Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A Trump-Trudeau tête-à-tête. During their first official meeting in Washington, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau may tread lightly with the US president on matters like immigration and the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump’s pledge to renegotiate NAFTA has Canadian CEOs on edge; border taxes could depress profits at Canada’s biggest companies.
Turmoil after North Korea’s latest missile test. The US, Japan, and South Korea have requested a Monday meeting at the UN after North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan Sunday, violating UN restrictions. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe pronounced the test “intolerable,” while others see it as North Korea’s way of provoking of Trump.
Two US cabinet votes. The Senate is expected to approve Trump’s nominee for Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and David Shulkin for Veterans Affairs secretary. Mnuchin is among the prominent Goldman Sachs alums populating the Trump administration, and Bloomberg reports the White House is now leery of bringing on too many more.
Over the weekend
The White House mulled Mike Flynn’s Russia ties. An administration official told the Wall Street Journal (paywall) that the national security adviser could be out of a job (paywall) for reportedly discussing US sanctions with Russian officials before Trump became president. Trump said on Friday he would “look into” the revelations; Steve Bannon is said to be in favor of keeping Flynn on for now.
Former foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected president of Germany. Steinmeier, a Social Democrat who was also former chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s chief of staff, will replace Joachim Gauck in March. It’s a largely ceremonial role, but German presidents are expected to represent the country and its moral values abroad. Steinmeyer has been critical of Donald Trump in the past, calling him a “hate preacher.”
Heineken bought Kirin’s Brazilian beer arm. The Dutch brewer’s subsidiary Bavaria will pay $700 million for Brazil Kirin (paywall), making Heineken the second largest beer company in Brazil’s market. Kirin struggled in a slow market, but Heineken is betting that Brazil’s population growth and positive economic outlook will bear fruit.
Britain’s Co-Operative Bank appealed for a lifeline. The bank, which was rescued by a group of mainly-US hedge funds in 2013, put itself up for sale to shore up capital on Monday—it’s now valued at as little as £45 million ($56 million) and is expected to report a “significant” loss for 2016.
Adele dominated the Grammys. The singer triumphed over Beyoncé to win the album, record, and song of the year. David Bowie, who died from cancer last year, won best rock song and best alternative music album. But the real winner of the night was Sony, which owns Columbia Records, the label of Beyoncé and Adele. David Bowie had been with Columbia since 2002 until his death.
Quartz obsession interlude
Sarah Todd on a smart way to organize priorities at your home and office. “To figure out how to prune your to-do list, Dufu recommends using the theory of comparative advantage, a principle developed by the classical economist David Ricardo in 1817 to explain the benefits of free trade… The principle can be applied to our personal productivity, too.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Germany is playing a dangerous game on trade. It chronically overproduces and under-consumes, inflating pockets of debt and unemployment in the US, the UK, and the euro zone periphery.
Don’t blame globalization for economic inequality and social immobility. Governments around the world that lack vision and action are to blame.
Poor spelling is a political issue. Skirmishes over misspellings are driving polarized Americans even further apart.
Surprising discoveries
A British couple plans to wed via VR. The wedding will take place at a bar in Cardiff, but for the reception guests will be transported to a futuristic nightclub (paywall) through VR headsets.
A startup found a solution for robots’ awkward gait. Agility Robotics’ latest creation walks like an ostrich and can handle nearly any terrain.
Oracle has been suing Google for seven years. It’s now on its third appeal in a lawsuit accusing Google of stealing its code.
A World War II bomb forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of Greeks. The 550 lb (250 kg) bomb was unearthed in Thessaloniki during road work and was later defused.
You too can own Alexander Fleming’s original penicillin mold. Fleming was so generous with his mold medallions that an upcoming fungus auction is expected to hit only $5,000.
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