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What to watch for today
Shinzo Abe meets with EU leaders. In Brussels, the Japanese prime minister will sit down with Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk—presidents of the European Commission and European Council—to follow up on a newly established trade partnership.
Emmanuel Macron unveils reforms. The French president has faced nearly six months of “yellow vest” protests over inequality, and is expected to acknowledge some key demands, such as tax cuts for middle-class workers. The changes were due to be announced in a broadcast last week, but it was postponed due to the Notre Dame fire.
Joe Biden announces his candidacy in an online video. The former US vice president will hold his first event as a candidate on Monday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Today’s announcement comes after the 76-year-old pledged to be “more mindful” in the face of accusations from women that he inappropriately touched them at political events.
An earnings bonanza. Amazon is expected to have been buoyed by its ad sales and cloud services, while Comcast and Starbucks will most likely also report growth. Slower sales and toy recalls are projected to have hurt Mattel, and 3M, Intel, Ford, Chipotle, and Nintendo all weigh in.
While you were sleeping
Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin met for the first time. The summit in Vladivostok allowed Kim, who arrived by train, to meet his sixth world leader. Previously he’s traveled to China to meet president Xi Jinping, and met Donald Trump in a landmark summit in Singapore that has yet to yield results in terms of denuclearization.
The Belt and Road summit kicked off. More than 30 world leaders are attending the gathering in Beijing to discuss the global infrastructure investment program, which has been blamed for funding huge projects that leave countries in debt. Malaysia, which got China to slim down plans for a railway project while maintaining momentum on tech tie-ups, could be a sign the plan is evolving.
Tesla revealed it’s burning cash at a scary pace… Tesla lost nearly $700 million in the first three months of this year, one of its worst quarters on record, and burned through $1.5 billion of its stockpile of cash and cash equivalents.
…And Facebook defied estimates. Despite a looming privacy fine, for which the platform has set aside $5 billion, Facebook came out on top, citing continuing interest in Instagram and skyrocketing ad sales. Shares jumped nearly 5% in extended trading.
Carlos Ghosn was granted bail again. The ousted Nissan chairman had been granted bail in March, after being held for months and charged with financial misconduct. He was rearrested on a fresh charge of financial misconduct earlier this month. This time, the court is setting bail at $4.5 million.
Prince William marked Anzac Day in New Zealand. The commemorations of World War I’s Gallipoli battle, also marked in Australia, came amid heightened security due to the mosque shootings in Christchurch last month, and the Easter Sunday suicide attacks in Sri Lanka.
Membership
With the rise of at-home testing kits, it may feel like getting your DNA sequenced is straightforward. We use Moby Dick, of course, to explain why that might not be the case. We’ve also developed a handy chatbot to help you decide whether you should take an at-home genetic test at all. Plus, we analyzed the proxy filings of big tech companies to understand the voting power of the founders.
Quartz Obsession
The Ben Franklin effect: The theory that asking someone to do you a favor is a way to make them like you more has stood the test of time—and science. The foremost explanation is that it takes advantage of our unconscious dislike of cognitive dissonance. Do us a favor and read more in our Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!
Silicon Valley is racing to the bottom of the brainstem. But it’s not too late to reverse tech companies’ tendency to exploit human weaknesses.
The “Dark Ages” is a useless term for a complex era. Our simplistic stereotypes gloss over the achievements of a highly sophisticated civilization.
AI isn’t going to take over the world. We should be framing the conversation in terms of how machines can augment, not replace, our systems.
Surprising discoveries
A new unmanned aircraft rises like a balloon and stays there. Developed in Scotland, it could make launching satellites cheaper.
Cans of air commemorate the current Japanese imperial era. They’re among many inventive products marketed to celebrate next week’s transition to the Reiwa era.
Blueberries used to just fill pies. Then science swooped in, and they juiced up our interest in the superfood.
Female parakeets are into puzzle solvers. Watching male birds successfully figure out how to get at seeds appeared to make females like them more.
Amazon thinks a bikini-line trimmer is a good Mother’s Day gift. Its Mother’s Day Gift Shop is live, and offers some quirky choices.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, air cans, and blueberry pies 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 Tripti Lahiri and edited by Isabella Steger.