Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The UK parliament votes on whether to delay Brexit. With less than two weeks before a deadline to leave the European Union, Britain has yet to approve a deal that would maintain some semblance of order. On Wednesday, parliament passed a non-binding motion not to leave the EU without a trade agreement.
A new Tesla for the masses. CEO Elon Musk is set to unveil the Model Y (paywall), with production expected to start in low volumes early next year, in his bid to turn Tesla into a mass-market automaker. The electric SUV will be about 10% bigger and equally more expensive than the Model 3, whose prices were just slashed to $35,000.
The US Senate votes on overturning Trump’s national emergency. Four Republicans are set to join 47 Democrats to pass the measure, which would bar president Donald Trump from using his declaration of an emergency at the southern border to secure $3.6 billion to build his border wall. He is expected to veto the bill, which the Democrat-held House has already passed.
A new crew for the International Space Station. US astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch and Russia’s Alexey Ovchinin will embark on a Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:14am local time on March 15 (6:14pm GMT today).
Botswana considers decriminalizing gay sex. LGBT activists are hopeful a challenge brought last year will result in a ruling in their favor. Last month, Kenya delayed a ruling on overturning colonial-era laws that punish same-sex relations.
While you were sleeping
The US reversed course and grounded the Boeing 737 Max. President Donald Trump announced the decision, taken after more than 43 other countries halted flights by the controversial jet involved in two fatal crashes in the last six months. The US Federal Aviation Administration said the decision was informed by new data from this weekend’s crash in Ethiopia.
China’s industrial output growth slumped to its lowest in a decade. The world’s second-largest economy slowed further, with industrial production growth falling to 5.3% in January and February, below the 5.6% estimate by economists, while unemployment edged up to 5.3% from 4.9% in December.
Facebook’s data deals are under criminal investigation. US federal prosecutors are looking into the social media giant’s data-sharing deals (paywall) with some of the world’s largest technology companies, including Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft. The deals may have violated a 2011 agreement between Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission over user consent, potentially costing the company a record multi-billion dollar fine.
The trial of a Vietnamese woman for Kim Jong Nam’s murder will continue. Malaysia declined to free Doan Thi Huong, who’s been charged in the assassination of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The other woman on trial with her, Siti Aisyah of Indonesia, was unexpectedly released this week.
China blocked a UN measure to blacklist a Pakistani militant leader. A fourth attempt by the United Nations Security Council to blacklist Masood Azhar, founder of militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, was again vetoed by China (paywall). The group was responsible for an attack that killed more than 40 Indian security personnel last month, bringing India and Pakistan close to war.
Congo freed political prisoners. Three prominent opposition figures along with 700 regular inmates were pardoned by Felix Tshisekedi, who took office in January, and is hoping this goodwill gesture will signal a break with his predecessor Joseph Kabila, who jailed scores of opponents during his 18-year rule.
Uber might sell its self-driving unit. A group of investors including SoftBank are in talks with the ride-sharing company to buy a $1 billion stake (paywall) in its self-driving vehicle unit ahead of its public listing.
Membership
Sovereign wealth funds: One more way that rich countries get richer. Those giant pools of money from the developing world aren’t being deployed at home. They’re increasingly being parked in western democracies like the UK and the US—even though both countries are roiled by instability relating to trade agreements, border issues, and protectionism. It’s a cascade of paradoxes.
Quartz Obsession
TikTok: The insanely popular app for sharing meme-centric video clips isn’t just for kids—it transformed its Chinese parent company ByteDance into the most valuable startup in the world. Could an AI-powered platform that prizes goofiness and gummy bears be the future of social media? Find out in today’s Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!
It doesn’t matter where you go to university. Despite the college admissions scandal, the prestige of a school has little relationship to future success.
Michael Jackson is too big to erase. Unlike some artists accused of wrongdoing, MJ’s influence is too deep and wide to eradicate from history entirely.
Apple’s App Store fees are anti-competitive. Spotify is seeking a ruling in Europe that would let apps compete on their own merits, regardless of who owns the platform.
Surprising discoveries
Walking on escalators slows you down. The lack of adequate space for pedestrians coupled with decision-making about speed make standing more efficient.
Mercury is actually Earth’s closest planetary neighbor. A new calculation of the average distances between planets yielded an unexpected finding.
Objective reality doesn’t exist. Two simulated observers in a quantum physics experiment experienced irreconcilable results.
If you get pregnant while taking the pill, it might be your genes. Some women carry a genetic variant that renders hormonal birth control ineffective.
Hungary used a popular internet meme to promote its pro-family policy. The “distracted boyfriend” couple appears on billboards (paywall) looking happy and in love.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, objective facts, and meme billboards 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 Mary Hui and edited by Tripti Lahiri.