Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
More US-China trade talks. Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and trade representative Robert Lighthizer will meet their counterparts in Beijing for high-stakes discussions that have markets nervous.
Dueling border speeches in Texas. US president Donald Trump will host his first 2020 campaign rally on Monday night (paywall) in El Paso—just a few miles away from the nation’s southern border—with a counter-event by possible challenger Beto O’Rourke.
The US Senate pushes back on China. The Senate Small Business Committee is expected to release a report alleging “industrial espionage and coercion” by Beijing.
While you were sleeping
Mike Pompeo pressured US allies over Huawei. The US secretary of state paid a visit to Hungary during his European tour, warning that the Chinese telecom’s presence could endanger future deals with the United States.
Morgan Stanley made a $1.1 billion play for millennial millionaires. The company is buying Solium Capital in its biggest acquisition since the financial crisis. The Canadian wealth-management firm runs a platform for startup employees to track their pre-IPO stock options and other assets.
Russia plans to unplug from the internet. The test will temporarily isolate Russia to assess whether it can sustain its own internet network in the event of a war. That’s expected to put a tremendous strain on the nation’s service providers, and has sparked renewed fears of mass censorship.
Robot-delivery startup Nuro raised $940 billion from SoftBank. The company has been field-testing driverless drones on public roads for grocery runs in Arizona. Its latest investment haul from SoftBank’s Vision Fund will help the company expand its tiny fleet to California and Texas.
The CDC called out Juul for a spike in teen tobacco use. Estimates from the agency’s National Youth Tobacco Survey found that 4.9 million teens and middle-schoolers used tobacco products in 2018—an increase of 1.5 million that effectively wiped out years of anti-smoking progress. E-cigarettes like Juul were more than twice as popular as traditional cigarettes.
Quartz obsession interlude
Music that gives you the chills. Scientists think that spine-tingling musical moments are a bit like riding a rollercoaster—a way to experience a threat without risking life and limb. Dynamic changes and memory-tapping motifs work on multiple parts of our brain at once, potentially offering therapies for anxiety, depression, and dementia. Listen up at today’s Quartz Obsession.
Membership
Crypto: A year ago, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were riding high, minting millionaires, and capturing the imagination of the financial world. It’s been a long, humbling descent from those heady days, but the crypto revolution isn’t over. In fact, it may not even have begun. Today we’re beginning our field guide on cryptocurrency, starting with a state of play memo to get you oriented, and a glossary to lay out the lingo.
Matters of debate
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the Democrats’ version of Donald Trump. At least when it comes to her social media prowess.
Fortnite is the future. The game’s communal reality and rabid fan base could put Facebook and Netflix in its crosshairs.
Not every cartoon needs a live-action remake. Disney’s latest reboot of Aladdin is rubbing fans the wrong way.
Surprising discoveries
Japanese women are pushing back against “obligation chocolates.” A Valentine’s Day tradition requires many women to buy the treats for their male colleagues.
Nearly a third of Americans think donning blackface is perfectly OK. A poll that examined the use of the racist caricature during Halloween found widespread acceptance among whites.
Climate change is forcing polar bears to invade Russia. The Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Ocean has reported a number of attacks on humans.
A Canadian town is dealing with the Chernobyl of fermented fish. More than a hundred vats of Vietnamese fish sauce have been left there to rot for nearly 20 years.
Car thieves are stealing catalytic converters to harvest palladium. The rare metal is now worth more than its own weight in gold (paywall).
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, obligation chocolate, and spare palladium 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 Adam Pasick.