Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Nissan’s board votes on a motion to remove Carlos Ghosn. The carmaker’s directors are reportedly divided about dismissing him as chairman, with some saying they have not seen enough evidence (paywall) about his alleged financial crimes. Ghosn, taken into custody by Japanese police this week, was reportedly pushing for a merger between Nissan and partner French automaker Renault. In Paris, the economic ministers of France and Japan will meet (paywall) to discuss the auto alliance’s future.
The European Central Bank lifts the curtain. October meeting minutes may reveal misgivings about the bank’s plans to normalize monetary policy. Third-quarter growth in the euro zone slowed to its lowest level in over four years, with GDP rising just 0.2%.
The United States celebrates Thanksgiving. Markets will be closed, millions of turkeys will be consumed, and awkward family fights over politics will ensue.
Wednesday’s brief incorrectly included a mention of Macy’s Thanksgiving parade in this section.
While you were sleeping
The top US judge rebuked Donald Trump. Supreme Court chief justice John Roberts made an unusual public statement taking the US president to task for attacking the impartiality of the federal judiciary. Trump, who had earlier criticized the judge who blocked (paywall) his controversial asylum policy as “an Obama judge,” fired back.
Another US-Korea military drill was scaled back. US secretary of defense Jim Mattis said next year’s Foal Eagle exercise with South Korea would be reorganized to “not be harmful to diplomacy.” The US has suspended most of this year’s joint war games as it pursues denuclearization talks with North Korea, which insists the exercises threaten it.
Singapore said US-China trade tensions will hurt growth. The trade-dependent city-state announced 2.2% GDP growth for July-September from a year earlier, lower than forecast, and warned a trade war between the world’s two largest economies will weigh on its economy in 2019.
Japan’s inflation didn’t budge. The Bank of Japan put in place a controversial negative interest-rate policy in 2016 to help the country reach 2% inflation, but the goal is proving elusive. Core inflation, subtracting fresh food, was 1% in October, the same as September.
The head of Russian military intelligence died. Igor Korobov, who was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department (paywall) over Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, ran the military spy agency at the time of the Democratic Party computer hack. The agency marked its 100th anniversary this month.
Obsession interlude
Dog shows: Humans domesticated dogs as long as 30,000 years ago, but it wasn’t until the mid-1800s that we put them on a pedestal. Now dog shows have become a Thanksgiving centerpiece in the US, and a rising Chinese middle class is joining in. How did we get here? Sit! Stay! And read on with the Quartz obsession.
Quartz membership
As part of our deep dive into the video streaming wars, our chart book looks at the global race for eyeballs, and we take a drive down the Sunset Strip to see how Netflix is changing the billboards of Tinseltown.
Conversation starter
“Closing data gaps, and putting resources into the hands of those with deep experience and great ideas to create economic opportunities is critical to reviving the American Dream.”
—Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on “A Push to Use Data to Boost Economic Opportunity in Cities.”
Surprising discoveries
An artist bought a Banksy piece just to destroy it. Ron English plans to whitewash Slave Labour, which he recently purchased for $730,000, and resell it, because art.
European truffle production is doomed. The lucrative and delicious industry could vanish by the end of the century because of climate change.
The Secret Service uses turbocharged golf carts to protect Donald Trump. Agents need dozens of vehicles that can hit 19 mph (31 km/h).
Clams are fighting Florida’s red tide. They naturally filter the microorganisms that are tainting Sarasota Bay.
Health insurance companies are spying on sleep apnea patients. Data from pricey breathing machines is being used to deny coverage for patients in the US.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, truffles, and clams to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our new app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Tripti Lahiri and edited by Isabella Steger.