Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
EU leaders discuss stemming the influx of migrants from North Africa and the Middle East. The meeting comes a day after Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni reached a deal with Libya to step up cooperation in fighting migrant trafficking and stopping people from setting out from Libyan shores.
The US jobs report. The economy is expected to have added about 175,000 jobs in January, though unemployment should stay at 4.7%. A big question is whether hourly wages will keep rising, after starting to spike nicely at the end of 2016.
Trump meets an unhappy group of CEOs. Having flexed his muscles by putting together a “strategic and policy forum” with corporate leaders, the US president now has to meet with high-profile critics of his immigration policy. Tesla’s Elon Musk has promised to hold Trump’s feet to the fire; Uber’s Travis Kalanick has resigned from the panel.
The US levies new sanctions against Iran. The Trump administration is reportedly planning to punish eight Iranian “entities,” Reuters reports, but will apparently not tear up the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
While you were sleeping
Brussels bigwigs made unprecedented calls to block Trump’s EU ambassador pick. Pro-Brexit businessman Ted Malloch recently said that he helped “take down the Soviet Union” as a diplomat, adding: “Maybe there’s another union that needs a little taming.” He also suggested European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker should go back to being the “mayor of some city in Luxembourg.”
An Indian IT minister said iPhones will soon be made in Bangalore. Priyank Kharge said Apple is tapping Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron to assemble the smartphones (for the domestic market), with production starting by the end of April. He gave no update on Apple’s many demands, including a 15-year “tax holiday.”
The US Senate killed a rule to keep pollutants out of streams. The rule, introduced by the Obama administration, was designed to protect waterways—and drinking water—in areas near mountaintop removal coal-mining projects. Senator Mitch McConnell called the rule an “attack against coal miners.”
Amazon had a disappointing holiday season. The e-commerce giant did a ton of business—boosting revenue by 35.7% to $43.7 billion, and increasing profit by 55% to $749 million—but it was less than analysts were expecting. Shares fell by 4% in after-hours trading.
The US tweaked sanctions on Russia’s spy agency. Restrictions put in place at the end of Barack Obama’s presidency were inadvertently blocking US tech exports. The FSB intelligence service has to sign off on any technology involving encryption, so tech companies are now allowed an exemption to pay inspection fees.
Quartz obsession interlude
Michael Coren explains how the US is about to exclude the next generation of immigrant entrepreneurs: “People born outside the country have founded more than half of America’s private startups valued at $1 billion or more… Once companies with immigrants in key management or product roles are included, the share grows to 70% of so-called unicorns.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Being a Trump “adviser” is a fool’s game. The only people the US president trusts are his daughter and son-in-law.
Most investors don’t mind non-voting stock. They’ve gotten used to the idea, and there’s little difference between having one vote per share and none.
Nintendo’s new app is a dangerous gateway to gambling. Japanese gacha games tap into the same neural pathways that casinos exploit.
Surprising discoveries
Pieces of a lost continent lie hidden beneath the Indian Ocean. Three-billion-year-old geological fragments were found under the island of Mauritius.
Michael Jackson is worth more than ever. The pop icon’s trust is valued at more than $1 billion, and the IRS wants a cut.
Scientists have used CRISPR to create disease-resistant cattle. The genetic editing technique was used to make the cows impervious to tuberculosis.
A Swiss man’s tattoo is destined for an art collection. Tim Steiner’s body art was purchased in 2008 and will be framed and displayed after its human canvas dies.
The CIA was obsessed with India. Newly declassified documents described Himalayan UFO sightings and accurately predicted political assassinations.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, tattoo art, and Michael Jackson valuations to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.