🌎 Hope for Microsoft's Activision ambitions

Plus: Car engines in the US are getting dusty Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Sign up here](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/x1iCyu4qpAzC6whtzM_P4QkD9tDr9Ay2Eci7BpK3rNY=300) [Quartz](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850440434%2Fhope-for-microsofts-activision-ambitions%2F/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/mRXXh3FPd6BIqBIuBkk5zawnkTNr9o_xdquNOG6lPtk=300) May 16, 2023 [View in browser](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850440434%2Fhope-for-microsofts-activision-ambitions%2F/2/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/JcU9cDB5G_AImAE3TD175p1GOKfQMQ9DHxxpMlGaGww=300) Sponsored By Good morning, Quartz readers! [Linda Yaccarino is officially X/Twitter’s new CEO](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Flinda-yaccarino-says-shes-inspired-by-provocative-lead-1850432082%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/DolZLcue-konNktiBrS-wzeeRrZG74dZZ2aW1W6FbqI=300), but we wanted to share a few names that Quartz readers had expected to be drawn out of the hat: Marissa Mayer, Sarah Palin, Melania Trump, and a cute cat in an office chair named Huckleberry (thank you for the picture, Patrick!). Here’s what you need to know The European Commission approved Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal. The decision comes [with strings attached](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fwhats-next-for-the-microsoft-activision-deal-after-rece-1850437868%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/oHXGtVrg719UMnwOox-qj8__xx5uADCDKX_ZUVPQMR4=300) that could serve the tech giant well in its appeal against a UK ruling blocking the deal. The US Virgin Islands has struggled to locate Elon Musk. A private investigator was hired to [serve a subpoena](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fus-virgin-islands-elon-musk-epstein-jpmorgan-subpoena-1850440422%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434%26rev=1684228514691/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/8jnZANB1TlH5SzQglQ58JjVLGreEVZU8GN3fXF4xujk=300) for documents related to a case involving Jeffrey Epstein and JPMorgan Chase. 3M fired an executive who’d been at the company for 30 years just weeks after promoting him. Michael Vale, who [became group president](%2F%2Fqz.com%2F3m-fired-a-veteran-executive-for-inappropriate-conduct-1850440427%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434%26rev=1684229047189/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/G7zaEq0vYZn0vM1lS_eh9gXIqSRFqt4z0AwOgfVpvOA=300) on April 25, was fired over “inappropriate personal conduct.” US household debt has reached a record $17 trillion. Americans are continuing to add to it by spending heavily [on their credit cards](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Famericans-are-still-using-credit-cards-to-buy-necessiti-1850440401%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/9OJ2mvwYUjkzBrgRdkyAcKSHmarc2_s3--o2f5uIXU8=300). Florida’s newly expanded “Don’t Say Gay” bill is hitting teachers. Fifth-grade teacher Jenna Barbee said she’s [under investigation](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fflorida-disney-strange-world-teacher-investigation-1850436870%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/gzCvc08miBK2pzfgCMXml2PfzfLG6XSgNskCKhOxC_4=300) because a Disney film she showed her class, Strange World, featured a gay character. Sponsor content by Henley & Partners [Henley & Partners]( Purchase real estate in Mauritius worth USD 375,000 and gain residence rights for your whole family within six to eight months. This multicultural Indian Ocean island offers a laid-back lifestyle, modest property costs, and no residence requirement. Mauritius is among the top 20 countries in the world for ease of doing business. [advertisement][advertisement][advertisement] [Invest Now]( Can China incentivize its way out of population collapse? Housing subsidies, free schooling, and cash are just some of the incentives Chinese regulators are throwing to young adults in hopes they’ll be encouraged to wed and have kids. This “new era” of marriage and