Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Congress votes to undo Donald Trump’s border wall emergency declaration… The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives is expected to easily pass a measure that would block the US president’s access to $5.7 billion in spending for his long-promised border wall. The prospects of passage in the Senate are more difficult, though Democrats would only need to win over two more Republican votes.
… while Trump’s ex-lawyer testifies to Congress. Michael Cohen faces three days of grilling by lawmakers, beginning with a closed-door session in front of the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee today. The Wall Street Journal reports that Cohen is expected to accuse Trump (paywall) of criminal conduct while in office during public testimony Wednesday.
Hanoi prepares to host US-North Korea talks. Trump flies in tonight on Air Force One for a two-day summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who arrived in the Vietnamese capital this morning after taking the scenic route via armored train and limousine.
A Brexit update from Theresa May. The British prime minister will brief the House of Commons after returning from a meeting of EU leaders. Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn last night bowed to pressure from his party and said he would back another referendum if lawmakers vote down May’s latest attempt to secure parliamentary approval for her Brexit deal.
The UN Security Council meets on Venezuela. The US requested the meeting following weekend violence which left several dead at the Venezuela-Brazil border. Washington has slapped fresh sanctions on Venezuelan officials and urged Latin American allies to freeze the assets of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA. The Trump administration, along with about 50 countries, back opposition leader Juan Guaidó’s quest to replace strongman Nicolás Maduro.
While you were sleeping
Paul Manafort pleads for leniency. Lawyers of Trump’s former campaign chairman asked a federal judge to not impose the maximum 10-year sentence on charges of conspiracy against the US and obstruction of justice, citing health concerns and remorse. The request comes after special counsel Robert Mueller’s Saturday filing said Manafort “repeatedly and brazenly” broke the law. He also faces up to 25 years in jail for a separate case in Virginia for financial crimes.
The SEC asked a judge to hold Elon Musk in contempt. The US Securities and Exchange Commission said the Tesla CEO’s tweet last week about his company’s projected production was inaccurate and violated a settlement deal reached last year. Musk is supposed to get public statements material to investors vetted by company officials in advance.
Carmaker PSA had a “historic year.” The French multinational behind Citroen and Peugeot posted a nearly 50% rise in net profits last year, earning a record $3.21 billion. The automaker, Europe’s second-largest, also announced it would end its 30-year absence in North America (paywall) as it looks to diversify its customer base.
An Australian cardinal was found guilty of child sexual abuse. Vatican treasurer George Pell was convicted of molesting two choir boys in the 1990s. He is the highest-ranking Roman Catholic leader ever found guilty of sexual abuse. The sealed verdict by an Australian court in December was made public today, on the heels of a Vatican conference (paywall) on clerical sexual abuse. He’ll be sentenced tomorrow.
India carried out an airstrike in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. An Indian minister said that fighter jets had conducted a strike on targets across the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing the disputed region. The raid comes after an attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed more than 40 security personnel. The Pakistan military said there were no casualties.
Quartz Obsession
536 AD. Did Twitter convince you that 2018 was the worst year ever? Maybe that’s because social media wasn’t around in 536. That’s the year that a volcanic eruption kicked off the Little (but not that little) Ice Age. Then came two more eruptions, a bubonic plague pandemic, falling empires, and more. Look back at the Quartz Obsession.
Membership
We continue our examination of recessions by talking to Claudio Borio, the head of research at the Bank of International Settlements (aka the “central bankers’ central bank”). Back in 2004, Borio raised serious concerns about the housing market, long before most people sensed a crisis was looming. Tuesday is also Private Key day: Matt de Silva interviews Doug Galen, a Stanford lecturer and co-founder of RippleWorks, a crypto-financed tech foundation.
Matters of debate
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Chinese footbinding was about work, not sex. The archaic practice became a way to control women’s labor.
Closing the mobile phone gender gap is a huge opportunity. An uptick in smartphone use among women in low and middle-income countries could be a $700 billion opportunity.
Concrete is the world’s most destructive material. The heavy, durable substance is the second most widely material on Earth after water, and poses enormous environmental dangers.
Surprising discoveries
China is using facial recognition on pigs. Local tech firms are helping keep track of livestock (paywall) to prevent a swine-flu epidemic.
Vietnam deported a Kim Jong Un impersonator. The Australian comedian named Howard X was in Hanoi ahead of the Trump-Kim summit.
Earth’s atmosphere is bigger than we thought. Our planet’s gaseous layer may actually extend far past the moon.
Female serial killers have their own particular MO. Women, often well-educated caregivers, tend to kill acquaintances or people they see every day.
The veins in your hand can unlock a smartphone. LG’s new “Hand ID” technology can read the unique blueprint under your palm.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Kim Jong Un impressions, and tales of terrible years 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.