US jobs report, Heineken’s Chinese stake, blockchain ballots

[Quartz Daily Brief]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today and over the weekend Berkshire Hathaway reports second-quarter earnings. Operating profit at Warren Buffett’s holding company hit a record last quarter as economic growth boosted its railroad, industrial, and consumer businesses. This time, earnings [may be dented]( by the US government’s disputes with its trading partners. Kraft Heinz serves up quarterly results. A shift in consumer habits away from processed food in the US is likely to have [weighed on sales]( for the the maker of Velveeta cheese and Heinz Tomato Ketchup. It’s US jobs day. Analysts predict nonfarm payrolls likely [rose by 190,000 jobs]( in July, after increasing by 213,000 in June. The US labor market is viewed as being at or near full employment. Sponsor content by Dun & Bradstreet Being a modern CFO isn’t for the faint of heart. Many finance leaders find themselves solving for problems that are constantly shifting, all the while dealing with ever-increasing global volatility. Keeping these plates spinning can be a daunting task. Find out how innovators are managing risk and growing businesses with innovative data practices [here](. While you were sleeping Heineken bought a $3 billion stake in China’s largest brewer. The Dutch company will take a 40% stake in the parent of China Resources Beer, allowing it to expand in the [world’s biggest beer market]( (paywall). The Chinese company, which makes the best-selling Snow Beer, will buy a 0.9% stake in Heineken. Toyota sales revved up. Japan’s largest auto group beat expectations with a 19% leap in profit for its latest quarter—its best result in more than two years—thanks to a [surge in sales in Asia]( and cost reductions in its home market. Trump ramped up attacks on the media. Appearing at an event in Pennsylvania to support a Republican Senate candidate, the president described the press as “[fake, disgusting news]( and called journalists “horrible, horrendous people,” to cheers and chants from the crowd. UN experts warned that his rhetoric was [making journalists unsafe](. An overflowing dam threatened Lynchburg, Virginia. Lynchburg residents have been [ordered to evacuate]( over fears the College Lake Dam may burst. The National Weather Service said water levels in Lynchburg could reach [17 ft in 7 minutes]( if the dam breaks. Emmerson Mnangagwa’s opponent rejected Zimbabwe’s presidential election result. Troops are still patrolling the streets of Harare after Mnangagwa was declared president on Friday morning with [50.8% of the vote.]( Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa’s MDC Alliance party said [the vote was rigged]( and pledged to launch a legal challenge. Quartz Obsession interlude Chase Purdy on the future of sugar. “A relatively new startup headquartered near Tel Aviv, Israel has developed a super-tiny method that may have cracked what has been an impossible code. In doing so, it sits on the cusp of changing the landscape of food manufacturing by making sugar so efficient that food companies can use 40% less while keeping tastes the same.” [Read more here](. Matters of debate Japan is more at ease with robots than the West. Thanks to the indigenous Shinto religion, it’s easy to see them as [having their own spirits](. Trump should save local US newspapers, not steelmakers. It would create [far more jobs](. TV reboots have gone too far. The 1980s show Alf is [being resurrected](. Seriously. Quartz announcement Who actually benefits from open borders? In this week’s episode of [Quartz News]( Preeti Varathan explores how Singapore, one of the most pro-migration countries in the world, has created a legally inferior class of migrant workers. Surprising discoveries West Virginia is testing blockchain ballots. The option gives out-of-state citizens a safe way to [cast their vote]( (paywall) via smartphone. Orange wasn’t always a color. England [used descriptions]( like “yellow-red” until the fruit itself became more common. London’s transport authority banned “edgy” funeral ads. The ads sought to lift the “taboo” around death, including by showing beachgoers [carrying coffins]( instead of surfboards. A Japanese medical school allegedly lowered women’s test scores. It reportedly limited female student admissions on the belief that they would [drop out of the workforce earlier to have children](. Hawaii’s coastline is getting longer. [Constant lava flow]( from Kīlauea is adding between 50 to 150 cubic meters of land every second. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, orange synonyms, and spiritual robots to hi@qz.com. You can follow us [on Twitter]( for updates throughout the day or download our [apps for iPhone]( and [Android](. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Jill Petzinger and Annabelle Timsit and edited by Jason Karaian. Enjoying the Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here to sign up.]( If you click a link to an e-commerce site and make a purchase, we may receive a small cut of the revenue, which helps support our ambitious journalism. See [here]( for more information. To unsubscribe from the Quartz Daily Brief, [click here](.