Skimm'd over the final rose

"Ikea rugs" - What Jon Snow's Night's Watch cape is made from. Even Westeros can't resist Swedish minimalism.

THINGS CHECKING THEIR BANK STATEMENTS

TESLA

The Story

Tesla's got a lot of junk bonds in its trunk.

What are you talking about?

Yesterday, Tesla said it plans on raising $1.5 billion by issuing junk bonds. This is a first for the company. Bonds allow companies to bring in cash from investors and pay them back later, with interest. Junk bonds are considered riskier investments because there's a higher chance the company will default on its loan. But investors are still enticed by them because of the higher interest rates. Tesla is going this route to raise cash to manufacture the Model 3 - a less expensive sedan. But CEO Elon Musk has already warned that making this car will mean months of "production hell." Good sales pitch.

theSkimm

Tesla is the cool kid of Silicon Valley, but it struggles to turn a profit. The company's betting big that this new car will take it from luxury carmaker to the mass market. But first, it has to raise the cash to make it.

NETFLIX

The Story

Yesterday, Netflix put on a cape and bought a comic book publisher.

What are you talking about?

Netflix shelled out an undisclosed amount for Millarworld - the company responsible for comics-turned-hit movies like "Kick-Ass" and "Kingsman." ICYMI, comic book movies are basically the only movies that get made anymore, and they bring in hundreds of millions of dollars. Netflix has already worked with Disney to develop superhero series like "Luke Cage" and "Jessica Jones." But this deal will allow them to own and create original content in-house, which is Netflix's main strategy for staying ahead of its competitors.

theSkimm

This is Netflix's first acquisition after 20 years in the biz. In that time, the company has evolved from DVD delivery to online streaming. Now, it wants to put 'owner' on its resume too.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when your friend sets you up on a blind date...

No confidence in this. Today, South African lawmakers will hold a no-confidence vote to decide whether to push President Jacob Zuma out of power. Zuma's the leader of Nelson Mandela's political party, which toppled apartheid back in the early '90s. The party has managed to hold onto power ever since. But after Zuma became prez in '09, its reputation took a hit. He's been tangled up in a bunch of corruption scandals. Including using gov money to casually build himself a swimming pool and an amphitheater at home. Many also blame him for mismanaging the economy in recent years and letting it slip into a recession. This isn't the first vote of no confidence against Zuma. But previous votes failed because voting was public, pressuring many lawmakers to stay loyal to him. Not this time. Today's vote will be in secret to make sure the outcome is legit. Meaning there's a chance that Zuma could be out of the job by the end of the day. Meanwhile, Kenya is hitting the polls today to elect a new president. And the country's really hoping things don't get violent like they have in past elections.

What people are watching...

Taylor Swift. This week, the singer's sexual assault case kicks off in court. This goes back to 2013, when a radio DJ met Swift before one of her concerts in Denver. She says he groped her while they posed for a photo together. He says 'not true' and sued Swift for making false accusations that led to him being fired. Swift sued back for assault and battery. Now all the bad blood will be presented at court and the trial could last a couple weeks. Swift is expected to testify but it's unclear when she'll take the mic.

What to say when your co-worker quits during a team meeting...

Very extreme. Yesterday, North Korea vowed to retaliate against recent sanctions placed on the country. In the past few years, North Korea's ramped up its weapons program, including testing missiles that could reach major US cities. So over the weekend, the UN passed new sanctions expected to squeeze North Korea's bank account by about $1 billion, with the hope that it would force the country to the negotiating table. And US Sec. of State Rex Tillerson chimed in to say that the US is willing to talk things out with the North if it stops testing its missiles. But yesterday, North Korea said 'not gonna happen' and that by backing these sanctions, the US is only speeding "up its own extinction." Diplomatic handbook out the window.

What people are talking about...

Minnesota. Over the weekend, an explosive device was thrown at a mosque outside Minneapolis. A small group of people were inside for morning prayers, but no one was hurt. The FBI's looking into who did this and why. But the state's governor called it an "act of terrorism." This incident comes at a time when there's been an uptick in hate crimes against Muslims across the US.

What to say when you hear that Google engineer got fired...

Rihanna's got everybody fired up.

THING TO KNOW

OxyContin

A legal opioid aka painkiller. Back when OxyContin came out in the '90s, the pharma company behind it flexed some major marketing muscle to get docs to start prescribing it to their patients. It worked, and opioid prescriptions went into overdrive. Today, millions of Americans are addicted to prescription opioids. Want to know what else has influenced the opioid crisis? Read theSkimm's guide here.

SKIMM LIFE

Skimm B doesn't have time to go grocery shopping. But she hates ordering takeout all the time. That's why this service is her new sous-chef. It does all the grocery shopping for you and tells you what to do with all the ingredients. Plus you can customize your weekly menu online. Meaning no more pasta night three nights in a row. Psst...we got you a discount on your first order.*

*PS: This is an affiliate partner, which means if you purchase or sign up, theSkimm may get something in return. Thanks.

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