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What to watch for today
China’s economy hobbles back to life. After an extended Lunar New Year holiday due to the coronavirus outbreak, some companies, including Apple and Tesla, resume manufacturing today. However, much of the country remains closed to contain the spread of the virus, which has claimed more than 900 lives.
Facebook heads to court. The social media giant is facing a tax trial in San Francisco, and could be hit with more than $9 billion in charges over a dispute with the IRS. It stems from Facebook’s 2008 decision to shift profits to Ireland, a low-tax country.
The White House releases its $4.8 trillion budget proposal. The Trump administration is expected to seek cuts to social safety net programs and foreign aid, while also requesting $2 billion in new funding for border-wall construction. House Democrats probably won’t play along.
Over the weekend
A Korean film dominated the Oscars. Parasite became the first non-English film to win best picture, and also picked up awards for best director, original screenplay, and international feature film. Laura Dern, Brad Pitt, Renee Zellweger, and Joaquin Phoenix won the acting awards.
The UK talked up a possible US trade deal. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said a deal with Washington will come ahead of other countries following Brexit. The US has warned that Britain’s decision to grant Huawei a role in building its 5G network could affect talks.
Travel disruption continued across Europe. Hundreds of flights and trains have been canceled as storm Ciara (or Sabine in Germany) lashed the UK and much of the mainland. Strong winds helped a British Airways flight break the New York to London speed record on Saturday.
Bernie Sanders asked for a “partial recanvass” in Iowa. The 2020 frontrunner’s campaign confirmed it will make the request, as major publications decline to call the race over possible tabulation errors. Sanders leads in total votes, but is in a virtual tie with Pete Buttigieg in Democratic delegates.
Meanwhile, security experts ran a war game scenario in New Hampshire. To help law enforcement deal with a real-life election attack, a Boston-based company designed “Operation Blackout,” which Quartz observed the morning after a Blue Oyster Cult gig.
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Matters of debate
For Wall Street, Brexit could be a long journey. Even though US banks chose London for their European HQs, they need a good reason to stay.
Selling mattresses is not a tech business. Casper is paying the price for wrapping itself in the trappings of tech stardom to pump up its valuation.
Dog parks are too risky for young dogs. They might not be safe spaces for puppies to learn how to socialize.
Surprising discoveries
Alaska bought itself a higher fertility rate. When the state started paying an annual dividend to every man, woman, and child, fertility shot up 13%.
Something in space is sending radio bursts to Earth at regular intervals. Scientists are still debating what is creating the waves, which follow a steady 16-day cycle.
Netflix uses as much power as 40,000 US homes. The streaming giant’s energy use leapt 84% last year, but executives promise they have carbon offsets to match.
Spending billions is hard work. Even after sinking $1 billion a year into space travel, Jeff Bezos still struggles to offload even a fraction of what he earns.
North Korea’s internet use surged 300% since 2017. It reflects the regime’s embrace of cybercrime in response to tougher sanctions from the Trump administration.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, spare billions, and fear-mongering reapers 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 Hasit Shah.