Hello! Here’s what’s happening on Thursday.
1. Top White House staffer Rob Porter resigned after ex-wives alleged years of abuse. Porter is accused of emotional and physical abuse, including punching one of them in the face, which he has denied.
2. UK Prime Minister Theresa May did not rule out selling the National Health Service in a post-Brexit trade deal. The UK Labour party has accused the government of secretly plotting to privatize the health care system after Brexit.
3. German Chancellor Angela Merkel reached a governing coalition deal. Coalition talks collapsed in November, which could have forced the country into a snap election if a decision was not reached.
4. A leaked government analysis says Brexit could cause businesses huge costs. Some industries are facing additional costs of up to 20%, with retail and wholesale predicted to be hit the hardest.
5. North Korea said it has no intention of meeting with US officials at the Olympics. The feeling appears mutual with the US yesterday saying it has no plans to meet with North Korea at the games.
6. Travis Kalanick denied stealing Google trade secrets in the trial with Google-owned Waymo. The ex-Uber CEO testified at the Waymo v. Uber trial where he also described the early years of Uber.
7. Taiwan's east coast was hit with another earthquake. Nine people have now died, with hundreds injured and at least 60 still missing as rescuers search collapsed buildings.
8. Tesla reported a smaller-than-expected loss and beat on revenue in the fourth quarter. Tesla's shares gained about 1.5% after the earnings report.
9. Japan's finance regulator will inspect more cryptocurrency exchanges. On-site checks of cryptocurrency exchanges potentially vulnerable to cyberattacks will occur after Coincheck Inc had $400 million stolen by hackers.
10. China's largest retailer JD.com is opening in Australia. The Alibaba rival says Australian products are in high demand, including food, dairy, and cosmetics.
And finally...