Skimm'd after getting a flu shot

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

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

ARCHIVE

theSkimm
Share theSkimm

Skimm'd after getting a flu shot


  QUOTE OF THE DAY  

"He also accidentally falls asleep most days. We don't mind" – A cat shelter is grateful for one of its volunteers. Honestly, he sounds purrfect.

UNDER PRESSURE

The Story

Republicans are in a quandary.

Do tell...

Earlier this month, the Senate Judiciary Committee started the confirmation hearings for President Trump's SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh. It was looking like smooth sailing for Republicans until earlier this week, when things fell apart faster than your plants die. That's because CA professor Christine Blasey Ford came forward to accuse Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her decades ago at a party when they were teens.

I'm aware.

Got it. So the committee invited Kavanaugh and Ford to testify about what happened at a Monday hearing. Kavanaugh said 'I'll be there.' Ford said 'have the FBI investigate, then we'll talk.' The committee hasn't been down to reschedule and gave her until 10am today to RSVP and submit her testimony.

What's the latest?

Yesterday, her lawyers said that it's "not possible" for Ford to be at Monday's hearing, but she's willing to chat on Thursday. Also, that she's been getting death threats and will only testify if the committee can "ensure her safety."

What does this mean for Kavanaugh's confirmation?

Unclear.

theSkimm

If Republicans rush to confirm Kavanaugh without hearing out a woman accusing him of sexual assault, they could lose the independent and women vote. But if they aren't willing to back a nominee that has the chance to shift the country's highest court to the right, they could lose the conservative and evangelical vote. Eyes are on what they do next.


PS: This is a big issue in the midterms. Get caught up on the other issues you should know before going to the polls. No Excuses.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when you hear the Dow and S&P 500 are singing 'can we get much higher'…

I'm not mad at it. But the EU is mad at the UK's plan to break up with it. Here's what happened: back in 2016, the UK voted to say, 'it's not me, it's EU.' But it turns out breakups are hard, especially if you want to stay friends with (trade) benefits. A few months ago, UK Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled plans for a new trade deal. She said the UK would stick to a bunch of EU regulations (think: environmental, labor) in exchange for the UK being able to set its own tariffs. Some Brexit hardliners weren't down. Neither was the EU, which rejected the plan yesterday, saying it could undermine the EU's single market. Now, May is back at the drawing board, saying, 'I wish I knew how to quit EU.' She has until next month to pitch something new. Or keep threatening no deal – which could seriously slow down trade between the two.


What to say while waiting for GoT to come back on…

Hold the door. Some scientists think we should have a similar attitude toward climate change. A new study proposes building giant underwater walls in Antarctica. The problem: if ice sheets there collapsed because of global warming, it could cause a catastrophic rise in sea levels, which could make coastal cities uninhabitable. The solution: a wall to keep the white walkers, er…water out.


What to say to that one person who tries to convince you golf is "fun"…

Hear about this? Years ago, an inmate at an upstate NY prison who loved drawing golf scenes was profiled in "Golf Digest." In the piece, he claimed he was innocent. The mag also thought that the facts of his case were flimsy, so it did its own digging. It brought new attention to the case ("Serial" déjà vu anyone?) and with the help of a team of students at Georgetown U, they managed to overturn his murder conviction. Golf magazines fore the win.


What to say when you hear lobsters are getting high

They're not the only ones. Octopuses (calm down, it's not octupi...we checked) are like you before your coffee: antisocial. So scientists wanted to see how they'd do on ecstasy. Turns out, it can apparently make them "gentle" and "cuddly" and start "exposing parts of their body that they don't normally expose to another octopus." But if you give an octopus high dosages, it might sit in a corner and space out. Don't try this at home, kids.


What to say when you never win anything...

The Browns just did. And so did Cleveland.


What to say when you hear Jordan Peele's bringing the sunken place to "The Twilight Zone"

Grab the marshmallows.

SKIMM READS

"When the Lights Go Out" by Mary Kubica

Mary Kubica knows how to do thrillers. In this one, a young woman is rebuilding her life after losing her mom. But when she applies to college, there's a problem with her Social Security number: it belongs to a girl who died 17 years earlier. Cue a literal identity crisis and a mystery that'll keep you turning pages. Get it here.


PS: Want more Skimm Reads where that came from? Here's a list of our past reads. Happy weekend.

SKIMM PICKS

For when you're in denial that summer is officially over…

Serve up a tropical vacay. Literally. These smoothies, soups, and bowls are perfectly portioned, packed with good stuff, and delivered right to your door. Oh, and Skimm'rs get $25 off their first box. Get your vitamin sea.*


For when PSL season starts tomorrow…

Embrace basic's favorite time of year with our fall refresh guide. It'll get your space looking good so you can go back to school (read: life) the right way.

*PS This is a sponsored section, which means if you purchase or sign up, theSkimm may get something in return. Thanks.

