Skimm This: Lead in the Water, Israel and the US, and Greta Thunberg

It’s August 15th. Today, we Skimm’d This: 

• Newark, New Jersey is the latest US city to be hit by a crisis over lead in its water. We’ll look at why lead is such a problem – and how officials are responding.

• US Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have been told they can’t visit Israel by the country’s government. We’ll tell you why – and what it means for the US and Israel. 

• Fifty years later, Woodstock is fondly remembered as an important cultural event – despite being something of a mess when it went down. 

• Climate activist Greta Thunberg never flies because of the environmental damage it does. A website allows you to track her progress as she sails across the Atlantic.  

theSkimm: Thousands of residents in Newark, NJ are grappling with a growing crisis over lead in drinking water. Officials are handing out bottled water instead – and trying to figure out how to fix the pipes. We’ll discuss why lead in drinking water has been a problem across the US, and what officials say should happen next. Then: Israel told Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib that they can’t come to the country. We’ll look at why, and how it might affect US-Israeli relations. Also on today’s show: a look back at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, and tracking Greta Thunberg as she sails across the Atlantic.