Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
FedEx reports earnings. The US logistics giant announces its fourth-quarter results. Investors will be looking for any comments by the company on the mounting trade tensions between the US and other countries, as well as information on how Amazon is affecting the company’s business.
Donald Trump talks immigration with House Republicans. Amid growing furor over the government’s policy of separating migrant parents from their children, the president will discuss with Congress members a compromise immigration bill which, among other things, aims to protect Dreamers from deportation.
Kim Jong Un heads back to China. The North Korean leader is set to make his third trip (paywall) to Beijing to meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping to discuss his recent summit with Trump.
While you were sleeping
The White House defended its policy of splitting up migrant families. Criticism of the policy grew louder after a recording of children crying out for their parents at a border detention facility was released by ProPublica. Trump said he won’t let the US become a “migrant camp,” and blamed Democrats for obstructing immigration reform.
The Pentagon officially canceled upcoming military drills with South Korea. The US made the formal announcement that the exercises scheduled for August would be suspended, following a pledge made by Trump at last week’s meeting with Kim Jong Un. Trump called the drills expensive and “provocative.”
The US Senate voted against Trump’s ZTE deal. Senators from both parties called the Chinese tech giant a national-security threat and voted to reinstate a ban (paywall) that prevents ZTE from buying US parts. Trump struck a deal with Beijing to save the company, after the US commerce department punished ZTE over its dealings with Iran and North Korea.
Fujifilm sued Xerox for over $1 billion. The Japanese camera company is accusing Xerox of breach of contract and engaging in “intentional and egregious conduct” after it abandoned a $6.1 billion merger following pressure from activist investors Carl Icahn and Darwin Deason.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz on how Rihanna forced the beauty industry to acknowledge people of color. “Since Fenty’s launch, lines that still do not offer a wide range of shades and price points are doing so at their peril. What’s more, the fact that a designer heritage brand like Dior is on board suggests that the beauty industry is entering a time of reckoning, a time where beauty brands—even iconic names like Dior—can no longer afford to be skin color- or cost-exclusive in their offerings.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Vladimir Putin will be the true World Cup winner. He understands the ability of sport to foment feelings of national pride and enhance his standing at home.
Women eating on screens is a radical act. Scenes of the protagonists eating in Ocean’s 8 feel different because women are rarely portrayed as eating for no particular reason in movies.
Negative online reviews aren’t trustworthy. Only a tiny proportion of people leave reviews, and those who do are often too emotional to be neutral (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
China’s new Silk Road extends into space. The country wants to use satellites to build a “Belt and Road spatial information corridor.”
Iceland’s World Cup debut was watched by 99.6% of its TV viewers. But 99.8% of Icelandic TV viewers watched the nation’s historic win over England in Euro 2016.
The sneaker boom has created a leather glut. The beef industry is supplying too many cow hides for the athleisure era.
Viruses love what we’ve done with the planet. The unchecked spread of humanity is creating more opportunities for deadly species-jumping pathogens.
Germans have a word for “loss in an opening game.” Auftaktniederlage started appearing in German media after the country lost to Mexico in the World Cup.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, excess leather, and color-inclusive makeup 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 Isabella Steger and edited by Alice Truong.