Trump’s border wall pitch, CES switches on, Apple’s salty slogan

Donald Trump makes a public pitch for a border wall. The president will deliver a prime-time address at 9pm ET appealing directly to the American people in favor of a multibillion-dollar wall along the border with Mexico. Democrats have refused to fund the construction, a dispute that has led to a partial government shutdown now in its 18th day. [Quartz Daily Brief]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today Donald Trump makes a public pitch for a border wall. The president will deliver a prime-time address at 9pm ET [appealing directly]( to the American people in favor of a multibillion-dollar wall along the border with Mexico. Democrats have refused to fund the construction, a dispute that has led to a partial government shutdown now in its 18th day. Europe and the US hold trade talks. EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom[will meet]( US trade representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington. In July, Trump agreed[not to impose a threatened 25% tariff]( on European cars and both sides committed to work on reducing tariffs and other barriers to trade for industrial goods. John Bolton seeks a pledge from Turkey. The US national security adviser said plans to withdraw American troops from Syria are contingent on[Turkey committing not to attack]( Syrian Kurdish forces across the border. He’s meeting today with[Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan]( (paywall), who sees Syrian Kurdish fighters as allies of separatists within Turkey. Nationwide strikes in India. Ten trade unions are starting[a two-day strike]( against the economic and labor policies of Narendra Modi’s government.[Tens of millions]( are expected to participate, including farmers, bank employees, and industry workers. A slew of CES gadgets. Highlights from this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas so far include a fix for the iPhone’s[biggest problem]( TV[upgrades]( and plenty of[smart doorbells](. The US government [is AWOL]( at CES due to the partial shutdown. Sponsor content by Accenture Businesses that provide value and relevance to consumers will win in 2019. Facing an explosion of digital clutter after two decades of technology growth and innovation, people and businesses are rethinking what they really want. With help from Accenture insights, apply relevant trends and technologies from CES to effectively put [human value back at the center of innovation](. While you were sleeping Kim Jong Un visited China again. The North Korean leader’s[specially outfitted train]( was spotted crossing China’s border on Monday. China said that Kim—who is also apparently[celebrating his unconfirmed birthday]( on a four-day visit during which he will meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping. The visit comes as North Korea’s denuclearization negotiations with the US have stalled, though Trump is considering[a second meeting]( with Kim. Carlos Ghosn appeared in a Tokyo court. The former Nissan chairman made his first public appearance since being arrested in November.[Looking thinner and wearing plastic slippers]( (subscription), Ghosn, who was charged last month with financial misconduct, read out a[prepared statement]( and rejected the idea he hid tens of millions of dollars in compensation. Samsung’s profit plunged. The world’s largest phone-maker said its fourth-quarter operating profit will decline by 29%, amid [weak chip sales](. The news comes a week after Apple [cut its quarterly sales forecast]( sparking global market jitters. Heathrow could get a whole lot busier. Europe’s busiest airport is [looking to add]( 25,000 new flights a year by 2022, even before a third runway is set to open in 2026. The change would see existing runways used for both take-offs and landings, instead of the current practice of splitting up comings and goings. The added flights would push London’s Heathrow 5% above its capacity. California’s PG&E was cut to “junk.” S&P [lowered the rating]( on the utility’s bonds amid regulatory pressure and billions in insurance claims from wildfires that raged in California in 2017 and 2018. Facing huge potential liabilities if its equipment is found to have played a role in the blazes, PG&E is reportedly considering filing for bankruptcy protection. Quartz obsession interlude Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: The science of stayin’ alive. “Annie, are you OK?” CPR is a simple way to save a life that didn’t come together until the 1960s. Chest compressions, the most basic part of CPR, were only discovered by accident. And even if you think you know CPR, you probably need a refresher. Press on with today’s[Quartz Obsession email](. Matters of debate [Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!]( US millennials burn out at an early age. It’s not hard when your[job has no downtime](. There’s nothing unusual about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “soak the rich” plan. Americans used to have very high taxes on the rich,[and it worked fine](. Consumers don’t care about tech giants’ patent wars. It makes sense for Apple to put[iTunes on Samsung TVs](. Quartz Membership Goldman Sachs is arguably Wall Street’s most prestigious firm, operating for decades in a quiet golden glow. But since the financial crisis in 2008—when it gained the dubious moniker of “vampire squid”—it has faced a range of intense business, legal, and political challenges. How Goldman fares will say as much about the future of the firm as for Wall Street itself. This week, Quartz members get exclusive access to[a new report]( on what’s next for Goldman, which marks its 150th anniversary this year. You can[sign up here]( for a 30-day free trial. Surprising discoveries Preliterate children are texting using emoji. And their[usage patterns]( (subscription) are extremely unique. Apple’s new privacy ad is based on a problematic phrase. “[What happens in X, stays in X]( has long been favored by philanders. The Milky Way is due for a cataclysmic collision. In about 2 billion years, a run-in with the Large Magellanic Cloud could[restart our galaxy’s dormant black hole](. France’s naked restaurant is closing. The growing popularity of naturism didn’t translate into enough reservations at O’Naturel, so the Parisian restaurant [will close its doors]( in February, 15 months after opening. A lost Leonardo painting may have been a money-laundering scam. Both the seller and buyer are being[investigated by US special counsel Robert Mueller](. Correction: Yesterday, we said that Congressional Democrats had refused to grant Trump’s request for $5.6 million to build a border wall. Although Democrats seem unwilling to approve even that much, the correct figure is $5.6 billion. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, discounted tech stocks, and lost paintings 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 edited by Jason Karaian. 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](.