Wednesday, December 18th, 2019
Historic Impeachment Vote, Boy Scout Setback & Dishwashing Changes
All the news you need in 10 min:
Today's episode is brought to you by www.NativeDeodorant.com (use code 'newsworthy' at checkout) and the Meditation Minis Podcast.
Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want perusing the latest happenings...
Historic Impeachment Vote (& Letter):
Lawmakers in the House will vote today on the two articles of impeachment against President Trump, and if all goes as expected, President Trump will become the third president in U.S. history to be formally impeached. But yesterday, Trump pushed back and wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter accusing her of trying to overthrow the government.
Read more: NYT, The Hill, NBC News, CBS News
Top Diplomat Stepping Down:
A top American diplomat in Ukraine who testified at an impeachment hearing is now stepping down January 1st. Bill Taylor publicly criticized the White House’s decision to withhold aid from Ukraine, but he says he's leaving because his time is up in his temporary role.
Read more: NYT, NBC News
Federal Spending Bill:
Lawmakers in the House came together to send a $1.4 trillion spending package to the Senate for approval in order to avoid a government shutdown. Military and federal workers will get pay raises, funds will be devoted to gun research for the first time in 20 years, and nearly $1.4 billion will be used to fund the border wall. The deal also repeals some taxes that used to pay for the Affordable Care Act and raises the age to buy tobacco to 21. The Senate and President Trump have until midnight Friday to approve it to avoid a government shutdown.
Read more: Washington Post, CBS News, CNN, USA Today
Low-Nicotine Cigarettes:
The FDA has approved new low-nicotine cigarettes. The new cigarettes from 22nd Century Group have about 95 percent less nicotine in them than traditional cigarettes, but federal health officials say they can still cause cancer, lung disease and other deadly diseases. However, the goal is to help ease nicotine addiction for current smokers.
Read more: CNBC, AP
Boy Scout Setback:
The Boy Scouts of America is set to lose 400,000 members on January 1 as the Mormon Church pulls all of its youth out of the organization. It means Boy Scouts of America is losing 18 percent of its members and one of its biggest sponsors. The organization has already been facing shrinking membership.
Read more: AP
NFL Records Set:
Drew Brees made NFL history by breaking two records Monday night: one for career touchdown passes and the other for highest completion percentage. Brees has some competition, as Tom Brady is only a few touchdowns away from the record.
Read more: ESPN, CBS Sports
Google vs Ex-Employees:
Five former Google employees have filed a complaint with federal regulators claiming the company improperly fired them. The latest to be fired says the company let her go for trying to educate her co-workers about their labor rights; the other four say they were fired for talking about coming together as a union. Google denies the allegations and says the employees broke company policies.
Read more: Business Insider, TechCrunch, Washington Post, Engadget
E-Scooter Subscriptions:
Lime is the latest company to roll out a new e-scooter and bike sharing subscription service for commuters. The LimePass weekly subscription waives fees to unlock scooters and bikes for about $5 per week. Bird already launched a subscription option that allows for unlimited scooter use for $25 per month, and Uber and Lyft also offer subscription options for their scooter brands.
Read more: The Verge, Engadget
Instagram's Layout:
A new Instagram feature will let users upload multiple photos for one Instagram story. It can create a collage with up to six photos in one story slide without another app. To access it, open Stories and scroll over to the 'Layout' option.
Read more: The Verge
Dishwashing Changes:
Americans have apparently changed their dishwashing habits. Research from Procter & Gamble says 61 percent of Americans wash their dishes as soon as they go in the sink, instead of letting them pile up. That's why the company has developed a new Dawn dishwashing spray meant to go directly on the dishes without needing water to activate it, like the older soap did. It’ll be on store shelves next month.
Read more: The Verge
Work Wednesday - C-Suite Jobs:
Experts say C-suite jobs are on the rise. Some companies that had five executives ten years ago now have double that. Chief Growth Officers, Chief People Officers and Chief Diversity Officers are among the jobs being added by CEOs due to the specialties needed.
Read more: LinkedIn