Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Theresa May updates lawmakers on Brexit. The British prime minister will give a statement on her negotiations with Dublin and Brussels over the Irish border, as she tries to gain more support for her Brexit deal ahead of a parliamentary debate on Thursday.
Catalan politicians go on trial for their role in the region’s failed independence bid. The 12 defendants are facing up to 25 years in prison (paywall) for their role in Catalonia’s referendum and declaration of independence in 2017. Notably absent in court is former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who is living in exile in Belgium.
Venezuelan students hold anti-government protests on Youth Day. Millions of students are mobilizing to protest president Nicolás Maduro, who has vowed to stay in power despite growing international support for opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president.
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
US lawmakers reached a tentative deal on border security to avoid another shutdown. Republican senator Richard Shelby, one of the congressional negotiators, said they reached “an agreement in principle” on funding border security. Congressional aides said the deal agreed to a fraction of president Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion for his border wall.
Refugee soccer player Hakeem al-Araibi returned to Australia from Thailand. Hundreds of supporters welcomed the Bahraini citizen, who had been detained in Thailand since November at the Gulf kingdom’s request, at Melbourne airport. Bahrain also formally ended its attempts to extradite al-Araibi, following a global campaign calling for the athlete’s release.
Dueling speeches took place at the border city of El Paso. Beto O’Rourke, the popular Democrat politician and El Paso native, slammed Donald Trump’s proposed border wall. The president, meanwhile, doubled down on his commitment to building the wall and maintained that it would keep crime low in the city. O’Rourke, who narrowly lost to Ted Cruz in recent midterm elections, said he would make a decision on running for president in 2020 by the end of the month.
US politician Ilhan Omar “unequivocally” apologized over an Israel tweet. Republicans and fellow Democrats denounced the Muslim-American congresswoman of using “anti-Semitic tropes” in her criticism of a pro-Israel lobbyist group. “Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes,” Omar tweeted.
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 Yenni Kwok and Isabella Steger.