“It’s part of being an Icelander” - A professor in Iceland, where writing poetry is apparently a national pastime. Some countries have baseball. Others have iambic pentameter.

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THE STORY

Yesterday, OPEC agreed to cut oil production for the first time in years. BF gassy D.

BACK UP.

OPEC’s the fam of 14 countries (like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela) that together produce about a third of the world’s oil. In recent years, their profits have dropped thanks to things like fracking in the US. Lots of supply, meet not enough demand. Rich countries like Saudi Arabia have been able ride it out. Struggling countries like Venezuela and Nigeria, whose economies depend on higher oil profits, have not. OPEC has been saying ‘no thanks’ to cutting oil production for years. That’s partly because Saudi Arabia and Iran have wanted to wait it out rather than risk giving up market share to the US and Russia. But prices kept dropping, so now the waiting game’s over.

SO WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

OPEC says it’ll cut oil production by more than a million barrels a day starting next year. Russia heard the news and said ‘us too.’ Good news for countries like Venezuela, which might get a little breather from years of economic troubles. Bad news for your morning commute since gas prices could be on the up and up.

theSKIMM

Talk is cheap, competition between oil-producing countries is still fierce, and some OPEC countries are known for not keeping their promises. So TBD on whether this deal sticks…and whether it does anything to bring oil prices back up.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR SIDE-HUSTLE IS STARTING TO AFFECT YOUR DAY JOB…

Something’s gotta give. Yesterday, President-elect Donald Trump said he’ll step away from his “business operations” to focus on being, you know, President of the United States. Reminder: Trump is Chairman of the Trump Organization, which does business in at least 20 countries around the world. US law doesn’t require Trump to step down from his business. But staying in charge of a for-profit corporation while running the free world miiiiiight create a few conflicts of interest. It’s still unclear how Trump will hand over the reins, but in the past he’s said he’ll let his children hold down the fort. Meanwhile, this week it came out that Trump managed to convince Carrier, an air conditioner maker, to keep 1,000 jobs in the US. Carrier had been planning on outsourcing them to Mexico. And keeping manufacturing jobs in the country was one of Trump’s major campaign promises. Making America Cool Again.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT...

Keith Lamont Scott. Yesterday, a Charlotte, NC prosecutor said the police officer who shot and killed the 43-year-old black man earlier this year will not face any charges. For months, there have been lots of questions over what actually happened, and whether excessive force was used. Police say that Scott’s car pulled up next to them and they saw that he had a gun. When police approached Scott’s car, they say Scott reached for his gun. Police say they told him to drop his gun several times but he didn’t, and that he stepped out of his car. That’s when one officer shot him four times. Scott’s family said Scott never had a gun on him. And dashcam footage couldn’t prove whether or not he was armed. But a gun with Scott’s DNA was found on the scene. This is just one in a series of cases over the past few years of black people being killed by police officers that have raised questions about the use of excessive force. And now, it’s another that has ended without charges for the officer involved. Last night, dozens of people took to the streets in mostly peaceful protests against the decision.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR UNCLE FINALLY GETS RID OF HIS FLIP PHONE…

About time. Earlier this week, a Saudi prince said it’s “time for women to drive.” Friendly reminder: Saudi Arabia isn’t exactly gender equality utopia. Women need permission from their male guardians for things like traveling and working. They were only allowed to vote for the first time last year. And they’re definitely not allowed to drive. Saudi women have been protesting the driving ban for years but nothing has changed. This prince doesn’t work in government, so his opinion probably won’t change things either. Just earlier this year, the deputy crown prince said the country is not ready for female drivers. But this latest announcement is still a royal mic drop.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO CAN’T SLEEP ON AIRPLANES…

Here you go.

THING TO KNOW

#Pizzagate: Not the Margherita kind. A false conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton and a DC pizza parlor that became a thing on Reddit. Because Reddit.

BALLS

Dak Prescott: The Dallas Cowboys QB who’s riding high. He took over earlier this season when starting QB Tony Romo got hurt. Romo’s better now. But he passed the torch to Prescott. And the Cowboys are 10-1 for the first time in years. Watch Prescott play the Minnesota Vikings tonight. Yeehaw.

PS: Want more balls? We have an NFL calendar in our app to make sure you know when to watch and what’s up on the field. Download here.

SKIMM'NESS

Late-night edit sessions mean playing musical chairs on all of Skimm HQ’s couches. That means always losing our phones. So we got these. Never say ‘hey, can you call my phone?’ again. Plus, theSkimm got you a discount. Life, sorted.

PS: This is an affiliate partner, which means if you buy it, theSkimm might get some cash money. Thanks.

PPS: theSkimm is helping you kill lots of gifts with one stone this week. And we have a Skimm the Season Gift Box, which has something for everyone on the list: wine, a great read, a subscription to our Skimm Ahead app. And did we mention wine? Spread the love.

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SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

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