Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Britain goes it alone. Shortly after noon in London, British prime minister Theresa May will invoke Article 50, the exit clause in the European Union’s founding treaty. This will trigger the start of a two-year process to untangle the UK from the bloc. It’s a journey into the unknown, as the two sides pick apart the rules and regulations that have bound them together since 1973 and negotiate a new relationship that could profoundly affect citizens and businesses across the continent.
Samsung launches a new smartphone. The Galaxy S8 will be the company’s first significant release since its flammable Galaxy Note 7 debacle. One bad omen: Yesterday a Samsung retail outlet in Singapore caught fire.
While you were sleeping
Toshiba’s Westinghouse unit filed for bankruptcy. The nuclear power company has struggled with massive cost overruns building US nuclear reactors in Georgia and South Carolina, forcing Toshiba to a 2016 net loss of around $9 billion (paywall). Allowing Westinghouse to file for bankruptcy limits future losses for Toshiba.
Ryanair issued a chilling Brexit warning. Europe’s largest airline (by passenger numbers) said it may not be able to fly between Britain and Europe for a period of time after March 2019 thanks to Britain no longer being part of the EU’s ”Open Skies” system. It urged the government to prioritize a new aviation deal in its Brexit negotiations, as airlines have to confirm their 2019 flight schedules by mid-2018.
US lawmakers voted to repeal Obama-era internet privacy rules. Slated to go into effect later this year, the rules required broadband providers—but not the likes of Google and Facebook—to get permission before sharing data on a user’s online activities. Trump is expected to sign the bill into law, in a win for ISPs like Comcast and AT&T.
The Senate ratified Montenegro’s admission into NATO. The tiny Balkan nation will become the 29th member of the military alliance, a move that senators said will send a clear signal to president Vladimir Putin that the US is ready to push back against his attempts to increase Russian influence in the region.
The US acknowledged its likely role in a deadly Mosul bombing. “My initial assessment is that we probably had a role in these casualties,” said the top US commander in Iraq, referencing airstrikes this month that killed up to 200 civilians. Iraqi officials told Mosul residents not to leave the areas about to be hit, according to Amnesty International.
Quartz obsession interlude
Dan Kopf on the compelling evidence that robots are taking jobs and cutting wages: “A central question about robots is whether they replace human workers or augment them by boosting productivity. Acemoglu and Restrepo’s research is a powerful piece of evidence on the side of replacement.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The FBI’s facial-recognition database has gone too far. Nearly half of Americans are in the system, and its algorithms are deeply flawed.
Facebook is proof that originality is overrated. Its last five major products were copied from Snapchat, Apple, Twitch, Slack, and Snapchat.
Israel’s next war is inevitable. The country is taking deterrence too far with its constant bombing of Hezbollah (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
Richard Branson wants Kiwi farmers to farm cannabis, not cows. It would be more profitable and easier on the environment.
A Coca-Cola plant in Northern Ireland was shut down by feces. Police were called in after the matter clogged the plant’s machinery.
An Airbnb host illegally rented out her Trump Tower apartment. New York City slapped her with a $1,000 fine.
Three rivers are now legally people. One is in New Zealand and two are in India, where they will be treated as minors in court.
Amazon giveth as Barnes & Noble taketh away. For every bookstore that B&N closes this year, Amazon is opening a high-tech brick-and-mortar replacement.
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