Skimm'd over seafood takeout

"Wrap with care...save the polar bear" - The tagline on a box of condoms that was recently sent to Capitol Hill. They're raising awareness for endangered species. Between a bear and a hard place.

RUSSIAN FORWARD

The Story

President Trump is ready to "move forward" with Russia after meeting with Russian President Putin at the G20 this weekend.

Give me some background.

This was the first time the two met as leaders. Reminder: the US intelligence community agrees Putin directed Russia's efforts to interfere in last year's presidential election. And this was in part to help Trump win. Now, multiple investigations are looking into whether Trump's campaign team colluded with Russia to help make this happen. So all eyes were on this one-on-one date.

So what happened?

Trump pressed Putin on whether all of the above is true. Putin said 'nyet' and they moved on. To cyber security. They agreed to work together to crack down on future election hacking. Both sides of the aisle said '...are we being punk'd?' And Trump later seemed to say 'jk nvm.' The two leaders also shook on a much-needed cease-fire for parts of Syria, where the US and Russia back opposite sides in the country's years-long civil war.

Anything else?

Over the weekend, it came out that during the campaign, Trump's team - including his son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Jared Kushner - met with a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. At first, Donald Jr. said they met to talk about a child adoption program. Then he said 'actually...' he was promised information that would be helpful to the campaign. But there was none. This is the first confirmed example of members of the Trump campaign being open to accepting Russia's help.

theSkimm

After years of tension, the US-Russia relationship now seems a lot closer. Which was highlighted at a summit where the US was at odds with many traditional allies on things like trade and climate change. Welcome to a major shift in geo-political relations.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when you're holding a royal flush in a game of poker...

Time to call it. Just like Iraqi Prime Minister al-Abadi. Yesterday, al-Abadi declared victory over ISIS in Mosul. Since 2014, Iraq's second largest city has been in the militant group's hands. The group's been running operations from there and committing human rights abuses like torturing civilians. So last year, Iraqi forces with US backing ramped up the fight to take the city back. Thousands of civilians have been killed and many more have been forced to flee home. The military still has one neighborhood to take back from ISIS fighters. But for now, Iraq's saying 'victoryyyy.' Next up: getting rid of ISIS-planted booby traps, placing residents back to their homes safely, and re-building a city that's been pretty much destroyed by all the fighting.

What to say when your boss randomly treats you to coffee...

That's surprising. Over the weekend, a Venezuelan lawmaker and opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was let out of jail because of health problems. For more than three years, the country's been going through an economic crisis. Many Venezuelans are now unemployed and basics like TP, food, and medicine are unaffordable. President Maduro came to power as all of this was starting to go down and decided it was a good time to consolidate his power. He started throwing opponents in jail and his party stacked the Supreme Court with pro-Maduro justices. All of which sparked major anti-gov protests across the country. Back in 2014, Lopez was arrested for inciting some of those protests and later sentenced to nearly 14 years in jail. Now he's out, but still under house arrest. Meanwhile, in Turkey yesterday, hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets in Istanbul. It was one of the largest protests in the country in years. It also comes almost exactly a year after parts of the military attempted a coup. Ever since, Turkish President Erdogan's been busy tightening his grip on power by arresting opponents, firing tens of thousands of gov workers, and pushing to change the constitution. And a lot of Turkish civilians are not down with it.

What to say when you're ready to check your inbox after a long vacation...

Let's get to it. Today, the Senate's back in session after a week-long break. And 'what the F to do about healthcare' is at the top of the agenda. Now that the GOP has the power in DC, it's been trying to repeal and replace Obamacare. In May, the House passed a plan to do just that. And last month, the Senate put out its own version. It includes things like capping federal funding for Medicaid, repealing taxes on higher-income Americans that help pay for Obamacare, and penalizing people who jump off a healthcare plan for more than two months. The bill was not a summer blockbuster. Many lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are worried about estimates that tens of millions of Americans would be left without insurance under this plan. Democrats have never planned on voting for it. And over the break, many Republicans heard from voters back home who are against the bill. At least 10 GOP senators are now saying 'not on board.' Problem, since the GOP can only afford to lose two votes if the Senate wants to pass the bill without the Dems. So this week, lawmakers are rolling up their sleeves to figure out how to strike a compromise. Debate caps, on.

What to say when you hear Daniel Craig might come back as Bond, James Bond...

This James can give him some contract advice.

SKIMM SLEEP

Appetitive napper: Someone who naps on the reg. They have, yup, an appetite for napping. Because catching some extra zzzs makes them feel good, not groggy. This mattress and this pillow will always have you waking up on the right side of the bed after a cat nap. Plus we got you a discount on the mattress.

SKIMM LIFE

Skimm HQ is in summer BBQ mode. And this cutting board is our fave new sous chef. It keeps the tunes (cough, cooking tutorials, cough) going while we're chopping. Plus we got you a discount on your order. Buy here.*

Psst...here's a bunch of our other faves that'll help you do summer right

*PS: This is an affiliate partner, which means if you purchase or sign up, theSkimm may get something in return. Thanks.

SKIMM SHARE

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