Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Mark Zuckerberg faces a second day of congressional grilling. The Facebook CEO will testify before the House energy and commerce committee where he will read from a prepared testimony.
Were the Skripals poisoned by a Russian nerve agent? The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will deliver its verdict as early as today on whether the poison used on the ex-spy and his daughter was developed by the Soviet Union.
Michigan Supreme Court hears a case on guns in schools. The hearing, about a gun openly carried by a spectator at a school concert in 2015, is getting attention in the wake of the Florida school shooting in February. The court will consider whether the state’s schools can override the Legislature and adopt their own restrictions on firearms.
Jeff Sessions addresses a group of border sheriffs in New Mexico. As thousands of National Guard troops deploy to the Mexico border on Trump’s orders, the attorney general will give a speech on immigration enforcement. Immigrant rights activists plan to protest his visit.
While you were sleeping
IMF head Christine Lagarde had a dire warning for protectionists. Speaking in Hong Kong, Lagarde said the rules and responsibilities that govern the global trading system are at risk of being “torn apart” amid aggressive protectionism. Her remarks come at a time when the US and China are on the brink of a trade war.
Zuckerberg was grilled by Congress for almost five hours… He confirmed that Facebook is working with Robert Mueller in his Russia investigation, and said that in five to 10 years AI could be used to detect hate speech. Zuckerberg also said that Facebook is beefing up its defenses in preparation for India’s elections in in 2019.
…And Reddit banned Russian troll accounts. During Zuckerberg’s testimony, the company said in its transparency report for 2017 that it had found and banned 944 suspicious accounts associated with Russia’s Internet Research Agency.
Tesco had some good news. The UK’s largest supermarket chain looked to be shaking off years of troubles, posting pre-tax profits (paywall) of £1.3 billion ($1.8 billion) for the year ending February—a major improvement on the £145 million it reported the previous year.
Five athletes from Cameroon went missing in Australia. They are suspected of fleeing from the athletes’ village at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. During the 2006 Commonwealth Games, 26 athletes and officials from African countries sought asylum in Australia.
Quartz obsession interlude
Gwynn Guilford on the cranberry’s improbable path to global domination. “In the 1990s, a little shape-shifting allowed dried cranberries to infiltrate baked goods and trail mixes. And in recent years, it crept its cranberry creep over to China, nestling into the palms of health-conscious young people across the Middle Kingdom. And now, the bitter red bog-berry finds itself in the midst of the burgeoning US-China trade war.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
What’s behind the current outbreak of political machismo? Many seem to crave reassurance that it is natural for men to lead.
Fake video will destroy our concept of reality. “Deepfaking” will expand far beyond porn to create a new world in which we’re all being manipulated.
Full employment is not the only way a society can succeed. Having a job isn’t necessarily an unalloyed good.
Surprising discoveries
Kim Jong-un needs a new plane. The North Korean leader is starting to travel internationally, but he lacks an aircraft that can fly long distances (paywall).
Eyebrows are an evolutionary win. The heavy brows of Homo sapiens flattened out as communication became more important to survival.
Lionel Messi creates literal shockwaves. When the Barcelona soccer star scores a goal, seismometers pick up tremors from fans jumping up and down in the Camp Nou stadium.
China’s nouveau riche are getting into hunting. They’re flocking to places like Texas, Russia, and Canada, where visitors can pay up to $50,000 to kill polar bears.
Tanzanian bloggers have to pay the government $900 a year. Applications can still be denied if their writing “causes annoyance.”
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, eyebrow pencils, and cranberries 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 Lianna Brinded.