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Here’s what you need to know
Antiracism protests continued but were markedly quieter. Thousands of people still broke curfews, and there was some looting and violence. Meanwhile, Blackout Tuesday went awry after activists said that black squares on social media were drowning out vital information.
Joe Biden won the Pennsylvania primary. It’s a crucial win for securing the Democratic nomination, which is expected later this month, and polls showed Donald Trump trailing Biden in key states. Steve King, a Republican congressman censured by his own party for racist remarks, lost in Iowa.
One of the world’s most elite events is now “open to everyone.” The World Economic Forum at Davos will return in 2021, but is usually a place where billionaires and world leaders jostle for the best parties and hotels. Next year’s theme is “the Great Reset.”
Mark Zuckerberg faced his employees. The founder and CEO said he had made a “tough decision” in not removing an incendiary Trump post on Facebook, but that his process “was pretty thorough.” He also said he told the president that the post was “inflammatory and harmful.”
Google is being sued over its private mode. A $5 billion class action lawsuit alleged that Google engages in “covert and unauthorized data collection.” The company said it “clearly” states that “websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity.”
Charting the bias of the US stock market
Nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by a white police officer, are drawing attention to the ways that African Americans have been failed by everything from policing to job creation and public health. Many black Americans have also been unable to improve their quality of life through stock market investing—an important wealth generator.
While the stock market is far from a guarantee for getting rich, the equity market’s capacity to help savers accumulate wealth through long-term, diversified investing is well documented. But African Americans are far less represented when it comes to financial asset holdings, with just about 30% of black households owning stocks, compared with around 60% of whites.
For Quartz members: Keeping up social distancing
People don’t change behavior based on rational persuasion; they change to conform to those around them. That’s what Quartz contributor and behavioral planning strategist Will Hanmer-Lloyd writes in a new piece that examines how behavioral science can help enforce social distancing. Here are a few tips to stay safe.
To stay social (see #1) we want your vote on the strategy that makes the most sense to you:
🕺 Emphasize the social. People generally want to fit in, so whether you’re a parent, a manager, or just a friend, amplify correct behavior instead of spotlighting incidents of noncompliance. (Vote for social)
🐷 Piggyback on existing behaviors. A campaign to get people to check their fire alarm when they changed their clocks saw up to 40% of people who’d seen the campaign go on to check their alarms, compared to 13% of people who hadn’t. (Vote for existing behaviors)
👍 Make it easy. If you need to reopen a workplace, for example, plan ahead by making it clear that simple processes are in place to manage risks in elevators and other shared spaces. (Vote for simplicity)
✦ To gain access to all the stories, presentations, field guides, workshops, and more available exclusively to Quartz members, you can start with a seven-day free trial. ✦
You asked about deadly diseases
How do deaths from coronavirus compare with deaths from other diseases like malaria or influenza over the current time period? – A.P.
It’s true that coronavirus is far from the only disease causing death around the world. Heart disease, stroke, and lung disease are the top three killers globally. Malaria and influenza also contribute significantly to global mortality, with the former estimated to have killed 445,000 people in 2016 and the latter as the likely cause of death for between 250,000 and 500,000 people annually.
With close to 400,000 lives lost in just the first six months of the pandemic, Covid-19 has quickly risen to be a leading cause of death worldwide—hence the global scramble for a vaccine (✦). The burden of each disease varies country by country and region by region, and will disproportionately impact those that already struggle with poverty, endemic diseases, and less robust healthcare systems.
✉️ Do you have a burning question about how Covid-19 is changing the world?
Surprising discoveries
Vintage board games are increasingly valuable. Searches by collectors are rising fast, as stuff-to-do-at-home continues to be the only stuff to do.
Here’s a winter shoe you can also wear in fall. Instead of subjecting yourself to those duck boots in New England, say, this new design has a retractable grip.
Your new gold might be old. Pandora, the world’s largest jewelry maker, will stop using newly mined precious metals in favor of recycled gold and silver.
Hitler’s house is becoming a police station. The project will be completed in 2022.
A step forward for transparency. Adding squid DNA to human cells successfully made them less opaque—which could make them easier to study.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Boston winter style, and Fischer’s chess board 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 Hasit Shah, Susan Howson and Max Lockie.