White House Letter, Supreme Court Split & Victoria’s Secret First

All the news you need in 10 min:

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Story Summaries

All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want perusing the latest happenings...

Rather read? Here's a brief overview of what we're talking about:

White House Letter:
The White House sent a letter to top Democrats in the House saying the executive branch won’t have anything to do with the impeachment inquiry. In the letter, the White House called the impeachment inquiry “illegitimate,” “partisan,” and “unconstitutional.” The Trump administration is already showing how it won’t go along with the inquiry by blocking the U.S. Ambassador to the EU from testifying about his dealings with Ukraine.
Read more: WSJ, Washington Post, NYT (full letter)

Supreme Court Split:
A major civil rights question is in front of the Supreme Court now: is it legal to fire someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity? The question is whether a federal law protecting against workplace discrimination on the basis of "sex" applies to these cases. Right now, it seems the court is divided, but a final ruling isn’t expected until next year.
Read more: USA Today, Vox, ABC News

NBA vs. China:
The NBA is now defending its members’ right to free speech after a basketball executive tweeted support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. China is refusing to broadcast some NBA pre-season games this week because of the tweet. The NBA has had a focus on global expansion, especially in China.
Read more: ABC News, CNN, USA Today

October Snow Storm:
An October snowstorm is expected to hit the Northern Plains and the Rockies this week, and it could bring as much as a foot of snow. Farther south, this same winter storm could bring severe weather, including tornadoes to the area.
Read More: Weather Channel, USA Today, AccuWeather

Power Cut Off:
In an unprecedented move, the power company PG&E plans to shut-off power to 800,000 customers in Northern California today and says the outage could last several days. The reason is to try and prevent wildfires during strong winds and dry conditions in these high-risk areas. PG&E has been blamed for deadly wildfires in the past.
Read More: CNN

Medicare Covers Apple Watch:
Devoted Health, a start-up health insurer that targets seniors with its private Medicare plans, says it’ll help cover the cost of an Apple Watch. Apple is reportedly in talks with other, bigger insurance companies as well to offer similar Apple Watch perks.
Read more: CNBC, The Verge, 9to5Mac

YouTube vs. Netflix:
A new survey found, for the first time, YouTube has surpassed Netflix as the place to watch streaming video -- at least among U.S. teens. Also, get ready for more political ads. YouTube will soon start allowing political campaigns to reserve ad spots for all of 2020.
Read more: The Wrap, The Verge, WSJ

Google, Move the Music:
Google just made it easier to listen to music all over your home. The Google Home and Nest devices will now let you move music between its smart speakers in different locations.
Read more: Variety, Engadget

Victoria's Secret First:
The lingerie brand hired its first size-14 model, Ali Tate Cutler. The company has faced criticism for a lack of inclusivity and body positive messages, so it's working to re-brand a bit.
Read more: E! News, USA Today, WWD

Lego Recycling:
Lego is testing out a recycling program to keep its plastic pieces out of the trash so they don't impact the environment. Customers can now print out a mailing label on Lego’s website to ship of a box of their Legos to a good cause for free. The pieces will be cleaned and given to Teach for America and the Boys and Girls Club.
Read more: Fox Business, AP

Work Wednesday:
Experts say 80 percent of large businesses will be monitoring employees' tech activity by the year 2020, and that's up from just 30 percent in 2015.
Read more: USA Today