Skimm'd while comparing parental leave policies

theSkimm50 West 23rd Street, Suite 5B; New York, NY, 10010, United States Update Profile

MARCH 09, 2018

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Skimm'd while comparing parental leave policies


  QUOTE OF THE DAY  

"Rosé is like white shoes after Labor Day" – Martha Stewart, giving you permission to go wild and do both all year round.

THINGS TRUMP’S GOT YOU SAYING

North Korea

The Story

Yesterday, President Trump RSVP'd 'yes' to a meeting invite from North Korea leader Kim Jong Un.

Wait, back up.

For years, North Korea has been building up its nuclear program. And freaking out countries in the process. This week, South Korean officials met with their neighbors to talk peace. And it seems the two countries have made some diplomatic headway.

I'm listening.

Earlier this week, the South said that Kim wants to meet up with the US to chat. And that he might be down to give up his nuke program – if he gets things like normal diplomatic ties and security guarantees. Big deal since Kim's been low-key obsessed with testing out his arsenal. The White House says Trump's on board for the talks – which are supposed to go down by May.

theSkimm

If this happens, it'll be the first time a sitting US president has met with a North Korea leader. Ever.


Tariffs

The Story

Yesterday, President Trump had an import-ant announcement.

What's happening?

The US is increasing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. But not every country has to pay up. Canada and Mexico get a pass while the three countries renegotiate their trade agreement. And the rest of the world has the option to pick up the phone and negotiate their way out of this. A big change from the 'no exception rule' Trump talked about when these were first announced. The tariffs go into effect in 15 days.

What are people saying?

The Trump admin says this will protect the US from foreign competition. Critics say this could escalate into a trade war. Either way, if you buy things with steel or aluminum – anything from cars to beer – this could shake up costs.

Anything else?

Yesterday, 11 countries signed a new free trade deal...without the US. A big sign that trade partners are ready to take steps of their own.

theSkimm

This tariff idea was a bold move that PO'd the international community and fellow Republicans. TBD if they turn into a trade war or a useful negotiation tactic.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say after your friend puts a down payment on a house…

Not the only one making a big purchase. Yesterday, health insurer Cigna said it's coughing up $52 billion to buy Express Scripts. This deal would combine one of the country's biggest health insurance companies with the country's biggest pharmacy benefit manager. Aka a company that negotiates drug prices for insurers and employers. But it's not the first deal of its kind (looking at you, Aetna and Amazon). And if it goes through, they say it'll help lower drug costs for clients. In other healthcare news, hundreds of doctors in Canada are saying 'thanks, but no thanks' to a pay bump. You read that right. They're signing a petition to make the gov take the cash money from their raises and put it toward things like paying nurses more and get patients more access to certain services. It may or may not be the most Canadian thing ever.


What people are talking about…

Central African Republic. Yesterday, Doctors Without Borders said that hundreds of women have been treated as rape victims in the country since the beginning of the year. Central African Republic has been unstable for years. In 2013, a mostly Muslim rebel group ousted the president. Ever since, those rebels have been fighting against mostly Christian militia groups. Cue chaos. The UN sent in thousands of peacekeepers but that hasn't fixed the problem. Now, Doctors Without Borders is saying a group of women were attacked by militia fighters last month. But didn't specify which militia group was behind this. Some women reportedly waited weeks to get treatment because they were afraid of the rape stigma in their communities. Unclear when the violence will stop.


What to say to your friend from the South…

Hear about this? Yesterday, Mississippi lawmakers passed the most restrictive abortion bill in the country. The state's law already bans abortions after 20 weeks into a pregnancy. This new law cuts that down to 15. It doesn't apply to women whose health is at risk or if the babies couldn't survive out of the womb at full-term. But the bill would apply to women who are raped. The governor said he wants to make his state "the safest place" for unborn babies. He's expected to sign off on this next week.


What to say when you hear the Obama family might be coming to Netflix...

The Soprano family is back in the game too.

SKIMM MD: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

We've spent this week Skimm'ng some areas of women's reproductive health. Stay tuned for more on things like mental health and breast health later this year. Yesterday, we got into what it's like having a baby. Today, we're in recovery mode. Here are some things to know...


Parental leave: First things first. There are different norms all around the world. Here's your Skimm.


The swelling: You might've just pushed a body out of your body. There could be swelling and soreness. Maybe stitches. It takes weeks to physically recover from childbirth.


