Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Brexit is here. The United Kingdom will officially leave the European Union at 11pm local time today. A Brexit coin will enter circulation in the UK, but prime minister Boris Johnson is staying away from gleeful celebrations.
Nike Vaporfly gets a ruling. The world body governing athletics will rule today on whether the shoes, which are helping elite runners break marathon records, will be banned. The Guardian reports that the shoes won’t face an outright ban, but regulations around running shoes will tighten.
Donald Trump’s impeachment trial could draw to an end. Senate Republicans are likely to bring proceedings to an end this weekend by acquitting the president, after Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander voted against calling witnesses in the trial. Trump could also announce his extended travel-ban list today.
A sports-filled weekend. The Australian Open wraps up as 21-year-old Sofia Kenin is poised to win her first Grand Slam, and Novak Djokovic tries for an eighth Open championship. In Europe, the Six Nations rugby championship kicks off tomorrow and on Sunday evening Miami hosts the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
While you were sleeping
The WHO declared the novel coronavirus a global emergency… The UN body made the announcement due to cases of human-to-human transmission of the disease outside China. WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it has “confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak,” as the number of infections surpassed that of SARS.
…and American Airlines pilots sued to stop flying to China. The Allied Pilots Association filed suit in Texas to suspend flights between Dallas/Fort Worth and Chinese cities. Many global airlines have halted or reduced flights to China due to the coronavirus outbreak. The US also advised Americans against travel to China.
Australia’s capital region declared a fire emergency. Bushfires raged south of Canberra, the worst in two decades in that area. Officials warned that strong winds and high temperatures could make the fires uncontrollable.
Amazon joined the four-comma club. After a much better than expected fourth-quarter earnings statement, shares of the company spiked by over 10% in after-hours trading—pushing Amazon’s market value beyond the $1 trillion mark.
IBM’s CEO stepped down. Ginni Rometty, who has led the company since 2012, will be replaced by IBM’s cloud and data chief Arvind Krishna, signaling the priorities ahead for the struggling tech company.
Quartz Membership
Accounting is at a crossroads. Why are auditors switching over to the consulting business, and why might that be a problem? Should the “Big Four” be broken up? How can technology improve the auditing process? Is a crackdown around the corner? Quartz’s Walter Frick and author Michael Rapoport discuss the future of the industry in the member exclusive conference call.
Quartz Daily Obsession
Why do we scare ourselves for fun on roller coasters? The intense drops and loops of theme park rides disorient our senses in ways that alter brain chemistry, yet many seek out this type of thrill because they can’t otherwise get it in their comfortable modern lives. Strap in for the ride with the Quartz Daily Obsession.
Matters of debate
Brexit is fundamentally a conservative act. It’s a move to revert to the norm of national sovereignty, in opposition to the radical experiment of supranationalism.
Russian bots and trolls are successful because we know about them. They can now achieve their goal of chaos and disorder without doing much at all.
Progressives need to address the “anti-woke” backlash. The social liberal consensus is collapsing around the world, and the left doesn’t have a response.
Surprising discoveries
A lot of people think the coronavirus comes from beer. Google search trends reveal a puzzling spike in searches for the “corona beer virus” in recent days.
After 80 years, we’re close to confirming the existence of metallic hydrogen. Scientists have found the strongest evidence yet for the metal—but there’s still a way to go.
The wreck of the Titanic got wrecked all over again. A US research submarine crashed into the sunken ship over the summer, and we’re just learning about it now.
A far-right British figure was suspended on Twitter. Katie Hopkins, who has been retweeted by Donald Trump, violated the platform’s anti-hate policy.
You’ve never seen a photo of the sun like this. A new telescope in Hawaii has captured the most detailed image yet of the solar surface.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Titanic pieces, and high-res sun photos 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 written by Isabella Steger and edited by Tripti Lahiri.