Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Trump outlines how the US can protect itself from North Korea and Iran. In his first visit to the Pentagon since defense chief Jim Mattis resigned, the US president will announce the results of a Department of Defense review that’s expected to detail how the US can defend itself against missile attacks by rogue nations, and urge investment in anti-missile capabilities.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez schools House Democrats on Twitter. The youngest member of Congress, who has 2.4 million followers, and representative Jim Himes will lead a session on how to use the social-media platform.
Netflix tries to meet sky-high expectations. The streaming giant’s stock is surging, especially after it hiked prices earlier this week. Analysts expect the company to add 9.2 million subscribers, up from 8.3 million a year ago, when it reports quarterly results.
While you were sleeping
Theresa May narrowly survived a no-confidence vote… The British prime minister escaped being ousted with 325 to 306 votes, after her Brexit proposal was resoundingly defeated on Tuesday. The vote won’t do anything to break the UK’s political deadlock: May says she’ll start talks with opposition parties and the EU about a way forward, but no one seems willing to budge.
…While Greece’s prime minister also scraped by in a confidence vote. Alexis Tsipras called the vote after his defense minister and right-wing coalition partner abruptly resigned Sunday over a deal to resolve a name dispute with the Republic of Macedonia. With a vote of 151 to 148, Tsipras narrowly avoided snap elections and cleared a hurdle to approve an accord to end the name dispute.
The US opened a criminal probe into Huawei… Prosecutors are probing whether the Chinese telecom-equipment giant, which has become embroiled in the US-China trade war, may have stolen trade secrets (paywall) from its business partners, including T-Mobile.
…While a Canadian family was temporarily detained in China. Ti-Anna Wang, whose dissident father is serving a life sentence in China, was detained along with her husband and infant daughter during a layover in Beijing while traveling from Seoul to Toronto. Wang was told by Chinese officials she was not allowed to return to Canada, where Huawei’s chief financial officer was arrested last month, and was put on a flight back to South Korea.
Mike Pence declared ISIS defeated hours after a deadly attack on a US-led convoy in Syria. The US vice president omitted the attack in an address to 184 chiefs of US diplomatic missions, but he and the White House later issued statements condemning it. The suicide bombing near the Turkish border killed 19 people, including four Americans, and comes weeks after Trump ordered the withdrawal of US troops in Syria, claiming the group had been defeated.
Quartz obsession interlude
In France, high-viz means high anxiety. In 2018, yellow safety vests became the symbol of frustration with president Emmanuel Macron, and protests are still drawing tens of thousands of people. Why the vests? All the country’s drivers are required to have them, so when Macron proposed a gas-tax hike, those affected had a resonant symbol of the working class ready to go. For more on a political groundswell that has its links in Day-Glo paint, check out today’s Quartz Obsession.
Quartz membership
The Alibaba executives who call the shots. Charismatic co-founder Jack Ma is no longer running things, as he prepares to step down as chairman later this year. He’ll hand the reins to his longtime lieutenant Daniel Zhang, the company’s CEO since 2015, along with senior leaders like Joe Tsai, Maggie Wu, Lucy Peng, and Jeff Zhang. Sign up for a free 30-day Quartz membership trial to learn more about the leaders of one of the world’s most disruptive companies.
Matters of debate
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Ditch the KonMari method. Tidying up shouldn’t mean having to ask too much of yourself.
Facebook’s “10 Year Challenge” isn’t worth it. The viral photo meme may be a stealth tool to help the social-media giant hone its facial-recognition software.
Open offices are too cheap to abandon. The floor plans are ineffective, but the low price is too good to pass up.
Surprising discoveries
Motorola is bringing back the RAZR phone. The iconic gadget is making a $1,500 comeback as a foldable smartphone from Lenovo.
A startup is selling the blood of young donors. For $8,000 a session, Ambrosia hopes to breathe new life into tired organs.
China’s Moon plant is already dead. The cotton seed that sprouted did not survive the lunar sundown, when temperatures fall as low as -170°C (-274°F).
Japan’s last homegrown sumo champ threw in the towel. Kisenosato Yutaka is expected to teach sumo as an elder, and will assume the name Araiso.
Our furry companions are getting fatter. While much of the problem lies with pet owners, obesity is also rising among domestic and wild animals that aren’t overfed.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, fresh blood, and plant obituaries 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 Alice Truong and edited by Isabella Steger.