Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
China’s legislature kicks off its annual session. The National People’s Congress is expected to vote toward the end of the two-week session to scrap the two-term limit on the presidency and vice-presidency, which would allow Xi Jinping, 64, to serve indefinitely. The congress could also appoint Xi ally Wang Qishan as vice president. Bloomberg has a cheat sheet on what investors should look for from the confab.
A historic US landing in Vietnam. The arrival in Danang, Vietnam, of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and its strike group’s 5,500 American sailors marks the biggest such landing since the US troop withdrawal in 1975. China’s expansionist maneuvers in the South China Sea, where the US carrier has been deployed, have effectively brought the US and Vietnam closer.
Oscars suspense is over. The Shape of Water leads with 13 nominations for Academy Awards, including for best picture. Here’s how to watch the show (at 5pm Sunday Los Angeles time), a cheat sheet on what to look for, a guide to the musical acts, and a statistical analysis of the best picture nominees’ chances.
Inconclusive Italian election results. Pollsters predict no parliamentary bloc will emerge with an outright majority in Sunday’s elections, amid voter discontent over immigration and a sluggish economy. Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition is expected to win the greatest number of seats, with the rival anti-establishment 5-Star Movement predicted to be the biggest single party.
High spirits at a Houston oil gathering. Top industry execs meet at the CERAWeek conference amid booming shale oil production that could allow the US to surpass Russia as the world’s largest oil producer this year.
Over the weekend
Germany’s government finally came together. The Social Democrats voted Sunday to form a coalition with chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats. This fourth term is likely to be the last (paywall) for Merkel, who has been leading on an interim basis since the Sept. 24 election.
RIP, Roger Bannister. The first man to officially run a mile in less than four-minutes died Saturday at age 88. Sub-four-minute miles have become relatively commonplace since Bannister made history in 1954, but the current world record of 3:43.13, held by Hicham El Guerrouj, has been unbroken since 1999.
A United Airlines employee bonus plan encountered turbulence. Staff criticized the US carrier’s plan to replace quarterly performance bonuses with a lottery whose prizes include a $100,000 reward.
Black Panther hit a box-office milestone. The critically acclaimed movie crossed $500 million in North America receipts, becoming the 10th top-grossing US film ever in terms of domestic box office.
Donald Trump mused about the US instituting a president for life. At a fundraising gathering he praised Xi for being “president for life” and said “maybe we’ll give that a shot someday.” Trump also blasted former president George W. Bush for his decision to invade Iraq.
Quartz obsession interlude
Ana Campoy on understanding Trump’s trade war through the lens of US history: “Even if Trump manages to significantly dent trade, history suggests his successors would seek to revert that—particularly if his protectionist policies result in economic pain. In the past, it’s been when the US has felt it’s being left out that it has sought to engage in international trade negotiations.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Trump’s steel tariffs are bad for US shale-oil producers. They rely on imported steel for their pipelines and American alternatives are unlikely to emerge.
Titan is a better place for a human settlement than Mars. While it’s far away, the largest of Saturn’s moons has a lot going for it, including low gravity and a thick atmosphere.
Policy choices are responsible for the downsides of globalization. They, rather than trade or technology, are the biggest causes of inequality.
There are five types of diabetes. The current division into just Type 1 and Type 2 is overly simplistic, and could be resulting in improper treatments.
Surprising discoveries
A supercolony of 1.5 million penguins went unnoticed until now. Satellite imagery led to its discovery, but the Antarctic colony has been around since at least the 1950s.
West Virginia lawmakers passed the wrong bill on teacher raises. The state senate mistakenly voted in a 5% raise rather than the 4% it had planned, before scrambling to repeal it.
People are getting injured walking into glass walls at Apple’s new futuristic headquarters. They’re having trouble telling that the floor-to-ceiling glass is there, and incurring head injuries.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, running records, performance bonuses, and stealthy penguins 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 Kevin J. Delaney and edited by April Siese and Amy X. Wang.