Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A US-led conference on Palestine kicks off in Bahrain. The two-day event will be headlined by president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is set to lay out a long-awaited $50 billion plan to spur the Palestinian economy. Critics say the plan ignores the political roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and Palestinian officials are boycotting the meeting.
The US, Russia, and Israel meet in Jerusalem. The first-ever trilateral summit between the countries’ national security advisers will focus on the tensions in the region, particularly Syria. John Bolton is scheduled to address the press this afternoon.
FedEx reports earnings. The company has underperformed amid trade war tensions. Meanwhile, it sued the US government over the “impossible” task of adhering to a Trump administration ban on exports to some Chinese companies.
While you were sleeping
The Council of Europe welcomed back Russia. The body reinstated Russia’s voting rights despite strong opposition from Ukraine, five years after the annexation of Crimea. Russia had threatened to quit the council if its return was blocked, which would have prevented Russian citizens from being able to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
Harry and Meghan’s taxpayer-funded renovations were pricey. Royal accounts showed that a refit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s home cost £2.4 million ($3 million). The six-month refurbishment turned Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate back into a single property from five separate homes.
The US announced new sanctions against Iran. In retaliation for “a series of aggressive behaviors,” including shooting down a US drone last week, Trump officially announced a raft of measures designed to punish Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with military officials and foreign minister Javad Zarif. The Trump administration says it still wants to negotiate with Iran without preconditions.
Meng Wanzhou’s lawyers urged Canadian authorities to drop extradition proceedings. They argue it would be in Canada’s national interests to do so, and that the country has no jurisdiction over the Huawei CFO, who was arrested in December at the request of the US on suspicion of violating trade sanctions on Iran.
The White House said it would bar Kellyanne Conway from testifying to Congress. Trump’s senior adviser will not testify before a House panel about her alleged violations of the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in some political activities. The move sets up another potential subpoena battle between the executive and legislative branches.
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Matters of debate
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Don’t memorize your speeches. It’ll just trip you up and waste precious cognitive bandwidth.
Young people are getting less tolerant. The rise of hate speech on social platforms is cultivating a toxic culture.
Luxury gyms are the new third places. They’re fitness studio, social club, and office all rolled into one.
Surprising discoveries
Bacteria could power our planet… Scientists want to extract liquid hydrocarbons from oceanic photosynthesizing bacteria to make fuel and plastic.
…and boost our physical performance. A type of gut bacteria appears to be more abundant in marathon runners after a race, and may give athletes a helping hand.
Neo-Nazis went thirsty. A German court banned beer at a far-right festival in hopes of keeping aggression contained.
McDonald’s discovered fresh beef. Getting rid of frozen patties boosted sales by 30%.
A rare giant squid took a trip to the Gulf of Mexico. The young 10-footer was caught briefly on camera—the first known appearance in that part of the world.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, actual beef patties, and multi-functional bacteria 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.