US jobs report, Pelosi’s return, “Januhairy” kicks off

December’s US jobs report. Unemployment is expected to either match or drop below November’s level of 3.7% (subscription), maintaining a historic low. The labor department is expected to report roughly 176,000 jobs added by employers last month, accompanied, however, by meager wage growth. [Quartz Daily Brief]( Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today and over the weekend December’s US jobs report. Unemployment is expected to either match or drop below[November’s level of 3.7%]( (subscription), maintaining a historic low. The labor department is expected to report roughly[176,000 jobs]( added by employers last month, accompanied, however, by meager wage growth. Donald Trump meets lawmakers to discuss the partial government shutdown. The president invited congressional leaders, including newly returned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, back [for talks]( to try to break the impasse over border wall funding. The House [passed]( (subscription) a spending bill yesterday which, without money for the wall, was seen as dead-on-arrival. Election updates from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The government[cut internet connections and SMS services]( across the country earlier this week as both the opposition and ruling coalitions claimed victory. Preliminary results on who will replace Joseph Kabila, who is stepping down after 17 years,[are expected over the weekend]( but[could be delayed](. Hollywood’s awards-season kicks off. Sunday’s [76th Golden Globes awards]( will be hosted by comedian Andy Samberg and actress Sandra Oh. The Dick Cheney biopic Vice leads the pack with six nominations, but the unpredictable awards could see A Star is Born, starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, snag the most prizes. While you were sleeping China announced trade talks. Representatives will [meet in Beijing]( on Monday for two days of discussions on tariffs that have threatened to derail the global economy. It will be the first [face-to-face meeting]( between the countries since an earlier agreement not to impose new tariffs for 90 days. Global stock markets [surged]( after the announcement. Most Tories said they prefer a no-deal Brexit. A[poll conducted]( by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council found that 57% of Conservative Party members would rather leave the European Union without a deal than support Theresa May’s Brexit plan. The UK parliament will vote on the deal the week of Jan. 14. Huawei got touchy about iPhones. The Chinese phone maker reportedly [demoted two employees]( (subscription) and slashed their wages for tweeting New Year’s messages using iPhones. Huawei, which surpassed Apple in August as the world’s second-largest smartphone brand, is sparring with the US over the arrest of its [CFO Meng Wanzhou]( last month. Pabuk struck Thailand’s east coast. Winds reaching up to 42 miles (70km) per hour [battered]( the Nakhon Si Thammarat province on Friday. Heavy rains and flash floods are expected in the nearby tourist island hotspots of Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Phangan. Meteorologists fear it will be the worst storm in Thailand since a 1989 typhoon killed hundreds. Turkey goes after yet more Gulenists. Police [launched]( nationwide raids to arrest about 150 people, including army officers. Ankara has launched a [sweeping crackdown]( since a failed 2016 coup attempt, which it blames Fethullah Gülen for orchestrating, a charge the US-based cleric denies. Tens of thousands have been arrested since. Quartz obsession interlude Moon rocks are famously hard to track. Many of the specimens US president Richard Nixon distributed around the world as goodwill tokens ended up lost, stolen, or listed on the black market. One Texas lawyer has made it his mission to recover them.[Read more in today’s Quartz Obsession.]( Matters of debate [Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!]( Beardliness is next to godliness. A Victorian lecture [makes the argument]( for facial hair as the “true standard of masculine beauty.” Gout is back as a sign of affluence. As wellness goes mainstream, the upper class has moved back to[splurging on rich food](. Companies under-prioritize human lives. Employee health is[continually under siege]( by workplace practices, and it’s only getting worse. Quartz Membership We’re going back to the moon, and you need to know why. If a government or entrepreneur wanted to, say, mine for certain lunar minerals, or set up communication or scientific arrays in spots that were extremely limited in number on the lunar surface, it would effectively prevent others from doing the same. We could see something akin to the gold rush, hundreds of thousands of miles in space.[Learn more vital facts about our lunar future.]( Surprising discoveries Flat-screen TVs are washing up on Dutch coasts. Treasure hunters are[reaping the bounty]( after almost 300 shipping containers fell off a cargo ship. Monk robes make great activewear. After Japanese police told a monk his traditional wear was unsafe for driving,[examples of monks performing agile feats]( have flooded the internet. Half of all cars sold in Norway last year were electric. The country is making great time on its journey to[end all gas-powered car sales by 2025](. Marc Jacobs picked the wrong band to rip off. Iconic rock band Nirvana is suing the designer for using late frontman Kurt Cobain’s [iconic smiley drawing]( in its grunge revival line. Women are kicking off “Januhairy.” A new [campaign]( is urging women to embrace their natural body hair and raise money for charity along the way. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, monk clothes, and Nirvana swag to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by[downloading our app]( and[becoming a member](. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Adam Rasmi and John Detrixhe, and edited by Jackie Bischof. Enjoying the Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here to sign up.]( If you click a link to an e-commerce site and make a purchase, we may receive a small cut of the revenue, which helps support our ambitious journalism. See [here]( for more information. To unsubscribe from the Quartz Daily Brief, [click here](.