“Tinder for orangutans” - How a Dutch zoo describes its new digital breeding experiment. Apparently doing it like they do on the Discovery Channel isn’t as easy as it used to be.

THE SUPREME TEAM

THE STORY

Last night, President Trump tapped federal appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the empty seat on the Supreme Court.

TELL ME ABOUT HIM.

Gorsuch is a right-leaning judge who once clerked for Justice Anthony Kennedy. Claim to fame: back in 2013, he was part of the lower court that sided with Hobby Lobby. That’s the private company that successfully argued that Obamacare violated its religious beliefs by requiring it to cover birth control for its employees. Gorsuch is considered an “originalist” - meaning he believes the Constitution should be interpreted exactly how the Founding Fathers wrote it. If approved, he’d be filling the seat of another originalist, Justice Antonin Scalia, who died almost exactly a year ago.

REMIND ME WHY THIS TOOK SO LONG.

Under the Constitution, the President nominates a Justice and the Senate has to approve. But the GOP didn’t think former President Obama should fill the seat in an election year. Obama went ahead and picked centrist federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland anyway. But since the GOP controlled Congress, it blocked Garland all year. Dems were less than pleased.

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING?

Supporters say this is exactly what they wanted: a right-leaning justice who’ll keep the Supremes to the right, to the right. Critics remember Trump’s campaign promise to appoint someone who’d overturn Roe v Wade - and worry Gorsuch could help make that happen.

SO WHAT’S NEXT?

Gorsuch has a job interview with the Senate. And since the Dems are super thrilled to be interviewing Gorsuch instead of Garland, they’ll be giving him extra scrutiny. They may even choose to filibuster (read: block) his confirmation. If that happens, the GOP could ‘go nuclear’ - aka change the rules so they wouldn’t need the Dems to approve Trump’s pick at all.

theSKIMM

Some people voted for Trump specifically because they wanted a conservative Justice to fill this seat. The stakes are especially high in this fight since, at 49, Gorsuch would be the youngest Justice to join the court in decades. 

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU’RE CROSSING THE STREET AND THAT CAR ISN’T SLOWING DOWN…

Hold up. Senate Dems have delayed confirmation hearings for three of President Trump’s cabinet picks. First, they say hedge fund manager Steve Mnuchin - who’s up for the Treasury sec. job - wasn’t completely honest at his confirmation hearing. Think: that time he didn’t initially disclose certain info about his personal wealth. Second, they say Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) - who’s up for Health and Human Services - wasn’t so honest either. Think: that time he didn’t disclose certain info about potentially shady stock purchases. And finally, Senate Dems also aren’t feeling too hot about AG nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL). Earlier this week, Trump fired the acting AG for refusing to defend his immigration ban. Now, Dems worry that Sessions, who was one of Trump’s earliest supporters and advisers, won’t stand up to the prez if needed. Sessions has said ‘don’t worry, I will.’ Meanwhile, former CEO of ExxonMobil Rex Tillerson - who’s up for Sec. of State - could find out as early as today if he’s officially on Team Trump.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO KEPT HIS PEE-WEE PARTICIPATION TROPHIES...

The times they are a changin’. Yesterday, it came out that USA Football - the group that oversees kids football programs - plans on trying out new rules to make the game less violent. Think: more tag, less “Gladiator.” This comes as fewer parents are letting their kids play the game because, you know, they think kids repeatedly hitting each other at full force isn’t the greatest idea. And there’ve been increasing concerns about the connection between football, concussions, and the brain disease CTE. So now, USA Football’s playing defense with new rules that include things like using a smaller field, putting fewer kids on the field at once, and making sure kids of equal sizes are matched up against each other. All of which is supposed to cut down on injuries. They’ll be testing out the new rules in different programs around the country before rolling them out across the board. Friday night, tackle-free lights.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR GAYLE...

Set the DVR.

THING TO KNOW

DuckDuckGo: Google for people who are paranoid about privacy. It lets you browse the web without tracking your search history or location. Or bombarding you with ads for that pair of shoes you just bought two minutes ago.

SKIMM LIFE

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