The bleeding: Your body's getting rid of excess blood and tissue from the uterus. You might have trouble peeing. And leak a bit when you cough or laugh. Fun.


The baby blues: This is pretty common in the days after birth. Your hormones are on a rollercoaster and you're tired AF. It should go away in a week or two. If it's more extreme it might be postpartum depression. This is more common than you think – more than half of Skimm'rs say they know someone who has gone through postpartum.


There's more Skimm…

* Here's more on parental leave around the world


* Watch our interview with outgoing Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm'bassador. Cake, cake, cake

*Joe Schechter FL, Courtney Connelly CA, David Alpert NY, Ashley Dronsfield MA, Caroline Mancusi MA, Claire Johnson MN,*Hailey Kurth IL, *Hanna Hunstad MA, *Alexandra Stanley GA, *Rachel Shuster PA, *Nicole Woodworth CA, *Megan Moran CA, *Nicole Scott PA, *Christina DiSalle OH, *Allie Lemco Toren GA, *Cynthia Turner KY, *Kate Taylor MA, *Ashima Sekhawat VA, *Rebecca Mendonca CA, *Lauren Nehus KY, *Lauren Bowling GA, *Kendra Polefrone OH, *Rachel Gummattira TX, *Olivia Blair SC, *Elamin Abdelmahmoud CAN, *Evgenia Ilienko, *Emily Cunningham GA, *Jennifer Chitmon TX, *Rick Treur MI, *Kerri Migliore OH, *Julia Rucko NJ, *Sunita Ramnarinesingh FL, *Shanna Kane NC, *Keir Cullen Janey MA, *Wheeler IL, *Kristen Hartmann NY, *Kendell Rickmam MI, *Osborne CA, *Mona Chawla LA, *Whitney Jarosch UT, Kate Stack NY, Becky Anderson MT, Sara Wolf CA, Sarah Garner NC, Cara McLaughlin VA, Jenifer Brady NJ, Isabelle Catalano NY, Ayuko Morikawa LA, Haley Rabic DC, Karla Calhoon OH, Brittany Snow CA,Olivia Makinson CA, Danielle Carlson CA, Jemma Miller, Sarah Jackmauh CT, Patsy Slaybaugh TX, Chip Brooke AZ, Chloe Rockow DC, Jacki Gethner OR, Gary Herman NY, Patricia Hoffman NJ, Denise Cozzini IL, Florice Chanley CA, Molly Shutt MD, Besia Friedel CA, Katie Karlberg MA, Ericka Houck NC, Lisa Dollinger Drummond MA, Frances Albert GA, Dolly Roach, Shira Hirsch WI, Sissel McCarthy NY, Darcy Horath IL, Ryan Waddell PA, Blair White MD, Jacqueline Earley NE, Grace Murray MI, Mulan Jiang KS, Allissa Cummings DC, Brooke Rappaport GA, Mike Smith TX, Caroline Eldridge OH, Kelsey Donahue Stevens NC, Nicole Kouri CA, Devshree Khachane, Mary Lynn Morrison SC, Megan Novak PA, Mary Anne Jasuta CA, Mimi DeSetto FL, Elaine Heller NY, David Renteln CA, Trisha LaLumondier TN, Alli Naeve CA, Debbie Becker TN, Susan Hannon CA, Virginia Grayson GA, Jean Rothschild WI, Annie Della Pietra NY, Atalo Barlow OR, Allen Narens IL, Alexandra Stewart IL, Valerie Amparan CA, Melody Pickens NC, Goddess Person NC, Robin Turner SC, Margie Towle CO, Laura Howell ID, Heather BiwlesEpps CA, Liz Brown NY, Sabrina Perlman NY, Beth Beatty IL, Vicki Doukas KY, Jess Eaton VT, Tunaidi Ansari NY, Christina Spencer FL, Andie Milkis CA, Carmen Chan NY, Kelly Welsh PA, Jaclyn Oakes VA, Jenna Andreozzi RI, Nina Getachew, Sarah Klarer KY, Cassandra Powers TX, Heather L Curtis NC, Cynthia Angela CA, Ann Marie Callahan NJ, Molly Orr OR, Jocelyn White TX, Meggie Holson VA, Peggy Foldes VA, Laura Granger CAN, Tammy Olson WI, Brandis Cutts VA, Janet Wittenberg WI, Sarah Weingarten PA, Jodie Evans NY, AJ Floodstrand WI, Ginny Lasco PA, Maddy Vericker, Sarah Cotton MT, Jaslyne Sunday BC