Skimm'd while checking out phones

"Cocaine extortion plot" – The reason ESPN's former president says he had to resign. Not your average exit interview.

POWER PLAY

The Story

Yesterday, the US gov called out Russia for allegedly hacking American energy and nuclear facilities.

Whoa.

Yup. Turns out, Russia has allegedly been hacking the US for years now. And targeting computer systems that control nuclear power plants, and water and electrical systems. This means the country may have the ability to turn off American power grids while sitting pretty in Moscow. Nyet good. And weird timing, since it looks like these hacks could've gone down during Russia's interference in the 2016 US election. Speaking of…

What now?

Yesterday, the Trump admin said it was imposing sanctions on 19 Russians for election meddling and cyber attacks. Supporters say this is the strongest the Trump admin has been on Russia. Critics say it's not nearly tough enough. Most of these Russians were indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his Trump-Russia investigation. Speaking of...

What now?

Mueller's telling the Trump Organization to turn over receipts.

Anything else?

This all comes as the UK is dealing with its own Russia problem. Oh, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is up for reelection on Sunday. Bets on him winning are high.

theSkimm

This is your daily reminder that US institutions and infrastructure – like our elections, and our electrical grid – are vulnerable. And a not-so-friendly foreign power seems ready to exploit that in any way it can.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What people are watching…

This bridge collapse. Yesterday, a new bridge under construction collapsed onto a highway near Miami. At least four people were killed. And a handful of vehicles were crushed. The bridge was installed in a few hours (yes, hours) over the weekend but wasn't supposed to open up to the public until later this year. Workers used a construction method that was supposed to be faster, less disruptive to traffic, and less risky for workers. Authorities are investigating how this happened.

What to say when your co-worker announces they got a new job…

Time to plan the goodbye party. Today, Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing announced he's retiring in May. Forbes estimates his net worth is more than $30 billion. He started out making plastic flowers in the 1950s. And he since built a business empire that includes retail, energy, and telecommunications companies. He is turning 90 in July and will hand over the reins to his son Victor Li.

What to say when you're hanging a photo...

A little lower. Yesterday, the FDA said it's trying to lower the amount of nicotine in cigarettes. Back in '09, Congress gave the FDA the go-ahead to oversee tobacco products. It can't ban them. But since then, it's been chipping away at the cig industry with things like limiting how tobacco companies can advertise. Now for the first time ever, the FDA is making moves to limit the stuff that makes cigarettes addictive in the first place. It says this could lead people to quit smoking and save millions of lives. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is looking into a new study that says there are microplastics in your bottled water. Microplastics is a fancy way of saying tiny pieces of plastic. They're in things like makeup and toothpaste – and there've been concerns that they're leading to more plastic pollution. The study tested popular water bottle brands all over the world. Now WHO's looking into how risky this is for your health. Thanks, WHO.

What to say when you hear Donald Trump Jr and his wife are calling it quits...

Rough day. Cryptocurrencies had one, too. Yesterday, they took a big hit in value – apparently as much as tens of billions of dollars. Reminder: cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that aren't typically backed by an official banking system. Last summer, cryptocurrencies were riding high. But since they're being sold on unregulated markets, there are a lot of concerns about things like fraud and money laundering. And investors have been particularly spooked lately. That might have something to do with the IMF calling for more gov supervision of the market earlier this week. And Google saying it's going to stop posting cryptocurrency ads later this year. Now cryptocurrency values are saying 'womp womp.'

What to say to your friend who still uses Snapchat…

Maybe not anymore.

THING TO KNOW

Smartphone honeymoon

When you get a new phone and want to buy it flowers, cards, and candy. It's the period of time (usually four months) that you're very into your new phone. Want it to last longer? Propose to this phone. Its camera will up your Insta game and you'll live tech-savvily ever after.

SKIMM LIFE

For when you get a Venmo for drinks you thought were covered...

Don't like this type of surprise. This T-Mobile ONE phone plan is a straight-up flat price – what you see is what you get. Phew. That includes everything: sales taxes on your plan, monthly fees, even a pair of speakers. Get in on it here.*

For when you need some inspo...

"Educated" by Tara Westover will do the trick. It's a memoir about a young woman from a survivalist family in Idaho. She doesn't set foot in a classroom until she's 17. But eventually winds up at one of the best colleges in the world. Get into it here.*

For when you have a bad day…

Time to get lucky. This drink will make everyone green with envy. Happy St. Patrick's Day weekend.

SKIMM SHARE

March Madness is heeeeere. Skimm HQ is kind of excited. But we know, it's a lot. So say hi to theSkimm App Sports Calendar. It cuts through the noise to give you the heads up on when the most important games are going down. And we're giving you things to celebrate for downloading theSkimm App. Today you can win $1,000 to throw the best Final Four party around. And to yesterday's winner, check your inbox.

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm'bassador. Put your party pants on

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