Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Riyadh’s big investor conference gets underway. A planned speech by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman was abruptly cancelled Tuesday morning. Dozens of business leaders, including the CEOs of Siemens and JPMorgan Chase, have pulled out of the Future Investment Initiative over Khashoggi’s death.
Georgia’s gubernatorial candidates face off in a debate. Republican Brian Kemp is trying to brand his Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams as “too extreme” for Georgia, based on her participation in a flag-burning protest (paywall) in 1992. If Abrams wins, she would be the first black female governor in the US.
Who will bag the Mega Millions monster jackpot? Lottery officials said the prize will be an estimated $1.6 billion (paywall). It’s the largest jackpot in history, ahead of a 2016 prize of $1.58 billion—though it’s worth less in up-front cash.
While you were sleeping
The Turkish president delivered a speech on Jamal Khashoggi’s death. Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that 15 Saudis were involved in the “gruesome murder” and said that a team of Saudi officials had scouted an Istanbul forest the day before the killing. He said that he didn’t doubt King Salman’s “sincerity,” but asserted that this was a political killing and called for an independent investigation.
China opened the world’s longest sea bridge. President Xi Jinping attended the inauguration of the 55-kilometer (34-mile) bridge between the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau. It includes an underwater tunnel and two artificial islands, and will primarily be used by buses and trucks starting tomorrow.
Thousands were evacuated as Hurricane Willa bore down on Mexico. Southwest cancelled its flights at Puerto Vallarta airport and American Airlines did likewise for Mazatlán as what is forecast to be one of the most powerful hurricanes in recent years neared Mexico’s Pacific coast. It’s expected to hit south of Mazatlán by this afternoon, bringing a “life-threatening storm surge, wind, and rainfall,” according to the National Hurricane Center.
A judge upheld the Roundup weedkiller verdict in a landmark cancer case. San Francisco superior court judge Suzanne Bolanos reduced the punitive damages by more than $200 million, but declined to overturn the jury’s finding that Monsanto’s glyphosate-based weedkiller caused the plaintiff’s cancer.
An explosive device was found near the home of George Soros. Police in Westchester County, New York, detonated a device found in a mailbox and have referred the case to the FBI. The liberal billionaire is a frequent target of nationalists and conspiracy theorists, and has been personally attacked by Donald Trump.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Isabella Steger on the complicated legacy of modern Japan as it celebrates its 150th birthday: “While Japan’s rapid rise to become one of the world’s most powerful countries is nothing short of remarkable, its history of conquest has made the legacy of Meiji an uncomfortable one in the post-war era. Today, nationalism is once again on the rise under the leadership of Shinzo Abe—who has tried to channel the spirit and goals of the Meiji era in his quest for a Japanese rejuvenation.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Polar bears are hogging the limelight in Arctic conservation. People pay too much attention to the endearing bears at the expense of other imminent dangers facing the polar region.
The myth of the young Arab reformer needs to stop. The younger generation of leaders are often even more authoritarian (paywall) than their fathers.
Don’t blame bias on hiring algorithms. Blame the biased companies that blindly use the systems.
Surprising discoveries
A Bible museum in Washington said five of its Dead Sea Scrolls fragments are fake. Researchers found them to be “inconsistent with ancient origin.”
NASA found a rectangular iceberg in Antarctica. Contrary to popular belief, nature is full of 90° angles.
Antarctica’s “headless chicken monster” made its film debut. The rare deep-swimming sea cucumber was captured by new underwater filming technology.
The stream of green code in The Matrix is just sushi recipes. Production designer Simon Whiteley created the “digital rain” from his Japanese wife’s cookbooks.
The World Economic Forum is tired of events borrowing the Davos name. It wants nothing to do with Saudi Arabia’s “Davos in the Desert.”
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, rectangular icebergs, and sushi recipes 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 Jill Petzinger and edited by Sarah Todd.