Korean intrigue, Bezos space plan, school for grandmothers

Good morning, Quartz readers!

What to watch for today

Rod Rosenstein faces his confirmation hearing. He’s poised to become the US Justice Department’s second-in-command, meaning he’d control the investigation into possible Russian meddling in the presidential election. Department head Jeff Sessions recused himself after failing to disclose his September meetings with Russia’s ambassador.

Jeff Bezos reveals his space exploration plans. The Amazon CEO, who also founded the space company Blue Origin, is expected to talk about (paywall) reusable rockets that will take tourists to suborbital heights, and eventually into orbit and beyond. Blue Origin has also proposed to NASA a shipping service to the moon.

The US releases trade data. January figures are expected to show the nation’s trade deficit expanded to $48.5 billion, up from $44.3 billion in December. That would be one of the widest deficits in five years.

While you were sleeping

Work on the THAAD antimissile system got started in South Korea… That began a day of intrigue on the Korean peninsula. The defense shield promises to thwart missile attacks from North Korea, which practiced launching missiles at American bases in Japan yesterday. It could be operational as early as April, months sooner than expected.

…While Seoul said it’s ready to actively consider filing a WTO complaint against China… It argues Beijing is retaliating against THAAD—fearing it could defang China’s own weaponry—by hurting South Korean companies trying to do business within its borders.

…And North Korea banned Malaysians from leaving its borders. Pyongyang is upset over Malaysia’s investigation into the murder of Kim Jong-nam—the half-brother of leader Kim Jong-un—at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Malaysia sealed off the North Korean embassy, saying a number of officials were wanted for questioning.

An EU court ruled member states don’t have to issue humanitarian entry visas. It said they could still grant such visas—given to people at risk of torture or inhumane treatment—under national law, but they are not required to by EU law. The European Court of Justice’s decision went against advice from its advocate general.

China reported a surprise increase in foreign exchange reserves. They dropped below $3 trillion in January for the first time in nearly six years, and they were expected to drop further in February. Instead they inched back over the $3 trillion mark—the first rise since last June—as a regulatory crackdown and weakness in the dollar helped staunch capital outflows.

Quartz obsession interlude

Hanna Kozlowska on America’s mass incarceration crisis: “The story goes like this: The US prison population is ballooning because the ‘War on Drugs’ needlessly put countless drug offenders behind bars; non-violent felons are getting egregiously long sentences; [and] private prisons are a cancer on the system. But criminologist and law professor John Pfaff thinks… the ‘Standard Story’ of mass incarceration gets many things wrong.” Read more here.

Matters of debate

Bill Gates’ proposal to tax robots is a bad one. Trying to offset jobs lost to technology will squeeze out many benefits and stifle innovation.

“Artificial intelligence” doesn’t mean anything anymore. Most systems aren’t sentient; they’re just software.

A US “Day Without a Woman” strike is tainted by privilege. Most women cannot afford to opt out of work, as organizers have urged.

Surprising discoveries

A Basque startup got in trouble for selling neon blue wine. It’s not one of the approved colors (paywall) under EU oenological regulations.

Mercedes is making the world’s most expensive SUV. The Maybach G-Class 650 will cost a bracing $500,000.

India has a school just for grandmothers. They learn reading and math while donning bright pink fuchsia sarees.

A chatbot lawyer is now helping refugees… The software that overturned 160,000 parking tickets now files asylum applications.

…And MIT’s new robot can read your thoughts. It blushes when you think it made a mistake.

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