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm'bassador. Cake, cake, cake

Haylee Freeman TX, Jeremy Luskin, Shoshana Dichter NY, Isabella Romanazzi IL, Matt Jacobson DC, Matt McCoy NC, Iris Ben-Gal NC, Alex Friedman NY, *Brandy Burdine TN, *Alicia Lockhart MI, *Courtney Moss CA, *Carrie Davis TX, *Natasha Kristina Shahani NV, *Beckie Liwacz DE, *Karisa Jones NV, *Katie Nolan CT, *Maddie Irelan KS, *Lauren Hoepfner AL, *Liesl Pimentel AZ, *Stevie Coleman NC, *Julie Bloebaum TN, *Morgan McPherson WV, *Denise Smith NH, *Tamara Rozansky CAN, *Frederike Rhodes UK, *Katie Kurz NC, *Laura Moreschi NC, *Kristina DeMarais SD, *Marley Vawter IN, *Ashley Kiekhoefer NE, *Hannah Nugent OH, *Dayna Larson IL, *Valerie Fitton CT, *Sydney Nelson UT, *Jane Tullis NC, *Ashley Smoots GA, *Rena Levin NY, *Elizabeth Koblenz DC, *Laura Shields MA, *Anne Mauney VA, *Lindsay McNamara NJ, *Abbie Dearinger TX, *Amanda Splettstoeszer MN, *Carolyn Gause SC, *Rachel McMahan KY, *Ruhi Ahmed NY, *Nikki TerHark MO, *Anna Hurley OH, *Mikala Durham MN, *Donna Callahan ME, *Audrey Corte OK, *Debra Warren IL, *Desiree Saunders FL, *Lola Savatgy CA, *Sharon Fuller IA, Michaela Downes NJ, Ian Sachs IL, Katie Logan OH, Jody Lowe WI, Carla Gourley TX, Brittany Ghaderi MA, Agata Adamczuk NY, Joseph Minga TN, Sophia Li TX, David Uhrik TN, Becky ODonnell TN, Meaghan McCormack LA, Darren Brady NC, Darlene Johnson, Jamie Hansen SC, Jennifer Williams NC, Carolyn Zeytoonian MA, Jackie Darigo NY, Pat Yount-Maldi CA, Tess Liberman NY, Liam Reynolds RI, Iam Yu NY, Celia Mamby GA, Britta Vorhies TX, Cecile Spieczny AZ, Francesca Filipet ON, Mary Lorenz CT, Emma Lewin MA, Elizabeth Untied, Kollet Koulianos IL, Taylor Straley ID, Shivani Singh MO, Sheena Gamble SC, Taylor Kennedy FL, Shana Steigerwalt PA, Cara Coyne Sawyer DE, Ashley Artrip OH, Jennifer Powers MA, Hailey Klabo IA, Raheli Kory CA, Veronika Fritz IL, Chelsie Paulson AUS, Teresa Stas CA, Alexa Ramirez IL, Mary Morrison NH, Shea Northfield OR, Clara Smidt Nielsen UK, Isabel Hirshberg PA, Alex Bayer NC, Samantha Jacobs TN, Atara Friedman NY, Kimmy Romine CO, Harrison Gentner CA, Samantha Roller FL, Pam Kanter MO, Lauren Kojdecki TX, Emilee Tkacik PA, Katie Fiedler TX, Amanda Fitzgerald VA, Grace Raderstorf OH, Katherine Raderstorf OH, Rose Raderstorf OH, Diana Campbell CO, Joe Kloss PA, Kyle Koger FL, Mary Jo Sherman FL, Nan Currie FL, Charles Hess IN, Ashley Theobald TN, Hillary Songer TX, Maggie Dunne NY, Abbey Engrav CO, Marceline Mitchell AK, Pat Rudovsky MA, Sally von Summer DC, Jennifer Hosty OH, Jenifer Ramos Clotter NY, Alane Parris AZ, Alyssa Sanders NE, Judy McNulty NV, Jill Dennard GA, Angela Guertin NH, Salahuddin Kamran CA, Kathryn Finn KY, Trea Pollio CT, Joey Hershberger TX, Whitney Fisher TX, Candis Perron TX, Susan Fishman NJ, Sandy Morales NY, Cynthia Skeeter NY, June Bood, Rachel Johnson MN, Rhunell Jordan LA, Mairead Bagley DC, Mariela Delgado, Valentin Castillo NY, Phyllis Koenig CA, Abigail Czerniecki FL, Marina Adario MA, Shivani Awasthi, Lauren Meltzer IL, Kelsey Segaloff MA, Suzi Ward FL, Ann Iwen AR, Matt Medina MA, Catherine Gordon MA, Christine Salter IA, Chelsea Newton ID, Sarah Coady MA, Michelle Buonfiglio NY