Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Brazil launches its first defense and communications satellite. It will beam broadband internet to remote parts of the country, while giving military and government personnel secure communications. Embraer subsidiary Visiona is behind the project, which will launch Thursday night from French Guiana.
Accenture’s report card. The global tech consulting firm posts second quarter earnings before the markets open. Analysts expect a solid performance across its insurance, banking, and healthcare divisions.
Congress votes on Donald Trump’s healthcare bill. Democrats and a range of Republicans have all come out against the pivotal legislation, which is designed to replace Obamacare. With 26 GOP representatives publicly refusing to vote “yes,” the bill seems unlikely to pass.
While you were sleeping
Seven arrests were made following the London attack. The police said raids during the night led to the arrest of seven people of different nationalities, but they still believe the attacker acted alone. Four people are dead after the attacker drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster bridge outside the British parliament on Wednesday afternoon local time, before stabbing a police officer and being shot and killed by security forces.
CNN dropped a bombshell. The network said it’s been told by unnamed US officials that the FBI has evidence that Trump associates “communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.” It warned the information is not conclusive. The Trump-Russia enquiry got even messier yesterday when Democrat Adam Schiff called for an independent investigation after it emerged his Republican counterpart Devin Nunes shared info with the White House before he briefed the committee.
Apple bought Workflow for an undisclosed sum. The iOS mobile app, which is owned by DeskConnect and won Apple’s Design Award in 2015, allows people to create their own shortcuts and automate processes on the iPhone and iPad. Apple will make the app free on the app store today. It normally costs $2.99.
South Korea bailed out Daewoo Shipbuilding again. The world’s second-largest shipbuilder got a $2.6 billion lifeline from Seoul (paywall) to reduce its enormous debt. It’s the second time the government has bailed out Daewoo in two years—if it went under, an estimated 50,000 people would lose their jobs.
A political scandal deepened in Japan. A school principal testified that Akie Abe, the prime minister’s wife, gave him an envelope with 1 million yen ($9,000) when she visited a kindergarten run by nationalist group Moritomo Gakuen. Parliament has been questioning how the group was able to buy publicly owned land for a fraction of its market value.
Quartz obsession interlude
Dave Gershgorn on the crime-fighting software that scours itself for bias. “Predictive policing is being adopted across the country—despite being riddled with issues. These algorithms have been shown to disproportionately target minorities, and private companies won’t reveal how their software reached those conclusions.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Don’t start your own business—manage someone else’s. Business managers rank higher than founders on happiness and job satisfaction.
Young geeks will save us from political attacks on science. A leading astronomer notes that being a nerd is now a compliment.
Donald Trump has a credibility problem. When his “Black Hawk Down” moment inevitably arrives, Americans won’t believe a word he says.
Surprising discoveries
Scientists figured out why tardigrades are indestructible. The microscopic creatures freeze-dry themselves in hostile conditions.
A pizza investment beat Silicon Valley. Since 2010, Domino’s shares have outperformed those of Apple, Facebook, Google, and Amazon.
Some nearby planets may be swapping life. Microbes may be joyriding on meteorites between the seven worlds of the TRAPPIST-1 solar system.
The NBA is addicted to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Teams can’t live without the seductive combination of sugar, salt, protein, carbs—and superstition.
An Irish betting site has hired a manager for unlikely Trump bets. Will the president make it to Mount Rushmore or announce the existence of aliens? Paddy Power will quote you odds.
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