Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The US announces new sanctions on Russia. Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin will announce the new measures in the wake of US airstrikes on Syria over its use of chemical weapons, according to Nikki Haley, US ambassador the UN. Russia has been helping Syrian president Bashar al-Assad fight insurgents in Syria’s civil war.
An insight into US retail. Many Americans have now received their annual tax refunds, some of which will likely have been spent shopping. Analysts polled by Bloomberg forecast retail sales rose 0.4% in March from the prior month.
Does China still love US debt? The latest US Treasury report on international capital flows will tell us if China, the largest foreign holder of US debt, is still cutting its holdings. The last report in January showed it held $1.17 trillion of US debt, down from around $1.2 trillion in August.
A Stormy day in court. Stormy Daniels, an adult-film star who claims to have had an affair with Donald Trump, plans to attend the latest court hearing of Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who is being investigated by federal prosecutors. Cohen is under scrutiny in part for his role in seeking to suppress the alleged affair through a hush deal.
Reporters win Pulitzer Prizes. The awards recognize the best journalism in the United States, whether it appeared in newspapers, magazines, or online. While there are neither red carpets nor fancy gowns, champagne corks will fly in select newsrooms.
Over the weekend
James Comey attacked Trump. With his memoir coming out this week, the former FBI director told ABC News that Trump is “morally unfit” to be president, while also defending the decision to announce an investigation into more of Hillary Clinton’s emails days before the 2016 election. He also said Trump should not be impeached, but rather voted out of office.
The US, France, and UK struck Syria. The Saturday missile barrage was designed to target an alleged chemical-weapons program used by the Assad regime. Trump declared “mission accomplished,” while Russia’s Vladimir Putin warned against hitting Syria again—what happens next likely depends on whether Assad continues to use chemical weapons.
An ad-industry titan resigned. WPP CEO Martin Sorrell stepped down following a probe into alleged misconduct, which he denied. The largest ad company in the world, already roiled by a sinking share price and disappointing results, said it hadn’t found anything “material.” Sorrell, who over three decades used acquisitions to transform WPP and become among the highest-paid UK executives, has been an outspoken voice amid the rise of Google and Facebook.
Starbucks apologized for Philadelphia arrests. CEO Kevin Johnson called the Thursday arrest of two men a “reprehensible outcome,” after customer videos surfaced showing police handcuffing them in a Starbucks store. Store employees had called the police saying the men refused to leave and hadn’t purchased anything, while the men said they were waiting for a friend. Critics alleged racial bias against the men by Starbucks and the police.
Shinzo Abe faced increasing public protests. Tens of thousands gathered in Tokyo to call for the Japanese prime minister’s resignation, amid scandals related to land deals. Abe’s popularity is hitting all-time lows, which could threaten his chances of becoming Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.
Progress on the Nafta renegotiation was seen. US and Canadian officials said they could have agreement on changes to the North American trade pact within a few weeks, raising hopes the contentious talks spurred by Trump’s threats will be resolved before US Congressional and Mexican general elections this year.
Beyoncé delivered an historic performance. The pop icon’s Saturday show at the Coachella music festival garnered strikingly superlative reviews. One critic compared Beyoncé to Michael Jackson and Gene Kelly. Another gushed (paywall) that “there’s not likely to be a more meaningful, absorbing, forceful and radical performance by an American musician this year, or any year soon.”
Quartz obsession interlude
Adam Epstein on how internet fandom is ruining Hollywood. “Boy, are the fans eager to have their voices acknowledged. Social media has closed the gap between cultural producers and consumers. Aware of this newfound power, fans have become more demanding, more critical, and, most of all, more entitled.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Automation will spur a “massacre of the Dilberts.” Unglamorous office-worker jobs like those of the satirical cartoon character are seriously endangered.
Trump’s Syria attack wasn’t precise or proportionate. It might have relieved emotional pressure but was worse than doing nothing at all.
Informed consent is a fraud online. Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional testimony underscored that consumers have no idea what they’re agreeing to when they accept Facebook’s terms of service.
Surprising discoveries
Four thousand toddlers are listed as business owners in the UK. It is surprisingly easy to fraudulently create a company in someone else’s name.
There’s now “blockchain-traced coffee” that shows the whole supply chain. A company in Colorado is giving customers access to a cloud-based ledger for every bag (paywall).
The US has 207 million or so suspect eggs. They are being recalled amid fears of salmonella contamination in the largest such action in eight years.
Netflix has been around for 20 years. When it was founded, most people didn’t even have DVD players.
It cost $7.3 million to keep Mark Zuckerberg safe last year. The Facebook CEO’s security expenses surged over the previous year, according to a regulatory filing.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, untainted eggs, and Netflix DVD return labels 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 Isabella Steger.