US-North Korea meeting, Tesla cuts, artificial meteor showers

North Korea’s top negotiator meets Mike Pompeo. Kim Yong Chol, carrying a letter for Donald Trump from Kim Jong Un, is in Washington to hash out the details of a possible second summit between the two leaders. Diplomats say Trump could announce the summit (paywall) as soon as today. Vietnam said it was “willing” to host any potential meeting. [Quartz Daily Brief]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today and over the weekend North Korea’s top negotiator meets Mike Pompeo. Kim Yong Chol, carrying a letter for Donald Trump from Kim Jong Un, is in Washington to hash out the details of a possible second summit between the two leaders. Diplomats say Trump could[announce the summit]( (paywall) as soon as today. Vietnam said it was “[willing” to host]( any potential meeting. Canada’s ambassador to China briefs parliament on detained citizens. In a closed-door meeting today, John McCallum will appear before a[House of Commons committee]( to answer questions about efforts to secure the release of two nationals who’ve been detained in China. The detentions are widely seen as retaliation by Beijing after Canadian authorities arrested Huawei’s chief financial officer last month. A “super blood wolf moon” eclipse in the sky. North and South America will get the best view of[Sunday night’s lunar event]( but Europe and Africa might be able to catch a glimpse, depending on the weather. The next total lunar eclipse won’t occur until 2021. US consumer sentiment could cool. After healthy numbers during the holiday season, preliminary consumer confidence data for January are [expected to dip]( (paywall), as consumers factor in the government shutdown and [other economic uncertainties](. The Federal Reserve will also release December industrial-production data, with a modest gain expected. Sponsor content by Workplace by Facebook Keeping a global workforce connected isn’t easy. For Virgin Atlantic, which has 10,000 employees worldwide, communication was a major challenge. By adopting Workplace by Facebook they have streamlined how employees connect and collaborate. [Learn more.]( While you were sleeping Trade talk buoyed Asian markets. Asian markets [rose]( after the Wall Street Journal reported that Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin had proposed [rolling back trade penalties]( (paywall) to help foster negotiations with China and calm nervous markets. Pressure is mounting ahead of a March 1 US deadline for a [finalized trade deal]( though the White House says a it is “[nowhere near completion]( Tesla announced layoffs and recalls. The US electric car company will cut its [fulltime workforce by 7%]( (paywall) in order to trim costs and sell its Model 3 sedan at a cheaper price. China’s top regulator also said Friday that Tesla will also [recall 14,000 Model S]( cars over faulty airbags, part of a wider problem with Takata-made airbags also affecting Toyota and Ford. Malaysia blasted Goldman Sachs. The country’s finance minister said [an apology]( by the investment bank [wasn’t enough]( for its role in the alleged multibillion dollar plundering of state investment fund 1MDB. Malaysia previously filed criminal charges against Goldman for making false statements to investors, and authorities said they could drop the charges if the bank pays $7.5 billion in damages. Nearly 1,000 Central American migrants entered Mexico. A[caravan of people]( from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua registered with authorities after crossing the country’s southern border, with about 700 people still waiting to enter. Those who meet the requirements will be issued humanitarian visas that will allow them to work in Mexico or continue their journey to the US border. Four Audi officials were indicted in an emissions-cheating scandal. The employees of the Volkswagen subsidiary were charged with conspiracy to defraud the US, commit wire fraud, and violate the Clean Air Act. Each charge is [punishable by up to 20 years in prison](. Sweden’s prime minister won a second term. The country’s parliament [voted in]( Stefan Löfven, who was ousted in September after losing a confidence vote. The former union leader made a shift to the right with promises of tax cuts and deregulation in order to secure his reelection and end months of political deadlock. Japan launched plans for a “shooting-stars-on-demand” service. A Tokyo start-up [launched a micro-satellite into space]( that can release tiny glowing balls into the atmosphere for a total of 20-30 artificial meteor shows. Scientists hope to showcase the experiment with a celestial show over Hiroshima early next year. Quartz obsession interlude Air traffic controllers are hired for their ability to work under pressure. But with the US government shutdown dragging on, an already super stressful job has gotten more so. Take a closer look at the hidden heroes who make air travel possible in the [Quartz Obsession](. Quartz Membership Duncan Clark, earlier an investment banker with Morgan Stanley, advised Alibaba in its early days. It’s now a $400 billion company, with an empire that spans far beyond e-commerce. Clark himself has a ringside view of how Alibaba is battling its competitors, and [talks to Quartz’s Tripti Lahiri]( in an exclusive interview for members. [Sign up now for a free 30-day trial](. Matters of debate [Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!]( A deadly ISIS attack shows the US has no Syria strategy. Though the group no longer controls major cities, its fighters are [still engaging in an effective insurgency](. Jack Dorsey has no clue what he wants. The Twitter CEO doesn’t seem to have a [grasp of the platform’s problems]( and how to fix them. It’s easy for open secrets to flourish at companies. As knowledge of problems spread, [employees become bystanders]( who hope their colleagues will speak up instead. Quartz announcement The United States government pushes immigrant families toward self-deportation. In this week’s episode of [Quartz News]( Preeti Varathan speaks with Indian women in the US about the H1-B visa program’s constraints on spouses and anti-immigration groups’ efforts to discourage families from staying in the US. Surprising discoveries Saturn’s rings haven’t always been there. Scientists now believe the rings of the 4.5 billion-year-old planet formed less than[100 million years ago](. Netflix is terrified of Fortnite. In a[letter to shareholders]( the streaming service cited the game as a bigger risk than obvious rivals like Hulu and HBO. Lego is a better investment than gold. The toys’ small size and high resale value give collectors an [impressive return on investment]( (paywall). A Japanese robot hotel fired its robots. Outdated tech and glitches made the robots[extremely annoying]( (paywall) to human guests. Naked holy men have become a visitor attraction in India. The dreadlocked Naga sadhus are [drawing huge crowds]( at Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious festival. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, robot resumes, and company secrets 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 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. 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