Xi in Myanmar, US impeachment trial, too-fast shoes

Good morning, Quartz readers!

What to watch for today and over the weekend

Xi Jinping makes his first presidential visit to Myanmar. On the Chinese leader’s four-day visit, the two countries will mark 70 years of relations as they sort out several topics—from the Rohingya crisis to a regional dam and infrastructure Belt and Road projects.

Women’s March steps up for a fourth year. This Saturday, from Washington, DC to Los Angeles, the movement that ignited the day after US president Donald Trump’s inauguration hopes to propel fresh enthusiasm in an election year.

China will release 2019 GDP growth data. The country’s vice premier Liu He predicts the gross domestic product to grow by 6%.

While you were sleeping

The impeachment trial in the Senate began. All 100 senators swore an oath to formally start the impeachment trial after the House handed over two articles of impeachment against US president Donald Trump. Meanwhile, a government watchdog said his administration violated the law in withholding Congress-approved military aid for Ukraine.

iPhone’s assembler wants to piece together electric vehicles. The Hon Hai Precision Industry Company and Fiat Chrysler are said to be starting a joint venture in manufacturing EVs in China, with hopes to export in the future.

Microsoft pledged to be “carbon negative” in less than 10 years. The tech company said it will invest in several negative emission technologies, to eventually account for all the emissions it’s contributed to the planet since 1975.

WhatsApp decided to stay away from adding advertisements. Facebook has dissolved a team—and deleted their coding work—that was set up to integrate ads into the encrypted chat app, which currently has 1.5 billion users.

Alphabet’s market cap hit $1 trillion. Google’s parent company joined Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon in achieving the milestone (although Amazon has since fallen below the mark).

Quartz membership

Not sure how to keep up with the rapidly changing accounting industry? Quartz’s guide to who’s who and what’s what in the industry is a great place to start.

Quartz daily obsession

Pester power turns whines into dollar signs. Advertisers intent on selling cereal that tastes like birthday cake know exactly how annoying whining is. Instead of pitching to skeptical parents, ads selling toys, snacks, and brand awareness have appealed directly to children since the early 20th century. And in the social media age, there’s a sales pitch lurking around every corner. Puh-lease, please, pretty please read the Quartz Daily Obsession.

Matters of debate

The streaming war is on. The companies won’t admit it—for good reason.

Philosophy is the new self-help. The writings of Nietzsche and Seneca teach us about what we can and can’t control.

The US-China trade deal is communism with American characteristics. Chinese companies will purchase some $200 billion of US goods and services instead of setting fair trade rules.

Surprising discoveries

Internet Explorer is finally dead. Microsoft Edge has replaced the OG.

Your toilet isn’t smart enough… The bathroom of the future may include an Alexa-enabled commode.

… And your contacts are too based in reality. Augmented reality lenses even show you images while your eyes are closed.

Scorpions may have made landfall first. A newly found fossil is thought to be the oldest land creature—and it very closely resembles the stinging arachnid.

Nike’s Vaporfly shoes are too fast. They may be banned from competition because runners are breaking so many records.

Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, broken records, and unsmart toilets 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 Patrick deHahn and Susan Howson.