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"Happy birthday to myself" – The 7am text a grandmother sent her grandson when he didn't reach out on her birthday. He won't be making that mistake again.

MUELLERING IT OVER

The Story

Last summer, President Trump tried to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.

Hang on...

Last year, Trump fired FBI director James Comey, who was leading the Trump-Russia investigation. Comey presented receipts. And the Justice Department hired Mueller to take over the investigation. About a month later, Mueller seemed to be looking into an obstruction of justice case against Trump.

Is that when Trump tried to fire him?

Apparently, yes. New reports say that Trump thought Mueller had conflicts of interest. He ordered the firing...but backed down when White House counsel Donald McGahn threatened to quit if Trump went through with it. Meanwhile, Trump is saying 'fake news,' and denies this ever happened. But just this week, Trump said he'd be happy to chat with Mueller under oath. This might come up.

What other weird sh*t is going on?

Republican lawmakers have been raising questions about whether Mueller's investigation is biased against Trump. There are text messages between an FBI agent and lawyer. There's talk of a "secret society" in the FBI. There are lawmakers threatening to go public with classified intel. Mess.

theSkimm

Right now, Trump's in Davos making the case for investing in the US economy. And rolling out an immigration plan that could make citizenship possible for 1.8 million Dreamers. But the White House can't get away from the Russia drama.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What people are watching...

South Korea. Last night, a fire at a hospital in the southern part of the country killed at least 37 people. And injured more than 130. The hospital also serves as a nursing home. This fire is the country's deadliest in the past decade, and comes a month after a fire at a fitness center there killed 29 people. Investigators are looking into the cause.

What to say when the oldest friend in the group has a birthday…

At least you're not this fossil. Scientists say they've discovered the oldest fossil ever found outside Africa. More than a decade ago, researchers found a jawbone fossil in Israel. The jaw still had teeth attached to it and was shaped like a modern human's jaw. Now, researchers say the fossil is between 177,000 and 194,000 years old. That means that modern humans may have first left Africa tens of thousands of years earlier than previously thought. Jaw-dropping.

What to say when you see Rep. Pat Meehan (R-PA) isn't seeking re-election...

Sexual harassment allegations are making this actor take a step back too. Casey Affleck is firing himself as an Oscar presenter. In 2010, two women sued the actor for sexual harassment. Last year, the allegations resurfaced when he was nominated – and won – best actor for "Manchester by the Sea." Surprise, the Academy got shade for awarding an alleged sexual harasser. Especially from Brie Larson. For years, it's been tradition for the previous year's best actor winner to announce the best actress award (and vice versa). But now that Time's Up, Affleck's bowing out. See ya.

What to say when your coworker doesn't understand personal space…

Back off. Turkey is reportedly making threats towards US troops in Syria. Turkish and US troops are in Syria helping anti-gov forces in the civil war there. Separately, both Turkey and Syrian Kurds have been important partners to the US in the fight against ISIS. The problem? Turkey considers the Kurds (an ethnic minority group in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey) to be terrorists. And started attacking them in Syria earlier this week. Turkey has killed dozens of Kurds and displaced thousands more. The US told Turkey to back off. Now, Turkey's reportedly saying if the US keeps backing Syrian Kurdish soldiers, it may go after them next. The Pentagon says it's trying to work things out with Turkey on the sidelines. Good luck.

What to say when flooding in Paris shuts down part of the Louvre…

Mona Lisa is probably fine. The rest of us only have two minutes until doomsday.

THING TO KNOW

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SKIMM LIFE

For when your friend cancels plans again...

Get a plan you can rely on. A phone plan, that is. If you switch to this one, you'll get a free pair of speakers, plus unlimited talk, text, and data. Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

For your friend who's been wanting to see a psychic…

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For when you're pregaming…

Here are HQ DJ's Grammy noms.

For when you show up to a dinner party empty-handed...

Whip one of these up, and you'll get invited back.

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SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

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