Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A check-in with the UK economy. The Bank of England will meet to decide whether to raise borrowing costs, while chancellor Philip Hammond and Bank of England governor Mark Carney will speak at the annual Mansion House dinner (paywall), where they’ll address Brexit, financial regulations, and the state of the economy.
Moon Jae-in builds ties with Russia. The South Korean president will meet with diplomats in Moscow over three days, and deliver a speech to lawmakers there on Saturday. His recent comments on restoring inter-Korea railroads and linking them to trans-Siberian railways suggest economic development will be up for discussion.
The US Congress votes on immigration. The bills under consideration address a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, funding for the border wall, and migrant-family separation, which Trump has promised to end. Both bills face skepticism from conservatives and liberals alike.
While you were sleeping
Trump said he’ll keep migrant families together. As reports of forced medication and new “tender age” detention facilities for toddlers at the US-Mexico border fanned the flames of public outcry, Trump signed an executive order to keep families detained together indefinitely, where appropriate and consistent with law and available resources.
Fox accepted Disney’s improved offer. Rupert Murdoch and his fellow directors decided that Disney’s sweetened $71 billion bid (paywall)—which would bring The Simpsons, X-Men, Pixar, and Marvel under one roof—was “superior” to Comcast’s. There is still time for Comcast to up its ante, although its debt-heavy balance sheet doesn’t provide much room to maneuver.
Daimler issued a profit warning. Chinese retaliatory import duties on vehicles built in the US would hurt sales and profits of the SUVs it makes at its Alabama factory, the German carmaker said in a surprise announcement (paywall). German automakers export many of the vehicles they build in the US to China and other markets.
Instagram introduced hour-long videos. IGTV, which will be an in-app feature and standalone app, will help Facebook’s Instagram compete against Google’s YouTube and its army of influencers. Unlike YouTube, though, the new offering will use full-screen vertical video, catering to the increasing number of people watching on their phones.
Tinder’s parent company bought the anti-Tinder dating app. Match Group will add Hinge to a portfolio that includes OkCupid and Plenty of Fish. Hinge helps people meet long-term partners and purportedly appeals to urban, millennial women—useful as Match takes on Bumble, a dating app that specifically targets women.
Quartz obsession interlude
Isabella Steger on how Sejong, Korea’s newly built administrative capital, is an unlikely utopia for families. “Many are drawn to the cheaper cost of living, green spaces, and a professional life where clocking off means going home to one’s family without the ritual of post-work drinking with colleagues that is indispensable to Korean work culture… The crowning glory of Sejong’s policies, however, is its proud focus on the well-being of new moms.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
US home prices have nowhere to go but up. Facing less competition than in the past, big home builders are in no rush to boost production (paywall).
The best employees are not the agreeable ones. Workers who are grouchy yet giving in nature are often more valuable.
The way offices treat pregnancy is dangerous. The demands of workaholic culture put expectant mothers and their children at risk.
Surprising discoveries
A German toy company pulled a Nazi UFO off the market. The company apologized for implying that Nazis invented space travel.
Belgians sell more of their beer than they drink. Domestic consumption is down to half of what they export.
Burger King Russia pulled an ad offering free food and cash to women impregnated by footballers. The public found the promotion “insulting” and the chain has since apologized.
Yoga students are learning from cadavers. They explore human anatomy and physiology by handling parts of dead bodies.
Drug-polluted rivers are getting eels high. Cocaine in aquatic groundwater doesn’t just make eels hyper, it alters their physiology.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Belgian brews, and uncontroversial toys 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 Alice Truong.