Tuesday Scoop: Brexit Vote
The big story…
Theresa May Delays Brexit Vote
The Brexit process became even more complicated on Tuesday when British Prime Minister Theresa May abruptly pulled the plug on Tuesday’s parliamentary vote on the current deal, fearing a major loss in the House of Commons. An emergency debate on the government’s decision will take place in Parliament on Tuesday morning. Concerns over the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland have proven a major point of contention and are part of the reason that May has delayed the vote.
May is currently meeting with EU leaders, such as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. There will be no renegotiation on the deal that took over a year to hash out, but there are opportunities for clarification and interpretation that may bring more members of Parliament to the other side.
In tech…
Google+ Data Breach Forces Early Shutdown
Google+ will be shutting down four months early in April 2019, after suffering its second user data breach since October. This may come up when Google CEO Sundar Pichai appears on Capitol Hill today to testify before the House Judiciary Committee about the search engine’s algorithms and possible bias against conservative content.
In sexual assault…
U.S. Olympic Committee Official Fired Over Silence in Larry Nassar Case
A new investigative report has revealed that the USOC and the USAG were complicit in the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case. Chief of sport performance Alan Ashley was fired on Monday when it was revealed that Ashley knew about the allegations more than a year before they came to light. As investigations continue, both the USOC and the USAG are showing a horrendous pattern of inaction that allowed Nassar to continue his sexual abuse of more than 350 young women over.
In the courts…
The Supreme Court Refuses to Hear a Case on Defunding Planned Parenthood
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case yesterday regarding Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, saying that the court would stand by the states’ earlier rulings. Six out of the nine justices voted to pass on the case, including conservative justices John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh. The court’s decision seems to be an attempt to avoid controversy — at least for now.
In France…
Macron Raises Wage and Lowers Taxes to Appease Protestors
In response to weeks of violent protests throughout the country, French President Emmanuel Macron is promising a rise in wages with tax cuts for overtime work and low-income pensions. The government will be sporting the cost of the 7% wage increase, which is likely to total somewhere from $8 billion to $10 billion. Many feel that Macron was forced into this position by aggressive protests against the rising fuel tax, but others are wondering how a tax increase turned into a government deficit. Regardless, the “yellow vests” say they’re not happy yet.
In environment…
Luxembourg Becomes First Country to Make All Public Transport Free
The Western European microstate is combating environmental pollution and income inequality through covering basic services, such as transportation. Read more in Duane Paul Murphy’s report for CMN.
In global news…
Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Spread Awareness of Violence Against Women
The Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded last weekend in Oslo, Norway. This year’s laureates Dr. Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad are bringing attention to the widespread sexual violence committed against women across the world.
Trending today…
Where Theres Smock, There’s a Fire
Yesterday, President Trump captivated — and confused — the Internet with his reference to a “smocking gun.” Well, you know what they say, “Today’s smock is yesterday’s covfefe.”
“Democrats can’t find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey’s testimony. No Smocking Gun…No Collusion.” @FoxNews That’s because there was NO COLLUSION. So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2018
Last but not least…
Meet The Writer: Brianna Vacca
Brianna Vacca realized how much music would impact her life when her father, a DJ for local venues, gifted her Kelly Clarkson’s Break Away album for Christmas. Read more about it in Rachel Cross’s report for CMN.
Today’s Morning Scoop was made possible by Rachel Cross, Natalia Kolenko, and the CMN Staff. Christmas tree farmers are telling us to “keep it real,” but not the kind of “real” that they sell on Amazon.
