News·2 min read

Skimm This: US and Turkey, FaceApp, and Area 51

July 18, 2019

It’s July 18th. Today, we Skimm’d This: 

  • Turkey bought a missile defense system from Russia. Now the US is saying: you can’t have our fancy F-35 fighter jets. We’ll explain why the US cares about what Turkey’s buying, and why the rest of the world is watching, too. 

  • The US has Russia on the mind for another reason: FaceApp. You’ve seen the photos: it’s your face, but older. Some US lawmakers are concerned that the Russian government could access your pics if you use the app. We’ll break it down for you.

  • At least 33 people have died and dozens more are injured after someone set fire to an animation studio in Japan today. A GoFundMe page to help the victims raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in the hours since the tragedy. 

  • And finally: why you may be seeing invitations to Area 51 in your social. And why the US government is trying to stop the party. 

theSkimm: Turkey just ordered a new missile defense system from Russia. And now the US is telling Turkey: no F-35 fighter jets for you. Basically, the US is worried selling Turkey the F-35s means giving Russia access to top secret tech. We’ll tell you why that’s a concern for the US, and how it affects the relationship with Turkey, a key NATO ally. Meanwhile, another Russian invention is causing people’s hair to go gray: it’s called FaceApp. Some US lawmakers are warning that your uploaded selfies may end up in the Russian government’s inbox. We’ll explain why. Also on today’s episode: tragedy strikes a famous animation studio in Japan, and why the US government is going there...out there.

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