Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
India hosts talks with the US and Japan… The meeting, ahead of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s talks with Donald Trump later this month, will focus on the tripartite alliance as a counterbalance against China in Asia.
…As Iraq’s prime minister visits Japan… Haider al-Abadi will begin a two-day visit to meet with Abe and attend Japan’s international conference to improve Iraqi security.
…And China’s new defense chief flies to Moscow. General Wei Fenghe is attending a security conference to “let the Americans know about the close ties between the armed forces of China and Russia.”
While you were sleeping
The Trump administration proposed $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese exports. The US trade representative’s office published a list of about 1,300 items for review (pdf), saying the response “is appropriate both in light of the estimated harm to the the U.S. economy, and to obtain elimination of China’s harmful acts, policies, and practices.” China warned of retaliatory action.
A shooter opened fire at YouTube’s headquarters in California. Authorities in the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno said three victims suffered gunshot wounds and that the suspected shooter was found dead from an apparent suicide. They said the attacker was a woman named Nasim Aghdam, a California resident in her 30s.
Spotify’s IPO came in above expectations. The streaming-music company made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange with an opening price of $165.90, well above its $132 reference price. It closed at $149.01, giving it a market capitalization of $26.5 billion, on par with established companies like General Mills and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise.
Jet Airways agreed to buy $8.8 billion worth of Boeing planes. The Indian airliner said it would buy 75 Boeing 737 MAX narrow-body jets to meet growing demand for domestic and international flights. India has registered double-digit growth in domestic passenger traffic for 41 consecutive months.
Facebook took down 270 accounts and pages run by a Russian “troll factory.” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the Internet Research Agency, said to have interfered in foreign elections, had “been using complex networks of fake accounts to deceive people.” An upcoming tool from Facebook will let users see if they interacted with an IRA-controlled account.
The world’s largest advertising company is investigating its CEO. WPP is looking into whether Martin Sorrell misused company assets, reported the Wall Street Journal (paywall). Its board is also investigating allegations of improper personal behavior by Sorrell, an icon of the ad industry.
Quartz obsession interlude
David Yanofsky on Quartz’s legal victory against the US government. “The databases I seek… don’t just tally US visitors by their origin, but also by age, residency, port of entry, visa type, and initial destination… judge Ketanji Brown Jackson agreed with my lawyers from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Commerce had no legal basis to charge me exorbitant fees to access government data.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
GM’s dress code is just “dress appropriately.” CEO Mary Barra’s management style trusts employees to make far-reaching decisions about corporate culture.
Mobile money is the key to Africa’s banking sector. A dependence on cash and traditional systems with high fees are hobbling the country’s financial institutions.
Social-media platforms can only do so much about user happiness. Instagram’s vague new “Wellbeing Team” illustrates how abuse, bullying, and insecurity are basic human flaws.
Surprising discoveries
South Koreans are drinking wasp-venom liquor. The government is warning that the insect-infused soju could be fatal.
Sumner Redstone uses an iPad to swear. The media mogul, who is in poor health, communicates with an app preloaded with “yes,” “no,” and “f— you” (paywall).
The Hubble telescope found the most distant star ever seen. The light from Icarus took 9 billion years to reach Earth.
The world’s fastest drone travels at 121 km per hour (75 mph). Zipline says the new fleet will help increase blood deliveries to rural Rwandans.
Amazon has an edge in the Trump vs. Bezos PR battle. The number of US subscribers to Amazon Prime easily outnumbers Trump voters.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, cussing apps, and speedy drones 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 Steve Mollman and edited by Alice Truong.