Snowden sued by DOJ

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit yesterday against Edward Snowden after the publication of his new book, Permanent Record. The DOJ, seeking to recover all proceeds from the sale of the book, said that the former U.S. intelligence officer violated a nondisclosure agreement in the book.

Israel election results

Exit polls in Israel’s nationwide elections yesterday were too close to call, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu neck and neck with his centrist challenger, Benny Gantz. The final results are expected by this afternoon.

Saudi Arabia recovering

Saudi officials said that as of yesterday, half of production had been restored at the oil facility damaged in the weekend attacks, and that they expect a return to normal levels by the end of the month. According to U.S. officials, intelligence shows that the attacks originated in southwestern Iran and involved both drones and cruise missiles.

Stolen Juuls

Chinese online retailers JD.com and Alibaba pulled e-cigarette maker Juul’s products and refills from their sites. No explanation for the move has been given yet, and it comes only days after Juul launched its products in China - a market the company is prioritizing as it faces regulatory scrutiny in the US.

Proud as a Peacock

NBCUniversal announced its upcoming streaming service will named “Peacock.” The platform is set to debut in April 2020, and will be both ad and subscription supported - pricing is expected to be announced closer to the service’s launch date.

More Bang for your buck

Streaming service HBO Max has purchased the rights to “The Big Bang Theory,” for reportedly more than $1 billion. Yep, with a b. The platform will host all 12 seasons of the show when it debuts in the spring of 2020.

Come and Git it

Dev ops company GitLab raised a $268 million Series E valuing the company at $2.75 billion, more than double its $1.1 billion valuation about a year ago. The company is planning an IPO in November 2020.

Beer money...for the kids?

Iowa State University alum Carson King was pumped to be at ESPN’s College GameDay with his friends. They arrived before dawn for the afternoon game, decked out in maroon and bearing signs to hold up for the cameras. Carson, 24, figured he’d try to be clever with his sign. On it, he asked for money to replenish his supply of Busch Light, and included his Venmo account.

When he ended up in a prime spot in front of the TV cameras, Carson’s phone started buzzing – and wouldn’t stop. His friend, confused, asked who was incessantly texting him. But they weren’t text messages. Within minutes, Carson’s Venmo account was up to $400, then $600, then $1,000. He called his parents, and they came up with a plan – keep enough money for a case of beer, and donate the rest to the children’s hospital at the University of Iowa.

But the donations kept coming. By last night, Carson had raised over $10,000 for the kids, and both Busch Beer and Venmo had caught wind of his unexpected philanthropic adventure via Twitter – and pledged to match his donations to the hospital. Carson said he’ll be accepting donations through the end of the month, when he plans to deliver the full amount in person.

Down, but not out

When Wesley Hamilton was shot in the abdomen in 2012, he nearly lost all hope. Having fallen into a life of crime at a young age, Wesley had spent the past two years trying to get back on the right path. He was a young father, and knew he had to be there for his daughter, Neveah. Now, he thought, he wouldn’t be able to physically do that – the gunshot wounds left him paralyzed from the waist down, and he fell into depression.

But slowly, he realized that the disability didn’t matter – Neveah still needed her dad, wheelchair or no wheelchair. So Wesley focused on bringing himself back to health through nutrition and exercise, rebuilding his sense of self and remaking himself as the father he wanted for his daughter.

Today, Wesley is using the lessons he learned to help other differently abled people gain confidence through fitness, with an organization he created called Disabled But Not Really. And when he was featured on a recent season of Netflix’s Queer Eye, the show’s hosts put him face-to-face with the man who shot him years ago. Instead of asking for an apology, Wesley thanked him, saying that it was through that tragedy that he’s become the man he is today – an inspiration to his daughter, his clients, and Queer Eye fans worldwide.