Good morning, Quartz readers!
An invitation
Take part in the political chatter. On Nov. 8, election day in the United States, we’re inviting our readers around the world to join Quartz reporters and editors for a discussion of US politics. It will be hosted all day long on Slack, the group messaging tool. Click here to participate.
What to watch for today
America votes. After a long, bruising presidential election, voters will finally get their chance to choose between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. Polls show a Clinton lead of three to four percentage points, thanks in part to a surge in early voting by Hispanics. Markets are bracing for turmoil regardless of the outcome.
A Hong Kong jury decides on a gruesome case involving a British banker. Rurik Jutting is accused of the torture, rape, and murder of two Indonesian women. He has already pled guilty to manslaughter, claiming diminished responsibility due to drug abuse and sexual disorders.
Toyota’s second-quarter results. Stymied by a stronger yen and low North American demand, the world’s largest automaker said in August it expects profit to hit a four-year low.
While you were sleeping
Global stocks experienced a Clinton bounce. US and Mexican markets surged after the FBI’s announcement this weekend that it found no new evidence of wrongdoing in the latest batch of Clinton emails. The news removed a dark cloud that had plagued her campaign in the final week, and had diminished her lead over Trump.
Hackers robbed Tesco Bank blind. The UK bank said 20,000 customers had funds missing after a “systematic sophisticated attack” on its computer systems. Online withdrawals were suspended while the bank investigates.
Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega won a third consecutive presidential term. The longtime leader won with more than 70% of the vote, but the contest was criticized by opposition groups and the United States, which called the poll “flawed.” Ortega’s wife, Rosario Murillo, ran as his running mate.
It’s going to cost to charge your Tesla. Elon Musk’s company will cap the electricity it offers for free to new customers at its supercharging stations. Starting in 2017, fees will kick in after using 400 kilowatt-hours—around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) worth of juice.
Georgia’s ex-president resigned from a big job in Ukraine. Mikheil Saakashvili quit as governor of one of the country’s most important regions, in apparent despair at the endemic corruption in the country. He took a parting shot at his one-time friend, president Petro Poroshenko, who he said was complicit in the slow pace of reform.
Quartz markets haiku
Stocks are up again
Who knew Wall Street’s most potent
force is the G-men?
Quartz obsession interlude
Cassie Werber on the shrinking “happiness gap” between post-Soviet countries and their peers. “Transitioning from a centrally-controlled economy to one based on market forces was meant, ultimately, to improve the quality of life for people living in the former Soviet Union. And it did. It just took a really, really long time.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Job interviews are a pointless exercise. Employers should rely on objective measures rather than their own intuition.
India’s focus on smart cities is hurting the environment. Nature, not technology, might be the answer to sustainable urban spaces.
A Trump victory would be less scary than Brexit. The UK exit from the EU will cause more lasting damage.
Surprising discoveries
A Trump advisor’s pants literally caught on fire. Campaign CEO Stephen Bannon did not initially notice that his pants were burned by a hot light at a rally.
Medieval peasants had more time off than modern-day Americans. Frequent holidays were key to preventing a revolt.
An astronaut’s corpse could give rise to life. The dead body might deliver microbes to a new world.
People are buying “USB condoms” to stop nasty viruses. They enable you to charge your device without transmitting data.
Scientists discovered the world’s biggest earthworm. “Dave” was killed by UK researchers for “scientific reasons.”
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, extra-large earthworms, and USB condoms to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our iPhone app.