TikTok deal, Netflix and commercial chill, snake on a bus

Good morning, Quartz readers! TikTok’s deal with Oracle appears close. Although there’s no official confirmation yet, CNBC says the Trump administration is set to approve the partnership today. According to the Financial Times and the Wall Street [Quartz]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! Here’s what you need to know TikTok’s deal with Oracle appears close. Although there’s no official confirmation yet, [CNBC says]( the Trump administration is set to approve the partnership today. According to the [Financial Times]( and the [Wall Street Journal]( (paywalls), TikTok owner ByteDance will form a company in the US, with Oracle taking a minority stake. Britain’s foreign secretary is in Washington to discuss Brexit. A future US-UK trade deal could be threatened by [concerns over Ireland]( and [Dominic Raab will try to convince US officials]( that the UK’s plan to override parts of the Brexit divorce deal does not violate the Good Friday Agreement. Yoshihide Suga is the new prime minister of Japan. [The Japanese parliament confirmed]( the 71-year-old’s promotion to the top job today, following the health-related resignation last week of Shinzo Abe. He immediately has to try and get the world’s third largest economy back on track during a pandemic. Government help for restaurants drove down inflation in the UK. The “[eat out to help out]( scheme, which ran throughout August, gave diners up to £10 ($13) off their meals, with the government paying the balance. Cheaper food means lower inflation, which is now at a [five-year-low](. The World Trade Organization ruled that US tariffs on Chinese imports are illegal. [But it’s not a US victory]( Tim Fernholz reports. The new ruling marks another step towards trade based on economic power rather than on rules, and the panel’s report underlines the US failure to effectively oppose China. Louisville agreed a $12 million settlement with the family of Breonna Taylor. Police officers shot and killed the 26-year-old Black woman at her home in March, prompting mass protests in the US and a [wrongful-death lawsuit](. Family members and activists continue to demand criminal charges. Sponsor content by Lexus Click if you're curious. Curiosity drives human instinct, and human instinct drives Lexus. From understanding distraction and reaction to embracing Genchi Genbutsu with Malcolm Gladwell, [see how Lexus vehicles are inspired by you](. Checking up on global health 💉 Hoarding vaccines will extend the pandemic. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation warned rich countries that [buying up all the vaccines]( and leaving poorer countries without is counterproductive. 📉 Covid-19 undid 25 years of global health progress in 25 weeks. Poverty, immunization rates, education, gender equality, clean water access, and more will [take years to get back to pre-pandemic levels](. 👀 And another potential epidemic needs serious attention. There’s a brewing mental health crisis for [South Asian immigrants in the West](. Charting bitcoin in India After a ban on cryptocurrencies was revoked in March, bitcoin accounted for 20% of the total traded volumes on WazirX, one of the popular cryptocurrency exchanges in India. Over the last six months, bitcoins worth $184 million were traded on the platform. Not only is it the most stable, but bitcoin is one of the base currencies for buying altcoins if a user doesn’t want to use sovereign-backed money to trade. Endorsements from Wall Street veterans haven’t hurt the currency’s cachet either. [A bar chart showing the total traded volumes of various cryptocurrencies for Indian users on WazirX exchange. 20% is Bitcoin, 14% is Tether, 10% is WazirX, 5% is Ethereum, and 51% is others.] But Tether may be the other one to watch. [Read more here](. Are commercial breaks coming to Netflix? Netflix doesn’t have commercials—and it won’t any time soon. But that doesn’t mean it won’t [embrace advertisers](. The streaming service had 193 million global subscribers as of June and is likely to surpass 200 million by the end of the year. For now, the only substantial way it monetizes that massive audience is from subscriptions. But many observers—including marketers who want to reach those subscribers—believe the company needs to find other means through which it can capitalize on its legions of binge-watchers in the event subscriptions stop growing. Read more about the ways Netflix is already working with advertisers, and what this means for the future of the TV ad, in [this week’s field guide](. If you’re not already a member, [sign up to become one today](. Build a sustainable productivity routine Hit reset on your productivity. Join us on Sept. 17 from 11am-12pm US eastern time for our [free virtual workshop]( on how to build a sustainable productivity routine. For this workshop, we’ve assembled a group of experts to share practical tips and advice on how to overcome distractions and set yourself up for efficiency. Obsession interlude: How we spend [An animated gif of Macklemore dancing in a shoe store.] Giphy The biggest question facing retailers of all stripes is whether the [changes in global purchasing habits]( forced by the pandemic will result in a permanent disruption of how we shop and spend. Almost every consumer-facing company—from [luxury retailers]( to restaurants to entertainment venues—had to adjust to the lockdowns and quarantines. Some moved online, others reduced capacity, or just shut their doors and hoped to survive long enough for customers to return. There’s evidence that some shoppers will, in fact, return to stores. That’s been [the pattern in China]( for example. But the post-pandemic world has both fewer stores, due to a wave of bankruptcies, and more opportunities to buy online. Amazon [is a clear success story]( and other retailers are more focused on e-commerce in anticipation of a permanent shift. Whether shoppers opt to stay online will dictate much of the future of retailing. Keep up with our How We Spend obsession [here](. Quartz announcement Don’t mourn the loss of your canceled long-haul flight. Take to the open road this vacation. Our sweepstakes prize will equip you with road trip essentials to give you a new lease on travel this year. If you’re in the US, you have just one more day to [enter our sweepstakes]( for a chance to win a prize package including a National Parks Pass and YETI cooler. Surprising discoveries A man in England used a live snake as a face covering. He took the reptile [on a bus](. Dolphins are making a comeback around Hong Kong. It’s because there aren’t many boats [to disturb them](. A monkey appears to have taken selfies. A Malaysian man [found the photos]( after retrieving his phone, which had gone missing, from the jungle behind his house. Barbados wants to drop Queen Elizabeth as its head of state. [She’s still the reigning monarch]( in 16 countries, including Canada and Australia. Asbestos, Quebec is changing its name. The [shortlist of new monikers]( includes Jeffrey and Trois-Lacs. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, new city names, and new heads of state to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by [downloading our iOS app]( and [becoming a member](. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Hasit Shah, Liz Webber, and Susan Howson. [facebook]( [twitter]( [external-link]( Enjoying Quartz Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here]( to sign up. If you’re looking to unsubscribe, [click here](. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States Copyright © 2020 Quartz, All rights reserved.