Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Apple reveals how far iPhone sales have fallen. In the wake of a Jan. 2 profit warning from CEO Tim Cook, who blamed sluggish smartphone sales in China for a rare earnings miss, analysts expect revenues of $84 billion, down significantly from the previous year.
The UK parliament votes on Brexit amendments. Lawmakers hope to have a bigger say over the direction of Brexit, with proposals that include instructing the government to rule out a no-deal departure, and postponing the March 29 deadline for exiting the EU.
Trump advisor Roger Stone is arraigned in DC. Stone, a key figure in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, will face seven charges of lying to Congress, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering.
The US Federal Reserve convenes on policy. The central bank is likely to hold rates steady after its first meeting of 2019 wraps up tomorrow, with Fed chairman Jay Powell expected to acknowledge growing global economic unease. The bank in mid-December raised rates for a fourth time in 2018, and has signaled that it will do so at least twice more this year.
LVMH’s earnings look glitzy. The French luxury-goods multinational is expected to show a growth in net profits in its annual results. But analysts will be watching if demand in China, the world’s largest luxury goods market, as well as “yellow vests” protests in France put a damper on fourth quarter earnings.
While you were sleeping
California’s PG&E filed for bankruptcy. The largest utility company in the US said the move (paywall) will allow it to remain in business as it seeks to pay off debts. PG&E was hit with billions in damages from a string of wildfires in California over the last two years.
China responded to Huawei developments. Beijing called on the US, which yesterday announced criminal charges against the Chinese telecom giant and its CFO Meng Wanzhou, to “stop the unreasonable crackdown” and drop its extradition request of Wanzhou. Meanwhile, Huawei was dealt another blow after Australian telecoms provider TPG said it would suspend plans to launch the country’s fourth mobile network, citing a government ban on using the company’s equipment.
Apple acknowledged a FaceTime security breach in its iPhones. The 9to5Mac blog first reported the flaw, which allows callers to eavesdrop on a recipient even if the person doesn’t pick up, if both are using iOS version 12.1. Apple said it would release an update (paywall) to address the issue later this week.
US Democrats announced plans to set up a pro-Israel group. A new group called (paywall) the Democratic Majority for Israel seeks to counter growing skepticism from the American left toward the Jewish state, while Republican support for it surges.
Norwegian Air took a tumble. The discount airline took a record hit (paywall) after raising 3 billion kroner ($353 million) in a share sale to strengthen its balance sheet. It also announced Tuesday that it was open to takeover bids after British Airways dropped its months-long pursuit of the company last week.
Quartz obsession interlude
The human liver is vastly underrated. Despite all our attempts to ruin it—booze, fad diets, and general malnutrition—the liver has a regenerative healing factor that just won’t quit. Unlike the heart or the lungs, there’s no machine that can replace it. Read our latest Quartz Obsession to learn about the famously resilient organ.
Quartz Membership
The Earth’s water crisis is already dire. We don’t have nearly as much useable H2O as we think, and more than 700 million people already lack access to clean water. Quartz’s breakdown of our planet’s looming shortage shows how our most critical resource is drying up, where the scarcity could cause wars, and how we could bail ourselves out of trouble.
Matters of debate
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America doesn’t need a centrist candidate. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz would just split the vote and help Donald Trump.
“Rise and grind” is an Instagrammable lie. “Hustle culture” and “toil glamour” is a millennial-inspired spin on soul-crushing burnout.
Women act more like men when they have to ask women for money. They seem more likely to self-discriminate when dealing with a man in power.
Surprising discoveries
UAE’s gender equality awards were swept by men. The presenters of the Gender Balance Index awards were all men, too.
The 19th century Kingdom of Hayti was the Wakanda of the Western hemisphere. The northern part of Haiti, briefly ruled by a former enslaved man, aspired to be a haven from racism.
Joshua Tree National Park may take hundreds of years to recover. Visitors cut down trees and made illegal campfires in the understaffed California park during the US government shutdown.
Japan is working on flushable adult diapers. They could help reduce the burden on caregivers in the world’s most aged society.
Australia got hit with another mass fish death. Locals blamed a drought for the hundreds of thousands of dead fish in the Darling River, while scientists pointed to water mismanagement.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Wakanda maps, and tales of hustle 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 Adam Rasmi and edited by Jackie Bischof.