Snap’s judgment day, Russia’s Lavrov visits Trump, sea salt with plastic

[Quartz - qz.com]() Quartz Daily Brief sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today Snap releases its first quarterly earnings. Analysts expect the company to post a loss of [$0.21 per share]( on $146.4 million in revenue. Investors will be looking to see if Facebook’s copycat features are [eating into the company’s business](. Trump meets with Sergei Lavrov. One day after firing his FBI director in the midst of an investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia, the US president is expected to meet with the [Russian foreign minister]( to discuss issues including US-Russian relations and Syria. Walmart settles a bribery case. The retailer is reportedly preparing to [pay a $300 million]( fine to resolve a US investigation into bribes paid by employees in Mexico, China, and India; [news of the scandal]( (paywall) was broken by The New York Times in 2012. The amount is unlikely to phase the world’s biggest retailer. Sponsor content by Barclays Can productivity help offset Brexit? Decisive monetary action helped allay market concerns in the wake of the Brexit vote, but bold economic policy can only go so far. [Economists share]( their insights on countering Brexit with growth and productivity. While you were sleeping Trump lashed out at Chuck Schumer on Twitter. The president called the Senate minority leader “[Cryin’ Chuck Schumer]( after Schumer called Trump last night to tell him firing FBI director James Comey [was a mistake](. The decision has caused [widespread consternation]( across the political aisle. Foxconn firmed up its US factory plan. The world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer—and Apple’s key supplier—will break ground on a [US plant in the second half of the year]( according to Reuters. The Taiwanese company declined to comment, but its chairman, Terry Gou, had meetings about “capital intensive” investment at the White House last month. France’s AXA planned a US IPO. Europe’s second-largest insurance group’s US listing will include part of its stake in its AllianceBernstein asset management unit. AXA is hoping to raise billions to fund its expansion. AllianceBernstein has [had a tough time recently]( (paywall)—its CEO and most of the board were fired last month. Sprint boosted SoftBank’s bottom line. The Japanese telecoms giant said its 13% rise in full-year operating profit to $9 billion was due to an uptick in the [number of Sprint subscribers]( in the US and all-round cost cutting. SoftBank this week announced it was near [closing its $100 billion fund]( to make it “the Berkshire Hathaway of the tech industry.” Turkey urged the US to stop supporting the Syrian Kurdish militia. “You can’t be in the [same sack as terrorist organisations]( Turkish deputy prime minister Nurettin Canikli said on Wednesday, as he warned the US to rethink its support of the YPG (the Syrian extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party). The Trump administration said Tuesday that [it will provide]( training and equipment to the YPG, which has become a prominent US ally in the battle against ISIL. Quartz obsession interlude Allison Schrager on stock market’s ominous calm: “I recently asked a few traders if they believed lower volatility reflected less risk in the markets. They laughed nervously and said, in essence, ‘a correction is coming and it will be ugly.’” [Read more here](. Matters of debate US home ownership is driving income inequality. The tax system gives [vast, hidden benefits to the rich](. Firing the FBI director violates democratic norms. Trumps’ sacking of James Comey politicizes law enforcement and sets a [dangerous precedent for the rule of law]( in the US. Free movement curbs should start with blocking Brits from moving to London. [Internal migration volumes]( are higher than international migration. Quartz announcement It's time to give up the social hierarchy game. While it may be natural for human beings to compare ourselves to one another, it's ultimately futile. Explore [a better solution for self-evaluation]( crafted from Stoicism, psychology, and Buddhist scholars, as well as other stories that examine our preoccupation with happiness in [the Happiness Experiment](. Surprising discoveries Gas stations are using AI to set prices. The algorithms are [testing textbook theories]( (paywall) of competition. North Korea’s only private university is still hiring foreigners. The Kim regime has [detained a number of its teachers](. China is explaining the new Silk Road to American kids. It’s unclear how excited they’ll be about the [Belt and Road Bedtime Stories]( video series—but it should put them to sleep, at least. Your sea salt is almost certainly contaminated with plastic. It’s “a testament to [humanity’s filthy habits]( An Irish beach that vanished 33 years ago reappeared overnight. The sand on Achill Island was [restored by a “freakish” riptide](. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, vanished beaches, and bedtime stories to hi@qz.com. You can follow us[on Twitter]( for updates throughout the day or download[our apps for iPhone]( and[Android](. Want to receive the Daily Brief at a different time? [Click here]( to change your edition. To unsubscribe entirely, [click here](. Enjoying the Daily Brief? [Click here]( to pass it along to a friend. Like us on [Facebook]( and follow us on [Twitter](. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States