Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The White House unveils new school-safety proposals. According to CNN, the proposals, drawn up in the wake of last month’s Florida school shooting, are due to be announced today. The National Rifle Association reportedly wants the White House to pursue school-safety programs, rather than raise the age limit for buying certain firearms.
Donald Trump may announce new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Global markets could be roiled if the president follows through on trade threats to slap new tariffs (paywall) on these imports. Amid a late scramble, White House insiders also said that the big announcement could be postponed.
A super-sophisticated weather satellite heads for space. Carried by an Atlas V rocket, the GOES-S will allow for better detection of storms, wildfires, and other dangerous natural phenomena in close to real time. The launch window from Cape Canaveral, Florida opens at 5pm ET.
While you were sleeping
The “Beast from the East” brought Britain to a near standstill. Airports, schools, and roads are closed after snow storms from Siberia brought the worst weather since 1991. Weather services issued red warnings, urging people to stay home, as temperatures dropped to -10° C (14 °F) in places. Heavy snowfall also caused traffic chaos across France and closed Geneva airport.
Martin Sorrell said 2017 was “not pretty” for WPP. The chief executive of the world’s biggest advertising agency said he planned to simplify the group’s structure but forecast no growth for the year ahead. In 2017, WPP suffered a 1% fall in net sales and its worst annual performance since the financial crisis.
Dyson boomed in Asia. Demand for the company’s vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, and air purifiers among Asia’s fast-growing middle class boosted Dyson’s annual sales by 40% in 2017, and bagged a profit of £801 million ($1.1 billion). All that extra money will come in useful to fund Dyson’s electric car ambitions—it plans to build one by 2020.
The US Senate passed the Taiwan Travel Act. The legislation makes it easier for top officials from Taiwan to visit the US to meet their counterparts, and vice versa. Though the bill has angered China—which considers Taiwan a wayward province and not a sovereign nation—Trump will likely sign it into law.
Vladimir Putin pledged to tackle poverty in Russia. In his annual state of the union address, the Russian president said the country needed a breakthrough in its living standards and to increase employment and life expectancy. It was his final speech before the election in 17 days—he’s expected to win.
Quartz obsession interlude
Lynsey Chutel on one of the world’s most elitist sports in one of the poorest places on earth. “The [equestrian] club’s willingness to encourage new riders, albeit still wealthy ones, demonstrates a self-awareness of its place in this society. Still, should Lubumbashi’s wealthy feel any moral obligation to the city’s poor, any more so than the wealthy of any other city?” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Recent stock market volatility had almost nothing to do with economic fundamentals. Human brains like narratives, but that doesn’t make these causal links true.
If you want your kid to get a good job, let them play more. Play builds the foundations of social, emotional, and academic learning.
Autonomous cars won’t fix congested cities. We should rather focus on moving greater numbers of people (paywall) by optimizing city grids for mass transit.
Surprising discoveries
The ‘African Mona Lisa’ sold for £1.2million ($1.6 million) at auction. The painting of Tutu, a Nigerian princess, lost for decades, was recently found in a London apartment.
Ben Carson’s office furniture costs more than a low-income family earns in a year. The Department of Housing and Urban Development head won’t return the $31,000 dining set.
Sex sells, even for monkeys. Rhesus macaques prefer evocative imagery in advertising, preferably featuring female macaque backsides or dominant males.
A French company wants to bottle your unique scent. Its secret process involves extracting molecules from clothing.
Mongolians are protesting a manga that “insults” Genghis Khan. The Japanese publisher apologized for a picture of a character scribbling a penis on a portrait of the famed leader.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, human-scented perfume, and lost masterpieces 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 by Jill Petzinger and edited by Eshe Nelson.