Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Barack Obama has Donald Trump over for a chat. The US president invited his successor—who is threatening to dismantle Obama’s entire legacy—to the White House to discuss an orderly transition. President-elect Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20.
Narendra Modi visits Japan. The Indian prime minister is looking to sign a civil nuclear deal. The two countries will also discuss trade, investment and security during his stay.
Disney’s pivotal earnings. The media giant is under scrutiny after its lucrative ESPN network shed hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and theme park attendance declined. Fashion houses Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors will also report earnings.
While you were sleeping
Hillary Clinton delivered a painful concession speech. The former secretary of state said she hopes Trump will be a successful president for all Americans, and that “we owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.”
Trump sent stocks surging… Markets regained the ground they lost after his upset victory on Tuesday night, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average flirting with an all-time high. Winners included private prisons, defense contractors, coal, and pharmaceuticals. Losers included US treasuries and gunmakers, which often post huge sales gains on fears that a Democratic president will confiscate weapons.
…and his cabinet began taking shape. Supporters including Rudolph Giuliani, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and senator Jeff Sessions are reportedly being considered for major jobs. Don’t be surprised if Sarah Palin also makes the cut.
The world reacted to the Trump presidency. Africa’s authoritarian leaders celebrated the win, and Russia was elated, with Vladimir Putin cheering the chance to restore relations (and maybe escape sanctions). Cuba, wary of a diplomatic rollback, conducted military exercises.
Quartz markets haiku
As the Age of Trump
begins, Wall Street is rallying.
We’ll see for how long.
Quartz obsession interlude
Kevin Delaney on why it’s time to build the new global economy: “Donald Trump’s election to the US presidency undermines a vision of the new global economy that was already in crisis. Those of us who believe in a more connected world must make an urgent and compelling case for it.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
A madman now controls a massive surveillance state. But it’s not too late to stop Trump from taking our online freedoms.
Trump threatens to plunge Asian geo-politics into chaos. Japan and South Korea might get nuclear weapons, and southeast Asia will move further into China’s orbit.
2020 will be worse than 2016. If you thought this year’s US election was gnarly, just wait for the futuristic horror show on the horizon.
Surprising discoveries
A robot solved a Rubik’s Cube in a record 0.637 seconds. That’s about ten times faster than the human record-holder.
A Canadian diver stumbled upon a possible lost American nuke. He was looking for sea cucumbers off the coast of Vancouver.
California marijuana could follow the same path as wine. Cheap, homogenized weed for the masses, and artisanal cannabis on the high end.
There’s a virus that can spread between smart light bulbs. It travels via radio waves and could theoretically shut down wifi across an entire city.
The Back to the Future 2 villain was based on Donald Trump. Biff Tannen used a casino fortune to fund his quest for political power.
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