China’s GDP target, Four Republicans remain, sleep-deprived munchies
Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
US jobs day. Analysts predict the economy added 195,000 jobs in February, and that the jobless rate held steady at an eight-year low of 4.9 percent. The Labor Department release is scheduled for Friday at 8:30am ET (9:30pm HK).
China’s Communist Party pageant continues. Premier Li Keqiang will lay out the annual budget and official GDP target on Saturday at the opening of the National People’s Congress. The annual plenary session begins at 9am local time and runs through March 16.
And then there were four Republicans. Ben Carson is pretty much out of the race, leaving Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich on stage at the Fox News debate in Detroit at 9pm ET (10am HK). Trump is likely to continue his feud with Fox News host Megyn Kelly.
While you were sleeping
Europe told migrants to abandon all hope. European Council President Donald Tusk told people seeking better economic prospects that their journey to Europe would be “all for nothing.” Meanwhile, residents of the refugee camp in Calais sewed their lips shut in a hunger strike, protesting the camp’s imminent demolition.
AT&T—a frequent NSA collaborator—backed Apple against the FBI. The telecom giant filed an amicus brief in support of Apple’s refusal to write custom software to help the Feds access a terrorist’s iPhone. Google, Facebook, and Twitter and other tech firms are also backing Apple.
Mitt Romney blasted Donald Trump as a fraud. The former presidential candidate called on his fellow Republicans not to nominate the Republican frontrunner, calling him a “conman, a fake.” Trump shot back by saying Romney “begged” for his endorsement in 2012.
Yahoo has a new plan to save itself. The floundering internet firm is considering selling off up to $3 billion in “non-core” assets such as patents and real estate, as an alternative to spinning off its core business, or selling it altogether under pressure from investors. Time and Verizon are among the potential buyers.
A US soccer star is donating her brain to study the effects of concussions. Brandi Chastain, who scored the winning goal in the 1999 World Cup final, said her brain will go to researchers studying the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The degenerative brain disease is commonly found in male football players and boxers.
Quartz obsession interlude
Joon Ian Wong on an easy method to break into millions of iPhones. “It’s a black box that connects to an iPhone and systematically runs through every possible PIN combination to unlock it. This method of hacking, called ‘brute forcing,’ is why Apple added an option for users to erase a phone’s data after 10 failed password attempts.” Read more here.
Quartz markets haiku
Nothing to see here
Matters of debate
Donald Trump could be the first American dictator. Constitutional law and political institutions might not protect the United States from authoritarianism.
Latin America might be turning a corner. Protests and progress against corruption could help the continent shed its legacy of weak institutions.
Restaurant checks should be divided according to privilege. A new app called EquiTable adjusts bills by gender and racial income differentials.
Surprising discoveries
Bird poop shut down a New York nuclear power plant. It created an electrical disturbance on transmission lines.
Human traffickers are using RFID tags to track their victims. They’re similar to the ones that pet owners use.
Sleep deprivation can give you the munchies. It acts on some of the same parts of the brain as marijuana.
Some fearless teenage girls in Pakistan are taking up boxing. They demanded to learn how to defend themselves.
Americans in Cuba aren’t allowed to go to the beach. But a presidential visit to Havana is getting some US visitors tantalizingly close.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Cuban beach tips, and midnight munchies to [email protected]. And download our new iPhone app for news throughout the day.