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 its annual profit to hit a four-year low.
While you were sleeping
South Korean president Park Geun-hye said she’s willing to relinquish some power… Amid allegations that her spiritual adviser Choi Soon-sil improperly wielded influence using her ties to the president, Park said she would agree to a new prime minister recommended by parliament taking control of the cabinet. Usually the PM is a figurehead position.
…While South Korean prosecutors raided the offices of Samsung Electronics… They’re investigating allegations that the company illegally provided gifts to the daughter of Choi Soon-sil. The raid comes as the company is also dealing with the fallout from exploding smartphones and washing machines.
China’s exports and imports fell more than expected in October. Suggesting an economic recovery could be faltering, exports decreased 7.3% and imports 1.4% from a year ago. Both drops were larger than analysts had expected.
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, each year fees will kick in after using 400 kilowatt-hours—around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) worth of juice.
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.