Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
It’s a big week for company earnings. Apple, Tesla, and Microsoft are among the major firms—more than a fifth of the S&P 500, and a third of the Dow—revealing how they ended a difficult 2020.
US president Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill faces obstacles. There are bipartisan concerns about the size and cost of the package, which would include additional $1,400 checks.
The US is set to impose further travel restrictions. Non-US citizens will no longer be allowed to travel from the UK, South Africa, and Brazil, because of new coronavirus variants.
Donald Trump’s impeachment goes to the Senate. The trial begins the week of Feb. 8.
China overtook the US as the biggest recipient of foreign direct investment. Money coming into the US from overseas companies fell by almost half last year.
Meanwhile, Beijing is getting into it with its neighbors. It flew more warplanes into the Taiwan Strait, and there was another reported border clash with India.
Major anti-Putin protests are taking place across Russia. Police arrested at least 3,500 people as protesters gathered in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The king vs. the prince. Veteran quarterback Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LV in Tampa.
What to watch for
This year’s iteration of the World Economic Forum in Davos won’t look or feel like any of the years before it. Here’s a quick primer on the 51st annual meeting:
🤝 This year’s theme of rebuilding trust couldn’t be more timely
🍊 Donald Trump’s Davos days are probably over…
👀 …But China, Japan, Germany, and India leaders will have a presence
🏚 We’ll all be tuning in online…
🌍 …But there are events planned in 430 cities worldwide
👻 Davos (the place) is as sleepy as ever
Charting AI’s impact on corporatespeak
A new corporate principle is: Never say you’re restating anything. The machines will hold it against you.
Companies are phasing out “restatement” along with a long list of words deemed to have negative connotations by financial algorithms as more investors deploy AI to analyze corporate statements, explains Samanth Subramanian.
Machine downloads of firms’ SEC filings quickened in this century: from fewer than half a million downloads daily in 2005, to just under 10 million in 2011, to 165 million in 2016.
Our living spaces can affect our moods, our psychological well being, and our work performance. We know this intuitively because we’ve experienced it. Maybe you work more creatively in a coffee shop than in a silent room, or favor a particularly sunny desk in the library, even if you couldn’t explain why. Now that we’re all home a lot more than we used to be, we’re paying attention to how we can better make our spaces work for us, writes Alex Ossola.
Our latest field guide explores the science-backed ways to turn our homes and gardens into the warm, relaxed, and productive places we all want them to be, especially when so much of the world seems like it’s anything but.
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Surprising discoveries
Most bitcoin-related crime fell last year. Except for ransomware attacks—which rose dramatically.
“Covid sucks :)” A patron of a Colorado bakery left a simple note with a $1,400 tip on his $20 bill for the entire staff.
Dutch authorities detained Asia’s El Chapo. Tse Chi Lop, the alleged leader of the Sam Gor crime syndicate, is accused of running billions of dollars of trafficked drugs.
Chile accidentally spammed its citizens. The government messaged the entire country to evacuate coastal regions due to a tsunami risk—in Antarctica
Try these airbag jeans. Designed for motorcyclists, a special lining inflates if the rider falls.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, massive tips, and puffy denim 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 Hasit Shah, Mary Hui, Tripti Lahiri, Ana Campoy, Katherine Ellen Foley, and Jordan Lebeau.