Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Donald Trump kicks off a pivotal international trip. The US president touches down on Friday in Saudi Arabia in the midst of a power struggle between two princes eying King Salman’s throne. Trump will also give a potentially fraught speech about Islam before continuing on to Israel, Rome, and meetings with NATO leaders in Brussels and the G7 in Sicily.
China and the Philippines talk about the South China Sea. Chinese president Xi Jinping and his Philippines counterpart Rodrigo Duterte are hoping to settle maritime disputes once and for all on Friday. The Philippines has grown wary of China’s expanded militarization in the sea, as two out of its nine islands are under direct threat.
Iranians elect a president. The 2015 nuclear deal with the West is hanging in the balance as incumbent Hassan Rouhani faces hardline challenger Ebrahim Raisi in Friday’s election. Rouhani leads slightly in the polls.
While you were sleeping
Roger Ailes passed away at the age of 77. The former political operative and Fox News chief was kicked out of his own network after a sexual harassment scandal last year, leaving with a $40 severence payment. The cause of death is unknown, but Ailes had recently been injured in a fall.
A driver struck at least 23 people in Times Square. One person died and at least 22 were injured when a car driving the wrong way ran onto the sidewalk and crashed in the bustling tourist destination. Authorities arrested the driver at the scene, and do not believe the incident was an act of terror.
Alibaba’s fourth quarter exceeded expectations. The Chinese e-commerce giant reported a Q4 profit of $1.4 billion, as it extracted more money from existing customers. Cloud revenue more than doubled, to $314 million.
Walmart finally mastered the internet. The brick-and-mortar chain scored a big boost in ecommerce sales when it implemented two-day shipping, boosting quarterly online sales by 63%. Shares rose to a 52-week high.
Brazil was shaken by another presidential scandal. Michel Temer was accused of obstruction of justice after a tape showed him encouraging hush money payoffs to corrupt legislators. Brazil’s stock market fell 10% amid calls for Temer’s impeachment, wiping out nearly all of the year’s gains.
Quartz obsession interlude
Keila Guimarães on the drug shortages that are bringing back old diseases. “Penicillin was one of the great achievements of modern medicine. … Over the years though, penicillin descended from a wonder drug used on everything to a cheap, old antibiotic that pharmaceutical companies decided was no longer worth their while to produce.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Brazil is going / from bad to worse. It looks like / It’s getting Real
Matters of debate
Roger Ailes is dead, but his damage to American democracy lives on. Trump regurgitates Fox News talking points almost every morning.
Are bombs or batteries a bigger threat to planes? Either way, officials agree that laptops on flights are dangerous.
Trump won’t say how he’ll improve on “the worst trade deal ever.” His “massive” plan for Nafta is notably short on details.
Surprising discoveries
Cancer drug price gouger Martin Shkreli is the subject of a musical. “PharmaBro: An American Douchical” is currently playing off-Broadway.
Nestle and Mondelez have spent years in court fighting over the shape of Kit Kat bars. Does candy design meet the threshold for trademark protection?
Radio waves have formed a protective bubble around the Earth. They shield us from solar flares and other “space weather.”
A Kentucky woman is being charged with Girl Scout cookie larceny. She absconded with $15,000 worth of Thin Mints and other confections.
An ancient contraceptive could create an alternative to birth control pills. It’s from a plant evocatively called “thunder god vine.”
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