š The bills are back
Good morning, Quartz readers!
Hereās what you need to know
US federal student loan repayments resumed. Some 28 millionĀ borrowers will need to begin paying bills this month after a three-year pandemic pause.
California governor Gavin Newsom selected Laphonza Butler to fill Dianne Feinsteinās vacant seat. The 44-year-old will be the only Black woman serving in the US Senate, and the first openly LGBTQ+ lawmaker to represent the state in the upper chamber.
Donald Trumpās civil fraud trial begins today in New York. The former presidentās real estate empire is at stake, and the presiding judge does not have a sympathetic track record.
The Panama Canal Authority reduced the daily number of ships allowed to pass through the waterway. The key maritime route is aiming to conserve water amid a serious drought.
Yes, climate change is making El NiƱo more extreme
This year, El NiƱoāthe climate pattern that is characterized by warm surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific oceanāis back, and with a vengeance. Thereās a reason for that: Rising global temperatures are setting a hotter baseline for this El NiƱo, which naturally warms the Earth even more.
How does this yearās event compare to previous ones?
7: El NiƱo events since 2000
34: Provinces in Indonesia, the majority of which experienced a severe drought in the 2014-16 El NiƱo season, the last and strongest one since 2000
60 million: People in Southern Africa who were dependent on food aid because of famine during the 2014-16 El NiƱo season
What would happen if the current El NiƱo proves to be even stronger than the last one? Quartzās Clarisa Diaz looks back across the seven seasons for some clues.
Are rich countries to blame for Nigeriaās medical brain drain?
āMy safety means nothing to them. The government is not concerned about me.āāT., a nurse in Nigeria, speaking about the countryās public officials
The pressures within Nigeriaās health system have primed its nurses to leave the country. But as the US and Europe draw healthcare workers from the places that can least afford to lose them, that exodus is increasing the burdens on the nurses left behind and leaving them exhausted, burned outāand looking for a way out, too.
Quartz tells the story of T. and other nurses in Nigeria as part of our series Merchants of Care, published with support from the Pulitzer Center and in partnership with Type Investigations. Read T.ās full story.
Pop quiz: You might know Metaās new AI assistants
Which of these celebrity personalities *isnāt* an inspiration for Metaās new AI assistants?
A. Snoop Dogg
Find the answer here, along with why it doesnāt matter too much whether Metaās latest AI investment succeeds, as long as it collects data on how people use it.
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Surprising discoveries
We can thank earthworms for 140 million tons of food each year. The invertebratesā contribution to grain harvests are the same as Russiaās.
Scientists made tiny flying robots that use the art of origami to shape shift mid-flight. The solar-powered machines can change from folded to unfolded in about 25 milliseconds.
AI detected more fairy circles around the globe. The ground imprints, which usually occur in arid regions, were found in new locations across 15 countries.
Itās getting too hot in Texas to barbecue... Makers of the Southern staple are struggling to stay afloat as extreme heat and high meat prices smoke them out.
ā¦and to dive deep into lakes. Record-low water levels in the state are revealing hidden caves and the remains of bygone houses from a century ago.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, the productivity of an earthworm, and the grace of flying origami robots to [email protected]. Reader support makes Quartz available to allābecome a member. Todayās Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner and Julia Malleck.