Skimm'd over french fries

"An extremely large set of scales" – The London Zoo, on how it weighs its giraffes during annual animal check ups. Hopefully the giraffes aren't self-conscious.

DAY FOUR

The Story

Houston and other parts of Texas are still underwater. And more rain is on the way.

What's the status of the storm?

Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane when it made landfall on Friday. Then was downgraded to a tropical storm once the wind speeds dropped. But it stayed over the area, bringing huge amounts of rain – think: more than two feet in some places – which has led to massive flooding. In the coming days, Harvey's expected to circle out over the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall again as a tropical storm. Then it'll head towards Louisiana, dumping another 20 plus inches of rain along the way.

What's the latest?

At least nine people have died. And over 3,000 have been rescued. Meanwhile, Houston – America's fourth largest city – has started releasing water from two of the city's dams to avoid overflow. Many of the state's oil refineries have pushed pause on operations, sending ripples across the US energy industry. Multiple hospitals have flooded, making it harder for medical staff to do their jobs. And officials estimate that around 30,000 people will need emergency shelters and 450,000 people will seek disaster aid.

On a scale of one to Katrina, how bad are we talking?

Pretty bad. Hurricane Katrina was a Category 3 storm when it made landfall in Louisiana in '05. The reason Katrina was so devastating was because New Orleans' levees failed, leading water to flow out into the streets. Plus, the gov was called out for its ineffective response. Now, officials are worried the most dangerous part of Harvey may be yet to come, as the area continues to get heavy rainfall and floodwaters rise.

theSkimm

Harvey is one of the worst storms to hit Texas in over 50 years, wreaking havoc for millions of people. Today, President Trump will head to the area to address his first national disaster. Here's how you can help.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when you're making a big speech at work and have to wear a mic...

Coming in hot. Yesterday, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan. It landed in the ocean, but the incident scared Japanese officials enough to tell people to run for cover. This comes while the US and South Korea are about to wrap up their annual military drills in South Korea. A tradition North Korea is not a fan of. The international community is already on edge because this is just one of more than a dozen missile launches by North Korea this year. And comes a month after the country tested missiles that could reach parts of the US. Oh, and after the country threatened to attack the US territory of Guam. Now, North Korea's missile tests are getting a little too close for comfort for Japan. Japanese PM called it a "grave threat" to the country and is calling for an emergency UN meeting to address what happened.

What to say when you have a back up plan for your back up plan...

Gearing up. Yesterday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the Trump administration's signing off on giving police departments leftover military equipment. This program first started back in the '90s. It allows the Defense Dept to send its extras – everything from armored vehicles to camo uniforms – to police departments to help them save money on expensive gear and be better prepared for things like possible terror attacks and cracking down on drug crimes. But in recent years, the way police have responded to protests (see: Ferguson, MO) have raised a lot of Qs about their tactics. And whether officers were starting to look a little too much like the military. So Obama rolled back the program. Now Trump – who campaigned on cracking down on crime – is saying 'nvm.' Supporters say the move will improve public safety. Critics say it'll only create more tension between local police and the communities they serve. Meanwhile, in recent days it came out that Trump's company was looking into a real estate deal in Russia while he was campaigning to be prez. And that a biz associate reportedly promised to "get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected." This comes as the Trump campaign's being investigated for possibly colluding with Russia's election interference. The real estate deal never ended up happening. But details of that deal were still turned over to the House Intelligence Committee as part of their investigation.

What to say when your co-worker gets a delivery of roses on her birthday…

Be careful with the stems. The FDA's saying the same. Yesterday, it put out a PSA that it's cracking down on clinics offering shady stem cell treatments. Stem cells are the kind taken from bone marrow or fat. They can develop into different types of cells and there's evidence that they could be used to help people regrow tissue and treat diseases. In the meantime, hundreds of clinics across the country have started pushing unregulated stem cell therapies to treat things like knee problems and ALS. But there have been reports that these treatments don't always work and can be dangerous. Now the FDA's saying 'enough.' It warned two clinics to stop their unsafe practices as a way of putting the others on notice. It also plans on writing rules for treatment standards. In other news shaking up the medical world, new research shows that injecting people with an anti-inflammatory drug could lower their risk of heart attack. Most heart attack treatments focus on drugs that lower cholesterol. Now docs say there's another option, and that not only could it drastically reduce the risk of heart attacks, but also slow the spread of cancer. Ba-bump ba-bump.

BALLS

Fall's coming in hot with lots of big showdowns for sports fans. Especially the ones that are into small balls. Here's a thing to know...

Aboard: Not just for planes, trains, and automobiles. Also the baseball term that means "on base." Psst...the MLB post-season is coming up. Our app has a sports calendar that tips you off to all the important stuff so you don't miss it.

We're so excited to go balls to the wall that today, we're giving away a 55" Samsung TV just for getting our app so you can feel like you're at the first base line all season. To yesterday's winner, check your inbox.

SKIMM LIFE

Skimm A loves a good deal. And this one only comes around twice a year. So she's stocking up for her next beach vacation. Get in on it here. Drink umbrella sadly not included.

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