Impeachment Transcripts Released

House investigators released full transcripts of two closed-door depositions related to the impeachment inquiry yesterday. Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, testified on October 11, and former senior adviser to the Secretary of State Michael McKinley testified on October 16.

U.S. to withdraw from Paris Agreement

The United States officially notified the United Nations yesterday that it will formally pull out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement next fall. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited an unfair economic burden as the reason for the withdrawal.

Iran increases uranium capacity

Iran announced yesterday that it was launching new and more advanced centrifuges to accelerate uranium enrichment. The new centrifuges spin at rates several times faster than those that were permitted under the now-defunct 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Most Lucrative Squads

Forbes released its list of the most valuable Major League Soccer franchises on Monday – at the top resides the Atlanta United, with a valuation of $500 million, followed by the LA Galaxy and LA F.C. at $480 million and $475 million respectively. The average MLS team is now worth $313 million, up 30 percent from last year.

Shop ‘til you drop

Comcast yesterday rebranded its cable ad sales division and launched new tools designed to help advertisers reach a more targeted audience, providing the capability to show up to five different versions of a commercial depending on who’s watching. Comcast subsidiary company NBCUniversal is also expanding the use of its “ShoppableTV” product, which incorporates native ads into programmed content and provides viewers with the ability to purchase products using QR codes.

Down Size Me

The top human-resources executive at McDonald’s – Chief People Officer David Fairhurst – resigned Monday without providing any reasons for the move. Fairhurst’s departure comes days after CEO Steve Easterbrook was fired for violating company policy by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee.

Sorry for your loss

Uber released its third-quarter earnings report on Monday, beating analysts’ expectations but still reporting a loss of $1.2 billion over the three-month period – their third-largest quarterly loss since the company started reporting earnings in 2017. Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi is on the record saying Uber projects a full-year profit on an adjusted basis by 2021.

Hope-iods

At 15 years old, Erika Hurt was prescribed opioids for pain related to a staph infection. When the prescription ran out, she found herself reliant on the drug – and continued buying pills off the street. Within four years she was introduced to heroin, and by 21 realized she needed serious treatment. But then, in 2016, she overdosed – and a photo of her, in which her son was crying in the backseat while she was unconscious, holding a syringe behind the steering wheel, went viral.

Erika is now 28 and has been sober for three years. It’s been a long road – after her overdose, she spent time in a rehab program and began devotedly attending Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings. She credits the overdose drug Narcan for bringing her back to life after the overdose and keeping her safe until she wanted to live, she said in a social media post.

To celebrate the three-year milestone, she hired a photographer to document the happy, healthy life she’s now living with her little boy – and to raise awareness about the overdose drug that gave her the opportunity to become the mother that her son deserves. Without Narcan, she wrote, “I would have NEVER had the chance to get sober and my son would be growing up without ever knowing his mom.”

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Janelle Boston was a young girl when she planned to climb Mount Tyson – a 2,200-foot summit in Queensland, Australia – but was foiled by bad weather. She promised herself that she’d go back to complete the climb, but before she had the chance, Janelle’s life took a turn that made it all but impossible – in her 20s, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Thirty years later, a community social media group in the area asked its members – including Janelle, now 55 – what’s something you always wanted to do but never got the opportunity? Janelle commented: climb Mount Tyson.

Her story caught the attention of the group’s administrator, who reached out to a local rugby team to see if it might be possible. Excited about the idea, the community jumped to action – a local welder designed a chair that could carry Janelle, and the rugby team developed a plan to carry her up the mountain as a training exercise. Over the course of five hours and with the help of 40 people, Janelle – beaming – finally summited Mount Tyson, decades after her initial attempt.