US announcement on Israeli policy

Yesterday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. will no longer consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank region to be illegal. The U.S. had previously abided by a 1978 State Department legal opinion concluding the settlements were “inconsistent with international law.”

Hong Kong & China

On Monday, Hong Kong’s high court struck down a face mask ban implemented by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who had invoked emergency powers to pass the law in early October. In a statement released late yesterday, China’s top legislature said Hong Kong courts have no power to rule on the constitutionality of such legislation.

Recent string of shootings

Last Thursday, a California high school shooting left two dead and three wounded - then on Sunday, a shooting at a residential backyard party in Fresno left four people dead and six injured. Most recently, a gunman killed two people in an Oklahoma Walmart parking lot Monday morning before fatally wounding himself.

Legere-dary

T-Mobile Chief Executive John Legere announced he will step down this spring, ending his seven-year run with the company. Legere will be replaced by COO Mike Seivert and plans to spend his remaining months as CEO focused on completing T-Mobile’s $26 billion merger with Sprint.

Karda$hian

Beauty company Coty has purchased a majority stake in Kylie Cosmetics for $600 million. Kylie Cosmetics was founded in 2015 by Kylie Jenner, who will retain the other 49% of the company and continue to be the public face of the brand.

Charity Change

The Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Foundation released a statement on Monday outlining its 2020 charitable donation plan, which exclusively focuses on the areas of education, homelessness, and hunger. The restaurant has received backlash in recent years regarding its support of organizations that have a history of opposing LGBT+ causes.

Home free

Amazon has expanded its ad-supported free music streaming service - previously only available on the Amazon Echo - to iPhone and Android users, as well as Fire TV. Amazon Music’s new edition hopes to compete with Spotify’s freemium variant, whose shares dropped 5% following the announcement.

Big Hero 4

It’s hard to imagine that a 4-year-old boy could do much to help a veteran U.S. soldier - until you meet Tyler Stallings. Tyler, now age 8, has raised more than $50,000 over the past four years to support homeless veterans.

Tyler’s mother Andrea can recall the moment her 4-year-old son felt compelled into action. She was telling Tyler about their family’s military history and turned to YouTube for help. Soon, they happened upon a video focusing on veterans struggling with homelessness, which didn’t sit right with Tyler. He asked, “If they’re heroes why should they be on the street?”

Since then, with the help of a grant from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and a GoFundMe campaign, Tyler was able to invent “Hero Bags,” a package consisting of clothes, hygiene products, and bedding which he could pass out to homeless veterans. “It really makes me feel very happy and very good when they have a happy reaction,” said Tyler.

Highs and Lows

Roughly a year ago, LA resident Bryan Kidwell seemed to have a perfect life - a successful career as a chef, an active lifestyle, and a wonderful fiance named Sofia. One fateful day, however, his world turned upside down. He accidentally dove into a sandbar while swimming at the beach and fractured two vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.

After seven grueling days in intensive care, Bryan’s vitals stabilized enough for him to begin his rehabilitation process. Through it all, Sofia was by his side documenting every tiny instance of progress through a photo or video, from the first toe wiggle to the first time he stood up unassisted. Bryan progressed quickly, and by the following April he was well enough to walk down the aisle to marry his sweetheart.

On the anniversary of his accident, Sofia presented a special gift to Bryan - a video compilation of his tough road to recovery. “One year ago today, I almost lost you,” she said. “You got a second chance at life. Here’s my gift to you.” An inspiring example of love in sickness and in health!