Impeachment inquiry

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced the launch of a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump. The inquiry centers on a whistleblower complaint allegedly regarding the president’s dealings with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Information release

Prior to the launch of the impeachment inquiry, President Trump announced the transcript of a call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will be released later today. The White House also announced they will release the recent whistleblower complaint and the accompanying Inspector General report to Congress by the end of the week.

Rules don’t apply

The European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that Google doesn’t have to apply the European Union’s “right to be forgotten” when operating outside of the EU. The “right to be forgotten,” also known as the “right of erasure,” allows a person to request that search engines remove links containing their personal information from search results.

New men, not Neumann

We Company CEO Adam Neumann will step down from his role and cede majority control of the company. He will retain the title of non-executive chairman, and CFO Artie Minson and Vice-Chairman Sebastian Gunningham will replace Neumann as Co-CEOs.

Kik the bucket

Kik Interactive announced it will be shutting down its Kik Messenger app and eliminating more than 100 employees. The move is an effort to save money as the company shifts focus to its cryptocurrency Kin, whose initial coin offering (ICO) is currently under SEC investigation.

See Spot run

Boston Dynamics has made its first major robot, Spot, available for sale to businesses that can promise an interesting application of the technology. In addition to other capabilities, the four-legged robot can autonomously navigate uneven terrain, open doors and carry up to four hardware modules on its back, allowing for wider application of the robot’s skills.

License to bill

Uber is facing a regulatory hurdle in London after the Transport for London (TfL) granted a temporary, two-month license to operate in the city while it looks into additional information surrounding the ride-hailing app’s culture and governance. Uber’s operating license was set to expire tonight without the extension, and this ruling is the second time in two years the TfL has rejected the company’s request for a full operating license.

Who’ll stop the rain

When Satchel Smith, 21, arrived at the Homewood Suites in Beaumont, Texas for his work shift, he assumed it’d just be a regular, rainy, night at the hotel. But then, out of virtually nowhere, Tropical Storm Imelda slammed into Texas’ east coast. The storm caused severe flooding in Beaumont, trapping Satchel in the hotel with 90 guests.

When Satchel’s shift was scheduled to end that night, his coworker couldn't battle through the flooded streets to take over for him. So he just kept working – all of a sudden, he was not only the front desk manager but also the hotel cook, server, and troubleshooter all at once. Despite being the only hotel employee present during a trying situation, guests say he had a bright smile on his face the whole time – which ended up being 32 hours straight.

Even when his coworker arrived to take over, Satchel just took a quick nap and continued to work until it was safe to travel on the roads. It was intense, he said – for instance, he didn’t know how to cook but needed to feed 90 guests. People pitched in to help and the food turned out pretty good according to the guests, who called Satchel a hero for his continual cheer, helpfulness, and dedication.

Fast food to fitness

Darren “Dibsy” Mcclintock is a 28-year-old in England. Up until last year, he had an addiction that was threatening his life - Dibsy was addicted to fast food and weighed 560 pounds. Doctors told him unless something changed, he would be facing down serious heart conditions and an early grave.

When a personal trainer approached Dibsy and his mom at a café in 2018 and offered to take him on as his yearly pro bono client, Dibsy accepted – and his mother burst into tears. For her, it was a dream come true. And for him, it was a beacon of hope.

Over the next year, Dibsy lost a mind-blowing 266 pounds. Though the journey has had its challenges, Dibsy says it’s been more than worth it – in his words, he’s actually living life now. And an even more impressive accomplishment: Dibsy ran a half marathon this month, and he completed it in more than an hour under his goal time.