Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
The US election is still too close to call. Former vice president Joe Biden’s projected 253 electoral college votes currently leads president Donald Trump’s tally of 214 in the race to clinch a majority of the country’s 538 statewide electors. Win or lose, Biden has broken records with the most votes won by any candidate in US history, but the election may hinge on a lawsuit from team Trump attempting to thwart the 77-year-old Biden from adding to his total in the crucial swing states of Michigan and Pennsylvania.
In the meantime, all eyes are on American media. Despite the popularity of social media, traditional news outlets, and their magic walls, remain the definitive source for election coverage in the US. So far, European leaders are taking their time to react, with European Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer telling the press that the body “will not comment on the results until they have been announced, and on the process unless it is entirely disrupted, which is not at all what we’re seeing at the moment.”
Members of the Indian diaspora are also heavily invested in the results. Motivated in part by Biden running mate senator Kamala Harris’s Tamil heritage, Indian-Americans have contributed more money to the 2020 campaigns than any previous US election with at least two dozen members of the community raising over $100,000 each for the effort—and many more praying for a Democratic victory.
Markets are taking the uncertainty in stride. Major US stock indexes rose on Wednesday with the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing nearly 4%. Bitcoin also added to recent gains, rallying above $14,000 to its highest level since early 2018. Safe haven assets showed a more mixed picture with precious metal prices edging downwards and US treasury yields declining.
In other news….
Alibaba reports earnings today.
Ethiopia is on the brink of a civil war.
The US formally exited the Paris climate pact.
Starbucks was fined by Indian regulators for ripping off its customers.
California voters halted the re-classification of gig workers as full-time employees.
Florida became the most politically conservative US state to approve a $15 minimum wage.
Politics in the workplace
No matter how this or any other major election plays out, some people will experience grief, joy, fatigue, exhilaration, anxiety, skepticism, or flat-out terror. Even among colleagues who share political affiliations, there’s no “right” reaction to an election.
One way through the awkwardness is to lean on the pillars of non-violent communication, a process for interacting with people that emphasizes mutual respect and navigates the tone of workplace discussions away from potential boiling points. Quartz at Work reporter Lila MacLellan outlines the four basic steps.
And if you don’t want to talk to anyone and just power through the workday instead, that’s fine too. Here are five ways to find focus.
For more dispatches from the front line of the modern workplace, sign up for The Memo newsletter from Quartz at Work.
Charting Wall Street’s reaction
Wall Street is betting on a skinny stimulus and no new taxes. Even if Joe Biden wins the US presidency, Democrats are unlikely to flip the Senate, putting a damper on the chances of a blockbuster aid package or any major tax changes.
Still, there are signs that traders are taking cover in large tech firms—the so-called “stay-at-home stocks” that are able to grow revenues during a pandemic that otherwise threatens spending and mobility. The Nasdaq 100 index of big technology stocks outperformed both large industrial firms and smaller public firms on Wednesday.
Praying to the visa gods
Devotees believe a visit to a 500-year-old temple in India could be their ticket to America.
On any given day, hundreds of tech workers crowd into the Chilkur Balaji Temple in Hyderabad, one of India’s biggest IT hubs, to pray to the “Visa God.” Their wish? The coveted US H-1B visa, which goes to just 30% of applicants each year. Located an hour’s drive away from Hyderabad’s US consulate, hopefuls seek divine intervention for a visa after bagging a job in the US.
The ritual to pray for an H-1B includes pradakshina, the practice of circling around an image, relic, shrine, or other sacred objects. Discover how a 500-year-old Indian temple became a destination for H-1B visa hopefuls in our latest field guide.
✦ Want to learn more about the H-1B visa? You’ll need a Quartz membership, but lucky you, it’s 20% off the first year, with code QZTWENTY.
We’re obsessed with houseplants
Why doomscroll when you can talk to your plant? Across cultures and millennia, houseplants have added a little green to our indoor spaces, while telling our friends we have a little green to throw around. Over the last decade, they’ve grown from a subtle wealth marker—the more plants you have, the more time and money you’ve invested in nurturing them—to a symbol of a different kind of currency: social media status. Hit pause on the news and get to the root of it with the Quartz Weekly Obsession.
Surprising discoveries
Swab your ears to see how stressed you are. Researchers say cortisol hormone levels in earwax can transform diagnostics for people with depression.
A Mexican town named the “world’s best mourner.” The annual competition, which coincides with the Day of the Dead, took on new significance during the pandemic.
Dead men tell no tales… but can still win office. A man who died from coronavirus last month was elected to North Dakota’s state legislature.
A massive iceberg is headed for South Georgia. The 150-km (93-mile) long chunk of Antarctica could upend the island’s ecosystem and cut off shipping routes.
Not all ancient hunters were men. A new discovery has researchers taking a closer look at other women’s graves—and their own sexist assumptions.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, champion criers, and gender-neutral prehistoric jobs 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 Lila MacLellan, John Detrixhe, Jackie Bischof, Sudie Simmons, Liz Webber, and Max Lockie.