Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Donald Trump meets with US state governors. The discussion is expected to focus on key infrastructure projects. Ever since Trump made “rebuilding America” a key campaign promise, governors have been drafting wish lists of big ticket projects. Expect billion dollar price tags.
What’s next after the smartphone? Technologists gather for the World Mobile Congress opening in Barcelona, Spain. Absent this year will be Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai, who have set the agenda in years past.
La La Land is expected to sweep the Oscars. With 14 nominations, (paywall) it ties All About Eve and Titanic for the most ever. Expect political speeches from Hollywood but no tweets from Trump, who will be hosting the annual Governors Ball in Washington DC.
Over the weekend
Australia and Indonesia agreed to restore their military partnership. A dispute had arisen after Indonesian officials discovered Australian military training documents they claimed were “insulting.”
A new poll said Emmanuel Macron would win the French presidency in a runoff. The independent would defeat far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, who many have compared to Donald Trump.
Warren Buffett sent his annual letter to shareholders. Along with more prosaic investment suggestions, he offered advice on how to leverage fear.
Thomas Perez was elected chair of the US Democratic National Committee. His victory was seen as a blow to liberals who had supported Bernie Sanders.
Trump announced he will boycott the US White House Correspondents’ annual dinner in April. He will be the first president to skip the event since Ronald Reagan, who phoned in remarks from Camp David where was recovering from being shot.
Quartz obsession interlude
Ephrat Livni on how our tech-dependent lifestyles can be threatened by something as ordinary as a heavy rain: “Now my awesome gig writing from home has turned into a challenge of its own—how to be a professional despite technological difficulties, and without the comforts that help to keep me organized and civilized.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The US could lose the second Cold War. Russia’s cyber-espionage has been remarkably successful.
Donald Trump’s policies will only further enrich the 1%. But his rhetoric is fine-tuned to make the rest of America feel taken care of.
Artificial intelligence could be more dangerous than nuclear weapons. We’re completely unprepared for the societal changes that are coming.
Surprising discoveries
Ballet dancers spin clockwise, gymnasts counter-clockwise. It isn’t clear why.
Drones cause elk to stampede. A drone operator, who was attempting to take photograph the animals, received a $280 fine for “harassing” the elk.
The US military is using robots to decommission WWII-era bombs. All 780,000 of them.
The Taliban is upset about deforestation. They are urging Afghans to plant more trees.
Bees can be trained to roll a ball into a goal. And they can teach their friends.
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