Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Democrats pick their next Judiciary Committee leader. They’ll cast a secret ballot for representative Zoe Lofgren or Jerry Nadler to act as the next committee head; the winner would lead potential impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump should the party take back the House.
China unveils its economic blueprint for 2018. The Wall Street Journal reports the plan will illustrate Beijing’s struggle to cut debt (paywall). Despite advice from the IMF and World Bank to slash debt even if it temporarily hurts economic growth, China is expected to soften its earlier stance on borrowing and focus on just controlling its rise.
Japan releases a memo on constitutional revisions. Shinzo Abe’s party will unveil a “concept paper” in an initial move towards amending the nation’s post-war Constitution. The prime minister has said he wants to see a “significant rebirth” of Japan in 2020 and the revisions will be a part of that.
While you were sleeping
The US House of Representatives passed a sweeping tax overhaul. The GOP plan survived by a vote of 227-203, setting up what the party claims will be the largest tax cut in decades, although several breakdowns show it could cripple the US. All Democrats and 12 Republicans voted nay; the Senate is expected to vote to approve the bill on Wednesday morning.
A new gene therapy for blindness was approved in the US. The treatment is the first approved by the FDA for an inherited disease, and improves the sight of patients with a rare form of blindness. Drugmaker Spark Therapeutics will not disclose the price until next month, but analysts say it will cost around $1 million.
A Senate panel rejected a Trump nominee to lead the Exim Bank. In a 13-10 vote, members of the Banking Committee, including two Republicans, declined to advance former GOP congressman Scott Garrett, who had once called the Export-Import Bank “corporate welfare” and led efforts to shut it down in 2015.
Rebels in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh. It was the second time in two months Houthi rebels targeted the Saudi capital. Officials say the missile was aimed at residential areas but was intercepted, and no casualties were reported (paywall).
12 tourists died when a bus overturned in Mexico. The bus was taking tourists to the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben, about 110 miles south of Tulum, when it flipped on a highway. Among the injured were seven Americans and two Swedish citizens—nationalities have not been released for those who were killed.
Quartz obsession interlude
Rachel Leah on how Ghana’s rappers are putting the environment on center stage. “What sets these artists apart from hip-hop in neighboring countries, is that the burgeoning scene is about more than politics. Their idea of a free and liberated nation is one where yes, the government is accountable, but also the environment is cared for.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Kids who love learning have a leg-up. Children with higher IQs may be at a disadvantage when compared to kids who are “motivationally gifted.”
The world has been burned too often by startup culture. Fast-growing tech companies don’t understand that they need to produce more than cool offices, swagger, and clever lines.
US university presidents are shocked Americans think colleges are too elite. Backlash against top-tier schools is at an all-time high, as are tuition costs.
Surprising discoveries
A new Roman subway line is unearthing precious archeological treasures. Among the discoveries (paywall): Rome’s first university and military barracks from the second century.
The US government has spent $22 million on secret UFO searches. The costs for a program uncovered by the New York Times (paywall) were hidden within the defense budget.
The Last Jedi has a low, but possibly fake, audience approval rating. One anti-Disney Facebooker bragged online about using bots to sink the film’s Rotten Tomatoes standing.
You can’t make a good living as a literary fiction writer. Top authors take up a big part of a shrinking pie, leaving little room for lesser known writers to support themselves.
Virtual reality could be the answer to becoming multilingual. Practicing without fear of real-world screwups could direct the more anxiety-prone towards language immersion programs.
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