childbearing culture has one purpose: reverse the country’s first [population decline](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fbeijing-population-decline-china-2023-demographics-1850257444%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/PHCTo8QqPAZ8ocAZHzaJezLA9H0eYg4l0Def4z5pt9g=300), recorded in 2022. %2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850440434%2Fhope-for-microsofts-activision-ambitions%2F/3/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/YCiFlQyRGvuf_QZQw0b3BfkIzKZvRfa37kMw49-fnU8=300 Graphic: (Ananya Bhattacharya) [Read more about the pilots](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fchina-is-renewing-efforts-to-push-young-people-to-marry-1850436996%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/nRXQhapCVRBGeEEMt0vBBSLUYZ7X8LKdBqnBpAsF21Y=300) being rolled out by the world’s second-largest economy to stop its working age population from continuing its unsustainable decline. We need to talk about plastic %2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850440434%2Fhope-for-microsofts-activision-ambitions%2F/4/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/oJ3STUB0hYfNDK9icA8qmW_sme58OS_nJ5OuA22HLiw=300 Illustration: (Vicky Leta) Plastic water bottles, plastic coffee cups, plastic grocery bags... no matter where you go, there it is. We’ve been aware for decades that single-use plastic causes significant environmental harm, so why is it so often the duty of consumers to do something about it? In [the latest episode](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fsingle-use-plastics-recycling-environment-consumers-1850438689%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/VMD4ryij4eTXSm112nhK71TEwfMDlcHQji1VmcHHD9k=300) of the [Quartz Obsession podcast](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fseries%2Fquartz-obsession-podcast%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/EGEUsNP6WluXmi6CdS1Sl6v_lOD_JqaSuRnMI1VZ-R0=300), Scott talks to Quartz editor Sofia Lotto Persio about what manufacturers could do to make a real dent in the plastic problem. 🎧 [Listen right now!](%2F%2Fplayer.megaphone.fm%2FQMIA1102648562/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/OAjeJWlhO5sRrEC1OfNjPespb55AYgG3-TNT3oSXy74=300) ✅ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: [Apple Podcasts](%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fquartz-obsession%2Fid1587735076/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/8VPFw-WERdChwetJR5NZzhcRgKXUi80B1d_MP9DJaG8=300) | [Spotify](%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F6yEQvRgukZ7LJGdGXNi1BT/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/lpO1LidZBLoYckXoksy8KcDODZoWHgg0lFtgIy3Nt8M=300) | [Google](%2F%2Fpodcasts.google.com%2Ffeed%2FaHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcXVhcnR6b2JzZXNzaW9ucG9kY2FzdA/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/YXvO0WLksWI0hUF3K0DN1KM-ApBALuoD7XVBq5NV3Fw=300) | [Stitcher](%2F%2Fwww.stitcher.com%2Fshow%2Fquartz-obsession/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/eF2jcD9mTxbKnHmn0O17xtZGyOXQxYYs3I1RF37YWQw=300) | [YouTube](%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fplaylist%3Flist=PLWHhRzSHrMU-pjsEa8sIEwQuB3RhS0jes/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/vQBWMlksQhaHdhR_0K-lGoR4niK9lGCjzE_7mzlTJXw=300) 👀 Or, [read the transcript](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fpolyethylene-terephthalate-single-use-plastics-bottles-1850438615%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/Buu9npab1uF38Z_Y9fTcxEUKieAz1uENT8Rb-ZRCxtU=300) Car engines in the US are getting dusty 12.5 years: The age of the average car on US roads, a record high In 2022, the US’s light vehicles—all 284 million of them—grew older on average for the sixth straight year. Quartz’s Niharika Sharma explains [why Americans are driving older cars](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fthe-average-us-car-on-the-road-has-never-been-older-1850437171%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/D919S0Djs4lC7IIw_7sITSwNxB14-iCInXo9NZfjCZQ=300). Quartz most popular 🌏 [Foreigners settle in India more easily than Indians do