Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
The US government faces another possible shutdown. On Thursday, President Trump undercut his party’s budget deal strategy (paywall) by criticizing a spending bill addition meant to win Democratic votes. If no compromise can be reached, the government will have to shut down after Friday. The White House later issued a statement reversing the president’s criticism.
The International Olympic Committee discusses North Korea’s participation. The committee will meet on Saturday to hammer out details, such as flags and the number of athletes that the country will be allowed to bring to the Winter Games. Both Koreas agreed, following their first talks in more than two years, that North Korea would send a large delegation to Pyeongchang.
The US Pentagon unveils its National Defense Strategy. The policy document will drive how resources are allocated for the department and could likely have a lasting impact over the next year. US secretary of defense Jim Mattis said a significant part of the strategy will remain classified but promised to publicly share the parts that are not.
While you were sleeping
Amazon released a semi-shortlist of cities for its massive second North American headquarters. The list of 20, winnowed down from 238, includes a handful of surprises like Columbus, Ohio and Toronto, Canada. There are also two notable clusters in the greater DC and New York areas—and a notable absence from Silicon Valley. HQ2 comes with the promise of $5 billion in spending and 50,000 jobs.
Theresa May offered to help France with border security. In an effort to deepen cooperation and foster goodwill in Brexit talks, the British prime minister pledged 44.5 million pounds ($62 million) to French President Emmanuel Macron to improve his country’s fencing, CCTV, and security technology.
US intelligence said China violated UN sanctions against North Korea. According to satellite photographs and other evidence gathered by US officials, at least six Chinese-owned or -operated cargo ships covertly transported illicit cargo (paywall) to Russia and Vietnam, despite UN bans on North Korean exports of coal, iron ore, lead, and seafood.
A report revealed an FBI investigation into Russian NRA donations. Tens of millions of dollars were allegedly funneled to the Trump campaign through the National Rifle Association by Aleksandr Torshin, the deputy governor of Russia’s central bank—and a key suspect in the crosshairs of FBI special counsel Robert Mueller. The NRA’s total receipt on the 2016 elections could have been as high as $70 million.
Dubai’s Emirates airline announced a $16 billion lifeline for Airbus. The order will cover 20 massive A380 jets, and could include 16 more, prolonging the era of the superjumbo. The Middle East’s largest airline is likely hedging its need for room, even after snubbing Airbus to sign a $15.1 billion contract with Boeing last November.
Quartz obsession interlude
Sarah Todd on the perfection of The Awl and The Hairpin: “Much has been written about the personal-essay industrial complex, but The Awl and The Hairpin specialized in a different kind of personal essay—intimate but self-aware, and never melodramatic. One classic Awl post, ‘Negroni Season,’ written by the pseudonymous Evelyn Everlady […] tells a truly wild story about a lying, cheating alcoholic ex-boyfriend with a particular fondness for Campari-based cocktails.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Donald Trump should fear Joe Biden. The former US vice president is a more realistic opponent (paywall) than Oprah Winfrey and a safer one than Bernie Sanders.
Apple should make a less addictive iPhone. Dramatically improved notification controls would be a good start (paywall), along with an indicator of how long you’ve been staring at your screen.
China’s recovery is being masked by inflated estimates. Local-level officials “smoothed” economic data so much, the nation’s true low points (paywall) were never really revealed to the rest of the world.
Surprising discoveries
Gaddafi’s lost treasure may be stashed across Africa. The flamboyant Libyan dictator’s wealth could include billions of dollars, diamonds, and solid gold bars, all hidden in secret caches.
Earth just had its second-hottest year since 1880. NASA scientists say 2017’s heat patterns were only surpassed by 2016, and it wasn’t even an El Niño year.
Japan gets the world’s first ruby chocolate KitKat. The “Sublime Ruby KitKat” spent 10 years getting its berry-like taste perfected just in time for a Valentine’s Day debut.
Concussions aren’t the only CTE trigger. Repeated blows to the head can cause crippling brain trauma all on their own.
One of Saturn’s moons has a sea level. NASA’s Cassini orbiter helped researchers build a new topographic map of Titan’s alien hydrocarbon ocean.
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