Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Congress wants backup for the claim that Obama bugged Trump. The House Intelligence Committee asked the White House to provide evidence by Monday to back up Donald Trump’s claim that Trump Tower was wiretapped by his predecessor before the November election.
The UK’s Article 50 goes before the House of Commons again. Lawmakers will debate and vote on amendments on the rights of overseas EU citizens in the UK. If they nix the changes, prime minister Theresa May could trigger Britain’s EU exit as soon as tomorrow.
Carlos the Jackal goes on trial once more. At one time the world’s most wanted terrorist, Illich Ramirez Sanchez from Venezuela is currently serving two life sentences for several killings. Monday’s trial in Paris could see Ramirez, 67, receive a third life sentence for a hand-grenade attack on a shopping centre in the city in 1974, which killed two people.
NATO releases its annual report. The alliance’s report will show how far member countries remain behind their defense spending target of 2% of GDP, a source of repeated criticism by the Trump administration. The US spent 3.6% of GDP on the military in 2016, according to NATO.
Over the weekend
Turkey’s president ignited a diplomatic spat with the Netherlands. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the Dutch “Nazi remnants” and threatened sanctions after officials in the Netherlands banned a rally in Rotterdam, aimed at drumming up support among Turkish expats for an April referendum that would expand the president’s power. His comments have been condemned by several EU leaders—he also accused Germany of “Nazism” for banning rallies in the country last week.
South Korea’s impeached president finally left office. Park Geun-hye departed the Blue House on Sunday, her motorcade flanked by supporters as she headed to her home in the posh Gangnam district of Seoul. She could face prosecution and jail time for the corruption scandal that led to her ouster.
Trump fired a high-profile US attorney. In November he assured Preet Bharara, who targeted corruption and insider trading while serving the Southern District of New York, that he could stay on. But last week he asked Bharara and 45 other US attorneys to resign. Bharara refused, and on Saturday tweeted he’d been fired.
Iceland is back in the game. The country announced Sunday it’s nixing most of its capital controls, effective Tuesday. Iceland has been struggling to clean up its economy since a 2008 banking collapse triggered its worst recession in over six decades. Business is now booming thanks in part to a rapidly growing tourism industry.
Narendra Modi’s party won a landslide victory in India’s most populous state. The Indian prime minister—and his reform mandate—received a major boost when final results released Saturday showed his Bharatiya Janata party won in Uttar Pradesh by an unexpectedly large margin. The win improves Modi’s chances of getting re-elected in 2019.
Quartz obsession interlude
Heather Timmons on why Trump’s health-care bill will be his first real test as salesman-in-chief. “[O]pposition is unrelenting. Retirees, doctors, hospitals, right-wing talking heads, conservatives Republicans, Tea Party Republicans, and even Trump campaign booster Breitbart have come out against the bill. They all want changes, but sometimes diametrically opposed ones.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
North Korea isn’t testing missiles, it’s preparing for war. Kim Jong-un’s missile strategy depends on using nuclear weapons before the US can kill him or special forces can find his weaponry.
It’s time to end daylight savings time. The practice of springing forward and falling back does little to decrease energy use or boost the economy—and it heightens the risk of car accidents and workplace injuries.
Trump wasn’t elected because of Obama’s economy, but it could help re-elect him. Obama’s slow-growth policies have culminated in more rapid wage increases that the current US president can capitalize on in 2020.
Surprising discoveries
An Australian surgeon farted into a petri dish for science. Karl Kruszelnicki wanted to know if farts can contaminate an operating room, only to discover that pants provide a formidable barrier.
The Titanic is disappearing before our very eyes. Bacteria eating away at the ship could turn it into nothing more than a rust stain at the bottom of the Atlantic.
Uganda’s youth are addicted to betting on English soccer. Increasing numbers of gambling students are dropping out of school and getting involved in crime.
Humpback whales used to be loners but now hang out in posses. Researchers found pods of up to 200 whales sharing a feast off the coast of South Africa—they typically dine alone in the polar Arctic.
Cardboard boxes are reducing sudden infant deaths in the US. Baby-box programs give babies a safe, decluttered place to sleep, and arm parents with knowledge on safe sleeping habits.
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