Skimm'd while stocking up on BBQ supplies

"She was bleeding badly from a face-lift" - The President of the United States, tweeting about an encounter with Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski. Safe to say she and Joe will not be getting a Mar-a-Lago wedding discount.

CLOSING IN

The Story

Iraqi forces are thiiiss close to kicking ISIS out of Mosul.

10 seconds. Remind me.

Back in 2014, ISIS pulled up to Mosul - Iraq's second-largest city - and declared it the group's de-facto capital. The group's leader used the city's centuries-old mosque as the site to announce a new Islamic state in Iraq and Syria. Ever since, the terror group's been wreaking havoc in the country and Iraqi forces have been trying to take back the city of Mosul. Thousands of civilians have died in the fighting and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee home. In recent months, with help from the US military, fighting has gone into overdrive as Iraqi forces are getting closer to regaining control. And last week, apparently as a last stand, ISIS blew up the city's historic mosque.

So what's the latest?

Yesterday, Iraqi forces retook what's left of the mosque and Iraq's prime minister declared an end to ISIS's statehood goals. Military officials say there are only a few hundred ISIS militants left in the city. And that Mosul could be back under Iraqi control after a few more days of fighting. Finally. But it's still expected to take months to resettle all the civilians who've been displaced.

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After years of turmoil, this is a major victory for Iraq. But ISIS still has its flag up in other parts of the country and in nearby Syria. So the war against the terror group is still very much a work in progress.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when you get another wedding invitation in the mail...

Love is in the air. Today, German lawmakers voted to make same-sex marriage legal across the country. To which its neighbors said 'what took so long?' Germany was one of the few European countries that hadn't jumped on the rainbow train. Chancellor Angela Merkel's against same-sex marriage and conservative lawmakers have often pushed back against the issue. But most of the country supports it. And earlier this week, Merkel caved under pressure from other politicians and said a same-sex marriage vote could happen. The bill still has to go through Germany's upper house of parliament before it's official, but it's looking like it'll have no problem passing there either. Prost.

What to say when you start to see cracks in your ceiling...

Gonna need some money to fix that. The GOP's saying the same. Yesterday, it came out that Senate GOP lawmakers are adding some extra cash money to their healthcare bill to help fight the opioid crisis. ICYMI, for months, the GOP's been working to repeal and replace Obamacare. And earlier this month, the Senate put out its version of a healthcare bill to do just that. But it hasn't been getting stellar reviews. That's because a major part of it includes cutting federal funding to Medicaid - the gov program that helps low-income Americans pay for health insurance. And helps cover things like substance abuse treatment. In recent years, the number of people in the US who have become addicted to opioids (think: heroin and prescription painkillers like oxycodone) has gone way up. As in by almost 500%. Especially in rural parts of America. So cutting how much money states get for Medicaid would mean less money to spend on helping people fight addictions. Many senators from both sides of the aisle - especially from states hard hit by the opioid crisis - are not down with this. So now, the GOP's adding $45 billion to their bill specifically for substance abuse treatment. Also on their 'to add' list? They might be keeping some taxes for wealthy Americans - the ones that help pay for Obamacare. TBD if the adds will be enough to convince more senators to back the bill when it goes to a vote after the July 4th break.

What to say when your friend starts hanging out with your ex...

Cutting ties. Yesterday, the Trump administration said it's cutting financial ties with a Chinese bank that allegedly supports North Korea. For years, North Korea's favorite hobby has been making and testing missiles. Including ones that the country says could reach the US. All of which has not been going over well with the international community. The US has said it's not afraid to use military action if NK keeps this up. And has also been pushing China - NK's only major ally and largest trading partner - to pressure North Korea to stop flexing its missiles. But China hasn't really been playing diplomatic ball. So now, the US is trying another strategy. It says this bank helps NK do shady international deals by giving it access to financial markets, including in the US. So they're cutting it off. The US is also throwing down sanctions for a Chinese business and some individuals who've been cozy with NK. But the Trump administration says they're still open to working with the Chinese gov to rein in North Korea. Stay tuned.

What to say when you promise to get the next round of drinks but realize it's too expensive...

Change of plans. Yesterday, Walgreens said it's scrapping plans to buy out its competitor, Rite Aid. Back in 2015, Walgreens said it was going to buy Rite Aid for more than $9 billion. The deal was meant to help both companies - two of the largest drugstore chains in the US - compete in a changing market. Ever since Obamacare became a thing, it's created a lot of competition in the healthcare industry and made it harder to make money. So major industry players have been trying to go at it together (think: Aetna and Humana, CVS and Target). But regulators have been saying 'do not pass go' to some of these deals...because antitrust. And since this Walgreens deal was looking like it wouldn't get the seal of approval, they said 'nvm, we won't buy all of Rite Aid, just half.' And they're dropping around $5 billion to do it. They're hoping this will convince regulators to bless the marriage. Relationship status: it's complicated.

What to say when you hear that Adele might never go on tour again...

Hello...it's me, feeling nostalgic.

THING TO KNOW

pH

Stands for 'potential of Hydrogen.' It's a measure of how acidic something is. Lower pH means something is more acidic. Alcohol lowers your stomach's pH level. That's why after a few drinks you might not feel so hot. This app can help. It'll tell you how many Moscow Mules you can stomach at happy hour before hitting your limit. Get it here.

SKIMM LIFE

Skimm HQ works late sometimes (hint: more than sometimes). So the weekends are time to unplug. These are our fave reads for OOO hours. Stock up here so you'll always have a new one to escape with.

You'll have a lot of time to scroll through Insta this weekend. Meet us there. You won't regret it.

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