Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
China’s vice premier begins meetings in Washington. Liu He will meet with US trade representative Robert Lighthizer and treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin to resume negotiations to end trade tensions. The two sides remain divided on how to monitor and enforce any commitments made by China, and on whether existing US tariffs should be removed.
Malaysia’s former prime minister goes on trial for 1MDB corruption. Najib Razak has been charged with more than 40 counts of corruption and money-laundering in connection with the looting of at least $4.5 billion from a state fund during his rule. He denies any wrongdoing. Malaysia also announced today that the sale of a luxury yacht purchased by fugitive financier Jho Low helped it recover $126 million of public money.
NATO’s secretary general addresses US lawmakers. On the 70th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Jens Stoltenberg is also expected to discuss the security threat from China (paywall), after several years of focusing on Russia.
House Democrats subpoena the full Mueller report. Lawmakers will try to force attorney general William Barr to produce the report on Russian interference “without redactions” and “without delay”—an attempt that is all but certain to end up in court. The unredacted report is highly unlikely to be publicly released, since it contains sensitive intelligence and investigations that are still ongoing.
While you were sleeping
Theresa May appealed to the opposition for a Brexit breakthrough. After a seven-hour cabinet meeting, the prime minister offered cross-party talks with the Labour party in an attempt to break the deadlock. May also announced that she would ask the EU for an extension to the April 12 departure deadline. Her shift in position could mark a turning point in Brexit and end a months-long stalemate.
Juan Guaidó was stripped of immunity. The Venezuelan opposition leader and self-declared interim president could now face criminal prosecution after lawmakers authorized the supreme court to do so. The move comes after Guaidó was barred from holding public office for 15 years last week. Separately, thousands of Venezuelans broke barricades and crossed into Colombia yesterday.
Brunei enacted controversial Sharia laws. Adultery and homosexual sex are now punishable by death from stoning under legislation introduced by Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei. A group led by actor George Clooney is calling for the boycott of hotels owned by the Brunei Investment Group.
A Chinese woman carrying malware was arrested for illegally entering Mar-a-Lago. Federal prosecutors filed charges against the 32-year-old identified as Yujing Zhang, who was found to be carrying two Chinese passports, four cellphones, a hard drive, a laptop, and a thumb drive infected with malware while entering a restricted area during president Donald Trump’s visit to the Florida resort over the weekend.
Google improved wages and benefits for temp workers. In the coming years, the tech giant will provide its non-employee workforce in the US with a $15 minimum wage, comprehensive health insurance, and 12 weeks of parental leave. The move comes after Google employees and workers have pushed for more benefits.
Quartz Obsession
Romance novels are the beating heart of the publishing industry. The genre of bodice-ripping escapism dates back to before bodices were even worn—and has proved to be one of the digital age’s most profitable literary products. Today’s Quartz Obsession peeks under the covers.
Membership
Today we talk to an MIT professor who has made it his personal quest to solve the world’s battery needs. Read our Q&A with Yet-Ming Chiang—and then go learn about the silver lining for bitcoin’s losers in the latest Private Key.
Matters of debate
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Workplace automation will hit women hardest. They hold more of the jobs that are at the highest risk of being taken over by machines.
Reality is delicious all on its own. A Zen teacher and chef says that the secret to appreciating life lies in accepting that nothing is perfect, but everything is useful.
Digital technology has lost its way. We’ve allowed it to manipulate and control us.
Surprising discoveries
Wealthy Nigerians order air pizza delivery from the UK. At least according to a high-flying claim by the country’s agriculture chief, who said impossibly pricey takeout is a status symbol.
Excess sewage might have caused a flamingo influx in Mumbai. The population has tripled in an area where sewer runoff encourages growth of the flamingo’s favorite algae.
The Avengers Hulk-smashed digital box offices. Fandango and AMC experienced outages when legions of fans tried to buy tickets for The Avengers: Endgame.
Tweeting while flying kills migratory birds. We know texting while driving can be deadly, but for some migratory birds, making flight calls during their nighttime migrations can cause untimely ends.
An automated Tesla was manipulated by tiny stickers. Researchers used fake road markings to trick the car’s software into changing lanes.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Avengers tickets, and mile-high pepperoni 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.