Thursday, December 12th, 2019
Report on FBI, Weinstein Settlement & TIME Person of the Year
(+ Top Tech Stories of the Decade)
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...
House Panel Vote:
The articles of impeachment against President Trump will likely be on their way to the full House later today after a House committee votes to finalize the charges today. The committee vote is expected after two days of partisan debate.
Read more: The Hill, AP
FBI Under Fire:
The Justice Department’s internal watchdog testified yesterday about a long-awaited report that focuses on the launch of the Russia investigation and the FBI’s surveillance of the Trump campaign in 2016. The inspector general doesn’t think political bias was the FBI’s motivation, but the report found "basic and fundamental errors" about how the FBI operated.
Read more: NYT, Washington Post, NPR, NBC News
No Interest Rate Cut:
After three rate cuts this year, the Federal Reserve decided to keep the federal interest rate the same for now. Some officials expect it won’t budge for the next year.
Read more: CBS News, CNBC, WSJ
Harvey Weinstein Settlement:
Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein may be making a deal with more than 30 of his accusers. If approved, the proposed $25 million settlement would not require Weinstein to admit wrongdoing, and his former movie studio's insurance companies would pay up. If approved by judges, the deal would settle civil lawsuits, but Weinstein is still facing criminal charges (and his trial starts next month).
Read more: NBC News, NYT
"Brexit Election":
British voters are heading to the polls today. The general election will determine if Prime Minister Boris Johnson will stay or be replaced by Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, and it'll have a big impact on the future of Brexit. PM Johnson called for this election as he hopes it'll break the country’s political deadlock.
Read more: CNN, BBC, NPR
Another Israeli Election:
Israel is set to hold an unprecedented third election in a year. Leaders from the country’s two major parties haven’t been able to form a government. The election is set for March.
Read more: The Hill, BBC, The Guardian
TIME's Person of the Year:
Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is TIME's 2019 Person of the Year. The 16-year old from Sweden is the youngest ever Person of the Year. Instead of runners-up, TIME gave awards for Guardians of the Year (foreign service officials who testified at impeachment hearings), Businessperson of the Year (Disney CEO Bob Iger), Entertainer of the Year (Lizzo) and Athletes of the Year (U.S. women's soccer team).
Read more: TIME, NBC News, AP, Variety
Record-Breaking Pitcher Deal:
The New York Yankees and pitcher Gerrit Cole agreed to the biggest pitching contract in baseball history. It's worth $324 million over nine years.
Read more: CBS Sports, ESPN
Brain on Sports:
A new study shows athletes who aren't injured can have healthier brains than non-athletes. It found playing a sport can help people lessen the static noise in their brains to better hear what's going on around them.
Read more: CNN, Northwestern University
All-Electric Plane’s Test Flight:
The world’s first fully-electric commercial plane completed its first test flight. The historic 15-minute flight could mean environmentally-friendly air travel is in our future. The plane’s developers hope to have an all-electric commercial fleet up-and-running in two years.
Read more: Fortune, CNBC, CNN
UberSKI:
UberSKI is a new feature that will let riders request an Uber car with a roof rack or enough space to carry skis and snowboards. Riders will have to pay a surcharge and drivers will receive part of it. UberSKI will be available later this month in more than 20 areas, including Denver, upstate New York and Salt Lake City.
Read more: Engadget, TechCrunch
Top Google Searches in 2019:
Google’s top trending search term in the U.S. in 2019 was “Disney Plus.” The top trending news search was “Hurricane Dorian” and the top TV show was “Game of Thrones.” The top “what is” phrase was “what is Area 51?” See more.
Read more: Variety, Engadget, Google
Thing To Know Thursday
Top Tech News of the Year & Decade
Quantum Supremacy: NYT
Tech Backlash: The Verge
5G: cNet
More best of decade lists: Business Insider, The Verge
Guest: Brian McCullough
Brian McCullough is the host of Techmeme Ride Home — Silicon Valley's podcast of record. It’s everything you missed in the world of tech in 15 minutes each day. Mark Zuckerberg called Techmeme the one news source he “definitely” follows. Brian McCullough is also founder of Ride Home Media.