Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
NATO leaders meet in Warsaw. Dealing with a belligerent Russia and heightened terrorism threats will be key talking points at the two-day summit—with Britain’s decision to leave the EU complicating matters. The alliance is expected to approve the deployment of thousands of troops in Eastern Europe—led by the UK, US, Germany, and Canada—by early 2017.
Japan’s parliamentary elections on Sunday. Prime minister Shinzo Abe is trying to win a two-thirds majority in the legislature’s upper house, which could aid his goal of amending the constitution (to lift restrictions on Japan’s military, among other things). The Japanese Communist Party is also expected to win new seats.
The latest US jobs report. The June unemployment data will take on even more importance in the wake of the UK’s Brexit vote, especially after an unexpectedly anemic jobs report in May. The numbers are certain to play a big role in the Federal Reserve’s consideration of an interest-rate hike.
While you were sleeping
Snipers killed five police officers in Dallas. Dallas police chief David Brown said the shooters opened fire on officers from “elevated positions” during a demonstration over the fatal shootings of two black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota. Police reportedly have three people in custody, and a fourth person, who had been in a stand-off with police, is now dead.
UK consumer confidence hit a 21-year low. The country’s vote to leave the European Union is making Brits pessimistic, according to a special GfK survey covering June 30 to July 5. The national outlook hasn’t been this grim since December 1994.
The US and South Korea agreed to deploy a missile defense system. In a joint statement officials said it would be operational by the end of next year, and would be used only to protect against North Korean nuclear and missile threats. China objected to the move.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was banned from operating labs. US regulators slapped a fine and a two-year ban on the chief executive of the Silicon Valley blood-testing company, after its testing technology was called into question last year. The company has voided thousands of past test results since then.
Super-typhoon Nepartak slammed into eastern Taiwan. The Category 5 storm made landfall shortly before 6am local time, packing winds of 234 km/h (145 mph). The storm flipped over cars, forced evacuations, and closed schools, offices, and financial markets in Taiwan. It’s expected to reach mainland China by Saturday morning.
Quartz obsession interlude
Marc Bain offers a conscientious shopping manifesto. “Think of your purchase as the beginning of a relationship with an item of clothing. It starts at the earliest stages of the supply chain, is carried on by the people who design the clothes and those that stitch them together, and ends in a landfill or recycling plant. You enter it at the point of purchase, and from that point on, that piece of clothing is your responsibility—it was created for you, and it’s yours to wear, to care for, and eventually to dispose of.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
“It is clear that you, white America, will never understand us.” What the US is avoiding seeing in the videos of black deaths by police officers (paywall).
The BRICS have fallen. The new geopolitical order won’t be ruled by a bloc of emerging economies, but by chaos.
A high-trust environment makes employees more productive and innovative. But leaders must work at creating one.
Surprising discoveries
The biggest black artists are standing up over police brutality. First, Beyoncé urged Americans to contact their congressman and now Jay Z has a new song called “Spiritual.”
Snapchat is being sued by children for its spicy content. The class action lawsuit is seeking $50,000 for every raunchy story on the popular app.
Scientists found a planet that weighs four times more than Jupiter. It orbits three stars at once.
German churches are offering holy wifi. They hope the free “godspots” will attract new parishioners.
A Japanese supermarket paid more than 1.1 million yen ($11,000) for 30 grapes. It will give them out to shoppers for free—at about $366 per grape.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, expensive grapes, and spicy Snaps to hi@qz.com. You can download our iPhone app or follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.