Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
December’s US jobs report. American unemployment is expected to either match or fall from November’s level of 3.7% (subscription), maintaining a historic low. The labor department should report roughly 177,000 jobs added by employers last month—although analysts predict far more—accompanied by meager wage growth.
Donald Trump meets lawmakers to discuss the partial government shutdown. The president invited congressional leaders including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for talks at the White House to try to break the impasse over Trump’s demands for funding for his border wall.
Election updates from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The government cut internet connections and SMS services across the country earlier this week as both the opposition and ruling coalitions claimed victory for their respective candidates. Preliminary results on who will replace Joseph Kabila, who is stepping down after 17 years, are expected over the weekend but could be delayed.
While you were sleeping
The US issued a travel advisory against China… The State Department’s level-two warning calls for greater caution due to “arbitrary enforcement of local laws” that can be used by Chinese authorities to prevent Americans from leaving the country. The warning comes weeks after China detained a number of Canadian nationals, believed to be in retaliation for the arrest of a senior Huawei executive in Vancouver.
…While Canada gave an update on how many of its citizens are in Chinese detention. Ottawa said that 13 Canadian citizens have been held in the country since the Dec. 1 arrest of Huawei’s CFO, and at least eight have been released. Previously only the detentions of former diplomat Michael Kovrig, businessman Michael Spavor, and English teacher Sarah McIver—who has been released—had been made public.
US Democrats took over the House. Nancy Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House by a slim margin, with 220 votes. Just 15 Democrats opposed her. She’s not only the first woman to hold the House’s top seat, but now the first person in more than 60 years to retake the gavel. The 116th US Congress is now represented by a historic number of women and politicians from minority groups.
A study found that most Tories prefer a no-deal Brexit. A poll conducted by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council found that 57% of Conservative Party members would rather leave the European Union without a deal than support Theresa May’s Brexit plan. Only 29% would vote for the prime minister’s deal.
Quartz obsession interlude
Moon rocks are famously hard to track. Many of the specimens US president Richard Nixon distributed around the world as goodwill tokens ended up lost, stolen, or listed on the black market. One Texas lawyer has made it his mission to recover them. Read more in today’s Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Beardliness is next to godliness. A Victorian lecture on facial hair defining men’s beauty seems no less relevant today.
Gout is again a sign of affluence. As wellness goes mainstream, the upper class has moved back to splurging on rich food in excess.
Companies under-prioritize human lives. Employee health is continually under siege by workplace practices, and it’s only getting worse.
Quartz Membership
We’re going back to the moon, and you need to know why. If a government or entrepreneur wanted to, say, mine for certain lunar minerals, or set up communication or scientific arrays in spots that were extremely limited in number on the lunar surface, it would effectively prevent others from doing the same. We could see something akin to the gold rush, hundreds of thousands of miles in space. Learn more vital facts about our lunar future.
Surprising discoveries
Flat-screen TVs are beaching themselves on Dutch coasts. Close to 300 shipping containers fell off a cargo ship, and treasure hunters are reaping the bounty.
Monk robes as activewear. After Japanese police told a monk his traditional wear was unsafe for driving, examples of monks performing agile feats flooded the internet.
Mario Kart solves problems. One elderly couple has been battling it out every morning for nearly 20 years to decide who has to make tea.
Half of all cars sold in Norway in 2018 were electric. The country is making great time on its journey to end all gas-powered car sales by 2025.
Marc Jacobs picked the wrong band to rip off. The designer used late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain’s iconic smiley drawing as part of a grunge revival line, and the band is suing.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, monk clothes, and Nirvana swag to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Isabella Steger and edited by Tripti Lahiri.