Skimm'd while giving ourselves goosebumps

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OCTOBER 31, 2017

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Skimm'd while giving ourselves goosebumps


  QUOTE OF THE DAY  

"Genuine lifestyle relationship" – A new study on bromances found they're so emotionally satisfying, they could replace romantic relationships. So many activities!

CHARGED UP

The Story

The first charges have dropped in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

Hang on, back up.

Earlier this year, Mueller – a former FBI director – took over the FBI's investigation into Russia's attack on last year's presidential election, and whether the Trump campaign was involved. Now, he's saying 'you got served.'

To who?

Paul Manafort...Trump's former campaign chairman was charged with 12 counts, including conspiracy against the US, money laundering, and failing to put 'foreign agent' on his LinkedIn profile. The charges are related to his work as a lobbyist for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. Officials say he hid the millions he was paid in offshore accounts. Manafort says 'not guilty.'


Rick Gates...Manafort's longtime no. 2 who worked with him on Trump's campaign and in his Ukrainian lobbying days. Gates got the same charges. And allegedly helped hide all that money. He says 'not guilty.'


George Papadopoulos...A former Trump campaign adviser who tried to set up a meeting with Russian officials after hearing they had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. He was charged with lying to the FBI when asked about it. He pleaded guilty weeks ago, and has been cooperating with the investigation.

What do these charges mean?

The ones against Manafort and Gates don't directly implicate Trump or his campaign. Yesterday, Trump sounded off on the charges, insisting that Manafort's lobbying took place years ago and that "NO COLLUSION" occurred during the election. Even though Papadopoulos is a lesser-known name, his crime was directly related to the campaign.

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No matter which side of the aisle you're on, these allegations – of conspiracy against the US, of laundering millions of dollars – are pretty striking for a man who once ran the current president's campaign.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when you go as Ginger Spice for Halloween...

Stop right now, thank you very much. Yesterday, a federal judge put President Trump's transgender troop ban on hold. Earlier this year, Trump unexpectedly reversed the Obama-era policy of allowing transgender troops to openly serve, saying it was too expensive to cover their medical costs. Transgender troops and LGBTQ groups sued, saying this is discrimination. Now this judge says they have a pretty solid case, and is pausing the ban while it makes its way through the courts.


What people are talking about...

Kevin Spacey. In recent days, the actor Anthony Rapp – who you know from "Rent" – came forward to say Spacey once made a sexual advance toward him when he was 14. In his statement, Spacey said that he doesn't remember the incident since it happened decades ago, then he apologized, then he came out as gay. To which many people on the Interwebs said '...how is that relevant?' And called him out for using it to try and distract from or excuse his behavior. On top of all this, yesterday Netflix announced that it's pulling the plug on "House of Cards" after the next season. But said this decision had already been made months ago, and it's now exploring a potential spinoff. And that Netflix was "deeply troubled" by Rapp's account.


What to say when there's a tech glitch...

Let's try this again. Yesterday, Kenya announced the results of its recent presidential election re-do. The sitting president won. Again. Many Kenyans are not pleased. The country's election process over the past few months has been controversial. The vote first went down in August. But the supreme court called for a do-over after the opposition candidate argued the electronic voting system had been hacked. Then that candidate said round two wasn't going to be fair either, and dropped out. Last week, Kenyans went to the polls again. In recent days, protests broke out and at least six people have died in clashes with police. And the fact that the current president is now keeping his job probably won't help diffuse the tension. The opposition leader is already calling for another vote.


What people are talking about…

This bizarre murder case. Back in August, Swedish journalist Kim Wall went missing while on assignment in Copenhagen. Her torso later washed up on a nearby island. Divers have since also found her head and legs. Police eventually charged a Danish inventor with her murder. Wall had been interviewing him on his homemade submarine the day she went MIA. At first he said Wall hit her head while on board, and he buried her at sea. Now, he's changing his story, saying that Wall died of carbon monoxide poisoning. He says he dismembered her but didn't kill her. Paging Robert Durst...


What to say when you hear Saudi Arabia just gave a robot citizenship

It's also letting women into sports stadiums. Groundbreaking.


THING TO KNOW

Text door neighbor

The person whose phone number is one digit away from yours. 8-6-7-5-3-oh hiiii there.

SKIMM LIFE

SKIMM FAVES

For when you eat too much candy...

SOS. Skimm HQ's answer is this electric toothbrush. It'll make you feel fresh again. Plus, you get to brush a little something off the price tag.


SKIMM TO GO

For when you're too old for trick or treating…

Hide under the covers with one of our spooky Skimm Reads instead. Check them out here.


For when you want to take it up a notch…

Skimm HQ's sipping on these bloody good cocktails.

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