Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
New Consumer Sentiment Index data. University of Michigan’s nationally representative monthly index has been tracking consumer confidence at levels not seen since 2004, though US trade tariffs have led to slight valleys.
China’s state councilor visits Japan. Foreign ministers Wang Yi and Tarō Kōno will meet during a three-day visit starting Sunday, resuming efforts to improve economic conditions between their respective nations. Their agenda is also expected to include national security and preparations for a trilateral summit between the leaders of China, Japan, and South Korea.
Investigators head to Syria. Two teams from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will begin their mission to determine the facts behind attacks in Douma. Russia’s government has said it will take responsibility for the safety of the OPCW scientists—members of the intergovernmental group were hijacked during a 2014 investigation into reports of weaponized chlorine.
While you were sleeping
Hearst took full ownership of Fitch. The conglomerate paid $2.8 billion in cash (paywall) to buy out French holding company Fimalac’s share in the credit agency, making Fitch Group the largest wholly-owned business in Hearst’s expansive stable of media brands.
Volkswagen replaced its CEO. Herbert Diess will take over Matthias Müller’s seat as the automaker shifts gears. VW’s future plans will focus on improved profitability, clean energy, and streamlined development—it will also redefine its brands under “value,” “premium,” and “super-premium” categories.
Tesla played the blame game. The company said Apple engineer Walter Huang caused his own death on March 23, when his Model X crashed. Tesla also claimed that it was removing itself from the investigation due to restrictive disclosure concerns (paywall), but the timeline indicates the National Transportation Safety Board opted to remove the company from the case.
America may rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Donald Trump has tasked economic council director Larry Kudlow and trade representative Robert Lighthizer with exploring options (paywall) to rejoin the TPP. The US president also claims China is actively negotiating trade deals, which may stop proposed tariffs on both sides.
Trump delayed on Syria. The US president tweeted Thursday that a possible military strike against Syria could happen “very soon or not so soon at all.” The tweet was followed by comments from press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who said the White House planned to consult with allies before making a decision.
Quartz obsession interlude
Tripti Lahiri on how Malaysia’s fake news law affects discussions around the country’s biggest scandal: “Many fear the main aim of the law is to prevent renewed scrutiny of Najib (paywall), who is running for re-election, in relation to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB)… Najib, who is also Malaysia’s finance minister, set up the fund and chaired the fund’s board of advisors until 2016.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Where are Apple’s billionaires? Tech companies that are less wealthy have richer executives, but Apple’s salaries may just be distributed more evenly.
The REcoin ICO fraud could set the tone for future prosecutions. Sketchy practices surrounding initial coin offerings could be watched much more closely from now on.
Don’t buy the line that AI will save Facebook. It’ll be humans who end up making the tough decisions about removing harmful content.
Surprising discoveries
A sperm whale died with 64 pounds (29 kg) of plastic trash in its belly. The young male washed ashore in Spain after dying from what was most likely a digestive blockage.
Samuel L. Coleridge was found in a wine cellar. The coffins of the famous poet and his family had been stashed in a safe place, bricked off and forgotten.
A US investor owes the IRS $1 billion. John Paulson deferred payments, but the sum is due (paywall)—and it’s more than the IRS will even accept in a single check.
Poor sleep is linked to Alzheimer’s. Sleep deprivation caused study participants’ brains to produce (or retain) more of a protein that’s known as a precursor to the disease.
Chinese iPhone users can’t use the Taiwanese flag emoji. It’s one of many concessions Apple’s made to Beijing, including blocking VPN apps and moving data to local servers.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, 🇹🇼, and $1 billion checks 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 and edited by McKinley Noble and Susan Howson.