Brexit’s “final offer”, Libra doubts, sober Russians

Boris Johnson reveals ‘final offer’ Brexit proposal. The British prime minister will propose a “two-border” approach to replace the UK’s current open border with Ireland, the Telegraph reported (paywall). While Northern Ireland will leave the European Union along with the rest of Britain, it will have a special relationship with the EU, and stick to its market rules until 2025. [Quartz Daily Brief]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today Boris Johnson reveals ‘final offer’ Brexit proposal. The British prime minister will propose a “two-border” approach to replace the UK’s current open border with Ireland, [the Telegraph reported]( (paywall). While Northern Ireland will leave the European Union along with the rest of Britain, it will have a special relationship with the EU, and stick to its market rules until 2025. The WTO announces its decision on US-EU tariffs. The World Trade Organization is expected to give the US permission to [impose tariffs on $7.5 billion of European goods]( later today after finding that planemaker Airbus has received billions of dollars in illegal subsidies. Trump and Finland talk 5G. The US president is expected to discuss ways to [improve 5G alternatives]( to China’s Huawei and ZTE with Finland’s president Sauli Niinistö. Washington has blacklisted Huawei, alleging national security concerns. Finland is home to telecom giant Nokia. Microsoft Surface announcements in NYC. The [hardware event]( kicks off with rumors of a Surface Pro 7 release, complete with USB-C support. Also likely to debut is a Surface Laptop 3 with a 15-inch screen and a rumored[dual-screen device](. Jobs report preview. After the lowest US manufacturing figures[in a decade]( all eyes will be on [today’s data]( from private payroll processor ADP. The firm is expected to say that 140,000 jobs were added in September, down from its reading of 195,000 in August. Sponsor content by AT&T Business It’s time to unite your IoT systems. With a single IoT platform, companies can unite their siloed systems, unlocking new actionable insights and taking their businesses to the next level. [Learn more](. While you were sleeping Rudy Giuliani threatened to sue Congress. In a late-night appearance on Fox News, the former New York City mayor said he [would like to sue]( House Democrats looking into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo is also stonewalling impeachment procedures, however, his legal arguments [appear to have some merit](. Catch up on the full scope of the “credible allegations” against Trump with our [complete impeachment timeline](. Germany comes up short on a climate deal. Angela Merkel’s ambition to pass landmark climate legislation by the end of the year seems in doubt after several state ministries were reportedly [unable to agree]( on emissions-cutting measures. North Korea fired a missile designed for submarine launch. It was the country’s first test of an [underwater missile]( in three years and comes just days before nuclear talks with the United States are expected to resume. Libra’s backers got cold feet. Key financial partners like Visa and Mastercard are [reconsidering their involvement]( with Facebook’s cryptocurrency amid concern of attracting regulatory scrutiny. Lawmakers and regulators around the world [have criticized]( (paywall) Libra since it was announced, leading to speculation that it may never get off the ground. Johnson & Johnson settled with Ohio over opioids. The US healthcare giant will pay $20.4 million to settle claims by two of the state’s counties, allowing it to [avoid an upcoming federal trial](. Earlier this year, a judge in Oklahoma ordered the company to pay $572.1 million to the state for its role in fueling the opioid epidemic. Quartz Membership [Sign up]( for your free trial. Jet fuel—both making it and using it—is harmful to the planet. Recent UN regulations take effect in 2021, even as the number of passengers worldwide is likely to continue to rise. But in the long run, if we want to continue to fly, we’ll need better solutions. As part of this week’s[airline industry field guide]( Quartz tourism reporter Natasha Frost explains why [electric planes and biofuels]( are not as far off as you think. Quartz Obsession People have a lot of feelings about the Oxford comma. Also known as a serial comma, it’s the final punctuation mark before the conjunction in a list of three or more things. Some find it redundant and stuffy, others insist on its power to clarify, and some superfans even include their enthusiasm for it on their dating profiles. [The Quartz Obsession punctuates its importance](. Matters of debate [Join the conversation on the Quartz app!]( Curbing vaping pushes kids to cigarettes. Both are bad, but [vaping is almost certainly safer](. Every conference should offer childcare. Without it, they’ll [continue to fall short on inclusivity](. Even chats with strangers can perk you up. [Small talk with random people]( is pretty good at helping people feel connected. Surprising discoveries The female orgasm has its roots in rabbits. The pleasure response may be [an evolutionary holdover]( that corresponds to how many eggs are released. Algae is the earth’s secret weapon. The slimy plants are up to [400 times more efficient than trees]( at pulling excess carbon out of the atmosphere. Philosophers love karaoke. The highlight of the upcoming [Night of Philosophy]( festival in New York City is bound to be this [David Bowie sing-along dance party](. VC investors are under surveillance. A new app claims it can use facial recognition to[identify venture capitalists wandering wealthily around San Francisco](. Apes are onto us. A new study suggests that our hairy cousins have “theory of mind” and can [understand when their friends have been deceived](. Russians are sobering up. [Alcohol consumption dropped 43%]( from 2003 to 2016, and average life expectancies promptly spiked. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, VC sightings, and vengeful apes to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by[downloading our app]( and[becoming a member](. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Amanda Shendruk and Max Lockie.  Enjoying the Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here to sign up.]( Want to advertise in the Quartz Daily Brief? Send us an email at ads@qz.com. To unsubscribe from the Quartz Daily Brief, [click here](.