Good morning, Quartz readers!
In yesterday’s edition, we incorrectly reported that official’s funeral in Thailand featured 50 pole dancers. In fact, the funeral was in Taiwan.
What to watch for today
Senators grill Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees… Attorney general pick Jeff Sessions and CIA director nominee Mike Pompeo are the first of up to seven confirmation hearings this week. Many of the nominees have yet to be vetted for conflicts of interest, placing “undue pressure” on the government ethics agency.
…and Barack Obama says goodbye. The president makes his farewell speech in his hometown of Chicago. Expect a strong defense of Obamacare, proud recitations of economic recovery figures, and some Trump-directed “admonitions about the challenges we face moving forward.” Thousands lined up in frigid temperatures or tickets.
Japan’s 20-year-olds wake up with epic hangovers. It’s the day after the country’s annual “coming of age” ceremonies, which began as a samurai ritual but have morphed into a raucous and expensive celebration of the right to legally smoke and drink. “We will all be getting drunk tonight,” one new grown-up told Japan Today.
While you were sleeping
The US arrested a Volkswagen executive. Oliver Schmidt was charged with conspiracy and fabricating evidence. He led the automaker’s US regulatory compliance office, and claimed that extra emissions were caused by technical mistakes rather than deliberate cheating.
Trump called Jack Ma—creator of the world’s most notorious counterfeit marketplace—a “great, great entrepreneur.” The Alibaba founder visited the president-elect and promised to create a million American jobs over the next five years by enabling small businesses. Ma, who is facing an SEC investigation and censure by US trade regulators, made a very simliar promise in 2015.
Fiat Chrysler tussled with Trump, and rebuffed his praise. The carmaker nixed any notion that Trump could take credit for a plan to spend $1 billion to expand plants in Ohio and Michigan, and said it was “quite possible” would have to close its plants in Mexico if heavy tariffs are enacted. Toyota—another recent Trump target—announced plans to invest $10 billion in the US over the next five years.
Mars made a big bet on pet health. The chocolate giant, also the world’s biggest pet food company, splashed out $7.7 billion to buy animal hospital chain VCA. Pet care has grown rapidly in recent years as consumers spend more to keep their pets healthy.
Apple wants to open a high-tech manufacturing center in Arizona. The iPhone maker has applied to assemble and manufacture data center server equipment at a facility in Mesa. It needs government approval to import foreign components without incurring heavy tariffs.
Quartz obsession interlude
Oliver Staley on the $67 billion in student debt held by US grandparents. “The number of debtors over 60 has quadrupled in a decade—to 2.8 million in 2015 from 700,000 in 2005—making them the fastest growing age segment with student debt. While some of it was borrowed for their own education, more than two-thirds of the debt is owed for children or grandchildren.” Read more here.
Quartz haiku interlude
It is a strange world
A company neuters dogs
And sells M&Ms
Matters of debate
Philosophy can teach children what technology cannot. Flexible thinking will be key in a future dominated by artificial intelligence.
Women are more satisfied with their lives than men. There’s a catch: Women also think other people are even more satisfied with their own lives.
Antitrust laws are about to become obsolete. Collusion between machines is an inevitable byproduct of complex pricing algorithms (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
A plane crash can improve workplace morale. A company that offers intense survival classes is branching out into team-building.
It wasn’t just “Diamonds and Pearls” for Prince. The musician had more than $800,000 in gold bars stashed away at the time of his death.
Scientists figured out why peeling an orange is always messy. The fruit’s oil glands shoot out droplets at high speed.
A BBC robot traumatized a troop of monkeys. They went into mourning after the gadget plunged to its “death.”
Exercising rarely might be nearly as good as exercising regularly. Death rates from cancer and heart disease fell almost equally in a major study.
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