Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Theresa May asks for a Brexit delay. The UK prime minister will send a letter to European Council president Donald Tusk to ask for a postponement of Britain’s EU departure beyond the March 29 deadline.
Australia puts a cap on permanent migrants. Prime minister Scott Morrison will release details on a new immigration policy, which sets limits of 160,000 migrants for the next four years and introduces a new skilled-worker visa. The announcement is awkwardly timed for the government, which has been criticized for its xenophobia and hostility towards Muslims in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attacks.
Viktor Orbán’s party might get expelled. The center-right European People’s Party, the largest bloc in the European Parliament, will decide whether to expel the Fidesz party of the anti-immigration Hungarian prime minister. The vote was called after Fidesz put up billboards insinuating a conspiracy between European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and the billionaire George Soros.
The US Federal Reserve urges patience. Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to hold a news conference the same day the Fed will update its economy forecasts and issue a policy statement. Rates are expected to hold steady—potentially for the remainder of the year.
BMW reports numbers. The German automaker will wrap up its fiscal year with disappointing news that could prompt significant cost-cutting.
While you were sleeping
The first funerals began for victims of the New Zealand shootings. Hundreds gathered for the services in Christchurch after last week’s terrorist attacks at two mosques left 50 people dead.
Boeing shook up its top management. The planemaker brought in a new vice president of engineering and dedicated a top executive to aircraft investigations as the company reels from the two deadly crashes of its flagship 737 Max 8 aircraft in five months.
Amnesty International accused the US of killing civilians in Somalia. In a new report, the group detailed five airstrikes in 2017 and 2018 that killed 14 civilians, refuting the Pentagon’s claims that no civilians have died even as US attacks have surged .
Google got into gaming. The company revealed a cloud gaming service called “Stadia” that will tie into Google’s services and products, to launch in 2019. No games or prices were revealed, but the service will be compatible with Google’s Pixel and Chromebook hardware, as well as its Chrome browser. Sony and Nintendo’s shares dropped (paywall) in Asia’s morning trading as investors reacted to Google’s announcement.
Facebook promised an end to discriminatory advertising. As part of a settlement to several lawsuits, the platform will revise its advertising rules (paywall) and ban targeting certain demographics for housing, employment, or credit ads. Facebook will pay $5 million in legal fees and compensation, and has pledged to meet with plaintiff groups for the next three years to discuss implementation.
Quartz Obsession
American cheese exists because of Canadian and Swiss ingenuity. In 1916, Canada’s James Kraft patented a process for pasteurizing cheese that enabled it to be shipped to US troops, who sought it out at grocery stores upon their return home. Then, Swiss-born Emil Frey figured out how to use an emulsifying agent to melt scraps into blocks. Et voila, Velveeta—still unmatched in meltability. Read more in our Quartz Obsession.
Membership
Today we continue our look at corporate boards with a roster of individuals and groups influencing company directors. We also have a new primer on a book that celebrates keeping a business small, and a fresh Private Key piece on the notorious crypto pyramid scheme by which the New Zealand shooter profited.
Matters of debate
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Take egg studies with a grain of salt. The humble food is neither a nutritional powerhouse nor a heart-stopping cholesterol bomb.
Moderating content won’t stop the spread of online extremism. Platforms are fundamentally engineered to encourage and reward incendiary content.
Climate action is the antithesis of white supremacy. The former acknowledges that everything is connected, while the latter is an ideology of separation.
Surprising discoveries
There’s now an official guidebook to modern cannabis manners. One suggestion: put finger bowls on the table in case someone needs wet fingers to troubleshoot a joint that’s burning unevenly.
A man in the Australian town of Woodenbong wants to build a giant wooden bong. He’s petitioning residents to support his proposed new landmark.
Some Europeans would rather leave policy decisions to artificial intelligence. A quarter of respondents to a technology survey seem disillusioned with democracy.
Goths in China are posting selfies to protest discrimination. The movement was sparked when a Guangzhou subway security guard asked a woman to remove her goth makeup.
Mediums are flocking into the self-care market. The “psychic services” industry reached $2 billion in revenue (paywall) last year.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, weed etiquette tips, and giant wooden bongs 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 Isabella Steger.