Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Mike Pompeo faces his Senate confirmation hearing. The CIA director was nominated by Donald Trump last month to replace Rex Tillerson as US secretary of state. Considered more hawkish on international issues than Tillerson, Pompeo is expected to signal a hard line on Russia. The hearing can be watched live.
BlackRock reports earnings. Analysts expect the world’s largest asset manager to report a 20% year-on-year rise in first-quarter profits. Last year, its assets under management ballooned by 22%, reaching $6.288 trillion.
Theresa May holds an emergency meeting on Syria. With Trump pressing for coordinated military intervention in Syria over a chemical weapons attack, the UK prime minister is considering bypassing a vote in parliament before military action.
While you were sleeping
The US weighs a military response in Syria. The White House says “all options are on the table” in response to a chemical weapons attack. Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the Russian government are both considered responsible for the attack.
SoftBank backed a global soccer shake-up plan. The Japanese firm joined a group bidding for the rights to develop a major soccer tournament, the Financial Times reported (paywall). If successful, the group will form a joint venture with FIFA, the sport’s governing body, to expand the Club World Cup tournament, with an expected $25 billion in revenue.
Russia’s embassy in London casted doubts over Yulia Skripal’s comments. It dissected the statement released by the daughter of the ex-Russian spy, who was released from hospital this week after both were poisoned last month. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will release its findings today.
The IMF worried about debt linked to China’s “Belt and Road” mega-project. The International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde warned (paywall) that Chinese lending for its infrastructure development initiative could lead to unsustainable debt loads in host countries. Eight countries are already believed to be facing these issues.
China sounded off about US tariffs threats. A commerce ministry spokesman said China would fight “till the very end” if the US insists on unilateralism and trade protectionism. Meanwhile, China’s ambassador to Peru said a potential trade war between the world’s two biggest economies could bolster Latin America’s exports.
Quartz obsession interlude
Olivia Goldhill on how scientists keep “discovering” things stoners already know. “The research on mystical experiences compared the sense of spirituality that comes from psychedelics with that which comes from religious experiences. But… simply describing trips is, at least in some cases, considered a worthwhile addition to the academic literature.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Instagram might be Facebook’s saving grace. Its audience is young and growing, and the platform hasn’t yet lost itself in too-quick innovation.
TV is finally celebrating working-class families. Sky’s In The Long Run and Netflix’s On My Block could help bridge the divide.
CryptoKitties are no laughing matter. Toys—even digital ones—often breed good ideas, and anything that’s both scarce and in-demand should be taken seriously.
Surprising discoveries
A mummified monkey turned up in a US department store’s ceiling. A mayor believes his father stole the then-live animal and ditched it.
Airbus wants to turn cargo holds into a nap zone. Lie-flat berth modules could be in both new and old jets by 2020.
A Syrian man has spent over a month living in a Kuala Lumpur airport. He fears being arrested in his country for refusing a call-up for military service.
A burglar in the US rented out the home he robbed. An elaborate scheme—complete with fake framed photos—tricked victims into handing over rent while the real owner was away.
A suicide pact turned out to be partying metal fans. Acting on a tip, Scottish police arrived to rescue adults and children wearing heavy makeup and listening to loud music.
Clarification: Yesterday we wrote that China’s nouveau riche are hunting in places like Texas, Russia, and Canada, where visitors can pay up to $50,000 to kill polar bears. There are, of course, no polar bears in Texas—yet.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, digital felines, and Insta hashtags 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 Joon Ian Wong and edited by Lianna Brinded.