Skimm This

First up: We’ve got the latest on the week’s biggest headlines, from El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin to the removal of Virginia’s most prominent Confederate statue, the newest COVID-19 variant, and Britney’s conservatorship.

Next: It’s back to school time… but there’s no vaccine for kids under 12. So, we called up an expert to find out everything we need to know about schools, kids and COVID-19.

Then: It’s the 20 year anniversary of 9/11, and even if we were too young to remember all of it, the terrorist attack and our government’s response to it has shaped all of our lives. We’ll look at the legacy of September 11th, two decades later.

ICYMI: California governor Gavin Newsom’s in trouble, and facing possible removal from office in an election next week. We’ve got the details you need to know on California’s recall election … in 60 seconds.

Plus: We were glued to our gaming consoles growing up… but for kids in China, that might not be so easy any more: China’s banning kids from playing more than 3 hours of video games a week. We’ll explain what’s going on. 

Finally: Match Group is going official with the S&P 500, a sign that dating apps are here to stay. But don’t worry, if they still make you nervous, we’ve asked an expert for some dating-app survival tips.

P.S. Here’s a map of public symbols of the Confederacy around the U.S., and updates on their status.

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Want more Skimm? 

Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Luke Vargas, and Ciara Long, with support from Peter Bonaventure. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First up: We’ve got the details on Texas’ new abortion law, and what experts say it could mean for abortion rights across the U.S.

Next: We’ll take stock of the damage after Hurricane Ida caused damage from the Gulf Coast all the way to the Northeast. 

Then: The U.S. has officially left Afghanistan. But what happens to the Afghans who were left behind and are hoping to leave? We get the latest details from PBS NewsHour’s Jane Ferguson.

ICYMI: Forget cable news-style business updates. We’re bringing you the latest financial news on three companies that are here to stay: Zoom, IKEA, and Amazon.

Plus: SCOTUS has a secret agenda — and it’s being put to use more and more frequently. We’ll dive into the “shadow docket” and some of the big decisions it’s being used to make.

Finally: We don’t love breathing in wildfire smoke. We also don’t love drinking it. Luckily, one company has a plan to save California’s wine country from ashy bouquets — using artificial intelligence.

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Want more Skimm? 

Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Luke Vargas, and Ciara Long, with support from Peter Bonaventure. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First up: We’ve got the latest on evacuations from Afghanistan, and the deteriorating security situation around Kabul airport.

Next: We’ll break down this week’s biggest headlines, from a report on COVID-19’s origins to school closures — plus a big decision by streaming platform OnlyFans.

ICYMI: The F.D.A. and Pfizer made it official this week, in the form of full approval for the pharma company’s COVID-19 vaccine. We’ll break down why that’s different to emergency authorization, and what it could mean for vaccine mandates.

Then: Some millennials are living a double life - working two full time jobs while their bosses have no clue. We asked one reporter what’s behind this latest work trend - and why bosses may actually be the ones driving them to double up on Zoom calls. 

Finally: COVID-19 has been debilitating for “long haulers”, who’ve suffered symptoms for months on end. We’ll talk to two women dealing with “long COVID” about their experience, and hear from a doctor about what we know now that we didn’t several months ago. 

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Want more Skimm? 

Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Luke Vargas, and Ciara Long, with support from Peter Bonaventure. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

P.S. Here are the orgs we mentioned helping in Afghanistan: 

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Want more Skimm? 

Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Luke Vargas, and Ciara Long, with support from Sagine Corrielus. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First up: We’ve got the latest on Afghanistan, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s resignation and the CDC’s new guidelines on getting vaxxed while pregnant.

Next: Kids are heading back to school IRL. We’ll dive into why keeping kids safe is more complicated than it sounds, and is causing some political throwdowns.

Also: Fire up your phones. Vaccine passport apps are coming. We’ll skimm the process of signing up for them, to see if it’s as easy as advertised. (Here’s a link to some apps that are started to get used in a lot of places.)

