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Plus: BlackRock’s getting probed | Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Sign up here](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/ICCkVxk6BOMegFjWiGABhUnDOEcD_ima0Kpdi32817A=312) [Quartz](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850698782%2Fnever-two-without-three%2F/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/QBibYAvT89hNnO-MnDqlpXw9XIsUYFAFhMN86ByJ_5w=312) August 2, 2023 [View in browser](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850698782%2Fnever-two-without-three%2F/2/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/lZwIlSfjRJX6i9gULsyJOFns9-kBFjoNQM49guaKIOo=312) [Then President Donald Trump gestured as he spoke during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by congress, on January 6, 2021.](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850698782%2Fnever-two-without-three%2F/3/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/cAdkAXwSGrNYXaQOCNKihs1oNqN_YXf2s8KaYUklCfY=312) Photo: Reuters (Jim Bourg/File Photo) Good morning, Quartz readers! Here’s what you need to know Donald Trump was charged in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The former president’s third indictment since leaving the White House is possibly [the most damning yet](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fdonald-trump-charges-2020-election-jan-6-insurrection-1850698784%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/BM0h8h3ud3Eiyh4XIyK2kP-qBvwLVBvT7TDiplMdQ9s=312). Tupperware stock climbed 26% in a single day. Meme-stock investors [seem to have learned nothing](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Ftupperware-share-price-surge-meme-stock-bed-bath-beyond-1850698844%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/3ZikxLTds1e0pXsnT53pC6fXH6GmsrQIg0QVbx7YBdE=312) from Bed Bath & Beyond’s demise. Uber actually made an operating profit. Continued demand for ride-hailing and delivery helped, but [trimming the fat has been key](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fubers-cost-cuts-and-layoffs-have-yielded-its-first-oper-1850695269%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/xjPbY31bE1QlntKBzCjENbPQYDteGcMh6OAn6TKa-i8=312). BlackRock and MSCI investments in China face Congressional scrutiny. The US probe will look into [dealings with companies](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fus-lawmakers-are-investigating-blackrock-and-msci-inves-1850697333%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/K5b9qvcw3Fn3faOm9RoaWQ80GXpA8M16sIWMUz4V9DU=312) that have been flagged for human rights violations or working with the Chinese military. Quotable: Warner Bros. on making light of atomic bombs “Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology.” — Warner Bros. Studios in a statement to Variety The studio behind Barbie leaned into the [made-up rivalry](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fbarbie-oppenheimer-opening-weekend-box-office-us-record-1850669329%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/K3fbZdiACxvi4F-8wWczVZugeY81Od5ScAGURIK0fsU=312) between its pink hit and Universal’s Oppenheimer, a biopic about the maker of the atomic bomb. The Warner Bros. Barbie-linked social media account cheerfully engaged with mushroom cloud and burning city memes—jokes that fell pretty flat in the only country to have ever been hit by an atomic bomb. Japan’s Warner Bros. arm [demanded an apology](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fwarner-bros-is-sorry-about-indulging-in-the-barbenheim-1850694895%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/NOrsT6-FUrTVs_olfNwomI5-jFaGt1fx4GdponUrkro=312) from the US parent company. The statement above was published in Variety, but thus far, the studio juggernaut has remained mum on its own social accounts, nor has it responded to any of its Japanese counterparts’ posts. It’s not clear when—or even if—Oppenheimer will release in Japan. The savior of VanMoof may need saving %2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850698782%2Fnever-two-without-three%2F/4/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/8u0-B_gUt2jQYop2PeEcKA32GisTtuqZLEtKD2DbAc0=312 Graphic: (Julia Malleck) Micromobility.com, an e-scooter company quoted in Nasdaq, has put in a bid to buy VanMoof, a Dutch e-bike start-up that declared bankruptcy last month and was once dubbed “the Tesla of e-bikes.” But micromobility.com—a new iteration of Helbiz, which was delisted from Nasdaq—was in serious financial straits at the end of 2022. How does a company on such shaky ground have the money to buy VanMoof, not to mention open a chain of physical