Tuesday, December 10th, 2019

Afghanistan Papers, Kickstarter Fail & Golden Globe Nominations

All the news you need in less than 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...

Afghanistan Papers:
A new report referring to the so-called “Afghanistan Papers” found U.S. officials repeatedly lied to the public about America’s longest war. The Washington Post spent three years and filed two lawsuits against the government to obtain hundreds of confidential interviews with key officials involved in the war. Some said the war became impossible to win and the strategy was unclear, while officials still told the American public that the strategy was working. The Pentagon says the people interviewed had the benefit of hindsight.
Read more: The Guardian, Washington Post, AP

Articles of Impeachment:
House Democrats could announce at least two articles of impeachment against President Trump today, and reports say the formal charges will likely be 'abuse of power' and 'obstruction of Congress.' Also, both parties laid out cases yesterday in what was likely the last televised hearing before a House vote on formal charges.
Read more: Washington Post, FOX News, CNN, AP, ABC News

Volcano Eruption Update:
At least five people are dead and eight are still missing after a volcano erupted on White Island in New Zealand Monday. The eruption has prompted a nationwide discussion about whether visitors should have been allowed on the active volcano.
Read more: CNN, BBC

Russia Banned from Olympics:

Russia is banned from all major sporting events for the next four years following accusations of tampering with lab results. The punishment from the World Anti-Doping Agency means Russia will not be allowed in the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year. That said, Russian athletes can compete without representing the country if they get the OK.

Read more: NBC Sports, ESPN, BBC

Sportsperson of the Year:
Sports Illustrated’s 2019 Sportsperson of the Year is soccer star Megan Rapinoe. She helped the U.S. win the World Cup and has been a leading player in the fight for equal pay and women’s rights. Rapinoe is the fourth solo woman to be honored as the Sportsperson of the Year.
Read more: SI
Most-Tweeted Politicians:
Six of the top ten most-tweeted-about politicians in 2019 were Americans, including President Trump at the top and former President Barack Obama coming in second.
Read more: Twitter, Axios

Amazon Blames Trump:
Amazon is blaming President Trump for missing out on a $10 billion government contract that would create a cloud system for the Pentagon. Amazon filed a formal complaint and wants the Pentagon to start the selection process over. The Pentagon says Trump had nothing to do with the decision, and Microsoft (who won the contract) is calling the process fair.
Read more: CNBC, The Verge, WSJ

'Coolest Cooler' Shuts Down:
The Coolest Cooler – still one of Kickstarter’s highest-grossing projects – is officially shutting down. Five years after the project was funded, one-third of the backers (20,000 people) who paid for the product will never receive it. The company blames the tariffs on Chinese imports for shutting down, though critics are skeptical.
Read more: The Verge, GeekWire

Away CEO Replaced:
The CEO of the popular luggage startup Away is stepping down and being replaced after a report in The Verge described a toxic work culture and caused public backlash.
Read more: The Verge, TechCrunch

Man Who Inspired Ice Bucket Challenge Dies:
The man who became the face of the ALS ice bucket challenge passed away on Monday. Though Pete Frates didn’t invent the challenge, he helped the hugely-successful campaign gain national attention and raise more than $160 million for ALS research.
Read more: USA Today, NPR

Star Wars Movie Warning:
Disney is warning viewers that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker could trigger seizures. The highly-anticipated movie apparently has some scenes with flashing lights that could affect people with photosensitive epilepsy. The film debuts in theaters later this month.
Read more: CNN

Golden Globe Nominations:
Netflix dominated this year’s Golden Globe nominations, with 34 nominations across the movie and television categories. The 77th annual Golden Globe Awards will air January 5th.
Read more: WSJ, FOX News, Variety, Hollywood Reporter