Impeachment inquiry

The official whistleblower complaint at the center of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump was released yesterday. Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire also testified in front of Congress regarding the complaint.

Vaping update

The CDC said yesterday the mysterious vaping related lung disease rose to 805 confirmed or probable cases, up from 530 cases as of Sept. 17. At least 12 people have died across 10 states as a result of the disease.

Temporary funding bill passed

The Senate approved a temporary funding bill yesterday that will allow the government to operate through November 21, avoiding a government shutdown. The stopgap measure was approved last week by the House, and will now go to President Trump who is expected to sign it.

No IPO, not a tIPO

Fitness company Peloton held its IPO yesterday, opening at $27/share ($2 below its $29/share IPO price) and closing at $25.76/share - an ~11% decrease over its IPO price. Entertainment giant Endeavor scrapped its planned IPO for today following Peloton’s debut, making this the second time the company has pulled its IPO this year.

Hamburglar helper

McDonald’s announced it will be testing a plant-based burger with Beyond Meat patties in 28 Canadian restaurants starting next week. The burger will appear on the menu as the P.L.T (plant, lettuce, and tomato) and is the fast-food chain’s first plant-based burger offering - Beyond Meat shares increased 11% yesterday following the announcement.

Strike a match

On Wednesday the FTC announced it is suing Match Group, owner of Match, Tinder, OKCupid, Hinge, PlentyofFish, and others, for deceptive and unfair business practices. The suit alleges that 25-30% of new Match registrations are scammers, whose fraudulent messages the company knowingly uses to drive signups of paying users.

Heir app-arent

Uber unveiled a major redesign of its app yesterday for the first time in three years. The app redesign will be publicly available in early October, and includes information about nearby public transportation, additional safety features, and will also combine the company’s food delivery and ride-hailing services.

Catch-A-Ride

Anita Singleton, a 52-year-old Walmart employee in Louisiana, was in the middle of her usual routine early one morning this spring. But one thing wasn’t all that usual for someone with a 6-mile commute – Anita was heading to work on foot.

When police officer Brad Peck saw her walking along a narrow bridge in the pre-sunrise darkness, he stopped to see if she was okay – and then noticed the Walmart vest. She cheerfully explained that she was on her way to work. Usually, she could get a ride with someone, but about once per week or so, she said, she ended up having to walk. Brad offered her a ride and was so moved by her positivity, faith, and caring nature that he posted about it on social media later that day, where it quickly went viral.

Matt Bowers, the owner of a car dealership in the community, was one of the people that was touched by the story. So touched, in fact, that Matt invited Anita to the dealership and surprised her by telling her to choose a car off the lot to take home – free of charge.

Carry On My Wonderful Teacher

Despite having been born with spina bifida that placed her in a wheelchair, 10-year-old Ryan Neighbor is an always-cheerful young girl who loves mermaids, princesses, and Yoda. And like every 4th-grader, Ryan loves field trips. So when her class was headed to the Falls of Ohio last week, she was devastated to discover that it wasn’t wheelchair accessible.

Ryan’s mom began planning an alternative excursion for the day, but knew it wouldn’t be the same if Ryan couldn’t experience the trip with her classmates. That’s when one of the teachers at Ryan’s school had an idea – why not carry her?

With a specialized backpack carrier, Jim Freeman carried the 55-pound Ryan on his back throughout the park all day long. Ryan was thrilled – thanks to Jim’s generosity and stamina, she didn’t have to be excluded from a nature-exploring day with her friends. Ryan’s mom was overwhelmed with happiness, posting on Facebook about how wonderfully compassionate everyone at their school is. These are the things the news should be talking about, she said… we couldn’t agree more!