Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Donald Trump gets tough. The US president is expected to sign executive orders suspending the US refugee program, banning people from countries considered a terror risk, and—at least according to a tweet last night—initiating construction of his promised border wall with Mexico.
A Mexican delegation sits down with the Trump administration. The planned border wall may cast a shadow over the two days of talks in DC on trade, immigration, and security. The talks will lay the groundwork for a meeting between Trump and his Mexican counterpart Enrique Peña Nieto on Jan. 31.
Republicans go on a retreat. The annual getaway to discuss the party’s plans for the year ahead runs through Friday. Developing an alternative to Obamacare is high on the agenda. Donald Trump and Mike Pence have been invited to speak; British prime minister Theresa May may drop in before meeting Trump on Friday.
Angela Merkel’s rival for chancellor is announced. And it looks like it’s going to be former president of the European parliament Martin Schulz, not Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel as widely expected. Gabriel backed Schulz to lead the Social Democrats on Tuesday—the dyed-in-the-wool Brussels man is expected to be a much more aggressive challenger to Merkel.
While you were sleeping
Cisco bought AppDynamics for $3.7 billion. AppDynamics, which makes software to help companies monitor the performance of applications, was about to launch its IPO this week at a valuation of around $2 billion. Cisco, known more for networking hardware, is moving toward software.
France’s presidential frontrunner came under fire for hiring his wife. François Fillon must now explain what kind of work his wife Penelope did to earn €500,000 over eight years (paywall)—about $525,000 at today’s rates—as his aide. It’s an uncomfortable situation for the Republican candidate, who is campaigning on a promise to restore transparency in French politics.
Japan’s exports rose for the first time in 14 months. In December they were up 5% compared to a year earlier, easily beating expectations of 1%. While the export-reliant nation faces a more protectionist US under Trump, last month’s exports to China jumped 12.5% to hit a record high.
Sluggish smartphone sales dragged LG into the red. The South Korean electronics firm’s G5 phone hasn’t been selling well, and coupled with the marketing costs of the new V20 phone, has dragged LG into its biggest quarterly operating loss since the same period in 2010.
The Senate cleared Trump’s pick for UN ambassador. South Carolina governor Nikki Haley won significant Democratic support despite having no formal diplomatic experience. She had criticized Trump as a candidate and freely aired her disagreements with him during her confirmation hearing. But, like Trump, she too has questioned the effectiveness of the United Nations.
Quartz obsession interlude
Steve LeVine on the billionaires determined to stop Trump. “William Doll calls his club Syneidesis, which in ancient Greek means conscience. He started it four years ago, and is now wrestling with what comes next.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The post-antibiotic era is going to suck. Vanquished diseases could once again become deadly unless drug company incentives are realigned (paywall).
Trump staffers are lying to prove their loyalty. Telling blatant falsehoods binds them to the president—a classic tactic of distrustful dictators.
US silence on abortion equals deaths around the world. A new gag order on family planning will result in botched illicit procedures (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
Japan is celebrating its first grand champion of sumo in 19 years. Thirty-year-old Ozeki Kisenosato, weighing in at 385 pounds (174 kg), defeated the Mongolian champion.
The Amish are fighting laws requiring horses to wear diapers. The communities that renounce modernity say the measures violate religious freedom (paywall).
Uber drivers are camping out in parking lots. The trend is most common in cities where rents are unaffordable.
Otters were once larger than leopards. In China researchers found the remains of an otter that weighed 50 kg (110 pounds) and tore open mollusk shells with its teeth.
“La La Land” almost never got made. Hollywood studios told director Damien Chazelle to replace his jazz protagonist with a rock musician.
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