Skimm'd over homemade brownies

"The purpose of the competition was to promote technical education" - A Czech power plant, after staging a bikini contest to pick a new intern. Technical failure.

THINGS GETTING GRADED

HEALTHCARE

The Story

Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office released its scorecard for the Senate's health care plan.

Wait. Back up.

Earlier this year, the House passed a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. Then last week, the Senate dropped their version. The highlights: it caps federal funding for Medicaid and temporarily freezes federal funding for Planned Parenthood. But it keeps the rule that insurance companies can't hike up prices for people with pre-existing conditions.

So what's the scorecard?

Yesterday, the CBO - a nonpartisan group of number crunchers - said the Senate plan would leave 22 million more people without insurance over the next decade. Which is less than the House plan. 15 million of those would be because of changes to Medicaid.

What are people saying?

Critics say this bill still leaves too many Americans without coverage. But supporters say it will save the gov a lot of cash money and that the CBO can't be trusted anyway.

Anything else?

Yesterday, Senate GOP leaders tweaked their bill to add their take on the 'individual mandate' - the rule under Obamacare that makes almost everyone sign up for health insurance. Their version says people who go without health insurance for a bit can opt in again, but have to wait six months for it to kick in. The idea being that this would stop people from only buying insurance when they get sick.

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The Senate was aiming to vote on the bill later this week. And this CBO score might not help push senators from the 'no' to the 'yes' camp.

TRAVEL BAN

The Story

Yesterday, the Supreme Court said parts of President Trump's travel ban can pass go.

Wait. Back up.

Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order that aimed to temporarily keep refugees and travelers from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. Team Trump says it's necessary for national security. But two lower courts said 'no can do,' for reasons like religious discrimination. So the ban has been on hold until the Trump administration paged the Supremes to step in.

So what'd they say?

That they'll hear arguments in this case in the fall term. But until then, parts of the ban can go into effect. Meaning in the next few days, immigration officials can start turning people away. Except those with a "bona fide relationship" with a person or place in the US (think: family or job).

What are people saying?

Trump says this is a "clear victory" for national security. But critics say this is going to cause a lot of confusion about what "bona fide" means.

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After a lot of legal losses, this ruling is a major W for the Trump administration. But prepare for a legal nail-biter when the Supremes take this back up in the fall.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What people are talking about...

Philando Castile. Yesterday, Castile's family reached a nearly $3 million settlement over his fatal shooting. Last summer, a Minnesota police officer pulled Castile over during a traffic stop. Castile told the officer he had a gun on him but that he wasn't pulling it out. The officer fired at Castile, later saying that he thought Castile was reaching for his gun. Parts of the shooting were caught on dashcam video, and Castile's girlfriend live streamed the aftermath on Facebook. It led to protests across the country. Earlier this month, the officer was fired by the police dept, but a jury acquitted him of second-degree manslaughter charges. Now, instead of bringing a federal civil rights lawsuit, the Castile family is settling with the city. This is the latest settlement in recent years from families of black men who were killed by police (see: Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Walter Scott). And the latest in a string of shooting cases where officers involved either weren't charged or convicted of criminal charges.

What to say to your friend who studied abroad in China...

Hear about Liu Xiaobo? Yesterday, the Nobel Peace Prize winner was released from a Chinese prison in order to get cancer treatment. In 2010, while Liu was still in prison, he got the Nobel Peace Prize for his pro-democracy efforts. For decades, Liu was one of China's most outspoken critics. Communist China is known for cracking down on political opponents and not exactly having a stellar human rights record. Back in 2008, Liu wrote a manifesto pushing for more democratic freedoms. So China added him to its burn book. He was arrested and sentenced to more than a decade in prison. Now it turns out he was recently diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer, so China's letting him out to get treatment. In other Chinese news, the country has been using facial recognition tech for everything from cracking down on jaywalking to stopping people from stealing toilet paper. Welcome to "Minority Report."

What to say when you tick off your to-do list in one day...

On a roll. Just like the Supreme Court. Yesterday, the court made some VIP announcements on its way out the door for summer vacay. The Supremes said it's unconstitutional for states to exclude churches from certain gov funding. And that they'll be taking on a discrimination case in the next term. Ever since the court made same-sex marriage legal across the country in 2015, there have been a bunch of legal issues to iron out. This particular case started back in 2012 when a Colorado bakery refused to make a gay couple's wedding cake. The owner of the bakery said same-sex marriage goes against his religious beliefs. The couple said 'sounds more like discrimination.' A lower court agreed. So later this year, SCOTUS will clarify whether businesses can pull the religious card and refuse to work with clients based on their sexual orientation. Oh, and no, Justice Kennedy - who swings to the left and to the right on issues - isn't hanging up his robes just yet.

PS: Want to know what else the Supremes have been up to? We skimm'd it for you.

What to say when you hear what North West might name her new puppy...

Baby Jesus walks. Baby Dali might too.

NO EXCUSES: HEALTHCARE

We don't want to hear no excuses. You should know about the US healthcare debate. That means knowing the who's who. Here's one...

George W Bush: Dubya wanted to do something about the crazy costs of prescription drugs. So he pushed forward a federal program to help people on Medicare (meaning the 65+ crowd) pay for them. But lobbyists pushed to include a clause preventing the US gov from negotiating discounts. Meaning costs are still going up, and the government sucks it up and pays for it.

We want you to know all the names and faces. Get some face time here.

Psst...this is your last week to get in on our Care Calendar in theSkimm app. It lets you set up custom reminders and book doctor's appointments so you never let them go too long. And if you download the app this week you'll get a limited-time 3 month free trial. Get in on it here.

SKIMM LIFE

Skimm A and Skimm B are on the road a lot. And this suitcase is their go-to travel companion. Built-in laundry bag? Check. Built-in battery pack? Check. Aka no more running out of juice at the airport. And theSkimm just got you a little something extra when you buy your own bag. Get it here.*

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