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Skimm'd while checking that we're registered to vote. Your turn.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

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Skimm'd while checking that we're registered to vote. Your turn.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I'm fine to have a little rest" - Novak Djokovic, after his US Open opponent asked to take a break because his clothes were so sweaty. Fall weather, we need you.

LET'S TALK ABOUT FREE SPEECH

The Story

The Justice Dept and Congress are looking into the 'free' in free speech.

What are you talking about?

Yesterday, the DOJ said it'll meet with state attorneys general to talk social media. And whether platforms are "intentionally stifling" free speech. Social media cos have recently been called out for allegedly being politically biased and suppressing conservative voices on their platforms. Yesterday, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg were on the Hill to talk about both this issue and Russian interference. Sandberg said Facebook would only operate in countries with free speech issues if the co could do it in "keeping with our values." Dorsey said Twitter is not suppressing conservative users by hiding their accounts (a practice that's been dubbed "shadow banning") - and that an issue with hiding accounts earlier this year was just a bug. Senators kept hinting at the 'r' word.

What's that?

Regulation. The gov warned it might be time to step in and make some changes. And said "the Wild West in social media" can be a national security risk. Critics are wondering how 'free' free speech can be if the gov has its fingerprints on it.

Speaking of free speech...

Your Twitter feed blew up yesterday over an anonymous NYT op-ed by a White House insider. This person says that they're part of the "resistance" inside the WH to stop President Trump's agenda and put the country first. And that people inside Trump's own cabinet reportedly thought about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. Trump called the author "gutless" and said that The New York Times should turn the author into the government. This is a pretty unprecedented move for someone senior within the White House to admit that there's a coordinated attempt to drive the administration's direction - regardless of the President's decisions.

Anything else?

Alex Jones still wants attention.

theSkimm

Social media companies have been in the spotlight recently for things like election interference and data breaches. Now they're playing defense to try to fend off government regulation.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when your friend says they have big news...

So does India. Today, India's Supreme Court overturned a law banning gay sex. The law had been on the books since colonial times. Activists have been pushing to overturn it for years. They argued it opened the LGBTQ community up to discrimination, blackmail, and harassment. Now the country's top court agrees. India is a very conservative country and one of the most populated countries in the world. So this ruling is a BFD for gay rights.

What to say when you still haven't found your someone...

UK PM Theresa May is also on the prowl...for two Russian suspects. Earlier this year, a Russian ex-spy and his daughter were found poisoned in the UK. The gov says the Kremlin was behind it - and the int'l community agreed. Yesterday, the UK said it charged two Russian intel officers with the poisoning. The problem? The two Russia-d on back to the Motherland the day of the attack.

What to say when you don't have time to reformat the deck before a presentation...

Guess we're running with this. Just like North Carolina. Last month, federal judges found that the state's map had been gerrymandered - aka when lawmakers redraw congressional maps in favor of their party. At first, federal judges warned lawmakers they might need to redraw it because the map favored Republicans. This week, they said 'scratch that' since there isn't enough time to redraw it before the midterms. Speaking of voting in the North, the state's board of elections published a subpoena it reportedly got from ICE and the Justice Dept, asking for years of state voting records. This may or may not have to do with a DOJ indictment last month, charging 19 people there with voting illegally.

What to say when your friend says they want a ring this year...

Subtle, huh? Yesterday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) intro'd the "Stop BEZOS Act." Yes this is a not-so-subtle jab at Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. ICYMI, Sanders has been beefing with the 'Zon over what he calls unfair treatment of its workers, including things like low wages. The bill would tax companies with more than 500 employees the exact cost of gov welfare that their employees end up having to rely on. The goal is to incentivize companies to actually pay workers a living wage. Speaking of low wages, a report yesterday found that US teachers' pay is going down, even though teachers are increasingly more experienced and better educated. Researchers think it might be because more teachers are women...who tend to earn less than men. A-B-C-D-Eff that.

What to say to your friend who wants a new job...

You're going to have to work for it...just like Brett Kavanaugh. Yesterday the SCOTUS nominee dodged questions about Roe v Wade and presidential pardons - topics he said nominees don't normally address if they might have to rule on them. Dems (and protesters) were not amused.

What to say when you hear about Goop's vaginal eggs settlement...

Theranos is also paying out...and finally (finally) shutting down.

NO EXCUSES

For the 2016 presidential election, we got more than 100,000 people registered to vote. And now we want to go further.

So this year, we're bringing No Excuses back.

What's the same? It's nonpartisan. Whether you vote red, blue, independent, or a write-in for Oprah. We just want you to vote. Because your vote matters.

What's different? Our goal. This year, we're aiming get 100,000 people to actually show up to the polls on November 6th.

How are we gonna do it? Together. We're giving you the tools to get registered, get informed on the issues and key races, add important dates to your cal, and much more.

Commit to vote with theSkimm here.

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