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 QUOTE OF THE DAY  |
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"I do it for fun" – A woman knitted herself a suit made out more than 300 plastic Wegmans bags. Honestly, we'd wear it.
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The Story
Yesterday, President Trump said the US will recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
The Golan Heights. Can you jog my memory? It's early.
Israel captured the territory from Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967, and formally annexed it in 1981. But that hasn't been recognized by the international community.
Why is that?
The UN has declared that Israeli forces need to leave the territory that's been acquired by war. And countries around the world consider the Golan Heights an occupied territory and apparently consider Israeli settlements there illegal under international law. Previous US administrations have sided with the UN on the issue. Yesterday, Trump abruptly went another way.
Trump? Abrupt? I'm shocked.
He said it's time for the US to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the territory because it's "of critical strategic and security importance" for Israel and the region's stability. The US will apparently be the first country to take this stance.
Bold.
Well, it follows a number of other moves Trump's made to show the US's commitment to Israel. That includes: recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving the US Embassy there. Withdrawing the US from the Iran nuclear deal. And downgrading the status of the US's diplomatic mission to the Palestinians.
Does this affect the Israeli–Palestinian conflict?
Unclear. But Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Arab-Israeli war of 1967. And this latest move could set a precedent moving forward on whether the admin recognizes other territories in the area as Israel's – which could cause major issues there.
What's the reaction been?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pumped. He's been dealing with corruption allegations that could put his presidency at risk. And this gives him a major boost before the country's election in a few weeks. Syria reportedly calls the move "irresponsible," and says it's more determined to liberate the territory in any way possible. Palestinian officials warned that this would bring "certain destabilisation and bloodshed" in the region. Netanyahu told Trump "you made history." And he's right.
theSkimm
American policy has been to stay with the norm and not recognize the annexation of territory acquired by war. Early in his presidency, Trump said the US and Israel are great allies and Netanyahu said the two countries can work together to stop Iran from going nuclear. Since then, Trump has taken step after step to deepen ties with Israel. And now, this major shift could have repercussions for other occupied areas around the world, including the West Bank and Crimea.
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Sorry, that's not happening. But a delay is. Yesterday, EU leaders came up with a revamped Brexit plan. Here's how it'll work: if UK PM Theresa May can get lawmakers to approve her deal (which has already been rejected twice) next week, then Brexit will be pushed off until May 22. If lawmakers reject it, the UK has until April 12 to do some much-needed self-reflection and tell the bloc how it plans to move forward. Meaning, you can take March 29 – when Brexit was supposed to go into effect – off your cal.
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You're not alone – Facebook just got busted too. Turns out the company isn't great at keeping people's info private. (Pause for Taylor Swift's surprised face.) Earlier this year, a routine security review found that employees had access to hundreds of millions of users' passwords because they were stored as plain text. Problem, because they're normally supposed to be encrypted. The company says there's "no evidence to date" that employees actually accessed the passwords, but it still raises red flags as to whether Facebook and other social media platforms can be trusted – yet again – with things as basic as passwords. The company is reportedly still looking into how this happened. Meanwhile, some former Tesla employees are also in some trouble. The company is suing them for allegedly stealing trade secrets and giving them to a rival startup company. No comment from the companies or the employees on all this.
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That's not the only thing on the White House's mind. Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order on free speech on college campuses. The specifics: schools have to follow free speech standards set by the admin – and if they don't, they could lose federal funding. Conservatives have said their voices aren't heard at schools, and that threats of protests or violence have led to speakers' events being cancelled (hi, Milo Yiannopoulos). This order isn't expected to bring drastic changes – schools are already required to do this – but it may provide better oversight and enforcement of the rules.
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What to say after having déjà vu...
This is all too familiar. An American figure skater – Mariah Bell – was accused of slashing a South Korean rival's leg during practice for the world champs. The International Skating Union says that it's aware of the incident, but it doesn't look like this was intentional. Putting down our casting list for 'I, Tonya: Part Two.'
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Before you do that, check out Emilia Clarke's New Yorker article. She's opening up about the two brain aneurysms she suffered in the early seasons of "Game of Thrones." Nothing can bring down the Mother of Dragons.
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"Lost Children Archive" by Valeria Luiselli
A family of four takes a summer road trip from New York to Arizona. Except it's no joy ride. Their trip happens as thousands of children are trying to cross the border into the US. And the road to a solution is far from straightforward.
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For when tomorrow's National Puppy Day…
We've peaked, everyone go home. Celebrate by treating your pup to this subscription service. It sends treats, toys, and chews to your door every month. Psst...Skimm'rs get their first box for $10 on a six or 12 month plan. Pawfect.*
For when your morning commute could use a boost...
Insert: McCafé's new Donut Sticks. They're the perfect way to add a little sweet to your AM coffee. Get them ASAP, since they're only here for a few weeks. Parting is such sweet sorrow.*
For when you forgot spring means rain…
Lots. Of. Rain. Escape to Palm Springs. We'll send you there with money for flights, a two-night stay, new clothes, and tons of makeup. PS: when you land, you get to go to a pool party with a special musical guest. NBD. Enter here.
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*PS This is a sponsored post, which means if you sign up, theSkimm may get something in return. Thanks.
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Cheers to…Nicole K (NE), who got her dream job as a full-time zookeeper at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo after interning there and Melenda M (TX), who landed a spot in her company's leadership development program.
Spotlight on...you. Our podcast "Skimm This" is celebrating a new "Woman of the Week" for Women's History Month. Which woman do you think stood out this week – in the world, in the news, or in your life – and should be featured? Leave a voicemail to let us know: 646-461-6370. Then tune in at 5pm ET and you might hear your voice.
(Some) Birthdays…Dan Allen (NY), Monica Cincotta (NY), Amy Heller Shapiro (FL), Joe Marchese (NY), Catherine Rapp (TN), Jacob Mattox (CT), Jaeda Porter (CO), Jill Everett (NC), Katie Brown (SC), Kayla Salerno (CT), Keisha Mello-Hall (CA), Gina Groseclose (LA), Liz Diaz (IL), Marley Brackelmanns-Puig (NJ), Nynoshka Poobalan (PA)
*Paging all members of theSkimm. Reach out here for a chance to be featured.
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theSkimm50 West 23rd Street, Suite 5B; New York, NY, 10010, United States Update Profile
