Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The House judiciary committee hears the evidence against president Trump. Democratic lawyers will present the case for impeachment—after which specific charges will be decided—but the White House will not take part. On Saturday, the committee released a report that said Trump had been afforded due process.
Ukraine and Russia talk peace. Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron will be present when Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky have their first face-to-face meeting in Paris. Zelensky has already said he expects little from efforts to revive the peace deal known as the Minsk accords.
T-Mobile and Sprint head to court. The telecom giants argue that their proposed $26.5 billion merger does not violate anti-competitive laws despite the objections of state attorneys general from New York, California, and elsewhere.
Over the weekend
Russia got hit with a four-year Olympic ban. The World Anti-Doping Agency met in Lausanne, Switzerland, and decided to suspend Moscow from international sporting competitions for alleged state-sponsored doping cover-ups.
The FBI said it presumed the Pensacola shooting was an act of terror. Friday’s attack at the naval base by 21-year-old Saudi airman Mohammed Alshamrani left three dead. Florida governor Ron DeSantis said a “federal loophole” was used to buy the gun.
China banned the government’s use of foreign computers. The phasing out of equipment and software from government offices over three years may hurt US companies like HP, Dell, and Microsoft. It follows the US ban on Huawei.
New Zealand’s most active cone volcano erupted. At least five people died and 20 injured when the White Island, or Whakaari, volcano spewed plumes of ash and debris into the air today. Around 100 people are believed to have been on or near the island at the time of eruption.
Finland’s Sanna Marin became the world’s youngest sitting prime minister. The 34-year-old transport minister was selected yesterday for the post, taking over from Antii Rinne, who resigned last week over his handling of a postal strike.
North Korea conducted a launch-site test. State media said the operation was “of great significance” but gave few details, leaving analysts to speculate it was a static engine test. Earlier today, Pyongyang called Trump a “heedless and erratic old man.”
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What makes fintech companies so valuable? This week’s field guide addresses that question by surveying the top 10 most valuable fintechs (outside of crypto). Quartz Future of Finance reporter John Detrixhe investigates the biggest beasts in the unicorn herd in this week’s field guide.
Quartz obsession
Aviation’s most mysterious figure knew exactly what she was doing. Before her disappearance over the Pacific Ocean in 1937, Amelia Earhart did just what she planned to do—open up the world of air travel to an audience that trusted her to show them it could be done. She ended up victorious, in that matter at least. Stow your personal belongings and fasten your seatbelt, the Quartz Obsession is taking off.
Matters of debate
Cities weren’t built for women cyclists. Basic infrastructure is all that’s needed to overcome the gender gap.
Native American art should take its rightful place. It doesn’t belong with African and Pacific Islands collections.
It really is worth doing philosophy as an expert. After all, we can’t escape the question of what matters and why.
Surprising discoveries
A Colorado businessman’s whisky collection is set to fetch millions. There are more than 3,900 bottles on auction, some very rare.
Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are depicted as refugees in a nativity scene. A California church cast them as a family separated at the southern border.
An artist ate a $120,000 banana. David Datuna devoured an installation at Miami’s Art Basel that consisted of the fruit duct-taped to a wall.
A bone marrow transplant transformed a man’s DNA. It calls into question the reliability of police genetic testing.
Avocados are the most dangerous fruit. Mexican growers are hiring private guards to fend off cartels looking to cash in on the “green gold.”
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, conflict-free avocados, and re-imagined nativity scenes to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android, and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Adam Rasmi and Rashmee Roshan Lall.