Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
Boris Johnson was dealt a heavy blow. Parliament’s upper chamber voted overwhelmingly to remove controversial clauses from the government’s internal market bill that would override parts of the existing UK-EU withdrawal agreement, and create a rift with the next US administration. Downing Street has vowed to re-insert the clauses, designed to protect domestic trade.
The US sanctioned four Chinese officials over Hong Kong. They are the latest to be barred from entering the US and have their US-related assets frozen over their roles in Beijing’s crackdown on the city. Washington has already sanctioned Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam and other top officials.
Donald Trump fired the secretary of defense. Mark Esper, who clashed with the president over the deployment of military personnel during the summer’s anti-racism protests, will be replaced by Christopher Miller, director of the national counterterrorism center. Trump, who will remain in power till January, also reportedly discussed with aides the possibility of replacing his CIA chief.
Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace deal. Brokered by Russia, the agreement will end the weeks-long military conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Moscow has sent nearly 2,000 troops to patrol the area as peacekeepers.
Peru’s president was kicked out. Lawmakers voted to remove Martín Vizcarra from office over unproven corruption allegations and discontent with his handling of the coronavirus. Vizcarra, who survived an impeachment vote in September, said he would not fight the ouster.
Biden’s global ripples
- 🇹🇼 🙌 Taiwan congratulated the US president-elect. China kept silent.
- 🇷🇺 🇹🇷 🤐 Russia and Turkey are also staying mum. That should get your attention.
- 🇮🇳 🤝 Ties with India will get even stronger. Even more so than with Trump.
- 🌍 🇨🇳 Africa will see some changes. But China’s presence there will still be a focus.
- 📺 🗣 Meanwhile, Trump may get back to TV. It won’t be Fox, and it won’t be easy.
Charting voter turnout
Americans turned out to vote in record numbers this year. But those numbers are still far below voter turnout in other major rich countries. One big reason is that the electoral system is seen as difficult to navigate, meaning that a lot of people avoid it or get it wrong. Registration is opt-in, and election day is just that: a single day—and a weekday at that. And then there’s a general distrust in the system to contend with. Annabelle Timsit will help you sort out the discrepancy.
Climate tech’s second shot
Hundreds of startup founders in Silicon Valley are reorganizing their lives around the idea of “decarbonize everything.” A small but passionate group of founders and engineers are leaving companies like Tesla, or skipping the tech giants entirely, to take aim at what they call the biggest opportunity of a generation: climate tech.
A decade ago, enthusiasm swelled for the renewable energy boom known as clean tech, leading to billions of dollars in losses as startups furiously spent venture capital with few solvent companies to show for it.
But climate funds are popping up once again. Billions of dollars are pouring back into the sector. Still, as Silicon Valley stands on the brink of another potential boom, investors remain a bit nervous about the next big bust. Can Silicon Valley invest its way out of climate change? Read more in our guide to climate tech.
We’re obsessed with micromobility
Tiny vehicles for tiny trips. With large areas underserved by public transportation, and urban car ownership often more trouble than it’s worth, what’s going to move urbanites on shorter missions, like a quick trip to the corner store? Enter the micro-mobility industry, whose ethos is: Small is beautiful—referring to both the trip and the vehicle. This undersized focus could have an oversized impact on the way we move, the sustainability of our transport, and the way we design our cities. The Quartz Weekly Obsession will take you from point A to point B.
Get the Weekly Obsession delivered straight to your inbox by clicking the button below.
Surprising discoveries
“Lockdown” is the word of the year. Collins Dictionary found the use of the noun soared from 4,000 instances last year to over a quarter of a million in 2020.
Female mongooses go to war to find love. They form battle lines, and in the chaos that follows, mate with the enemy and avoid inbreeding.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming. Netflix is offering French viewers a TV channel experience similar to old-fashioned cable.
Two Virgin Hyperloop executives took it for a test run. The travel pod’s first passengers reached speeds of up to 107 mph (172 km/h).
Australian Instagrammers are being put out to pasture. With most foreign travel canceled, local canola fields have become a top destination for like-inducing photos.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, decision-free TV, and non-profane words for 2020 to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Jane Li, Tripti Lahiri, Liz Webber, and Susan Howson.