Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Donald Trump may approve the release of the Nunes memo. The controversial classified document, drawn up by congressional Republicans, allegedly accuses the FBI of improperly eavesdropping (paywall) on suspects in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russia and the Trump campaign. Democrats and the FBI oppose the memo’s release.
US January jobs figures are released. The job market likely got off to a good start this year, with faster wage growth and unemployment continuing to nudge downward. Hourly pay could also increase as a number of states adopted minimum wage at the start of 2018.
Macron and Rihanna reunite in Africa. France’s president and the Barbadian pop superstar will meet up in Dakar, Senegal for an education conference. Rihanna, a campaigner for access to education around the world, tweeted at Australian leaders today to ask them to pledge more funds for education.
The 52nd Super Bowl kicks off. The Philadelphia Eagles will take on reigning NFL champs the New England Patriots at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Justin Timberlake will perform at the half-time show.
While you were sleeping
Fidel Castro’s eldest son committed suicide. Fidel Ángel Castro Díaz-Balart, 68, died in Havana after a struggle with depression. A nuclear scientist, he was known as “Fidelito” because of his close resemblance to his late father.
China and the Vatican are close to a deal. The Catholic Church doesn’t currently have diplomatic relations with China (and instead recognizes Taiwan), but the two sides are reportedly moving closer to an agreement on the appointment of bishops that could pave the way for a full rapprochement eventually.
China commended Theresa May for not bringing up human rights. As the British prime minister wraps up her China visit, state media called May “pragmatic” as she “sidestepped” human rights in pursuit of cooperation with Beijing. May had been under pressure to raise the issue of democratic rights in Hong Kong with the Chinese leadership.
Over 900 trapped South African miners were rescued. After electricity was restored to a gold mine in Welkom, southwest of Johannesburg, the majority of miners who had been underground since Wednesday have been brought to the surface.
Quartz obsession interlude
Tim Fernholz on how the age of private space travel began with the space shuttle Columbia tragedy. “Though Columbia was the final nail in the space shuttle program’s coffin… it didn’t change the shape of the industry. In a sense, the lessons of 1986 and 2003 were the same: NASA simply did not have a cheap, reliable space vehicle.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Ads are the source of the internet’s evil. They transform attention into money, incentivizing companies to capitalize on our most private desires (paywall).
The decline in US startup IPOs could spell trouble for the country’s economy. It narrows investment opportunities for working Americans and intensifies industry consolidation.
Spanish could disappear as a spoken language in the US. The country’s non-English languages are often lost by or during the third generation.
Surprising discoveries
An Israeli group is suing over a canceled Lorde concert. It’s the first lawsuit filed under a 2011 boycott law, which takes aim at anyone who calls for avoiding Israel or the land it occupies.
US migration to New Zealand surged in 2017. Both Billy Crystal and Ruth Bader Ginsburg joked about moving there (paywall) if Donald Trump was elected.
“O Canada” is now gender neutral. The words of the Canadian national anthem will now read: “True patriot love in all of us command” instead of patriot love “in all thy sons.”
Crock-Pot wants you to know it won’t kill you. After the slow cooker was revealed to be the reason for the death of a character on NBC’s This Is Us, the company is on a social-media offensive to calm any fears.
Google Docs are the latest weapon in workplace activism. Traditional sources for job and salary data like Glassdoor and LinkedIn are failing to deliver the information most critical to job seekers.
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