Impeachment Vote

The House voted to impeach President Trump on both articles of impeachment last night, making him the third U.S. president to be impeached. All but two House Democrats supported the article on abuse of power, while a third Democrat joined the opposition to the article on obstruction of Congress - no House Republicans voted to support impeachment.

Individual Mandate Ruling

A New Orleans federal appeals court yesterday ruled the requirement that people have health insurance, a central component of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was unconstitutional. The court also ordered a Texas judge to reconsider a ruling that invalidated the entire 2010 health-care law, colloquially known as Obamacare.

FISC orders FBI reform

A Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge ordered the U.S. government to reform the FBI wiretap application process in response to a report released by Inspector General Michael Horowitz highlighting errors and omissions in the FBI’s applications. Under the court order, the government has until Jan. 10 to file a submission outlining the extent of the reform.

Enter the Merge Lane

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and Peugeot signed a binding merger agreement Wednesday, finalizing the terms of a merger between the two companies (first announced in October). The deal must win the approval of U.S. and European regulators before it can be made official, a process that is expected to take 12 to 15 months.

The Home Depot

A number of tech giants have partnered up to form the Connected Home over IP project, an initiative to create a set of standards across all smart home technology and devices. The partnership - which includes marquee names such as Amazon, Apple, and Google - is aiming to make it easier for hardware makers to build devices that are compatible with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.

Banned Brand

Facebook and Instagram announced that they will place restrictions on the types of items influencers can promote using its “branded content” feature. Under the new guidelines, influencer-produced content that promotes vaping, tobacco products, or weapons can no longer be promoted by those brands on the two platforms.

Unicorn Sightings

A record 66 unicorns - startups valued at more than $1 billion - have been introduced in the U.S. to date this year, according to market data firm CB Insights. Data firm Crunchbase shows that 21 unicorns have been minted in China so far in 2019, down from 58 in 2018.

This (Big) Light of Mine

A lot of time and energy goes into putting up a holiday lights display, only for it all to be taken down after just a few short weeks of glory. But this year, Florida native Don Weaver’s elaborate front yard display made the most of its time in the sun, and ended up changing his young neighbor’s life.

Marisabel Figueroa Lopez says that Don’s 200,000-bulb light show with synchronized music has inspired her 13-year-old autistic daughter Kaitlyn to speak for the first time. Kaitlyn, who was diagnosed at three years old with a form of autism that left her without the ability to speak, has always loved Don Weaver’s holiday decorations, spending countless hours in silent admiration each year. But last week, as Figueroa Lopez told WFLA, something unexpected happened: “She jumped up and said ‘Santa! Santa is coming!’”

Needless to say, Marisabel is thrilled with her daughter’s recent development, saying that while it may be just a few words this year, this progress could possibly lead to full conversations one day soon. This Christmas miracle just goes to show that you never know who your holiday spirit will cheer or inspire, and that it’s always important to light the way for others.

Small Business, Big Heart

Two small business owners in Oak Grove, Oregon are showing the world what kindness is all about. When Dave and Tina McAdams opened up a coffee shop down the street, fellow coffee shop owner Pixie Adams didn’t feel threatened, considering it friendly competition, and welcomed the pair with open arms and offers of help.

But that need for help was heightened recently, when Dave was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in his lymph nodes, and given just a few weeks to live. Tina was faced with the prospect of having to close her business while she spent the remaining time she has with her husband - that is, until Pixie stepped in, volunteering to run the place for a day and setting up a fundraising account for the McAdams’ so that Tina won’t have to worry about money.

The support is invaluable to the McAdams family, who will be able to spend Dave’s last days with family, rather than having to worry about keeping the family business afloat. Pixie, a cancer survivor herself, says that she’ll put friendship over business any day, proving to everyone that showing up to help your neighbor is the real bottom line.

Prowess Project

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