Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Shinzo Abe makes his central bank picks. Japan’s prime minister is expected to renominate Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda to a rare second term. Kuroda masterminded a massive asset-buying program but has failed to boost inflation.
Justin Trudeau visits India. The Canadian prime minister—notorious for his bhangra dance moves—will try to kickstart a better trade relationship when he meets his counterpart, Narendra Modi.
Automakers kick in $130 million to fund Takata’s bankruptcy. A judge will review a proposal by manufacturers who used the company’s faulty airbags, which killed 22 people and injured hundreds around the world.
While you were sleeping
A Florida man was charged with 17 counts of murder after a high school shooting. Nikolas Cruz, 19, allegedly opened fire with an AR-15 rifle that he bought legally (paywall). US president Donald Trump called for an increased focus on mental health in a speech about the massacre but made no mention of guns.
The world’s biggest hedge fund has a $22 billion bet against European stocks. According to regulatory filings, Bridgewater Associates has short positions on dozens of stocks including Siemens, BNP Paribas, Sanofi, and Airbus. Fund chief Ray Dalio has been warning of an end to a global bull market.
Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in as South Africa’s president. The former deputy to Jacob Zuma became the country’s fifth leader since the end of apartheid. Ramaphosa has a tough road to restore confidence and international investment in South Africa ahead of the 2019 general election.
Congress grilled Steve Bannon in its Russia probe. The ousted White House advisor refused to answer any questions about whether the Kremlin colluded with Trump’s campaign, apart from 25 queries that had been pre-screened by the administration. Bannon is also being questioned by special counsel Robert Mueller this week.
Quartz obsession interlude
Annalisa Merelli on the kids of high-skilled workers at risk of deportation: “Brought by parents working in booming industries like tech and energy, thousands of non-citizen children are growing up in the US. Once they turn 21, they will be required to leave the country unless their parents become permanent residents … but there’s a catch: Arbitrary limits have created a massive backlog.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The survivors of the Valentine’s Day shooting are the sanest voices on gun control. “We’re children. You guys are the adults,” one student pleaded to Congress. “Get something done.”
Genetics won’t solve your dating woes. A startup that promises to help you find love through a $15.99 cheek-swab kit is peddling dubious science.
We’ve been getting hummus all wrong. The bland tubs of chickpea slurry in many grocery stores bear little resemblance to the creamy Middle Eastern delicacy.
Surprising discoveries
Muscovites found an ingenious way to get the city to clear snow. They’re inscribing snow banks with the name of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
A convict escaped from jail by drugging his identical twin. During his brother’s visit, Alexander Delgado dragged him into his cell, swapped their clothes, and walked out.
Immigration has defined the American smile. Smiling, and showing emotions in general, is more common in countries that are culturally diverse.
A transgender woman has breastfed her baby for the first time. An experimental hormone and drug regimen enabled her to produce 8 oz (227 g) of milk a day.
McDonald’s is removing cheeseburgers from Happy Meals. It’s part of a move to limit meals to 600 calories—though the cheeseburgers will still be available on request 🧀🤫🍔.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, hummus recipes, and contraband cheeseburgers 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 and edited by Karen Hao and Adam Pasick.