Skimm'd while kicking our excuses to the curb

"People are telling me I should go to jail" - A woman who dipped a chicken tender in her soda and then ate it. Monster or martyr, you decide.

THINGS IN THE HOT SEAT

Health Care

The Story

Today, a Texas court is hearing arguments from a group of Republican state attorneys general trying to repeal Obamacare. Back in 2012, the Supremes justified Obamacare's healthcare requirement (the individual mandate) as a way for Congress to tax people. But that mandate was repealed last year as part of the GOP tax law - so now these Republicans are trying to get it thrown out. Normally, the Justice Dept defends US law. But when the Trump admin was asked to defend Obamacare it said 'hahahaha no.' Democratic state AGs - worried about the impact an Obamacare repeal could have on millions of Americans - are stepping in to argue for the other side.

theSkimm

You thought you were done with the healthcare debate last year when the GOP failed to repeal and replace it. But it wasn't over, it still isn't over, and now this case could make its way to the Supremes. Speaking of...

Brett Kavanaugh

The Story

Yesterday, SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh had a dramatic first day of confirmation hearings. Think: protesters dressed like "The Handmaid's Tale," multiple arrests, a handshake that wasn't, and lots of politicians yelling at each other. Dems were upset his confirmation process is being rushed when tens of thousands of pages about his time in the Bush White House are being withheld. And argued that the process should be put on hold. Republicans said 'nope, we already have hundreds of thousands of pages on him. Let's do this.'

theSkimm

Kavanaugh is back today for round two. This time, lawmakers get to grill him on things like abortion, health care, and impeachment. If he gets a spot on the court, he says he'll be "neutral and impartial." Expect Dems not to take that at face value.

Social Media

The Story

Today, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg are on Capitol Hill to talk Russia meddling, and accusations of bias against conservatives. Google didn't play along with Congress's request to send its CEO (or Alphabet's) so there might be a literal empty chair where Google was supposed to be. It's not awkward, you're awkward.

theSkimm

Social media cos have been saying 'I can explain' ever since it came out that Russians used their platforms to try and influence the 2016 election. Now, lawmakers want to know how they'll stop it from happening in the next election.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

Who people are talking about...

Ayanna Pressley. Yesterday, voters in Massachusetts hit the polls for its primary election. And - in a major upset - tapped Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley (D) over 10-term incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano (D). Pressley became the second Dem to upset an incumbent House member in a primary this year (oh hey, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez). If she wins in November, she'll be the first ever black woman to rep MA in the House. Speaking of people with status updates, Jon Kyl. The former no. 2 Senate Republican was tapped by Arizona's governor to fill Sen. John McCain's seat, at least for the next few months. Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is done with public office. Yesterday, the Chicago mayor said he's not running for re-election next year. Emanuel's been leading Chi-town since 2011, but he's been criticized over his handling of things like gun violence and police brutality. Also on the outs: USA Gymnastics CEO Kerry Perry. She's the latest person to resign from the organization after the fallout from the Larry Nassar scandal.

What people are watching...

The migrant crisis. Earlier this week, the UN dropped a report that says the number of migrants dying while crossing the Mediterranean doubled in the past couple years. Reminder: in recent years, hundreds of thousands of people from Africa and the Mideast have been fleeing to escape things like violence, war, and poverty at home. Many have risked their lives to get on boats and cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. And many have died during the trek. Now, the UN says fewer migrants are fleeing, but the death toll keeps going up. So far, more than 1,500 migrants have died this year. Meanwhile, a new report on FEMA just dropped too. The gov's accountability office said that the agency was overwhelmed last year by the number of extreme disasters (like Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria, plus the California wildfires). And with FEMA already short-staffed, more than half of the workers it sent into the field were unqualified.

What to say when you're not here for job shaming...

Amazon isn't here to be shamed either. The company just became the second public US co to be valued at $1 trillion. And a large chunk (read: $200 billion) of its value went up within three months. Not bad, Jeff Bezos.

What to say after finding a pair of shoes you though you lost...

There's no place like home.

NO EXCUSES

What are you doing Tuesday, November 6th? We want to make sure your answer is "going to the polls."

Meet, No Excuses - theSkimm's nonpartisan campaign aiming to get 100,000 people to vote in the midterm elections. We're not here to tell you who to vote for, we just want to make sure that you vote. Because democracy.

Starting today, consider this your one-stop shop to get registered, save important dates to your cal, read up on the key issues and races, commit to vote, and get your friends to commit, too. And there's more coming...

Only around 42% of registered Americans actually voted in the last midterms. We can do better.

This year, there are literally no excuses. Get started here.

THING TO KNOW

Captain

Not Morgan. It's a group of kicka** Skimm'bassadors helping to activate their local communities for midterms. Because you can't get 100,000 people to vote without a few friends. These. Are. Squad. Goals.

SKIMM SHARE

Skimm HQ is counting down the days until Nov 6. Share theSkimm with your friends who can't wait to vote in the midterm elections.

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm'bassador.Cake, cake, cake

theSkimm's Daniel Golant NY, Kathleen Bonnell NY, *Meryl Schreiber NJ, Manbeen Singh NJ, Hanna Mahoney IL, *Liza Lee Tweedy AL, *Christiana Huish ID, *Haley Frano SC, *Elizabeth Graper ON, *Haylei Peart NY, *Alex Johannes MO, *Kaitleen Gillis PA, *Laura Krahel MI, *Lindsey Wilkie CA, *Alanah Nantell NE, *Jennifer Murillo NJ, *Samantha Kelley WV, Sheila Gleason CO, Stephanie Sheppard FL, Lynn Whitfield TN, Lauren Angell MN, Drew Ewing TN, Abigail Wiest CA, Stacie Wesley GA, Linda Guth TN, Marielle de Mondesert MO, Annie Happel CA, Liz Tripp NY, Lillian Seliman FL, Marilyn Newberry TX, Kevin Morris MA, Staci Musselman OH, Julie Masterson AL, Kelsey Winchurch NY, Lindsay Beaty Owens AL, Amy Ash WA, Valerie Evans VA, Alexis Garrett WI, Emily Cramer IL, Slobodanka Foster UK, Victoria Negrin CA, Amanda Barrow CA, Jenn Barrow OH, Katie Rudow NY, Brian Bacter NJ, Jacquelyn Richards NY, Taylor Dupont LA, Kerry Mohnike CA, Ariel Algus CA, Katherine Robinson GA, Grace Begley NE, Kayla Reed GA, Nicole Jawanmardi TX, Shiree Shaffer CO, Laura Richardson TN, Emily Thompson NY, Evelyn Castillo FL, Ashley Silva MO, Angie Bell CA, Lisa Robinson IL

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