Q-MHI Daily Brief ;

Good morning, Q-MHI readers!

WHAT TO WATCH FOR TODAY

A tense China-South Korea football match. Authorities are stepping up security for the World Cup qualifier in Changsha, China, providing police escorts for visiting South Korean fans. The two countries are in a heated standoff over the deployment of a US antimissile system in South Korea.

Brazil launches its first defense and communications satellite. It will beam broadband internet to remote parts of the country, while giving military and government personnel secure communications. Embraer subsidiary Visiona is behind the project, which will launch Thursday night from French Guiana.

Congress votes on Donald Trump’s health-care bill. Democrats and a range of Republicans have all come out against the pivotal legislation, which is designed to replace Obamacare. With 26 GOP representatives publicly refusing to vote “yes,” the bill seems unlikely to pass.

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

CNN dropped a bombshell. The network said it’s been told by unnamed US officials that the FBI has evidence that Trump associates “communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.” It warned the information is not conclusive.

Trump’s oldest son criticized London’s mayor hours after a terror attack. On Twitter he referenced an out-of-context quote (paywall) by Sadiq Khan, the city’s first Muslim mayor, from September. Yesterday (March 22) a terrorist killed four people and injured dozens in Westminster, London, before being shot and killed by security forces.

Major companies like Verizon and GSK pulled ads from YouTube. The fifth-largest US advertiser and world’s sixth-largest pharmaceutical company are among hundreds of brands protesting their ads appearing alongside extremist content.

A political scandal deepened in Japan. A school principal testified that Akie Abe, the prime minister’s wife, handed him an envelope with 1 million yen ($9,000) when she visited a kindergarten run by nationalist group Moritomo Gakuen. Parliament has been questioning how the group, which has students bow to portraits of the emperor, was able to buy publicly owned land for a fraction of its market value.

Q-MHI OBSESSION INTERLUDE

Dave Gershgorn on the crime-fighting software that scours itself for bias. “Predictive policing is being adopted across the country—despite being riddled with issues. These algorithms have been shown to disproportionately target minorities, and private companies won’t reveal how their software reached those conclusions.”

MARKETS HAIKU

Months without drama on Wall Street. Then came a plunge. It’s steady once more

MATTERS OF DEBATE

Don’t start your own business—manage someone else’s. Business managers rank higher than founders on happiness and job satisfaction.

Young geeks will save us from political attacks on science. A leading astronomer notes that being a nerd is now a compliment.

Donald Trump has a credibility problem. When his “Black Hawk Down” moment inevitably arrives, Americans won’t believe a word he says.

SURPRISING DISCOVERIES

Scientists figured out why tardigrades are indestructible. The microscopic creatures freeze-dry themselves in hostile conditions.

A pizza investment beat Silicon Valley. Since 2010, Domino’s shares have outperformed those of Apple, Facebook, Google, and Amazon

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Some nearby planets may be swapping life. Microbes may be joyriding on meteorites between the seven worlds of the TRAPPIST-1 solar system.

The NBA is addicted to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Teams can’t live without the seductive combination of sugar, salt, protein, carbs—and superstition.

An Irish betting site has hired a manager for unlikely Trump bets. Will the president make it to Mount Rushmore or announce the existence of aliens? Paddy Power will quote you odds.

Q-MHI