Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Obama hands out Medals of Freedom. The president will present the US’s highest civilian honor to 21 people, including Bill and Melinda Gates, architect Frank Gehry, NBA star Michael Jordan, Tom Hanks, and Robert de Niro. The event will be live-streamed.
The European Parliament debates EU relations with Turkey. Foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and others will consider whether to stop accession talks in light of the deteriorating rule-of-law and human rights situation in Turkey, which has tried for decades to join the bloc. Turkey recently overtook China as the world’s biggest jailer of journalists.
Hewlett Packard posts its latest figures. Analysts are expecting the trimmed-down Palo Alto company to report positive fourth-quarter results after the last quarter saw earnings up by more than 6%.
While you were sleeping
Donald Trump nixed the TPP. The president-elect said he will quit the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal on his first day in office. Japan’s Shinzo Abe said the TPP would be “meaningless” without the US. Also on his first day in the job, Trump said, he would ask the military to make a plan to protect infrastructure from cyber attacks, get the Labor Department to investigate visa-program abuses (it already does that), and loosen restrictions on domestic energy production.
Kanye West was hospitalized. The rap star was taken to hospital in Los Angeles after police were called to reports of a disturbance at this home. His mother-in-law Kris Jenner said he was suffering from “exhaustion.” Kanye angered fans with a rant about Trump, Clinton, Beyoncé, and Mark Zuckerberg in California on Saturday. On Monday, his tour company announced that more than 20 concert dates would be scrapped, foregoing ticket revenue of about $30 million.
Disney is building a “Frozen” Land in Hong Kong. The film-themed park is part of a $1.4 billion expansion of its existing Hong Kong Disneyland resort, which has seen attendance go down and booked a $19 million loss in the fiscal year ending last October. Still, Disney keeps building: Its $5.5 billion park in Shanghai opened this summer, and its “Avatar” Land is slated to open in Orlando in summer 2017.
Swiss watch exports had their worst month in seven years. Exports were down 16% in October overall from the month before as the slump in the high-end timepiece market continues. Exports to 13 of the top 15 markets, including Hong Kong, the US and the UK, fell 11% this year so far. Swatch and Richemont shares both took a hit in Zurich on Tuesday morning.
Turkey withdrew a controversial child-sex assault bill. The legislation, which would pardon men who have sex with underage girls if they married them, failed to get to a final parliamentary vote after mass protests in Ankara. Critics said the bill would effectively legitimize rape, make a girl’s parents vulnerable to threats or bribes, and worsen the country’s child-marriage problem.
Quartz obsession interlude
Tim Fernholz on Trump and the future of space exploration: “What will happen to those efforts under a Donald Trump presidency? One thing seems likely: Set aside Mars. Private companies are going to get a chance to do business on the moon.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Vladimir Putin may get more than he bargained for with Trump. For a start, it would deprive Putin of his biggest antagonist, the US.
“Free shipping” isn’t free. It’s a loss-leader for Amazon, and a death knell for small businesses.
The fight-or-flight response can be used to change the world. Our brains want us to keep calm, but action requires anger.
Surprising discoveries
There’s a spy’s guide to Pokémon Go. Canadian spooks have new rules to avoid compromising national security while they play it.
Cybercriminals are making ATMs spew out all their cash. Accomplices wait at the machines to collect the loot (paywall).
Donald Trump’s grandfather pleaded to return Germany. Friedrich Trump, who was banished for avoiding his military service (paywall), appealed to the Prince Regent of Bavaria.
New Zealand is asking residents to check their mailboxes for drugs. Dealers have been sending deliveries to unoccupied holiday homes.
Miami is bracing for an onslaught of dead octopi. Climate change is causing higher tides, depositing the sea creatures all over the city.
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