stores? Quartz’s [Julia Malleck looks into it](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fmicromobility-submitted-bid-buy-bankrupt-vanmoof-1850695906%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/yzQBW7poZN_6SwtgEBGZhUIwQXnSedOZ3x2Rmv4fQrg=312). One big number: $185 million ⚾ Amount Major League Baseball will pay to minor league baseball players across the US after a lawsuit accused the former of violating minimum wage laws Quartz reporter Diego Lasarte outlines [the flurry of legal activity](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fmlb-players-185-million-settlement-minimum-wage-lawsuit-1850695819%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/zMlV33cPkdzyTguiI9jc62WIj0CZv_GbkfCf0PqLwa8=312) by minor league baseball players after unionizing in 2022. Quartz’s most popular 🤨 [Taiwan and China are united on one thing: their suspicion of Elon Musk](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fchina-taiwan-starlink-elon-musk-satellite-tensions-1850691740%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/q6CtO4-Wds4h1Rywk7TKyj_XAKNXGLxsL6ItHtGWmuM=312) ♦️ [A YouTuber is accused of buying the world’s largest black diamond with the proceeds of a $1 billion crypto fraud](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fa-youtuber-is-accused-of-buying-the-worlds-largest-blac-1850693253%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/GAL7n1ivd6taIoEd_YAW52xZwBiYTFYbRNHhiaJEI6I=312) 💡 [Incandescent lightbulbs are now banned in the US](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fincandescent-lightbulbs-ban-us-energy-efficiency-1850694782%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/cLaia6PDuBA2jLzc64gXOfCco2sMBQc1ZOmmM6KGdKw=312) 😱 [Why some Japanese tourists get extreme culture shock in Paris](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fquartz-obsession%2F1850677468%2Fparis-syndrome-troubles-in-tourism/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/bH4N_Dgd4g56FBwYR7_5AV0Bybas-c_3o_d7LixBzzk=312) 💱 [The world’s most expensive cities in 2023](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fthese-are-the-worlds-most-expensive-cities-in-2023-1850556595%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/9zRjWldmE-S3bVrZ2RT-EHkF9g41AwGRv0pr_SOE4Uo=312) 📈 [Atlanta Fed estimated almost 4% US GDP growth for the third quarter](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fthe-atlanta-fed-is-now-estimating-almost-4-us-gdp-grow-1850697011%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850698782/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/C7HbE-OmuRXwWKECIXnJAQrepMP_F5aoTTNQMrv1V8U=312) Surprising discoveries Unesco says the Italian government needs to get its act together to save Venice. The sinking city could be preserved with [a little cohesive action](%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2023%2Fjul%2F31%2Funesco-recommends-putting-venice-on-heritage-danger-list/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/HdbfIfhkTECewfuGag1-V-pJw79AxIXyl6G8uctSz20=312). The UK is trying out drone mail delivery. [Look to the skies](%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fuk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-66340600/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/4SY2P8FPLUR3WF5eBv6qPINGMh5UMDUaSKdH17Sh1n8=312), people of Orkney. Europe broke its hailstone size record twice in one week. [Fear the skies](%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fenvironment%2F2023%2Fjul%2F31%2Fweather-tracker-new-european-record-set-as-19cm-hailstone-found-in-italy/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/fs7uwPI4Lg2qiq-TEPxSh2f0sdWtaCox2MRj2TwTSUA=312), people of Italy. Seoul wants to do your colors. TikTok has convinced tourists that personal color analysis—finding the shades that make you look your best—is [best done in South Korea](%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2F2023-07-28%2Fpersonal-color-analysis-spurs-trips-to-seoul-where-to-go-what-it-costs/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/bVjJGMi18oz0MLlqcZyqT3zaNhdAXPX5gnRW3gw_Sg4=312). Most Americans believe in angels. Self-identified atheists and agnostics made up a [mystifying share](%2F%2Fapnews.com%2Farticle%2Freligion-poll-belief-angels-devil-bee64258d6a47067a046ba7f3c50933a/1/01000189b5b3076e-a863c0ed-34df-4228-9732-b7fe5bacb618-000000/7e8gUcHAXpM7bt3ypPwhh-SnD0watWJU1EBy7KcHzPg=312) of that group. Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, record-breaking hailstones, and angel sightings to [talk@qz.com](mailto:talk@qz.com?cc=&subject=Daily%20Brief%20feedback%20&body=). 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