Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The US Commerce Department releases its final estimate of fourth-quarter GDP. Last month, it revised growth down to 2.5% (paywall). Economists believe the tweak today will show GDP in fact grew at a 2.7% annual pace in the last three months of the year.
Walgreens reports on its financial health. The company’s latest quarterly earnings are expected to reflect growth in prescription sales, but also include warnings of upheaval for drug retailers, with the White House declaring war on opioids and Amazon pushing into the industry.
BlackBerry’s resurgence continues. BlackBerry, which has evolved into a software company, has seen its shares rise 15% so far this year, with recent deals including an agreement with Jaguar Land Rover to install infotainment and security software in its cars. Shareholders will find out how profitable these new partnerships are when BlackBerry reports fiscal-year earnings before the market opens.
While you were sleeping
Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank announced a massive solar-energy play. The CEO said he signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to create the world’s biggest solar power project in the kingdom. Should it go forward, it will cost $200 billion to build out all 200 gigawatts of capacity through 2030.
China confirmed Kim Jong-un was its mystery visitor. State media reported the North Korean leader made an unofficial visit to Beijing earlier this week. Kim met with Chinese president Xi Jinping and pledged to denuclearize and meet with US officials. It was Kim’s first trip outside of his country since assuming power in 2011.
Uber settled a discrimination lawsuit for $10 million. Two female engineers brought the class-action suit, accusing the ride-hailing giant of gender and race discrimination. As part of the settlement, the company agreed to reforms of how it determines compensation, reviews, and promotions.
The trail of Anbang founder Wu Xiaohui began. The ex-chairman of the acquisitive Chinese insurance conglomerate is charged with fraudulent fundraising, among other things, and is contesting all charges against him (paywall). Wu was detained last year, and China’s insurance regulator took control of Anbang.
Shots were fired at the former Brazilian president’s convoy. No one was injured by the three shots fired at the campaign buses of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He’s running for president again, despite a court this week rejecting his appeal against a corruption conviction that could see him imprisoned for 12 years.
Quartz obsession interlude
Anne Quito on the spy museum that captures the boredom of modern espionage. “[The] surveillance room—which acts as the emotional climax of the entire museum—contains an altar to Spyscape’s martyr: Edward Snowden… There may be pro forma props behind glass cases that hearken to the analog days of espionage—but Spyscape’s true hero is an IT guy.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The EU’s AI fearmongering is blind to reality. The bloc’s new strategy considers threats while ignoring opportunities.
The US right to bear arms should be repealed. A former Supreme Court justice says the second amendment of the constitution is a dangerously archaic relic (paywall).
You agreed to let Facebook take your data. Mark Zuckerberg wants you to accept some hard truths.
Surprising discoveries
Narendra Modi’s app has been sending user data to a third party. The Indian prime minister’s NaMo app—downloaded over 5 million times—lets users send him feedback and ideas (paywall).
Some of the heftiest US tariff revenues come from sweaters. The US imported almost $14 billion dollars of sweaters in 2017, mostly from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Central America.
An eggplant thief was acquitted after a nine-year legal battle. Italy’s highest court ruled the man was simply trying to feed his family.
A newly discovered human organ may spread cancer. A network of fluid-filled channels may connect the entire human body.
Cockroaches can live for a week without a head. They can also run as fast as 210 miles an hour, relative to their size.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, smuggled fruit, and duty-free sweaters 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 Jason Karaian.