Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Donald Trump begins his first weekday in the White House… The new US president got a start over the weekend, signing an executive order to weaken Obamacare and visiting the CIA to patch up relations with the agency (with mixed success). His schedule this week includes executive actions on immigration and trade (paywall).
…and Congress votes on his choice for secretary of State. Several high-ranking lawmakers have indicated they’ll approve Rex Tillerson, though influential senator Marco Rubio hasn’t weighed in yet. If appointed, Tillerson could face a number of awkward situations around the world, including butting heads with Beijing over South China Sea gas projects he steered as ExxonMobil CEO.
Yahoo’s report card. The hack-plagued internet company, in the process of being sold to Verizon for $4.8 billion, will report fourth-quarter and full-year earnings after the bell on Monday. As MarketWatch notes, unless the report contains some new info on the Verizon deal, no one really cares about this round of results.
Over the weekend
Samsung figured out the problem with the Galaxy Note 7. The company finally announced why its ill-fated smartphone kept exploding, identifying separate problems in batteries from two different suppliers. One problem was inadequate space between a protective pouch and the battery; another was caused by missing insulation tape.
Millions of Americans joined the Women’s March. On the day after Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the US, millions across the country took to the streets in protest, carrying creative signs rebuking the new leader of the executive branch. Protestors around the world marched too.
The Gambia’s ousted ruler grabbed some dosh and went into exile. After 22 years of rule, Yahya Jammeh, who lost the presidential election two months ago, finally relinquished power under threat of military intervention. Jammeh stole luxury cars and reportedly around $11 million from state coffers before he flew out on Saturday night. New president Adama Barrow is still in neighboring Senegal.
Severe storms killed 18 in the American South. Georgia was worst hit, and four people were killed by tornadoes in Mississippi on Saturday. A tornado risk warning is still in place for Southern Florida.
Israel approved 566 new settlement homes. The construction in East Jerusalem is considered illegal under international law. Jerusalem’s deputy mayor, Meir Turgeman, said the project had been on hold until Trump took office. Trump and prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu had a “very nice” phone call; no word on whether they discussed moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Foxconn looked west. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, best known for making Apple products in China, said talks are under way for a $7 billion investment in the US (paywall) to build a flat-panel screen factory. Founder and chairman Terry Gou noted that an investment would depend on getting land and power at discount rates.
Quartz obsession interlude
Gwynn Guilford on the unpleasant reason salmon prices are at historic highs: “Sea lice are the farmed Atlantic salmon industry’s most expensive problem, costing around $550 million in lost output each year. The tiny crustaceans latch onto salmon, feasting on their blood, mucus, and fins. Adult fish can live with sea lice, but it only takes a few to wear down a young salmon’s immune system, leaving them vulnerable to other infections. A dozen can kill it.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Trump’s war isn’t with the media; it’s more sinister. The new US president’s strategy is to undermine the very idea of truth.
College degrees should be priced by subject. Right now, philosophy (and other liberal arts) majors are essentially subsidizing engineering students.
We’ve entered a new age of contempt. On both sides of the political spectrum, contempt dehumanizes people by marking them as unworthy of engagement (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
Viruses leave messages for each other. The discovery could lead to new ways to attack devastating viruses like HIV and herpes.
US climate data is being stashed abroad. While Trump was getting inaugurated, scientists were downloading data from government websites and putting copies on Canadian and European servers.
The UK accidentally fired a missile at the US. A submarine misfired during a test of Britain’s nuclear missile system off the coast of Florida last June.
Ötzi the Iceman made fancy charcuterie 5,000 years ago. New research shows that the ancient, preserved human ate speck.
Movies for kids have more gun violence than movies for adults. In the past 10 years, the amount of shooting in PG-13 films has shot up past those rated R in the US.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, charcuterie platters, and virus language dictionaries to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.