Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The US attorney general releases a redacted Mueller report to the public. William Barr is expected to take questions about the special counsel’s findings—which will be scrubbed (paywall) to remove sensitive grand jury, intelligence, and other information—at 9:30am ET. Congressional Democrats are still pressing for access to the unredacted report and underlying evidence.
The EU votes to condemn Brunei’s stoning law. Members of the European Parliament will consider a resolution that “strongly condemns” the Muslim sultanate for making adultery and gay sex punishable by death from stoning.
India begins phase two of its general elections. Fifteen million eligible voters across 13 states are scheduled to cast their ballots in the second of seven phases in the country’s mammoth five-week long election. Polling in a constituency in the southern state of Tamil Nadu was cancelled after authorities seized 110 million rupees ($1.6 million) believed to be used for vote-buying.
Pinterest and Zoom begin trading. The tech firms, valued at roughly $12.6 billion and $10 billion respectively, will test the market’s appetite (paywall) in the wake of the disappointing Lyft IPO. A slew of other startups including Uber, Slack, and Peloton are waiting in the wings.
While you were sleeping
North Korea tested a new weapon. The country’s state media reported that its leader Kim Jong Un test-fired a new type of “tactical guided weapon” in what appears to be a saber-rattling signal to US president Donald Trump that military tensions will rise unless negotiations resume.
Facebook “unintentionally uploaded” 1.5 million users’ email contacts. The social media company harvested the email contacts of new users without their knowledge or consent when they opened their accounts. It is now deleting the data, the company said.
The EU approved legislation to fine platforms for not removing terrorist content quickly. The controversial Terrorist Content Regulation requires firms like Facebook and Twitter to remove extremist content within one hour of receiving notification from authorities, with a fine of up to 4% of revenue if they persistently fail to do so.
Scientists revived pig brain cells after death. Researchers removed the brains of 32 dead pigs and flooded them with a synthetic blood-like solution, causing some cells to regain function and begin signaling each other. The implications for treating ailments like stroke are huge—but so are the ethical pitfalls.
The US and China set a tentative timeline for new trade talks. Bilateral talks in Beijing and Washington, beginning at the end of April (paywall), are designed to culminate in a ceremony in late May or early June—if the world’s two biggest economies can come to terms.
Amazon is reportedly shutting down its third-party marketplace in China. Consumers will still be able to buy cloud services, Amazon devices, and goods from merchants in Amazon’s storefronts in the US and other markets, but all fulfillment centers will close in China. The company has struggled to gain a foothold in the Chinese market, which is dominated by Alibaba and JD.com.
Membership
Join Ephrat Livni on her journey to understand the real MacKenzie Bezos: “After spending days trying to find ways to reach MacKenzie, unsuccessfully, and calling various now-disconnected numbers and writing to email accounts that bounce back, and weeks reading what I could find about her, and many hours reading her books with an eye to reading the writer herself, I believe it’s clear that MacKenzie was sincere when she said she’s looking forward to the future, and not because she’s now independently wealthy.”
Quartz Obsession
Cottage cheese: The lumpy stepchild of the dairy aisle has long been a metaphor for anything unsavory. US consumption declined steeply starting in the 1970s, when Nixon regularly dined on it in the White House, but now it’s poised for a comeback. Read more in our Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Should Notre Dame’s beloved spire be rebuilt? The semi-recent addition to the iconic structure is already complicating restoration plans.
Tiny AirPods are a big barrier between humans. The ever-present gadgets give the impression that the wearer’s attention is elsewhere.
Old age is the perfect time for hedonism. Three-quarters of a century justifies all sorts of frowned-upon indulgences.
Surprising discoveries
Carl’s Jr. is selling a 4/20 CBD-infused burger. The “Rocky Mountain High CheeseBurger Delight” will likely run into trouble with the US Food and Drug Administration.
An interstellar meteor hit Earth a few years ago. The trajectory of the 1.5-foot-wide object’s 2014 crash landing suggests it originated outside our solar system.
The world’s fattest parrots are breeding like rabbits. A good rumi fruit harvest sent New Zealand’s endangered kakapo on a welcome reproductive spree.
A goddess told Foxconn’s chairman to run for president in Taiwan. Terry Gou was visited by the sea deity Mazu in a dream, and ordered to “contribute to cross-strait peace.”
Scientists extracted liquid blood from a 42,000-year-old foal. They hope to collect viable cells for the purpose of cloning the extinct species of horse.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, 4/20 burgers, and baby kakapos 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.