Good morning, Quartz readers!
Please check out 25 Days of Exchange—a new interactive calendar from Quartz with stories on the origins, innovations, and economics of our global gift-giving traditions. You can also sign up here to receive a daily SMS holiday gift.
What to watch for today
The US jobs report. The closely-watched November figures are expected to show the economy added 180,000 new jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.9%.
India closes a demonetization loophole. Gas stations and airline counters, which were given a temporary exemption, will no longer recognize the discontinued Rs 500 notes, as the government continues its attempt to squelch the shadow economy.
Europe goes to the polls. Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi has staked his political career on a referendum that would make it easier to pass government reforms—especially his plan to rescue the country’s banking system. In Austria, a far-right, anti-immigrant presidential candidate is running neck-and-neck against a former Green Party leader.
While you were sleeping
François Hollande said he would not seek another term. That makes him the first French president since 1958 not to run for re-election. Hollande is deeply unpopular after a string of terrorists attacks and worsening unemployment.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is stepping down. The longtime leader of the chain will remain as chairman, but will focus on a plan to open high-end coffee shops to compete with hipster cafes.
An unmanned Russian spacecraft failed to launch. It was carrying supplies to the International Space Station when it lost contact with mission control and burned up over the sparsely populated mountains of Siberia. The ISS crew should be fine—another supply ship will launch next week—but it will raise questions about the reliability of Russia’s rockets.
Vladimir Putin wants to cooperate with Donald Trump. In his annual state of the nation address, the Russian president said he wants to work with the United States to fight terrorism. The speech comes a day after the news that Moscow has been in contact with the Trump team to discuss the situation in Syria.
Gambia’s government switched off the Internet. The West African nation also banned international calls on the eve of its election. President Yahya Jammeh—who once said he intended to rule for “one billion years”—is facing a rare challenge at the polls.
Quartz obsession interlude
Tim Fernholz on why Donald Trump’s deal for American jobs doesn’t look so good in the light of day: ”To solve the US jobs problem, broader solutions will be needed, from education to infrastructure to, yes, sensible corporate tax reform. So far, Trump’s deal-making skills in this arena appear to be mostly giving corporations what they want; in this case, cash out of the public coffers.” Read more here.
Quartz haiku interlude
Days are getting short
And nights are long. It’s darkest
For treasury bonds.
Matters of debate
The fear of AI is actually a fear of human irrelevance. We’re not really worried about robots killing us—we’re scared of each other.
The antidote to fake news is good design. People made these systems, and people can correct them.
Forcing people to stand up for a national anthem isn’t patriotism. Especially when it comes at the cost of individual expression.
Surprising discoveries
Mushrooms are magic at treating depression and anxiety. One dose of the hallucinogen psilocybin helped distressed cancer patients for months.
Trees may actually increase urban pollution. Leaves and branches can slow air currents and cause pollutants to settle.
Elderly Japanese can swap their drivers licenses for noodles. It is offering discounts on ramen in lieu of getting off the roads to curb accidents caused by those over 75.
In Alaska, kindergarteners are learning to butcher moose. Students across all years are being equipped with life skills to survive in the wilderness.
US maternity leave policies hurt high-paid US white women the most. They lose 10% of wage per kid, compared with 4.7% for those with lower incomes.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Japanese noodles, and moose steaks to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our app for iPhone (and, as of today, for Android!).