Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Shinzo Abe and Donald Trump meet in New York. The Japanese prime minister hopes to ensure US support for his country’s security when he meets with the president-elect at Trump Tower. Trump horrified Japanese and South Korean officials earlier this year when he threatened to remove US troops from the Asia-Pacific.
Janet Yellen speaks before Congress. Investors will be looking for (paywall) signals on an expected December interest-rate hike, as well as the Fed chief’s thoughts on Trump’s fiscal policies.
An American, a Frenchman, and a Russian walk into a spaceship. Peggy Whitson, Thomas Pesquet, and Oleg Novitsky will launch from the the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a six-month stay on the International Space Station. Whitson is the first woman to command the station twice.
Shareholders vote on a Musk merger. Investors in Tesla and SolarCity decide if the carmaker and solar company should join forces. Tesla CEO/SolarCity chairman Elon Musk supports the deal, but others are worried about SolarCity’s consistent losses (paywall).
While you were sleeping
Russia distanced itself from the International Criminal Court. President Vladimir Putin withdrew the country’s signature from the ICC’s governing treaty, which Russia has called “one-sided.” Earlier this week, the ICC referred to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea as an “ongoing occupation.”
China to Trump: We didn’t make up climate change. China’s deputy foreign minister, Liu Zhenmin, gently pointed out that America initiated climate-change negotiations with China in the 1980s, not the other way around. Zhenmin said Beijing will continue pressing the issue, “whatever the circumstances.”
France got a new presidential hopeful. Emmanuel Macron, who served as economy minister under president Francois Hollande, announced plans to run as an independent. Macron quit the Socialist government in August, and vowed a “democratic revolution” if elected.
Bob Dylan won’t pick up his Nobel prize. The folk legend said “pre-existing commitments” will prevent him from making the trip to Stockholm for the Nobel ceremony. Dylan isn’t the first laureate to RSVP “no thanks”—Doris Lessing also skipped the ceremony, and Jean-Paul Sartre turned down the award entirely.
Scientists found an enormous ocean on Pluto. Below the frozen surface of the dwarf planet’s central plain is an ocean that holds more water than all of Earth’s seas combined. One of the scientists behind the discovery cautioned that lifeforms on Pluto are still unlikely.
Quartz obsession interlude
Lila MacLellan on a scientifically proven way to converse across party lines. “Conflicts arise when words are perceived as threats, which devolve into power struggles. The goal of Rosenberg’s four-step approach to meaningful conversations is to connect about everyone’s needs, not to ‘win.’” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Pop culture can explain the US election. Even liberal movies and television shows depict establishment insiders as the problem.
When making risky decisions, trust your gut. Physical pain might be your body’s way of signaling anxiety or doubt.
A Trump presidency means the end of the neoliberal capitalist world order. Progressives must use his victory to promote “humanist internationalism.”
Surprising discoveries
Pigs can be pessimists. A study of 36 domestic pigs found that some are ambitious and optimistic, while others have a glass-half-full disposition.
Three Dutch ships sunk in 1942 have vanished from the ocean floor. “The desecration of a war grave is a serious offense,” the Dutch ministry said of the missing wrecks.
The Philippines’ president is avoiding flying through the US. On his way to Peru for a summit, Rodrigo Duterte chose a flight path that added six hours of travel time.
Nigeria wants to make holding US dollars a crime. It’s a last-ditch effort by the country’s central bank to save its own currency, the naira.
We can now fly airplanes with our minds. Neurotechnology researchers invented a system that controls aircraft through electrical activity in the brain.
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