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PRESSED

THE STORY

Yesterday, President Trump hosted his first solo press conference. He had a lot on his chest.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The press conference was for Trump to announce his new labor secretary nominee, Alexander Acosta. Acosta is a Florida law school dean and former assistant attorney general who once served on the National Labor Relations Board. He was tapped after Trump’s original nominee, fast-food exec Andy Puzder, dropped out earlier this week for lots and lots of reasons. If Acosta gets approved, he’d be the first Hispanic member of Trump’s cabinet.

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED?

Trump had some words for the media on a few other topics. Here’s a sampling...

Immigration...as in next week, he plans on signing a new executive order to replace the one that temporarily banned all refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. The court system put the ban on ‘pause’ over questions of whether it was constitutional. It looked like Team Trump wanted to challenge the ruling - now, they’ll be making some edits to the order instead. Stay tuned.

Michael Flynn…as in the national security adviser who resigned earlier this week. That was after it was leaked that he misled the White House - and possibly FBI investigators - about convos he had with the Russian ambassador to the US back in December. Yesterday, Trump said Flynn’s actions weren’t wrong, and that the leaks are the “real problem.” Then last night, the man Trump asked to take Flynn’s place said ‘nah, I’m good.’ This was allegedly over concerns that he wouldn’t be able to hire his own staff.

Leaks...as in the US intel community has been passing along lots of info to news organizations recently. And Trump is NOT having it. He says these kinds of leaks are “criminal,” and he’s considering tapping a private equity exec friend to oversee a review of how intelligence agencies operate.

The media…as in still not clicking with Trump. Yesterday, he blamed the press corps for reporting on leaked classified info, saying, “the leaks are real” but “the news is fake.” Cue an entire room giving him the side-eye. 

theSKIMM

Trump’s supporters say he’s doing a great job and are happy to see him in a fighting mood - especially against what they see as a biased media. Critics see a thin-skinned commander-in-chief who’s looking to put the blame for recent setbacks on everyone but himself. You see the problem.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU CATCH YOUR NEIGHBOR STEALING YOUR NEWSPAPER…

Gotcha. Yesterday, the heir to the Samsung throne and a vice chairman at the company was arrested in South Korea for bribery. This is the latest in a series of unfortunate events starring South Korean president, Park Geun-Hye, and her bestie, Choi Soon-Sil. Last year, it came out that Choi used her relationship with Park to cheat SK businesses out of tens of millions of dollars. And that Park helped her do it. South Koreans were none too pleased. So lawmakers voted to impeach the president. And investigators are still looking into the scandal. They say the Samsung heir may have bribed Choi in exchange for gov backing of a major business deal. Samsung’s saying ‘we’ve done no such thing.’ But investigators are hauling in the heir for juuuust a few Qs.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR MANAGER IS HOVERING NEAR YOUR DESK...

Can I help you? In recent days, a Russian spy ship’s casually been floating around off the East Coast of the US. The ship is in international waters and officials say it’s not unusual or a threat. But it comes at a time when people are just a llliiitttlleee on edge about all things Russia. Meanwhile, yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested US and Russian intelligence communities should work together to fight things like terrorism. This would be pretty unusual. President Trump has hinted he’s open to the idea. His Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is officially not. Yesterday, Mattis told Putin ‘we’re good, thanks’. But at his first meeting with NATO (military squad of countries like the US and Germany), he said that US and Russian political leaders would “try to find common ground.” Your move, Vlad boy.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO GETS FIRED AND DUMPED ON THE SAME DAY…

When it rains, it pours. In California too. A monster storm’s hitting up Southern California this weekend. It could be the biggest one in the area in years. And it’s expected to dump up to a foot of rain in some places. Translation: definitely not a day to wear suede. California’s been going through a major drought in recent years. This should help a little. Except now everyone’s bracing for massive flooding. No middle ground.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO’S HOSTING A GAME NIGHT...

Sew old school.

SKIMM READS

“Big Little Lies” by Liane Moriarty

Imagine a trivia night that goes from ‘who invented the lightbulb?’ to ‘whodunnit?’ This read’s about a group of moms with big secrets. It’s part thriller, part rom com. If you’re the kind of person who likes to read the book before seeing the movie, get this one now. Reese and Nicole Kidman are starring in the mini-series version airing on HBO this weekend.

PS: Want the heads up on everything you should be adding to your watch list? Our Skimm Ahead app’s got you. Download it here.

SKIMM WINE

This California red’s one part earthy, one part sweet, and all parts grape. And pairs well with a Monica Geller-level bath. Buy here.

SKIMM MONEY

Cost of living: You know what it means. Yup, the amount of cash money needed to keep up with the basics (rent, groceries, taxes). Surprise: if you live in cities like San Francisco or NYC - where rents can be north of $3,500 for a one-bedroom - the cost of living is a lot higher than basically anywhere else. If you’d like to make rent AND do crazy things like get a decent haircut or go out to dinner every once in awhile, here are some budgeting ideas.

PROGRAMMING NOTE

We’re pumped to celebrate our friends George & Abe at their epic joint birthday party. There will be no Skimm on Monday. We’ll see you back here on Tuesday.

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SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm’bassador. Pour it up, pour it up.

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