Hurricane Harvey havoc, Uber’s new chief, Macron’s makeup bill

[Quartz - qz.com]() Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today Hurricane Harvey continues wreaking havoc in Houston, Texas. The hurricane has already dumped [9 trillion gallons]( (paywall) of water on the state, and torrential rainfall is expected to [continue through Friday](. At least five deaths have been reported, and [thousands evacuated in emergency rescues](. Brexit talks resume. Britain and the EU return to the negotiating table in Brussels for a third round of talks on the particulars of Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc. The two sides are[expected to spar]( over the details of the UK’s “divorce bill.” India braces for more violence ahead of a guru’s sentencing. Last week, more than 200 were injured and 38 killed in riots in Punjab and Haryana states following the [rape conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh](. The internet has been shut off and armed forces are on standby for Singh’s sentencing today. Over the weekend Uber chose a new CEO. Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi—[whose family fled]( the Iranian Revolution to settle in the US—[was appointed]( the new company chief, following co-founder Travis Kalanick’s inglorious resignation in June. Former General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt and Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman were also in the running. Wang Jianlin denied rumors he was arrested in China. The chairman of Dalian Wanda Group—one of China’s richest men—said reports that he had been released from detention but barred from leaving China were rumors “concocted with ulterior motives.” Shares in Wanda’s Hong Kong-listed unit [plunged by as much as 11%]( (paywall) on Monday morning. Top Republicans criticized Trump’s Joe Arpaio pardon. Over the weekend, House Speaker [Paul Ryan, senator John McCain]( (paywall), and others objected to the president’s pardon of the former Arizona sheriff, on the grounds that it undermined the rule of law. McCain noted that Arpaio had shown no remorse for his actions—which include racial profiling and [brutal treatment of inmates](. The FARC began its transformation into a political party. Members of the Colombian leftist rebel group, which disarmed under a 2016 peace deal, [kicked off a meeting on Sunday]( in Bogotá. The group will present its political platform at the end of the week. China created the world’s largest power company. Beijing [approved the merger]( of the country’s biggest coal miner, the Shenhua Group, with Guodian, its biggest power generator. According to Bloomberg’s New Energy Finance, the merged company will have more than $270 billion in assets, and be world’s largest power company by installed capacity. Quartz obsession interlude Aamna Mohdin on the rise of the awkward black girl in TV. “Insecure and Chewing Gum are powerful reminders that the narratives of black women don’t have to be extraordinary to be worthwhile. In both shows, the protagonists are awkward, dazed, and hapless figures trying to find solutions to mundane problems—and that’s what makes them brilliant and relatable.” [Read more here](. Matters of debate Creative people don’t have to be creative all the time. Acknowledging when [the process has stalled]( can avoid forced (and failed) endeavors. China bullies universities in the West because institutions allow it. In the rush to attract Chinese students, Western universities have imported [Chinese academic censorship]( (paywall). Price-gouging makes economic sense. Without the incentive of a profit, suppliers will [be less motivated]( to bring products into disaster zones. Quartz announcement Costa Rica is home to some of the happiest people on the planet. [Enter here]( for your chance to indulge in some of the tropical bliss. Surprising discoveries Emmanuel Macron has spent €26,000 on makeup since becoming French president in May. The Elysée Palace pointed out that former president François Hollande’s [beauty bill was bigger](. Netflix co-created marijuana strains based on popular shows. It gives a whole new meaning to “[Netflix and chill]( Ugly female moths hang out with sexy ones to snag a mate. [The behaviors]( “provide an answer of how unattractiveness can evolve.” The Greeks did not invent trigonometry. [A 3,700-year-old Babylonian tablet]( is the world’s oldest trig table. Germans prefer harder mattresses. The discovery forced fast-growing mattress startup Casper [to rethink its script]( for international expansion. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, creative inspiration, and presidential face powder to hi@qz.com. You can follow us[on Twitter]( for updates throughout the day or download[our apps for iPhone]( and[Android](. Enjoying the Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here to sign up.]( Want to receive the Daily Brief at a different time? [Click here]( to change your edition. To unsubscribe entirely, [click here](. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States