Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
EU lawmakers vote on whether to reintroduce visa requirements for US citizens. People from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland, and Romania still need visas to visit the US—a decade or more after these countries joined the EU. A resolution calls on the European Commission to reimpose the requirements on Americans until the matter is resolved.
Snap’s IPO. Shares in the loss-making tech startup will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange, in one of the biggest tech offerings in years. The company has reportedly priced 200 million shares at $17 each, exceeding expectations and raising $3.4 billion at a $24 billion valuation.
Gazprom’s Hong Kong charm offensive. Russia’s state-controlled giant is meeting with investors to talk about its plans to send more natural gas to China across the vast Sino-Russian border.
While you were sleeping
Meetings between Jeff Sessions and Russian officials came to light. The US attorney general had meetings with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, the Washington Post reported, last September, at the height of what intelligence officials say was a Russian cyber campaign to alter the US presidential race. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi called for Sessions to resign.
Researchers found the oldest evidence of life on Earth. If there’s a book of life, this might be the first page: microfossils of bacteria that lived in hydrothermal vents. They could be up to 4.3 billion years old—a mere 200 million years younger than the planet itself.
Lyft pitched investors on a new funding round. The Uber rival wants to raise at least $500 million, which would value the ride-hailing service at up to $7 billion. The cash infusion could help it seize the moment as Uber contends with image problems involving its treatment of drivers and female executives.
McDonald’s said deliveries are key to growth. The fast food giant has suffered from years of declining traffic to its restaurants. It’s working with firms including Uber and Postmates to get Big Macs directly to its customers.
Quartz obsession interlude
Chase Purdy on the poultry industry’s second thoughts about fast-growing chicken. “Food companies are signaling they want to [change] the process to make life easier for the chickens and to also make their meat taste better. Doing so, though, requires scientists dive into and tinker with chicken genetics to create a new, slower-growing model of bird. That fundamentally changes what winds up on dinner plates.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Wall Street feels frisky
After a rousing speech. Are
Cold showers needed?
Matters of debate
Young people think all news is biased. They’ve learned to verify information through multiple sources.
Is social media a civil right? The US Supreme Court is considering a case about a sex offender banned from Facebook.
Will a rapper ever win a Nobel Prize for Literature? It may take a few generations before hip-hop is considered to be part of the literary canon.
Surprising discoveries
Gray squirrels in Britain are being baited with Nutella. Conservationists are lacing the gooey treat with contraceptives to curb the invasive species.
Lego’s new heroes are the women of NASA. The toymaker’s new mini-figures are based on scientists, engineers, and astronauts.
Public pools contain up to 75 liters (20 gallons) of urine. Don’t worry, swimmers! Hotel jacuzzis are far, far worse.
A Gambian dishwasher is the new co-owner of Noma. Ali Sonko is “the heart and soul” of the famed Copenhagen restaurant.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Big Macs, and pool chemicals to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.