Skimm'd after an in-office facial

"It's expensive, but it's the right thing to do" – The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame is fixing that Brandi Chastain plaque that looks nothing like Brandi Chastain.

SIDELINED

The Story

The NFL has a whole new game plan for national anthem protests.

Catch me up.

In 2016, former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest racism and police brutality. It caught on both on and off the field – but not with everyone. Critics say #TakeAKnee disrespects US veterans. Supporters say protesters are exercising their rights to free speech. Last year, President Trump got involved in a big way, calling players who protest SOBs who should be fired. At first the NFL stood by its players. Now, not so much.

What's the new plan, coach?

Players who want to protest the anthem need to hang back in the locker room – awaaaay from the cameras. If you're on the field, no funny business. If players don't follow the rules, their teams get fined – and could pass the fines on to them.

Why the change?

The NFL and its mostly white team owners don't like being called "unpatriotic" when its players protest. It's hoping this will put a lid on things.

Is everyone on board?

No. The 49ers owner abstained from voting for this policy. The players' union said it wasn't consulted. The New York Jets CEO said it wouldn't pass on the fines to players. But Vice President Mike Pence sees this as a W for the Trump admin. He's doing a victory lap.

theSkimm

This controversy has put the league between its fans – a lot of whom are Team Trump – and its players, a lot of whom feel disrespected by the tone of this debate. Meanwhile, NFL ratings have been down for years.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What people are talking about…

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Today, international investigators said the missile that shot down the plane was from a Russian military unit. Back in 2014, the flight going from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in eastern Ukraine. All 298 passengers on board died. A year later, Dutch investigators said the missile was made in Russia and fired from an area where Russian-backed separatists were located. Russia always denied being involved. Now, investigators are saying 'maybe not the case.' No word from Russia on the latest update.

What to say when you hear Jared Kushner finally got his security clearance…

Approved. President Trump's Twitter blocking isn't. A judge told Trump he can't block his critics on Twitter. Because of that little thing called the First Amendment. The judge says people are allowed to give feedback and clap back on Twitter just like they can in public forums. Congrats, Chrissy Teigen. In other tweeting news, 'Spygate.' Trump's still accusing the Obama-era FBI of planting a spy inside his campaign. An FBI informant was in touch with some of Trump's campaign aides before the election as part of an investigation into whether the campaign had ties to Russia – but the informant didn't infiltrate the campaign. This all comes as intelligence officials are meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers about classified info on that informant today.

What to say when your younger sister asks to borrow your clothes…

You have my blessing. Yesterday, Italy's president gave the thumbs up to two populist parties to form a new government. For years, the country's gov has been a mess. Last year, the prez dissolved parliament to pave the way for a national election. Earlier this year, voters went to the polls. Which ended in a hung parliament – aka when no party wins the majority. But two parties – the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League – got the most votes. Now, after two months of failing to form a coalition gov, the president let the Five Star Movement and the League team up to do the damn thing. And now Europe's waiting to see what anti-establishment forces will do with its third-largest economy.

What to say when your hear Deutsche Bank's cutting thousands of jobs...

Uh oh. There might have been a sonic attack on a US government employee in China. If you're having déjà vu, that's because last year, it came out that at least 22 US diplomats and their family members in Cuba reported something similar. And had symptoms like nausea, hearing loss, and dizziness. US officials suspected a sonic device was the cause. Now it looks like this could be happening again. But now, in China. Sec of State Mike Pompeo said a US gov employee there reported "abnormal sensations of sound and pressure" and has a mild brain injury. The State Dept issued a health warning for US citizens in China.

What to say when your friend does something that crosses the line...

Are you going to apologize? Police are doing just that for tasing NBA player Sterling Brown.

What to say after watching "Fall in Line"…

Ariana Grande is punching back too.

THING TO KNOW

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