Vox Sentences: “No choice but to act”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks about the impeachment inquiry of US President Donald Trump at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on December 5, 2019. | SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Speaker Pelosi confirms the House will vote on impeachment; France in uproar over pension reform.

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Articles of impeachment are on their way

Thursday, Nancy Pelosi gave a televised address asserting that the House will move forward with the impeachment inquiry, following Wednesday’s first House Judiciary Committee hearing. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]
The speaker said the House will vote on articles of impeachment, but didn’t give a deadline. [CNBC / Kevin Breuninger]
”Our democracy is what’s at stake,” said Pelosi. “The president leaves us no choice but to act because he is trying to corrupt, once again, the election for his own benefit.” [NBC News / Rebecca Shabad and Allan Smith]
Why are Democrats moving so quickly on impeachment? Getting it done quickly will allow them to move on to other things. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]
Still, the caucus seemed fired up on Wednesday night before Pelosi’s statement, yelling in response when she asked if members were ready. [Washington Post / Mike DeBonis and Rachael Bade]
After the announcement, Pelosi was asked if she “hated” President Trump. [New York Times / Michael D. Shear]
“I was raised in a way that is a heart full of love, and always pray for the president,” said Pelosi to James Rosen. “And I still pray for the president. I pray for the president all the time. So don’t mess with me when it comes to words like that.” [The Guardian]

French take to the streets over pension reform

French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed pension reform plan was met with protests across 30 French cities beginning Thursday. [Euronews]
The president is advocating for a single points-based approach; there are 42 different plans in the current system. [CNBC / Silvia Amaro]
Unions led some 800,000 protesters into the streets, claiming that Macron’s plan will shrink pensions, require employees to work longer, and chip away at the national social safety net. [The Local]
More than 6,000 police officers were dispatched in Paris to hold back protesters that halted most of the country’s mass transit, closed over half of all schools, and shuttered businesses across the country. [NBC News / Saphora Smith, Nancy Ing, and Associated Press]

Miscellaneous

Uber’s discrimination against its drivers even extends to the bathrooms they’re allowed to use. [Vice / Edward Ongweso Jr.]
How passengers find great fares when competition starts. [Wall Street Journal / McCartney]
Rising sea levels have a Florida island community admitting that they can’t try to save everything from the water. [New York Times / Christopher Flavelle and Patricia Mazzei]
Online school rankings can be deceiving. Here’s how. [Vox / Alvin Chang and Kimberly Mas]
A new study found that the birds of North America are shrinking, possibly due to rising temperatures. [Reuters / Will Dunham]

Verbatim

“If he uses statements and expressions that intentionally amplify the atmosphere of confrontation at this time of crisis, we will have to diagnose that the dotard started to be senile again.” [North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said of President Trump]