Campaign Finance Violation

House Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA 50th) announced he will plead guilty to misusing campaign funds in federal court. The congressman had previously denied the allegations for over a year, though his wife plead guilty to a similar charge back in June.

Two 2020 Candidates Drop Out

On Sunday, former Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak announced he was dropping out of the Democratic presidential race - the following day, Montana Governor Steve Bullock also dropped out of contention. With the exception of July’s debate (Bullock made the stage), both candidates failed to meet the debate participation requirements.

New Tariffs

The U.S. announced Monday that it will restore tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Brazil and Argentina. In a separate report concluding a month-long investigation, the Trump administration proposed tariffs on $2.4 billion of French goods in response to a new digital tax that affects U.S. tech companies.

Manic Monday

According to data by Adobe Analytics (at the time of our e-print), Cyber Monday sales were on pace to reach $9.4 billion, a figure nearly 19 percent higher than last year. Adobe predicts the four so-called “golden hours” of Cyber Monday - 10 PM until 2 AM Eastern - will bring in nearly $3 billion, with a peak spending rate of $11 million per minute.

Playing Chicken

McDonald’s is testing a new Crispy Chicken Sandwich from Dec. 2 through Jan. 26 in Houston, TX and Knoxville, TN. Fast-food rival Popeye’s saw a record 10 percent growth in same-store sales the quarter after introducing its own take on the chicken sandwich.

Take 5

T-Mobile became the first mobile carrier with nationwide 5G coverage after launching their new network on Monday, although the two phones that will support it aren’t available for purchase until Friday. T-Mobile’s nationwide deployment relies on “low band" 5G coverage, which has slower speeds but is available in more places than what competitors offer.

Imprecise Device

Since Saturday, medical device maker DexCom has been aware of a glitch rendering patients and parents of kids with diabetes unable to access crucial medical data from their wearable blood-sugar monitors. The service, which still hasn’t been fully restored, provides data to patients and caregivers so that they can make informed vital treatment decisions, such as when to take insulin or sugar to restore blood-sugar levels.

The Philanthropic Professor

Professor Nicola Curtin spent 30 years of her life working on the ovarian cancer drug Rubraca (classified as a PARP inhibitor) at Newcastle University in England, with the sole intention of making people feel better. That’s why the 65-year-old professor used the $1.2 million she earned selling the royalties to the drug to launch the Curtin PARP (Passionate About Realizing your Potential) Fund.

The Curtin PARP Fund’s goal is to help people develop the skills, talent and confidence necessary to overcome barriers to employment and education. “I know first-hand that people are capable of amazing things, but society sometimes doesn’t always allow people to reach their full potential,” she told the Newcastle university press office. “I want to leave a lasting legacy that will change lives for the better.” Professor Curtin’s life serves as a model to all that passion and love should be at the root of everything we do.

Raising Hope

At the ripe old age of 8 years old, Symond Boschetto launched Share Hope USA, an organization dedicated to aid those experiencing homelessness in the LA area. His journey began when he passed by a homeless man in need of food on the freeway with his father. “I told my dad ‘I want to help them,’” Simon said to People. “And he was like, ‘Well, I can turn around and we can go [help him].’ I said, ‘You don’t understand, I want to help them all.’”

At that moment, Share Hope was born. Symond and his dad researched the efforts of nonprofits with similar mission statements and attended various events in the area to find out what they liked and didn’t like. With the help of a strong social media campaign, Symond and his family were able to expand Share Hope into an organization that offers a variety of core events for the homeless, including haircuts, pet grooming, clothing drives, and meals.

The organization even holds an annual Play-Doh drive each May, after which Symond hand delivers large pallet-sized bins filled with Play-Doh to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Now in seventh grade, Symond and his family have recently moved to Portland, Oregon, which Symond sees as an opportunity to expand Share Hope’s charitable works - a Christmas event has already been scheduled to feed homeless families and their children in a local shelter. Symond and his family are a shining example that a little love goes a long way.

Change4Change

If you're reading this, you probably care a lot about the state of politics in our country; but how do you get more involved without breaking the bank? Change4Change is making it easier than ever to contribute to your favorite progressive candidates using just your spare change!

After downloading the app and creating an account, just securely link your bank and Change4Change will round-up each transaction to the next whole dollar, donating your spare change to the candidate or candidates you choose -- it's never been easier to be the change you want to see in the world.

The best part? You can make a real difference while just living your everyday life. We love it and think you will too - download the Change4Change app today and get to changing things for the better.

Get the app.