Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
John Bolton seeks a pledge from Turkey. The US national security adviser has said plans to withdraw American troops from Syria are contingent on Turkey committing not to attack Syrian Kurdish forces across the border. He’s meeting today with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan (subscription), who sees Syrian Kurdish fighters as allies of Turkey’s Kurd separatists.
Europe and the US hold trade talks. EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom will meet US trade representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington. President Donald Trump in July agreed not to impose a threatened 25% tariff on European cars and both sides agreed to work on reducing tariffs and other barriers to industrial goods, barring cars.
Nationwide strikes in India. Ten trade unions are starting a two-day strike against the economic and labor policies of Narendra Modi’s government. Tens of millions are expected to participate, including farmers, bank employees, and industry workers.
A slew of CES gadgets. Highlights from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas so far include a fix for the iPhone’s biggest problem, supremely enviable TV upgrades, and plenty of smart doorbells. The US government is AWOL at CES due to the partial shutdown.
While you were sleeping
Kim Jong Un visited China again. The North Korean leader’s specially outfitted train was spotted crossing China’s border on Monday. China said that Kim—who is also apparently celebrating his unconfirmed birthday—is on a four-day visit during which he will meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping. The visit comes as US denuclearization negotiations with North Korea have stalled, though president Donald Trump is considering a second meeting with Kim.
Carlos Ghosn finally appeared in a Tokyo court. The former Nissan chairman made his first public appearance since being arrested in November. Looking thinner and wearing plastic slippers (subscription), Ghosn, who was charged last month with financial misconduct, read out a prepared statement and rejected the idea he had hidden tens of millions of dollars in compensation. Meanwhile, Nissan’s own investigation (subscription) is going global to probe key executives linked to Ghosn.
The World Bank president unexpectedly called it quits. Jim Yong Kim will vacate his position next month for a private-sector investment role. The US has nominated all 12 World Bank presidents (subscription), making it a near-certainty that Trump will nominate the institution’s next leader. (Editor’s note: World Bank CEO and interim president Kristalina Georgieva is a featured commenter on the Quartz app.)
SoftBank slashed its planned investment in WeWork. The Japanese tech giant will inject $2 billion (subscription) into the shared-office startup, not $16 billion, as it originally announced. Investors in the SoftBank Vision Fund, led by the Saudi government, are concerned about WeWork’s mounting losses, and its founder’s reluctance to give up control.
Quartz obsession interlude
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: The science of stayin’ alive. “Annie, are you OK?” CPR is a simple way to save a life that didn’t come together until the 1960s. Chest compressions, the most basic part of CPR, were only discovered by accident. And even if you think you know CPR, you probably need a refresher. Press on with today’s Quartz Obsession email.
Matters of debate
Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!
US millennials burn out at an early age. It’s not hard when your job has no downtime.
There’s nothing crazy about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “soak the rich” plan. Americans used to have very high taxes on the rich, and it worked fine.
Consumers don’t care about tech giants’ patent wars. It makes sense for Apple to put iTunes on Samsung TVs.
Quartz Membership
Goldman Sachs is arguably Wall Street’s most prestigious firm, operating for decades in a quiet golden glow. But since the financial crisis in 2008—when it gained the dubious moniker of “vampire squid”—it has faced a range of intense business, legal, and political challenges. How Goldman fares will say as much about the future of the firm as for Wall Street itself.
This week, Quartz members get exclusive access to a new report on what’s next for Goldman, which marks its 150th anniversary this year. You can sign up here for a 30-day free trial.
Surprising discoveries
Preliterate children are texting using emoji. And their usage patterns (subscription) are extremely unique.
Apple’s new privacy ad is based on a problematic phrase. “What happens in X, stays in X” has long been favored by philanders.
The Milky Way is due for a cataclysmic collision. In about 2 billion years, a run-in with the Large Magellanic Cloud could restart our galaxy’s dormant black hole.
The latest suspect for a “sonic weapon” in Cuba is crickets. US and Canadian diplomats may have suffered neurological damage from a silent cause (subscription), with the insects confusing matters.
A lost Leonardo painting may have been a money-laundering scam. Both the seller and buyer are being investigated by US special counsel Robert Mueller.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, spare oil, and lost paintings 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 Tripti Lahiri and Isabella Steger.