abroad](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fexpats-settle-in-india-more-easily-than-indians-abroad-1850418006%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/BwhU03HGh3ZxJVa0Bxmu7ntUXx7woroh2Cik98WM3lQ=300) ⛽ [Europe’s new energy problem: it now has too much gas](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Feuropes-new-energy-problem-it-now-has-too-much-gas-1850431390%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/fgcW9em45oO8PUhb8TpdsLhFIhhfmD4utyRk8pr-pn8=300) 🌊 [Wall Street is paying more attention to the business risks posed by water](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fwater-supply-risks-disruptions-institutional-investors-1850413711%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/PxaA6x2YAqBM_x4_Rz0Rx9byvV9xOsSJub4HwrZsP-U=300) 👀 [Spot a US-issued diplomatic license plate? Decode it here.](%2F%2Fqz.com%2F7917%2Fdiplomatic-plate-decoder%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/yfxQg0u9Oy0Locbfo96yXCymHSc_rWRgR6kx8s5le5w=300) 🧠[Your anxiety brings 4 distinct superpowers](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fyour-anxiety-brings-4-distinct-superpowers-1850325406%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/9hefTpkFxXCxOx394tgkRf9uq40dGjhh8PMbvTRRXXU=300) 👟 [Adidas has finally decided what to do with its Yeezy stock](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fadidas-has-finally-decided-what-to-do-with-its-yeezy-st-1850431248%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/zhn_EMihVHL3fiR0y0MjijKfH81sY-8S3L0RQCj_ics=300) Sponsor content by Henley & Partners [Henley & Partners]( Purchase real estate in Mauritius worth USD 375,000 and gain residence rights for your whole family within six to eight months. This multicultural Indian Ocean island offers a laid-back lifestyle, modest property costs, and no residence requirement. Mauritius is among the top 20 countries in the world for ease of doing business. [advertisement][advertisement][advertisement] [Invest Now]( Surprising discoveries The world’s oldest dog turned 31—in human years. Bobi [enjoyed a party in Portugal](%2F%2Fnews.stv.tv%2Fworld%2Fworlds-oldest-dog-celebrates-31st-birthday-in-portugal-according-to-guinness-world-records/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/wxBvhDIrE4B_puBMVggthq71RZCRwQx18H4_XDaM3wc=300) with 100 friends and plates of local meats and fish. Hammerhead sharks hold their breath. The deeper they go, [the colder it gets](%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2F2023%2F05%2F15%2F1176108880%2Fwhy-hammerhead-sharks-hold-their-breath-in-deeper-colder-waters/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/mmqgeNaApl31tjSmBx8xBivNR-M5Udr1F3wLHxX6Qr4=300), and keeping that chilly water out of their gills helps them regulate body temperature. Baby talk can change infants’ brain structures. The amount of adult speech babies encounter is [linked to their concentration of myelin](%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fscience%2F2023%2Fmay%2F15%2Ftalking-to-babies-may-help-shape-brain-structure-research-finds/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/yDoQh7fo3mSrszf1dEgxoegCU6A0m4KaTkgZGGxAr5o=300), which makes brain signals more efficient. Saturn and Jupiter are in a moon war. In February, astronomers said the big red planet had 92 orbiters, but that was before 62 more were discovered around Saturn ([bringing its total to 145](%2F%2Fgizmodo.com%2Fsaturn-most-moons-solar-system-jupiter-1850437660/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/w6Vg15RimUxRH96LQSoLkualjqZNYiRs4PEsSHueL8Q=300)). The EU reduced carbon emissions while growing the economy. In the final quarter of 2022, [emissions fell by 4%](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fthe-eu-showed-its-possible-to-reduce-carbon-emissions-w-1850439014%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850440434/1/0100018824067ba9-6bd65a72-1bb7-464a-a02a-4e6ff183a831-000000/3SjFwHGJD_pcfKUaMXzoBPFAsscNxdvNFqnR4zR_Ka8=300) year-over-year, while GDP increased by 1.5% during the same period. Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, Bobi pics, and undiscovered moons to talk@qz.com. 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