Impeachment Reports, Elon Musk Trial & Global Artist of the Year

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...

Impeachment Latest:
The House Judiciary Committee will hold its first impeachment hearing today - marking the next phase in this impeachment process. Four law professors will discuss the Constitutional definition of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Also, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee released a 300-page report that accuses President Trump of trying to get a foreign country to interfere in the 2020 election for his personal gain. The report helps pave the way for articles of impeachment should the House Judiciary Committee decide to move forward.
Read more: The Hill, WSJ, AP, Washington Post, CNN

NATO Update:
President Trump is not getting along with French President Emmanuel Macron at the NATO summit in London. Trump was insulted by Macron’s statement on NATO experiencing “brain death,” but Macron didn’t back down. He expressed frustration that Trump withdrew troops from Syria in October without telling NATO allies first. More meetings between the 29 member nations are expected today.
Read more: New York Times, AP

Kamala Harris Drops Out:
Kamala Harris is no longer running for president. She suspended her campaign yesterday. No word yet on which Democratic candidate she might endorse.
Read more: Politico, ABC News, USA Today, The Hill

Google Co-Founders Step Down:
Alphabet CEO Larry Page and President Sergey Brin are stepping down. The two were the original co-founders of Google more than 20 years ago. Current Google CEO Sundar Pichai will now run both Google and Alphabet, while Page and Brin assume advisory roles as board members.
Read more: NBC News

Elon Musk on Trial:
Tesla founder Elon Musk is on trial accused of defamation. It's based on a tweet he sent out last year. After a rescue diver was critical of Musk's offer to send a submarine to help save boys from a flooded cave in Thailand, Musk called the diver a “pedo guy.” Musk said on the witness stand this week that his tweet wasn’t supposed to be taken literally.
Read more: Reuters, CBS News, Business Insider

Potential French Fry Shortage:
Potato crops aren’t growing well this season, which could lead to a shortage of French fries. The 2019 U.S. potato crop is down mostly because of cold and wet weather. It means potato prices could climb across North America.
Read more: Bloomberg, FOX News, People

Cyber Monday Record:
Cyber Monday sales broke records, making it the biggest online spending day in U.S. history. Shoppers spent $9.4 billion, up almost 20 percent from last year. Top-selling items include Frozen 2 toys, Nintendo Switches, Samsung TVs and Apple laptops.
Read more: CNET, NBC News, Business Insider, Engadget

Smart TV Spying:
The FBI is advising smart TV owners to check their security settings to prevent hackers from turning on the camera and microphone. Smart TV owners can change their network passwords and/or disable the TV’s microphones and cameras completely.
Read more: CNN, TechCrunch

'Best of' Awards:
The Irishman is the best movie of the year, according to the National Board of Review. The Martin Scorsese film arrived on Netflix last week. And in music, Drake was Spotify’s most-streamed artist of the decade with more than 28 billion global streams since 2010. Finally, Apple just launched the Apple Music Awards, and named Billie Eilish as the 'Global Artist of the Year.'
The Irishman: Variety, Deadline
Spotify’s Most-Streamed Artist: Entertainment Weekly
Apple Music Awards: Apple, SF Chronicle

Work Wednesday: Highest-Paying College Majors:

According to the Department of Education’s 'college scorecard' -- math, technology and engineering majors turn into jobs with the biggest salaries. That said, a decade after graduation, research shows more than one in five people are working a job that doesn’t require a degree at all. Still, those with a bachelor's degree tend to make more money than those with only a high school diploma.

Read more: The Economist, CNBC