Sondland speaks, Dems debate, Hitler’s house

Gordon Sondland testifies in the impeachment inquiry. The US ambassador to the EU takes the stand in week two of the public hearings. Other witnesses have said that Sondland worked at president Trump’s direction to push Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden. [Quartz Daily Brief]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today Gordon Sondland testifies in the impeachment inquiry. The US ambassador to the EU takes the stand in week two of the public hearings. Other witnesses have said that Sondland worked at president Trump’s direction to [push Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden](. The Democrats hold their fifth presidential primary debate. Ten candidates will take the stage in Atlanta tonight. [Pete Buttigieg]( has gained momentum [in some Iowa polls]( while Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren continue to [lead polls]( elsewhere. Justin Trudeau unveils his cabinet. [A shakeup is expected]( as the Candian prime minister navigates his new minority government after losing a number of seats in October’s election. Sponsor content by Bank of America Digital disruption means change for tomorrow’s treasury. The rapid evolution of technology creates a set of problems and opportunities for the finance function. [Here are 8 trends]( that are driving opportunity, making business easier, and enabling a more intelligent treasury. While you were sleeping Twitter accused the UK’s Conservative Party of misleading the public. The party [changed its Twitter handle]( from CCHQpress to factcheckUK during the first televised debate between prime minister Boris Johnson and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn. Israel struck dozens of Iranian targets in Syria. The Israeli [military said]( it hit surface-to-air missiles, weapons warehouses, and military bases belonging to Iran’s Quds force, in response to rocket attacks yesterday. A former British official said he was tortured in China.| Simon Cheng, who was detained in China for two weeks in August while working at the UK’s Hong Kong consulate, says he was beaten and forced to sign a confession. “I was [shackled, blindfolded and hooded]( he said. The UK has summoned the Chinese ambassador. Social media companies should be treated as publishers, Australia’s attorney general said. Christian Porter called for platforms like Facebook and Twitter to be held to the [same regulatory standards as media companies](. José Mourinho is the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur.| The [Portuguese coach]( replaces Argentine Mauricio Pochettino at the English Premier League club, and will attempt to galvanize players who have refused to sign contracts, in a stadium that was millions of dollars over budget. Quartz Membership Sign up for your [free trial](. ETFs didn’t democratize finance. Could they? Over a third of Americans spent more on coffee last year than they invested. Getting people without much money to invest small amounts for their own good is very difficult. If there were any investment product that could solve the problem, it should be the exchange-traded fund. It hasn’t happened yet, but there are a [couple of things]( that could help. Quartz Obsession The black turtleneck is more than a fashion staple. The simple sartorial choice spans generations, exuding sophistication, humility, and intelligence. Activists from Angela Davis to Gloria Steinem and creatives from Andy Warhol to Steve Jobs have pulled off the no-fuss look—making it a rare piece that defies fashion trends. [Keep it simple with the Quartz Obsession](. Matters of Debate The Hong Kong protests are a lesson to the rest of the world. Largely leaderless, but committed to unity, the movement is both [effective and resilient](. Flying is globally beneficial. Tourism [drives a lot of the world’s efforts]( surrounding ecological preservation. We must regulate the Arctic cruise industry. But the [political complexity of the region]( makes it notoriously hard to govern tourism practices there. Message from our Partner Russia’s Retro Lenin Museum. Lenin Museum in Gorki Leninskiye, located 20 miles south of Moscow, doesn’t look hi-tech even by 1980s standards. And virtually no changes have been made since it opened. In fact, the same technology that was secretly imported to power it—Apple II computers—is still used today. [Read more from Atlas Obscura.]( Surprising discoveries Babies cry in different languages. By the [third trimester]( a fetus can hear the cadence and melody of its mother’s voice, known as “prosody.” A dog named Bear rescued koalas in Australia. The obsessive compulsive dog, abandoned as a puppy, now helps to [find and save animals]( injured in the country’s devastating wildfires. South Korea regulators monitor porn round the clock. They’re part of a [new digital sex crime monitoring unit]( that searches for and removes sexual videos posted without consent. Austria is turning Adolf Hitler’s birthplace into a police station. There was a long [legal battle]( with the family that owned the yellow corner house for nearly a century. The brain is the most resilient organ in the human body. As brains age and shrink, [neurons find new ways to stay connected](. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, heroic dogs, and multilingual babies to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by[downloading our app on iOS or Android]( and [becoming a member](. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Hasit Shah and Jenny Anderson. Enjoying the Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here to sign up.]( Want to advertise in the Quartz Daily Brief? Send us an email at ads@qz.com. To unsubscribe from the Quartz Daily Brief, [click here](.