Skimm'd while poppin' bottles

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

JULY 16, 2018

ARCHIVE

theSkimm
Celebrating theSkimm's 6th Birthday

Skimm'd while poppin' bottles


  QUOTE OF THE DAY  

"Easily one of my top three husbands" – Demi Moore roasting Bruce Willis. Yeah...he's okay.

PUTIN’ ON THE CHARM

The Story

This week on "The Bachelor": President Trump and Russian President Putin are in exotic Finland for their first one-on-one.

Why Finland?

The country's been a neutral host to a few US-Russia meetings, including one near the end of the Cold War. But some Finns are tired of the neutral host vibe and came out to protest.

Why is this meeting a big deal?

Because Russia and the West have had frosty relations for years. Things blew up in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. The West said 'nyet ok' and sanctioned the country. And kicked it out of international orgs like the G8 (now called the G7). Then in 2016, Russia attacked the US election – in part to help Trump win.

Is that all?

Nope. This meeting comes days after special counsel Robert Mueller – who's looking into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia – indicted 12 Russian intelligence agents for hacking the DNC in 2016. The same group of ops that may reportedly be involved with the recent nerve agent attacks in the UK.

Got it. So what's on the agenda?

Things like Ukraine, the Syrian civil war, and nuclear arms control. Trump may or may not ask for those 12 Russian agents to be extradited. And Putin might try to get the US to acknowledge its annexation of Crimea.

theSkimm

Trump is throwing out the old diplomatic rule book. And leaving many Western allies on edge – especially after a tense NATO summit. This one-on-one with Putin gives Russia more legitimacy on the world stage than it's had in years. TBD what Trump gets in return.


PS: Want to know more about Putin? We go deep into his background in our app. Get it here.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when your intramural team wins…

Oui are the champions. Yesterday, France's Les Bleus kicked past Croatia to become World Cup champs for the first time in 20 years. Merci, Mbappe. Pussy Riot showed up on the field to call a penalty on Russia (the host country) for its policies toward political dissent. But in case you missed the World Cup, it miiiight have been because you were watching tennis. Serbia's Novak Djokovic took the W at Wimbledon...for the fourth time. And Germany's Angelique Kerber beat out Serena Williams – who was playing for all the moms out there.


What to say when you rewatch all of the "Ocean's" movies…

Movie, meet real life. Yesterday, we got more info on what's been going on with Iran's nuclear program. Reminder: earlier this year, Israel's PM said Israeli agents broke into an Iranian warehouse and stole tens of thousands of documents. Now we're getting a sneak peek. The docs apparently show that Iran had been secretly trying to build nuclear weapons. And that it used a military base to conduct explosions tests – avoiding international inspectors. There's no proof in the docs that Iran violated the 2015 nuclear deal. But Israel said this shows that the country will likely try to revamp the program ASAP.


What people are watching…

Nicaragua. This weekend, gov-backed forces attacked a university in the country's capital. Let's back up: earlier this year, people started protesting the gov's changes to a social security program. Which turned into protests over gov repression. Hundreds of people have been killed since the start of the violence. This weekend, forces fired on students who had been protesting the gov, killing two people and injuring at least 10 others. People are calling for early elections and for the prez to step down. In other news of unpopular leaders, Haiti. This weekend, the country's prime minister resigned a week after deadly protests in the country. Here's what's going on: the gov decided to raise fuel prices by up to 51% to balance the country's budget and get some back up from the IMF. But a lot of Haitians weren't down. Now, the prez has to name a new PM – and the IMF recommends taking changes like this slow.


What to say when you drift off while your SO was talking…

I'm listening – so is Walmart. The company recently filed a patent for surveillance tech that could let it listen to customers and employees. Hello, privacy concerns. Speaking of, Microsoft wants Congress to start regulating facial recognition technology – which it thinks could get out of hand. And Uber says it's going to start doing ongoing background checks on its drivers. That way it can catch drivers who get new criminal charges. Ukay.


Who people are amazed by...

This woman.

SKIMM PICKS

For when you're cheersing over bday drinks…

Here's something else to celebrate. Black Friday in July – aka Amazon Prime Day – kicks off at 3pm ET and runs for 36 hours. Drinking while shopping not encouraged. Get ready to fill your cart here.*


For when you doodle during a meeting…

It's OK to be distracted. Especially if it's because you're watching the new Ariana Grande music video. Warning: there are gophers. HQ doesn't know how to feel about it either.

*PS This is an affiliate partnership, which means if you purchase, theSkimm may get something in return. Thanks.

