An actual debate, Bruce Springsteen, rearranged Bible

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Here’s what you need to know

The US finally had a presidential debate. In a far more substantive encounter than their distinctly unpresidential face-off last month, president Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden argued over the election’s defining issue—the US’s handling of Covid-19. Even if a vaccine becomes available, however, no president can force people to take it.

The US gave full approval to a drug for Covid-19 patients. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Veklury, the brand name for the antiviral drug remdesivir, cut hospitalized patients’ recovery time by five days during clinical trials. But the World Health Organization is highly skeptical of its efficacy.

The Amazon of money is here. Ant Financial is conducting price consultations today for its Shanghai offering, and setting the price on Monday—it is on the verge of the world’s largest IPO and a valuation of $300 billion. John Detrixhe explains Ant’s rapid evolution from digital payments platform to financial conglomerate.

Barclays beat earnings expectations. The UK-based bank’s consumer business is back in the black, and reported pre-tax profits of $1.44 billion for the July-September period. But, like other financial institutions, Barclays is still putting billions aside for another economic downturn.

Nigeria’s president Buhari missed a chance for empathy amid national protests. In a televised speech last night, he made no mention of troubling events in Lagos on Oct. 20 when numerous witnesses say Nigerian soldiers fired into a crowd of peaceful, unarmed protesters.

Bruce Springsteen releases his first proper album for eight years. Letter to You is inspired by the death of an old friend and bandmate, George Theiss, and the record is accompanied by a film. The 71-year-old legend describes himself these days as “the last man standing.”

The US election enters the homestretch

Trump and Biden may have had their final debate, but there’s still plenty of time for more election drama:

🇮🇳 A Kamala Harris meme upset Hindu groups for its use of religious imagery.

📹 In some swing states, YouTube has run out of slots for political ads.

☑️ US voter turnout was 56% in 2016. Would compulsory voting be better or worse for democracy?

Charting India’s fantasy sports startups

Cricket fans in India are flocking to fantasy sports. The surging popularity has translated into strong growth for these startups, and total industry revenue grew threefold to 2,400 crore rupees ($326 million) over 12 months.

Apart from Indians’ unending love for cricket, cheap data plans (thanks to Reliance Jio) and increased smartphone penetration have made these startups winning bets for investors, who have pumped $112 million into India’s sports fantasy platforms.

You asked about flying safely

I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about how we can fly safely if we wear masks. The holidays are coming up…is this accurate?

Researchers have been trying to answer this question since the beginning of the pandemic, and last week one of the more involved studies (pdf) made headlines. It used a mannequin that simulated the breathing of a passenger with Covid-19, tracking the movement and concentration of “infectious” particles around an actual cabin.

You should take its results—which showed that passengers wearing masks wouldn’t be exposed to infectious doses of viral particles—with a few grains of salt. For one, the study was funded in part by United Airlines, which obviously has a vested interest in returning passengers to the sky. And the mannequin setup, while fun, didn’t account for human behaviors like talking, moving around the cabin, and using the lavatory. (Not to mention what happens before and after boarding.)

If you must fly, there’s evidence to suggest that the air filtration and circulation in planes do a good job at reducing passengers’ exposures—especially if everyone around you wears their masks appropriately. But the risk isn’t as low as this best-case-scenario study would suggest.

The unstoppable podcast boom

Even with fewer people commuting to work—a popular time for listening—Covid-19 couldn’t stop the rise of podcasting. Downloads of podcasts in the US have soared in 2020, according to data from Chartable.

The pandemic does seem to be responsible for a shift in tastes, however. Podtrac, another podcast data firm, tracks downloads by genre. For the shows Podtrac measures, overall downloads by US listeners grew by 42% from October 2019 to October 2020. Yet there was a huge disparity across genres. Find out which genres exploded, and which have seen virtually no growth, in our field guide to the podcast business.

✦ Looking for a way to fill the time you used to spend commuting? Might we suggest perusing our collection of field guides and presentations, available exclusively to Quartz members. Use promo code QZTWENTY for a 20% discount.

Surprising discoveries

A team of creatives rearranged the Bible in alphabetical order. The project by the Sideline Collective breaks down the holy book to show which words are used most often.

A pandemic palette has emerged. Paint sales are up and everyone is choosing the same colors.

This beetle’s crush-resistant shell could inspire sturdier structures. Scientists hope that the diabolical ironclad beetle could teach them about building stronger planes and vehicles.

NASA is playing tag with an asteroid. And we really hope that it doesn’t tag us back.

Activists are using facial recognition to identify cops. Frustrated with law enforcement officers who hide their identities and use unmarked vehicles, some protesters are turning the technology against police.

Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, soothing paint colors, and beetle armors 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 Hasit Shah, Liz Webber, and Max Lockie.