Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Mike Pence issues a warning to China on the South China Sea. The vice president will cite a near miss between a US destroyer and a Chinese naval ship near the Spratly Islands that happened on Sunday in a speech today telling China the US will not be intimidated.
The Paris Motor Show revs up. The show this year has a strong lineup of production-ready electric vehicles from Germany’s luxury carmakers, as Europe preps for stringent new car-emissions limits in 2020. Also on display: the new $5.6 million Bugatti Divo hypercar.
The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator meets Ireland’s leader. Figuring out how to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland is a key sticking point between Europe and the UK ahead of key Brexit talks in Brussels later this month.
While you were sleeping
The US Senate majority leader filed “cloture” on Kavanaugh. Mitch McConnell scheduled a vote for Friday that could set a time limit on a confirmation decision over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The Senate will receive a single copy today of the FBI investigation report on allegations of sexual misconduct against the nominee. The White House has reviewed the FBI’s findings, and didn’t find the allegations corroborated (paywall).
Rosmah Mansor pleaded not guilty on corruption charges. Malaysia’s former first lady faces 17 counts of money laundering and tax evasion. Her husband, former prime minister Najib Razak, has been hit with 32 charges ranging from money laundering to abuse of power and criminal breach of trust in connection with the alleged pilfering of the 1MDB state development fund.
The US responded to China’s “debt-trap diplomacy.” The Senate passed legislation changing the way the federal government lends money to developing countries, consolidating several agencies into a new $60 billion agency that is intended largely to respond to China’s growing influence around the world.
Britain accused Russia of orchestrating cyber-attacks. A UK government organization says it has “high confidence” Russian military intelligence was behind several high-profile attacks, including on the US Democratic Party, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and a small British TV network.
A CBS executive was put on leave for offensive remarks. The move follows allegations that Vincent Favale, senior vice president of talent, used sexual and homophobic language. Last month former chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves was booted following a series of allegations of sexual harassment.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Dan Kopf on Vietnam’s exceptionally globalized economy. “If there is a turn against globalization, you wouldn’t know it by looking at the economy of Vietnam. In 2017, Vietnam’s trade as a percentage of GDP reached over 200%. This is the highest level for any country with over 50 million people in the World Bank’s data, which goes back to 1960.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The Fed’s view of the US economy is too good to be true. The central bank assumes the next financial crisis will be like the last one.
Farms should embrace automation. Organic practices do not scale and will not feed the world at an affordable price point.
It’s OK to feel left out at work sometimes. FOMO, or the fear of missing out, is seeping from social media into corporate culture.
Surprising discoveries
Students with acne get better grades. It makes them more likely to prioritize studying over socializing.
Winston Churchill predicted lab-grown meat back in 1931. The soon-to-be British prime minister said it would happen by 1981.
Only 16 nations in Africa have ever received a sitting US president. The other 70% have never been so honored.
There are now emoji for mangoes, mooncakes, and mosquitoes. They are among the 70 new emoji released by Apple for its latest version of iOS.
An ad that mocked avocado breakfasts was banned. The Costa Coffee radio spot for its bacon roll and egg muffin was criticized for encouraging poor food choices.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, avocado toasts, and farm robots 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 Tripti Lahiri and edited by Isabella Steger.