Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump dine—together! They will participate at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner in New York, an election tradition usually marked by humorous, often self-deprecating speeches—though that may change during this acrimonious election. Check out Barack Obama’s jokes from 2008 and 2012.
Theresa May tries to talk Brexit to EU leaders. But European Council president Donald Tusk is determined to avoid discussions on the UK leaving the EU. The new British prime minister—invited to her first EU summit—will only be allowed to briefly discuss the “current state of affairs” during coffee at the end of a working dinner.
The European Central Bank decides on interest rates. President Mario Draghi is expected to hold rates at their record low, but the big question is whether he’ll talk about plans for bond-buying in 2017. Any plans to slow down purchases would jolt markets.
While you were sleeping
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off for the last time. The Republican nominee said during the third and final presidential debate that he may reject the election result if he loses. “What I’m saying is I will tell you at the time,” he said. “I will keep you in suspense.” In terms of memes, people loved Trump’s jibe that Clinton is a “nasty woman” and that he will deport “bad hombres” back to Mexico.
Elon Musk announced every new Tesla will be able to drive itself. The company will add self-driving hardware—including ultrasonic sensors and cameras with 360-degree visibility—to all models. But it won’t activate the functionality until regulators give the green light. Separately, Uber’s CEO was more cautious, saying self-driving cars won’t replace human drivers in the near future.
The latest twist in the EU’s antitrust case against Intel. An adviser to the EU’s highest court backed Intel’s appeal against a record $1.16 billion fine levied by EU antitrust regulators. The highest court typically rules in line with the adviser’s opinion.
Turkish jets pounded a US-backed Kurdish militia in Syria. The Kurdish-led militia, who the US has backed in their fight against ISIL, were hit with more than 20 air strikes overnight. The strike came ahead of an expected visit by US defense secretary Ash Carter.
The European Space Agency lost contact with its Mars lander. The Schiaparelli craft, designed to test new landing equipment, went ominously silent after its descent to the planet’s surface. On the bright side, the agency’s TGO satellite achieved the correct orbit, and will search the atmosphere for the chemical signatures of life.
Facebook planned to start selling you pizzas. The tech giant unveiled new features that let customers order food deliveries, book salon appointments, and buy tickets to events through its website and app. The move is seen as a challenge to Google and its efforts to dominate local e-commerce.
Quartz obsession interlude
Annalisa Merelli on the consequences of electing a sexist to run your country. “While his pop-culture influence primed Italian audiences for misogynist content, it was Berlusconi’s political influence that made sexism seem powerful. By continuing to appeal to the lowest instincts of the Italian male, Berlusconi was living proof that disrespecting and belittling women was the best way to become successful.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The world isn’t ready for online voting. Even though it would increase voter turnout, the system could be easily manipulated.
It’s wrong to shun Peter Thiel for supporting Donald Trump. Silicon Valley is backtracking on the principles that made it successful.
The US and Europe are silent bystanders to Russia’s war crimes in Syria. The West must show there is a price to pay for Moscow’s aggression (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
A gorilla escaped London Zoo and drank five liters of undiluted blackcurrant juice. He’s now safely back in his enclosure, nursing a Ribena hangover.
Montblanc’s luxurious pens are going digital. A $650 device uses “augmented paper” to transfer writing directly to digital devices.
Iran aired the US presidential debates. The mudslinging between the candidates makes for great propaganda.
Eels consume their own bones to survive marathon migrations. They lose more than half their bone volume during the journey of some 3,000 miles (4,828 km).
Hot dogs need a new name in Malaysia. Islamic religious authorities don’t like the canine-derived moniker.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Mars distress calls, and hot-dog rebranding proposals to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our iPhone app.