Uber’s IPO plans, Kim slams the US, royal cheese

Better-than-expected US GDP numbers. Despite lingering recession concerns and crushing middle-class tax penalties, a strong job market could push America anywhere from 2.1% to 2.8% annualized growth for the quarter. [Quartz Daily Brief]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today and over the weekend Better-than-expected US GDP numbers. Despite lingering recession concerns and crushing middle-class tax penalties, a strong job market could push America anywhere from [2.1% to 2.8%]( annualized growth for the quarter. Uber reveals terms for its initial public offering. The ride-sharing giant is reportedly seeking a valuation of [between $80 and $90 billion]( down from its target of $120 billion, in a reflection of its smaller rival Lyft’s poor performance following its listing last month. Big oil reports. Chevron and Exxon are expected to post [a drop in first quarter earnings]( today, due to lower oil prices and tighter refinery margins hitting businesses across the sector. Meanwhile, American Airlines is due for a [bumpy earnings release]( over the costs of the global grounding of Boeing 737 Max 8s. Trump skips a night of jokes. The US president will once again boycott [the White House Correspondents Dinner]( attending a campaign rally in Wisconsin instead. The annual event invites a sitting president to deliver a usually self-mocking speech; 2016’s saw [Obama famously roast Trump]( over the birther conspiracy. Spain heads to the polls. The polarized country will hold its third general election in four years in what will be the [most tightly contested vote]( in decades. Prime minister Pedro Sánchez called the snap poll in February after right-wing parties and separatist Catalan parties rejected his 2019 budget. Sponsor content by Harvard Business School Customer demands are changing. Is your sales force keeping pace? To sell the right products at the right time through the right channels, managers need to stay agile. This hands-on HBS program helps sales leaders make the most of client networks and go-to-market strategies. [Learn how to grow smarter.]( While you were sleeping Kim Jong Un blamed the US for the diplomatic impasse. At his first summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the far eastern port city of Vladivostok, North Korea’s leader [said the US]( acted in bad faith at recent talks in Vietnam. Kim added that he hoped to usher in a “new heyday” in Pyongyang-Moscow ties. Central American migrants escaped detention in Mexico. More than 1,000 people [escaped an over-crowded facility]( in southern Mexico overnight, with half later returning. Mexico has sent back 15,000 US-bound migrants in the past month under pressure from the Trump administration. Separately, a US judge ruled the administration has [six months to identify migrants]( separated from their families at the US-Mexico border. A morning of mixed earnings. Sony reported a second consecutive year of [record annual profits]( driven by a strong performance in games and entertainment, while [withdrawing some profit targets]( (paywall) for the year. Other results today saw some happy ([AstraZeneca]( some sad ([Daimler]( [WPP]( [Deutsche Bank]( and some circumspect ([Pearson]( and [Total](. Renault suggested a reset. Reuters reported that the French automaker will [propose a joint holding company]( with partner Nissan, designed to put the companies on a more equal footing. The alliance has been strained since Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn’s arrest in Tokyo last year. Myanmar made a show of pardons. The government [began releasing]( about 7,000 prisoners today, adding to the 9,000 pardoned earlier this month, largely for drug-related offenses. The release includes two political prisoners, but does not include two Reuters journalists [sentenced to seven years]( for covering the plight of minority Rohingya Muslims in the country. Membership Genetics promised us personalized medicine. Twenty years after sequencing the human genome, though, the most accessible reads on our DNA aren’t from our physicians, but from large corporations that sell direct-to-consumer genetic tests. See what you missed in this week’s [field guide on gene readers](. Quartz Obsession Tom’s Restaurant: The Seinfeld coffee shop that begot the MP3. The stand-in for the sitcom’s café is the subject of Suzanne Vega’s hit “Tom’s Diner,” which was used to tune the music compression algorithm for the human voice. Just above the shop, the term “black holes” was coined. That’s a lot of history for a humble eatery. [Join us for a cup at the Quartz Obsession](. Matters of debate [Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!]( Automation and globalization exacerbate inequality. The two forces can strain social tensions[to breaking point](. Thanos isn’t good at math. Physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson questions the Marvel supervillain’s [universe-devastating logic](. We should parent like an economist. A [data-centric child-rearing approach]( is a lot less stressful. Surprising discoveries The world’s second-largest diamond is mediocre. The 1,758-carat, tennis-ball-esque stone is [variable in quality]( (paywall) and unlikely to fetch a record-breaking price. The royal baby gets its own cheese. The “vibrant orange” [Westminster Royal Mark red cheddar]( celebrates Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s forthcoming bundle of joy. A Clockwork Orange may have a sequel. The [200-page manuscript]( of A Clockwork Condition was discovered in author Anthony Burgess’s archives. The best day to get married is a Tuesday in January. Pricey weddings may set marriages up for failure, so consider the [least popular day-month combination](. Japan is going on holiday to celebrate a new age. The unprecedented 10-day vacation to celebrate the country’s new emperor has [some investors rattled](. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, manuscript discoveries, and ugly diamonds 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. To unsubscribe from the Quartz Daily Brief, [click here](.