Skimm'd while watching "The Bachelorette"

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

JUNE 19, 2018

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  QUOTE OF THE DAY  

"No, you can't do that, no, no, no, no" – French President Emmanuel Macron after a teen called him by the nickname Manu. Boy, au revoir.

BORDER LINES

The Story

President Trump is wading into the immigration pond at home and abroad.

What's going on?

For years, the EU's been dealing with a migrant crisis. Anti-immigration, pro-nationalist parties have been getting a big boost in the polls there thanks to their tough stances on the issue (see: Italy). Now, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's feeling the heat.

Why?

Some German lawmakers want to crack down on migrants and stamp 'deny' to asylum seekers at the border. Now Merkel's been given a two-week ultimatum to come up with a fix with EU leaders or else lawmakers plan to go around her.

You mentioned Trump though...

Correct. He got involved via Twitter. He said Germans are turning against their gov because of the migrant crisis. And that crime there is "way up." It's not. He also said that the US won't become "a migrant camp" like Europe.

What's all this about?

The Trump admin's "zero tolerance" policy that prosecutes adults who illegally cross the US-Mexico border. And separates kids from the adults they're traveling with. Over the weekend, we found out nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families between April and May. Now, both sides of the aisle are calling Trump out for it. He says a Dem law is to blame for the separations. It's not. Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is working on a bill to keep these families together. And Trump's planning to meet with House Republicans on immigration today.

Anything else?

Yup. Yesterday, the Trump admin hit up the Supreme Court to chime in on sanctuary cities – places where local officials usually look the other way instead of handing undocumented immigrants over to the feds. A lower court said the gov can't deny grant money to places with this policy. Now Trump and co are sending out an SOS to the Supremes to get involved.

theSkimm

Immigration is one of the biggest issues facing the US and Europe right now. And comes at a time when nationalism is on the rise. This is what it looks like when nationalist sentiment becomes government policy.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when your mom asks you to plan the next family reunion…

I politely decline. SCOTUS just said 'same.' Yesterday, the Supremes passed on making a decision on two partisan gerrymandering cases. Partisan gerrymandering: when lawmakers redraw electoral maps to benefit their party. See here. It's come up a lot heading into midterm elections in November. The Supremes had to decide whether voting districts in Wisconsin and Maryland were drawn in a way to help the GOP or the Dems – which some say is unconstitutional. A lot of people were watching these cases because they could have set guidelines for states to work from when drawing district maps. But the court wasn't ready to make a call just yet. Now the current maps will be in play during the midterms.


What to say when you call out sick and then run into a co-worker...

Busted. Yesterday, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was arrested. You've probably heard about how Volkswagen (Audi's parent company) got itself into a biiiiit of trouble for installing software that made it seem like some of its diesel cars were more environmentally friendly than they actually were. Prosecutors in Germany opened an investigation into potential fraud by a handful of people, including Stadler. Now, he's the highest-ranking exec to be arrested in connection with the scandal. In other news about companies seeing dolla signs, Fujifilm sued Xerox for more than $1 billion. Earlier this year, the two companies announced a $6.1 billion merger. Then Xerox jumped ship. Now, Fujifilm is saying 'fax over that payment please.'


What to say when a new neighbor moves in…

Time to set boundaries. Here are some things doing the same. Yesterday, a new rule reportedly went into effect that requires tobacco companies to label their products as "deadly" and "addictive" on their websites. The companies will also have to add similar warnings on cigarette packages later this year. Also, the World Health Organization says compulsive video-game playing now qualifies as a mental health condition. But these kinds of cases are still very rare. On top of that, new research shows that rising sea levels caused by climate change could impact a lot of US coastal communities. And that within the next 30 years, more than 300,000 homes could be flooded every two weeks.


Who you'll be hearing about...

Caster Semenya. The two-time Olympic track and field champion from South Africa is planning to challenge a rule limiting women's testosterone levels. Starting in November, track and field's world governing body is adding a new rule that female runners with high testosterone have to drop those levels…or they can't run in international races between 400 meters and one mile. Semenya – who could be affected by the new rule – said "I am a woman and I am fast." And that this new rule is discriminatory. Now she's saying 'see you in court.'


What to say after watching "Solo"...

May the (Space) force be with you.


What to say when the brand is strong...

And now it's on Showtime.