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Here’s what you need to know
California voted to keep governor Gavin Newsom. The Democratic leader of the US’s most populous state easily beat a recall attempt.
SoftBank made its first investment in Saudi Arabia. Together with the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the Japanese conglomerate put $125 million into Unifonic, a communications platform.
Macau casino stocks plunged because of a regulatory overhaul. Major operators in the world’s biggest gambling destination lost around $14 billion.
US Soccer offered identical contracts to its women’s and men’s teams. The organization is trying to end a long-running battle with the women’s team over equal pay.
Comedy legend Norm MacDonald died of cancer aged 61. The Canadian SNL alumnus was often described by his peers as one of the best in the business.
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What to watch for
Four Americans are set to rocket to space today in a SpaceX capsule. It’s the first time tourists have paid to orbit the Earth since 2009. (Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos reached space, but didn’t stay there.)
The crew on this three-day trip, purchased from Elon Musk’s space firm by billionaire Jared Isaacman, includes a cancer survivor, a Lockheed Martin engineer, and Sian Proctor, a geology professor and space enthusiast (pictured above). Their mission is a step toward a prosperous economy in low-earth orbit.
A collection of items will also be on board, to be auctioned off to benefit cancer research:
- 66 lbs of hops, to be made into beer by Sam Adams
- A ukelele
- “The first-ever minted NFT song to be played in orbit,” by the Kings of Leon
- A piece of art that has been to the bottom of the Mariana Trench
- A Time magazine cover featuring the four passengers
The great inflation slowdown
The US inflation rate has fallen for the last two months and in August reached its lowest level since January, according to the latest Consumer Price Index released by the US government, but inflation of 5.3% in the last 12 months still casts a shadow of concern over the pandemic-stricken economy.
The number matters not just to shoppers and investors, but to the future of president Joe Biden’s agenda. His annual budget is held up in Congress thanks to senator Joe Manchin’s concern about “runaway inflation,” but yesterday’s figures bolster the case that price increases seen as the US emerged from the pandemic are transitory, and not likely to accelerate uncontrollably.
Reading through the Booker shortlist
The finalists for the prestigious Booker Prize for English-language novels were announced on Tuesday, and readers everywhere updated their wishlists. The winner, to be announced on Nov. 3, will not only get a cash prize but a veritable guarantee that sales will go through the roof. (That is, if printers can keep up.)
The 2021 Booker shortlist titles:
📚 A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam
📚 The Promise by Damon Galgut
📚 No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
📚 The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed
📚 Bewilderment by Richard Powers
📚 Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
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What we’re reading (besides novels)
✈️ Delta Air Lines mandated employee vaccinations without losing workers. The “penalty” solution appears to be working in the airline’s favor.
🔁 The UK will help make Africa’s landmark trade agreement successful. Britain’s commitment to the success of AfCFTA is official.
👗 The designer of AOC’s Met Gala dress got her start at a flea market. Aurora James founded the label Brother Villies as well as last year’s 15% pledge.
📜 Texas’s new social media law goes against the First Amendment. Protecting individuals from “censorship” on social platforms violates companies’ own speech rights.
🧳 The World Bank says climate change could displace more than 200 million people. Where will they go?
Surprising discoveries
A German confectioner is making marzipan Angela Merkels. It’s a sweet sendoff for the country’s long-serving chancellor.
El Chapo’s safehouse is a prize in a Mexican lottery. The bathroom escape tunnel has been covered with a cement slab, however.
The Netherlands decided a British man was not in fact a Sicilian mafia boss. He was mistakenly arrested and jailed for several days.
A long-lost anti-fascism movie will debut at the BFI London film festival. Made in Poland in 1931, Europa was seized by the Nazis and feared destroyed.
An Italian man is living life as a hobbit. He walked 180 miles to throw “the One Ring” into Mount Vesuvius and is now building his own personal shire.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, candy in the shape of world leaders, and extreme cosplay 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 Sha, Tim Fernholz, Liz Webber, and Susan Howson.