Good morning, Quartz readers!
Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here. Forward to a friend who lives for the drama.
Here’s what you need to know
Unvaccinated people in the Philippines who violate stay-at-home orders will be arrested. President Rodrigo Duterte said it was necessary to stem a “national emergency.” Meanwhile, legislation to require proof of vaccination at public venues moved forward in France’s parliament.
Ten Hong Kong officials may have been exposed to covid-19 at a party. Home Affairs secretary Caspar Tsui was sent to quarantine. The city had told the public to avoid large gatherings.
The WHO’s chief warned against underestimating omicron. Just because many cases are less severe doesn’t mean the variant is “mild,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
France fined Google and Facebook a combined €210 million ($237 million). The country’s data privacy watchdog said the companies made it too hard to opt out of cookies.
Violence continued in Kazakhstan. Dozens of protesters have been killed by police and the Russian military. Meanwhile, the turmoil has driven up uranium and oil prices.
What to watch for
The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today against two covid vaccine mandates. One requires companies with 100 or more workers to ask for proof of vaccination or test employees weekly, and another mandates vaccination for workers at healthcare organizations that get government funds.
Challenges against the mandates come from business and religious groups, as well as Republican-led states, that argue the rules are an overreach of power. But most Americans support vaccine mandates, and other countries are taking even stronger actions. Here’s a reading list to catch you up:
1️⃣ Emmanuel Macron wants to exclude the unvaccinated from nearly everything
2️⃣ Almost 70% of Americans want vaccine mandates
3️⃣ New York City’s new vaccine mandate is the US private sector’s strictest yet
4️⃣ A history of legal vaccine mandates shows they are successful
5️⃣ How to take the politics out of vaccine mandates in the workplace
Is the Amazon-Rivian deal still on?
Amazon is giving investors in electric vehicle maker Rivian reason to be a lot more incredulous. The e-commerce giant said it would be the first commercial customer for the Ram ProMaster electric van, which Stellantis NV—the automaker that manufacturers Chryslers—plans to launch in 2023.
Amazon said it plans to put thousands of the Stellantis vans on the road as part of the long-term agreement. If you think that sounds an awful lot like Amazon’s order for 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian, so do investors.
Amazon and Rivian both insist their deal, which Amazon is not obliged to keep, is still on. But that didn’t keep Rivian’s stock from falling by 11% when the Stellantis order was announced on Jan. 5.
Handpicked Quartz
🩸 The Theranos trial was a pop culture phenomenon
🚢 Maersk is no longer the world’s largest shipping line
📱 Right-wing Indians have their own app to manipulate WhatsApp and Twitter
🎾 Novak Djokovic is spending the weekend in an immigration detention center
⚽️ How covid-19 could disrupt the Africa Cup of Nations
Surprising discoveries
A South Korean presidential candidate has promised government payments for hair loss treatment. The platform is very popular with bald voters.
A hand-drawn map shared on social media helped a man find his birth mother. Li Jingwei was abducted at age 4 but still remembered details of his village.
Psychedelic Southern Comfort posters mailed in 1971 finally arrived. A Florida family tracked down their home’s previous owner with the affinity for the sweet spirit.
Azteca ants repair holes in the trees they live in. Researchers speculate it’s a selfish behavior to protect the colony’s young.
A few prehistoric geniuses created many of humanity’s big technological innovations. And not all of them were Homo sapiens.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, late packages, and niche campaign promises 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 Courtney Vinopal, Liz Webber, and Morgan Haefner.