable productivity routine. Register to join us on September 17th from 11-12pm ET (3-4 pm GMT) for our free virtual workshop, where we’ll bring together experts to explore the psychology of procrastination, why hitting a productivity wall is normal, and advice on how set yourself up for efficiency.
Obsession interlude: How we spend
The coronavirus pandemic is having a big impact on the global economy, and a noticeable effect on lots of smaller industries as well. Here’s how what we buy is changing:
⬆️ Tie dye: Online sales of Rit Dye increased 800%.
⬆️ Gardening supplies: Sales of Scotts Miracle-Gro rose 16%.
⬇️ Movie theaters: Estimated global losses of $5 billion.
⬇️ Luxury goods: Estimated global losses of $43.4 billion.
⬆️ Comfy shoes: First quarter sales of Crocs rose 14%.
⬆️ Home workouts: View of YouTube workout videos increased 200%.
⬆️ Streaming: Netflix doubled its estimated new subscribers in the first quarter.
⬇️ Men’s suits: Sales estimated to fall 24% this year.
Keep up with our How We Spend obsession.
We’re obsessed with closed captioning
It’s black and white and read all over. Hundreds of millions around the world rely on closed captioning to be able to understand what they’re watching on TV. While the idea seems simple—just add words to relay the dialogue and describe any sounds—it took decades to mandate processes for making entertainment accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing community, as well as the elderly. Now, video viewership has exploded on social media, and new forms of technology are trying to improve often-imperfect live transcription (but still failing to reach 100% accuracy). Flip on the CC setting, and let’s get to reading the Quartz Weekly Obsession.
Surprising discoveries
Everything can be cake at a Hong Kong bakery. The shop makes “illusion cakes” that look like everyday objects, ranging from a dish sponge to a pair of flip-flops.
Travis Scott is giving McDonald’s supply chain headaches. The popularity of the rapper’s eponymous meal has caused some restaurants to sell out of its ingredients.
Migratory birds are dying in midair in the US. The side effects of climate change are probably a factor.
Kosher certification has gone virtual. Travel restrictions mean rabbis can’t get to food plants in places like China.
Going broke was no joke for this billionaire. The co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers has successfully donated nearly all of his $8 billion fortune.
The answer to our quiz about streaming service names: YouTube Plus
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, kosher food, and suggested streaming service names to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Jane Li, Tripti Lahiri, Mary Hui, Max Lockie, Liz Webber, and Susan Howson.