Good morning, Quartz readers!
The Daily Brief writers are off today for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, so no edition tomorrow. Visit qz.com today for coverage of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration. We’ll be back in your inbox on Wednesday morning.
Here’s what you need to know
TikTok’s future is in limbo. The Supreme Court confirmed it won’t stand in the way of the social media app’s ban, setting a final deadline for its Chinese owners to comply or face a potential shutdown.
Prices for Ozempic and Wegovy could decrease. Medicare has selected 15 drugs for negotiations, which are set to begin in 2025.
General Motors has been hit with a 5-year ban. The automaker was selling consumer data without informing customers, regulators found.
SpaceX is under investigation for a Starship failure. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is demanding answers before the next test.
Intel could be up for sale. An undisclosed company apparently wants to buy the business in its entirety.
Walgreens’ digital dreams crashed
Walgreens had big hopes for its digital refrigerator doors. The splashy shelves were to drive ad revenue and monitor customer engagement. But the ambitious, $200 million modernization effort largely flopped, turning into a costly disaster.
Technical glitches and operational failures quickly derailed the rollout, leading to legal battles over the flawed system’s impact on customers and suppliers.
What was the straw that broke Walgreens’ back? Quartz’s Francisco Velasquez breaks it down.
The world’s most powerful passports
Singaporean passport holders now have the most visa-free travel access, with entry to 195 destinations out of 277.
Meanwhile, Americans’ visa-free access has declined over the past decade. The decline may not be entirely due to the current political landscape, according to Anne Pforzheimer, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
She noted that even before a potential second Trump presidency, “American political trends had become notably inward-looking and isolationist.” And despite the U.S. economy’s reliance on immigration, tourism, and trade, Pforzheimer added the 2024 campaign narrative suggests “America can (and should) stand alone.”
So, where did the U.S. fall in this year’s passport rankings? Quartz’s Madeline Fitzgerald has more.
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Our best wishes on a safe start to the day. Send any news or comments, passport destinations, and digital fridge doors to talk@qz.com. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Francisco Velasquez and Harri Weber.