Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Ethiopia issues its preliminary report on the 737 Max crash. The initial findings may shed light on the role of the controversial flight-stabilization system that led to the grounding of these Boeing jets.
The Reserve Bank of India cuts rates ahead of elections. Analysts expect the central bank to shave 25 basis points off its benchmark rate, as lower inflation gives it more latitude to boost growth.
A busy day in space. A Russian supply mission to the International Space Station will be followed by the arrival of the first private probe in lunar orbit, the launch of four new communications satellites from French Guiana; the test-firing of a heavy SpaceX rocket; and a NASA spacecraft’s sun fly-by.
While you were sleeping
House Democrats authorized a subpoena of the Mueller report. The House Judiciary Committee voted on party lines to demand that attorney general William Barr hand over the unredacted special counsel report along with all underlying materials and evidence. Barr has said he plans to submit a redacted version in mid-April.
NATO’s chief asked the US for unity in the face of threats from Russia. In a rare joint address to Congress, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg asked the Trump administration to remain in the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. His speech was met with frequent standing ovations—seen as a rebuke to Trump’s criticism of the alliance the week of its 70th anniversary.
The US is investigating reports of post-vaping seizures. The Food and Drug Administration is examining some three dozen cases in which people, especially teenagers, experienced seizures after using e-cigarettes—a possible symptom of nicotine poisoning.
Foxconn’s mobile arm is pulling back on Android smartphones. Nikkei reports that FIH Mobile, 62% owned by the Taiwanese tech company, has transferred hundreds of engineers and other resources onto automotive electronics projects. Global smartphone sales have declined for five consecutive quarters.
Hundreds of millions of Facebook records were left on an unprotected server. Cybersecurity research firm Upguard found several instances of third-party Facebook developers improperly storing identification numbers, comments, reactions, and account names on Amazon cloud servers. The data was available for months if not years, before Facebook intervened to remove the data this week.
Quartz Obsession
Undersea cables: Data moves better down where it’s wetter. The cloud gets a lot of cred for running today’s internet, but it might be more accurate to call it “the sea”—that’s where you can find the roughly 380 fiber-optic cables that make up the web’s backbone, carrying about 95% of intercontinental voice and data traffic. Dive in here.
Membership
Quartz is the first Western publication to go inside the headquarters of Contemporary Amperex Technology, the world’s largest electric-vehicle battery company. In April 2017, a year before CATL’s public offering, founder Zeng Yuqun sent an internal email laying out his vision for the company. “What happens after the typhoon passes?” he asked. “Can a pig really fly?” Read more here.
Matters of debate
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Apple’s new ad highlights everything wrong with the company. It excels at delivering expensive, over-produced solutions to simple problems.
Following exotic animals on Instagram is cute but possibly unethical. Users should look for signs of unnatural behavior–like wearing clothes–which can signal mistreatment.
The next lunar mission should recover astronaut poop. Human fecal matter left on the Moon could provide new insights into the ability of microbial life to survive in space.
Surprising discoveries
Twitter blocked a campaign by the French government using its own fake news rules. The #OuiJeVote (“yes I vote”) initiative fell afoul of a law requiring transparency for promoted political tweets.
Patagonia doesn’t think its fleece vests are a good fit for finance bros. The retailer won’t supply co-branded products to companies that don’t share its ethics.
The porn industry is thirsty for crowdfunding. Many users too embarrassed to buy subscriptions are still willing to fund small production companies.
Where are the mothers in children’s books? A new analysis found they are often dead, absent, or nameless.
The likely last survivor of the US slave trade was identified. A British researcher found evidence that a woman named Redoshi survived the Middle Passage at age 12 and lived until 1937.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, fleece vests, and books about hero moms 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 Adam Pasick and Holly Ojalvo.