Vaccine priorities, Canada’s digital tax, another monolith

Good morning, Quartz readers!

Here’s what you need to know

The US begins deciding who gets the first coronavirus vaccines. Centers for Disease Control advisers will vote today on their recommendation that healthcare workers and people in long-term care get first priority. Meanwhile, controversial White House coronavirus adviser Scott Atlas resigned.

China rolls out its new export control law… Seen as retaliation for US actions against Chinese companies, the law restricts exports of military and nuclear products, as well as technology like artificial intelligence, for reasons of national security.

…and imposes sanctions on leaders of US-based democracy groups. Officials accused individuals at the National Endowment Democracy and the National Democratic Institute of meddling in Hong Kong’s affairs.

Canada unveils plans for a digital tax. From 2022, Ottawa will tax goods and services from platforms such as Netflix and Airbnb, and use the money to build out childcare. The US is already in a spat with Europe over similar efforts.

The Royal Dutch Shell climate lawsuit begins. A Dutch court will hold the first hearing in a suit brought by environmental groups to demand the energy company reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.

Survival of the fitting rooms

The culling of weak retailers due to Covid-19 that was predicted by experts is now playing out. Arcadia Group, the retail empire of British tycoon Philip Green and parent company of fashion chain Topshop, has crumbled. Its collapse could lead to a selloff of its brands and has already created collateral damage for other UK retailers, like Debenhams. Blame the pandemic, if you prefer, but really it just put pressure on the retail industry’s already cracking structure.

If only traditional retail had looked to Netflix for help. Chess sets are spiking due to the hit series The Queen’s Gambit, as the streaming platform is proving itself to be a major driver of certain product sales.


Charting NextEra’s rise

True to its name, NextEra Energy, a company that has built the world’s largest collection of wind and solar farms, offers a glimpse into the future.

NextEra leap-frogged its way into becoming the most valuable energy company in the US in October. The upset, to be fair, was more a result of the turmoil oil majors have faced during the pandemic than any new moves by the Florida-based electric power provider. But its unseating of Exxon broke a symbolic dam. Tim McDonnell looks at NextEra’s—and the industry’s—next era.

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Pandemic leadership is a work in progress

Image: MGM

Cut yourself a little slack—none of us has managed a team through a global pandemic before, and it’s still not clear what it demands from those in leadership. Do any of these questions sound familiar?

  • How vulnerable should you be with the people you manage?
  • How can you show appreciation to employees who somehow keep the trains running?
  • How do you possibly measure success when performance has been this disrupted?

Our latest field guide on leading through change collects the emerging wisdom—even when it’s unconventional—on these and other questions that managers around the world have been grappling with since the first rounds of lockdowns began.

✦ Another question: Should you get a Quartz membership? Maybe a seven-day free trial will convince you.

Surprising discoveries

A Chinese artist is taking advantage of a diplomatic row. Wuheqilin claimed to be the creator of an illustration that Australia’s government called “repugnant.”

A Japanese octopus grew a ninth leg to repair a wound. Alas, the extra limb wasn’t enough to save it from a fisherman’s pot—but it will go on display at a local nature center.

Why did the reptile cross the road? A 90-foot (27-meter) tall bridge aims to give forest creatures a safe way to cross a busy Indian highway.

The missing monolith from Utah has returned. The mysterious metal structure reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey—or something like ithas popped up in Romania, likely the work of Arthur C. Clarke fans.

Steal Darth Vader’s helmet, you will not. Police thwarted an attempt to make off with the prop and other Star Wars memorabilia from a California production house.


Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, extra-armed cephalopods, and missing movie props 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 Tripti Lahiri, Mary Hui, Susan Howson, Liz Webber, and Jackie Bischof.