Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The head of the FBI testifies on Hillary Clinton. In front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, James Comey will explain his recommendation that the likely Democratic Party presidential candidate shouldn’t face prosecution over using a personal server for her classified government email.
Donald Trump goes to Capitol Hill. The US presidential candidate will meet with Republican lawmakers in a last-ditch effort to unify a fractured GOP before the party’s national convention in two weeks. Many key (and politically vulnerable) lawmakers won’t attend, citing highly convenient scheduling conflicts.
PepsiCo reports quarterly results. Investors want to know about the impact of Brexit and slowing global growth. They’ll also look for news on product revamps after a recent customer revolt prompted the company to announce it will go back to using the artificial sweetener, aspartame, in Diet Pepsi.
While you were sleeping
US police fatally shot a second black man in 24 hours. A man stopped for a broken tail light in Falcon Heights, Minnesota was shot and killed Wednesday evening, reportedly as he was reaching for his wallet. The aftermath was livestreamed on Facebook Live. His death comes soon after the death of Alton Sterling who was shot by two police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Samsung delivered strong results. Thanks to cost-cutting and solid sales of its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7, the world’s top handset maker beat estimates and had its biggest operating profit in more than two years. An overhaul of its low- and mid-end handset lineup also helped.
Danone neared a $10-billion deal for a soya milk brand. The acquisition would give Silk, the plant-based soya milk label owned by health-focused WhiteWave Foods, to the world’s biggest yogurt maker. Demand for healthier fare is making targets of companies like Denver-based WhiteWave.
China’s foreign-exchange reserves defied expectations. Despite fears over capital outflows, the weak yuan, and the fallout from the Brexit vote, the country’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $13.4 billion in the last month to $3.21 trillion. China has the largest forex reserves in the world.
Taiwan braced itself for super typhoon Nepartak. Flights have been cancelled, schools and offices shut, and 35,000 soldiers put on standby as the island prepares for its first major tropical storm of the season. The typhoon is expected to bring up to 20 inches of rainfall and could trigger deadly landslides.
Quartz obsession interlude
Oliver Staley on how Lionel Messi avoided taxes by exploiting a basic human right. “The laws governing the rights to one’s image vary from country to country (and in the US, from state to state) but they’re rooted in the concept of a right to privacy, which includes the right to control one’s identity and image.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
A work-free world might not be so bad. Fears of an idle, robot-powered society are a relic of our current mindset.
Big Food is struggling in an artisanal world. Faced with consumers who want healthier food, companies are manufacturing authenticity on social media.
A drug company is gouging people with deadly allergies. Patients are turning to syringes instead of expensive EpiPens.
Surprising discoveries
An Ohio airline is offering “Mile High Club” flights. For $495, couples can have an hour of romance on Flamingo Air.
Iron Man is now a young black girl. She is the latest politically correct revamp of a classic superhero.
Neuroscientists say multitasking drains your brain’s energy. Try carving out different times for specific activities instead.
The US military is creating an army of insects. Bomb-sniffing locusts with implanted electrodes are about a year away.
Goats use eye contact to communicate with humans. Like dogs, they try to catch our eyes when they need help to do something.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, intense goats, and the number for Lionel Messi’s tax accountant to hi@qz.com. You can download our iPhone app or follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.