Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Donald Trump’s travel ban is challenged in court. Three appeals court judges will hear arguments at 6pm ET (7am HKT) about the executive order that blocked all refugees and travelers from eight Muslim-majority countries. Regardless of the outcome, the case is probably headed to the Supreme Court.
GlaxoSmithKline reports earnings. The UK drugmaker is expected to post a quarterly profit of £1.1 billion ($1.36 billion), from a net loss of £354 million a year earlier. Glaxo benefited from promising sales of its new HIV products and a falling pound.
Somalia holds elections at last. After postponing the vote four times due to corruption allegations, parliament is expected to elect the country’s next leader from a secure area in Mogadishu’s airport.
While you were sleeping
The new US education secretary was confirmed by the narrowest of margins. Betsy DeVos, the most controversial Trump cabinet nominee, was approved by the Senate after vice president Mike Pence cast an unprecedented tie-breaking vote. DeVos is a wealthy Republican donor who champions charter schools, but has limited education expertise.
Teva Pharmaceuticals lost its CEO. Erez Vigodman resigned as head of the world’s largest generic drugmaker after a series of expensive acquisitions, patent defeats and delayed drug launches. Chairman Yitzhak Peterburg will serve as the interim CEO.
General Motors posted record-breaking earnings. The automaker easily topped expectations as profits rose 11% to $12 billion, thanks to higher sales of trucks and SUVs. Executives said it was “still too complex” to parse the Trump administration’s trade policies; about 20% of GM’s profitable light trucks are built in Mexico.
Francois Fillon refused to quit. The center-right French presidential candidate denied new claims that he illegally paid his wife with government funds. Due to the “Penelopegate” scandal, the former frontrunner is now most likely to be eliminated in the first round of elections in April.
The controversial Dakota Pipeline got the go-ahead. A court filing revealed that the US Army Corps of Engineers will grant the final easement for the $3.8 billion project, reverses a decision made under the Obama administration, despite intense protests by Native Americans and climate change activists.
Quartz obsession interlude
Max de Haldevang on what it would actually take to impeach Trump: “Democrats know two big things need to happen … Someone in the House of Representatives needs to actually charge him with something, and they need to convince a load of Republicans to vote to take him down.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Europe must defend itself from an extreme threat. Germany and the EU should prepare their defenses against the Trump presidency, writes Der Spiegel.
Non-Americans should avoid Google and Facebook if they care about privacy. The US government considers itself to have jurisdiction anywhere US companies operate.
Incompetent AIs are more dangerous than evil ones. Humans are liable to trust too much in machines that do one thing well.
Surprising discoveries
A lettuce crisis is making Brits rethink Brexit. A run on green vegetables can really make you appreciate free trade.
China’s top businesswoman hasn’t taken a day off in 26 years. Dong Mingzhu says she has sacrificed her personal and family life “to make the world a better place.”
A crack in an Antarctic ice shelf has grown 17 miles (27 km) in 2 months. It’s expanding at a pace of five US football fields a day.
Barack Obama was spotted kitesurfing with Richard Branson. America’s 44th president is taking a break from politics in the British Virgin Islands.
Engineers at MIT have invented a robot that can catch fish. The transparent gel bots can also kick a ball underwater.
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