Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Nissan holds a “town hall” meeting. Following the dismissal of chairman Carlos Ghosn over alleged misconduct, CEO Hiroto Saikawa and others will discuss the company’s future. Nissan will likely seek a more equitable partnership in its alliance with French carmaker Renault.
An Apple antitrust case reaches the US Supreme Court. The tech giant is accused of monopolizing the market for iPhone apps, leading to inflated prices. A key issue is the 30% commission it gets on purchases in its App Store.
NASA’s Insight touches down on Mars. The spacecraft will measure “Marsquakes” and study the internal heat of the planet—assuming it lands safely. You can watch the attempt on NASA TV between 2pm and 3:30pm ET.
Over the weekend
Brussels endorsed Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Leaders from EU nations sounded unenthused but promised “as close as possible a partnership with the United Kingdom” after Britain leaves the bloc on March 29. Whether the UK parliament approves the deal is another matter.
Taiwan’s ruling party took an election beating. Voters turned away from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party and toward the China-friendly opposition Kuomintang, pleasing Beijing. Meanwhile a vote against same-sex marriage illustrated the problem with referendums.
Bitcoin extended its losses. Following a week of heavy declines, the world’s largest cryptocurrency fell below $3,500, its lowest level since September 2017. Regulators are investigating whether market manipulation fueled its rally to nearly $20,000 last year.
Trump sparred with Mexico over asylum seekers. The US president claimed migrants at the border would stay in Mexico while awaiting approval on their claims, but Mexico’s incoming interior minister told Reuters there is not yet an agreement “of any type.”
Sri Lanka’s political crisis deepened. President Maithripala Sirisena said he would never reinstate Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister, even if the latter could prove his majority in parliament. Wickremesinghe’s party has refused to propose anyone but him.
Quartz obsession interlude
Isabella Steger on Japan’s efforts to move people out of Tokyo: “The government is mulling giving as much as 3 million yen ($27,000) to people who decide to relocate from the 23 wards of Tokyo and find jobs elsewhere… Japan’s government has for decades tried to lure people away from the capital and help rebuild depopulated and dilapidated areas.” Read more here.
Conversation starter
“Time’s up. The movies never show us who has to clean up the destruction after the house party. It’s us. Economic losses at 2x the Great Recession by 2100. Let’s hope this gets the action we need.”
—Beth Comstock, author, on “U.S. Climate Report Warns of Damaged Environment and Shrinking Economy“
Surprising discoveries
Quasars are, mysteriously, disappearing. Scientists have a few working theories as to why some of the radiant celestial bodies are winking out.
African wax prints aren’t particularly African. Their roots lie in Indonesian batik, and today most are made in China.
Over a third of Black Friday 2018 sales happened on smartphones. The day after Thanksgiving in the US, typically the biggest retail day of the year, was a historic one for e-commerce.
AI surveillance in China mistook a moving bus ad for a person. Traffic police in Ningbo apologized for snaring a commercial image of a CEO as part of an effort to expose jaywalkers.
Ohio is letting businesses pay taxes in bitcoin. The US state hopes to show that it’s tech-savvy and forward-thinking by accepting the cryptocurrency.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, AI bloopers, and made-in-Africa wax prints to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written and edited by Steve Mollman and Holly Ojalvo.