Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A powerful typhoon is expected to hit Japan. Typhoon Lionrock is projected to strike the northern Tohoku region, which experienced major damage in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Prime minister Shinzo Abe is cutting his trip to Kenya short to be back in the country before the storm hits.
Justin Trudeau begins his trip in China. The Canadian prime minister’s visit is aimed at building Canada-China relations. Talks are likely to yield pacts related to climate change and the environment, but experts say trade deals are unlikely.
The EU may rule on Apple’s tax arrangements with Ireland. The EU’s antitrust regulator is expected to find that the arrangements are in violation of state-aid rules and order Apple to pay a certain amount back to Ireland. The decision may exacerbate controversy about European probes targeting American companies.
While you were sleeping
Facebook’s new Trending Topics got off to a rough start. The company laid off its entire editorial staff last week, leaving an algorithm in charge. Within two days, a fake news story about Fox anchor Megyn Kelly ended up in the Trending section of the social network’s homepage.
Mylan will start selling cheaper EpiPens. In the face of harsh criticism over exorbitant price increases on the life-saving medical devices, the pharmaceutical company announced plans to sell a half-priced generic alternative for $300. The move wasn’t enough for some critics, who argue that the company should just cut the price of the EpiPen.
Dilma Rousseff took the stand at her impeachment trial. Brazil’s suspended president defended herself against accusations that she had manipulated the national budget and argued that her opponents’ political machinations have worsened the country’s economic crisis.
Clinton aide Huma Abedin left her scandal-plagued husband. Abedin stuck by former congressman Anthony Weiner through two sexting scandals in 2011 and 2013. But a provocative new photo leaked to the press appears to have been the last straw.
Quartz obsession interlude
Marc Bain on why American kids are all about leggings. “Kids are rejecting structured garments and wearing only soft, unrestrictive clothing. These demands about clothes aren’t exactly new—young people have complained about bothersome clothes for ages—but earlier generations of children begged to wear jeans instead of more formal dresses or trousers. Today’s children are looking for something that’s even more casual and comfy than traditional denim.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Mormon women can be feminists, too. They have a long history of challenging the church’s “patriarchal order,” even at the risk of excommunication.
Go ahead and Google your symptoms. WebMD is still no replacement for a real-life doctor, but online research can help us feel a little more in control.
Bring back communal bathing. Public bathhouses could help cure the loneliness of contemporary urbanites.
Surprising discoveries
Smiling may not make us happier after all. A major replication project questions the theory, which dates back to Charles Darwin’s era.
Bugs are wriggling their way into our condiments. Mealworms could soon be an ingredient in margarine and vegetable oil.
More parents are calling vaccines for kids “unnecessary.” Eighty-seven percent of US pediatricians say they had parents decline vaccinations in 2013, up from 75% a decade earlier.
Scientists know what killed our ancient ancestor Lucy. Scans of her skeleton suggest that she fell 40 feet from a tree to her death.
iPads are as good as sedatives at calming kids before surgery. Parents and nurses even prefer tablets to drugs.
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