Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The leaders of Germany, France, and Italy will mull over Brexit. Angela Merkel, François Hollande, and Matteo Renzi will convene on the small Italian island of Ventotene to discuss the UK’s planned exit from the European Union. An informal EU summit on the matter will be held next month.
Pfizer closes in on a $14 billion acquisition of Medivation. An all-cash deal could be announced as early as today. The move would give the pharmaceutical giant Xtandi, a blockbuster prostate-cancer treatment. It’d be the latest in a series of giant deals in the drug and biotech industries.
The production company behind Harrison Ford’s on-set injury is sentenced. Foodles Production pleaded guilty to criminal charges in relation to a mishap that resulted in a broken leg for the actor during the shooting of the most recent Star Wars film. The accident occurred at Pinewood Studios in London.
Over the weekend
An investigation showed Donald Trump’s companies have at least $650 million in debt. The New York Times reported the number (paywall), which is double the amount he’s listed in public filings so far. It also found his financial backers include ones he’s attacked during his campaign, among them Goldman Sachs.
A suicide bomber killed over 50 people at a wedding in Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed ISIL for the attack in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, and said the bomber was aged 12 to 14. More than 90 people were wounded in the blast.
India appointed a new head for its central bank. Prime minister Narendra Modi chose Urjit Patel as the next Reserve Bank of India governor. He’ll assume his new position after Raghuram Rajan steps down on Sept. 4, and is expected to continue his predecessor’s policies.
Brazilian footballer Neymar led his nation to Olympic gold. In scoring a winning penalty kick, Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. topped a 5-4 shoot-out win over Germany, after a 1-1 draw. After the match, he surprised many by stepping down as team captain.
Quartz obsession interlude
Chase Purdy on what was truly ugly about those naked Donald Trump statues that cropped up in cities last week. ”Aside from preying on people’s anxieties and generally being mean-spirited, perhaps the most depressing aspect of this kind of political dialogue is that it accomplishes nothing. It might draw a momentary wry smile, but it doesn’t inspire thoughtful conversation about foreign policy or race relations or the pressures small-business owners face.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The cookie bake-off for first lady contenders is a calcified indicator of lingering sexism in American politics. It started in 1992 when Hillary Clinton made then-controversial remarks about her career ambitions.
Rio de Janeiro really amped up police forces during the Olympics. So what happens to all those resources after the sporting bonanza is finished?
Scientists have already created drugs that could make us better people. But is it ethical to use pharmaceuticals to tinker with our morals?
Surprising discoveries
The Olympics closing ceremony referenced Super Mario. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe transformed into the video game character in the handover segment pointing to the 2020 Tokyo games.
The ideas of Sigmund Freud are being put to the test in an Argentine prison. Inmates there are working through their emotional issues with a psychoanalyst, who talks to them with no guards in the room.
China just launched a wild new satellite into space. Using quantum teleportation, the Chinese will try to make information travel outside of space and time.
The Olympics started as a male-only competition to honor the Greek god Zeus. But there’s evidence the Greeks also held another kind of Olympics, for women, in honor of Zeus’s wife, Hera.
NASA is opening its vaults. The US space agency is now making its research data available to the public via a web portal. It’s not the prettiest site just yet, but it hosts a wealth of knowledge.
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