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm'bassador. Pop bottles

Marty Luskin NY, Tracey DiBuonno IL, Sarah Rothman NY, Naomi Goldin NY, Arianna Huffington NY, *Alexandra Studwell NY, *Emily Sewell NY, *Jessica Layne FL, *Carly Schmitt GA, *Mary Clemmensen VA, *Jessica Jones FL, *Janet Parish TX, *Morgan Smith NC, *Erin Bleakley KS, *Janice Schneekloth CT, *Abby Habiger KS, *Ellen Roos MN, *Kate Gipe IL, *Lisa Ferreras CA, *Shelby Studer CO, *Sierra Winston FL, *Taylor Gee TN, *Camille Frigillana CA, *Maria Judnick CA, *Lucy Magnus CT, *Morgan Perry NY, *Amy Norris UK, *Toddy McGann CO, *Brendan Abbott NY, *MaryAnne Harrington CA, *Dana DeLorenzo TX, *Kelsey Wiechert CA, *Benny Kesslen NJ, *Jayme Shy SC, *Caitlin Loughlin MA, *Julie Gheesling RI, *Diana Barreto VA, *Michelle Nussbaum GA, *Kristin Lopopolo FL, *Sara Schad NY, *Caroline Glaser PA, *Cristina Garcia, *Jessica Gentry CA, *Kelli Martin KS, *Catherine Lott NC, *Kailyn Stanley MD, *Susan Howard MA, Lily Rhodehamel OH, Sarah Vanlandingham VA, Jessica Weiss NY, Matt Weiss NY, Gianna Lombari RI, Sharon Samuels CA, Carly Goins OH, Leslie Fulcher IL, Meredith Averbuch, Blake Cargill FL, Tammanna Patel FL, Dara Bakar MD, Ethan Lilliewood CA, Jalen Jiang FL, Liz Hudson CA, Sung Han NY, Nell Brennan NY, Charlotte Hamilton NY, Savannah Greene CA, Harriet Patterson AL, Victoria Wilbur CA, Emma Barnes NY, Nancy Puetz TN, Tori Wilbur, Jill Pottash Weiss PA, Lisa Ramos MS, Jan Erickson NC, Sue Bjarnar NY, Caroline Nentwig MA, Susan Thomas PA, Marissa Friedman NY, Martha Alonzo-Johnsen NC, Shannon Mundelius CA, Sherrie Holliday LA, Anne Chandler GA, Laura Ying NY, Kendra Scurfield CAN, Anna Gilhool FL, Shannon Fulk NC, Andrej Savol MA, Latisha Houseman CO, Ashley Walbridge PA, Katie Whitmore IL, Sarah Kasper NC, Kate Murphy MA, Jim Beglinger CA, Chizuru Uko MD, Gail Aspinwall CA, Bethany Mako TN, Ronna Watkins AR, Dale O'Brien CT, Kristen Hamerstadt IN, Lauren Barnes FL, Rachel Short PA, Hannah Dow AL, Ali Chappell TX, Alyssa Greiner NY, Xanthe Joiner GA, Jacqui Suttor AUS, Cassandra Kapp MN, Cara Grace NY, Samantha Luciano IL, Jennifer Mason OH, Matty Powers NY, Alexis Hammermeister, Olivia Woodard AL, Margot Kuebler MA, Jenna Matthias IL, Lori Morton, Margot Evans CA, Callie Mackie MA, Eileen Boyd CT, Michael Kelly MA, Stephanie Starr GA, Kailyn Jensen MD, Megan Fallow SC, Gina Gore MN, Shannon Wittig IL, Taya Simpson NY, Brittany Koulias IL, Carole Fischer MO, Wendi Hauck GA, Colin Gallagher OH, Renee Lukan AZ, Shawna-Leigh Baker TX, Jonathan Armstead TX, Christina Weidman IL, Jaynie Kaiser MN, Michelle Friend CA, Emily Franchi IL, Katie Wicks TX, Nicole Jeffery TN, Isabelle Winkelman MA, Ashley Brehmer WI, Krista Davis NC, Kristal Tenney IL, Meg Valz GA, Ryan Naimy IL, Taylor LaPuma OH, Carmen Aviles FL, Maudette Olukotun GA, Melissa Christenson NH, Madeleine Molleur MA, Brittany Dulmage IL, Amanda Pothin NY, Sara Beth Boyer FL, Brooke Oliveri NY, Harry Vandenbrink MI, Carla Laroche FL, Hillary Rae Petroski NY, Lori Alter NJ, Nilay Panchal CA, Amber VanHemel FL, Lynn Walsh CT, Sydney Sherman NY, Karen Wilson AL, Olivia Pitten FL, Frank McKee NY