Plus: Apple recently it’s gonna work with the U.S. government to stop child abuse. We’ll get into why the move is raising the eyebrows of some privacy advocates.

Finally: Lakes, reservoirs, and rivers across the Western U.S. are drying up. We called up two experts to figure out why, and to learn about what the future could hold.

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Want more Skimm? 

Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Luke Vargas, and Ciara Long, with support from Sagine Corrielus. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First up: We’ll break down this week’s big stories, from the results of a sexual harassment investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to a new federal eviction moratorium, and what selling COVID vaccines means for pharma company profits.

Next: We’ve got an exclusive interview with President Biden’s top doc, a.k.a. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.

Also: We’ve been hearing a lot about COVID-19 vaccine mandates lately, from employers to universities. We’ll talk with a legal expert about who can actually issue mandates, and how.

Plus: Have you heard politicians and athletes invoking “HIPAA” to dodge questions on their vaccine status. We’ll bring you up to speed on what really HIPAA means … in 60 seconds.

Finally: Happy birthday, MTV. 40 years after its founding, we’ll look back at the history of a channel that revolutionized the music industry and reality TV.

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Want more Skimm? 

Skimm'd by Bridget Armstrong, Luke Vargas, and Ciara Long, with support from Sagine Corrielus. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First up: We keep hearing about people getting COVID … who already got the vaccine. We’ll tell you what you need to know about these breakthrough infections, and why health rules around the country are changing fast.

Next: We’ll break down this week’s big stories, from the first hearing on the January 6th Capitol riot to the possible end of a key pandemic economic lifeline.

Also: U.S. troops are leaving Iraq before the end of the year... kinda. We’ve got the context on what’s changing and not changing.

Then: Last week, drug distributors and the pharma giant Johnson & Johnson reached a $26 billion dollar settlement related to the opioid epidemic. Is it enough?

Plus: There were a ton of new scams during the pandemic. We’ve got the lowdown on the most common consumer complaints of 2020, and how to avoid them.

Finally: We’ll chat with a sports reporter about the biggest headline from the first week of a very busy Olympics, on and off the field of competition. 

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Want more Skimm? 

Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Luke Vargas, and Ciara Long, with support from Sagine Corrielus. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First up: We’ll break down this week’s big stories, from COVID cases at the Olympics to chip shortages and Jeff Bezos’ big adventure.

Next: COVID cases are soaring again in the U.S. – that is, among the unvaccinated. We’ll talk to a researcher about the factors that have (and haven’t) made hesitant Americans change their minds about the vaccine in recent months. If you want to check out the full study, you can find it here. 

Also: What does “back to normal” even look like? We’ll ask one journalist who’s been tracking how far away 50 countries are from pre-pandemic life.

Plus: Trying to fit two years worth of weddings into a single Wedding Season is crushing our meticulous budgeting skills. We’ll talk to an expert on how we can stay on track with all the wedding gifts we have to buy.

Finally: We’re not seeing ghosts, but we’re hearing them. A new doc featured some deep-faked voice AI to mimic late chef Anthony Bourdain’s voice. Can that ever be ethical?

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Want more Skimm? 

Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Luke Vargas, and Ciara Long. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First up: We’ll break down this week’s big stories, from anti-government protests in Cuba to Texas Dems literally fleeing the state.

Next: Between booster shots and new side effect warnings, we’ll break down this week’s COVID vaccine news … in 60 seconds.

Then: More than 35 million tax returns are MIA. We’ll explain the delays at the IRS, plus what’s going on with Biden’s new Child Tax Credit program. (P.S. If you’re wondering where your tax refund is, this IRS tool might come in handy)

ICYMI: Finding an affordable house right now feels impossible. We’ll speak to some experts about why the housing market is so bananas, and how long it’s gonna stay like this.

Plus: 100 American cities just got their fitness report cards. We asked an expert to break down what makes a city healthy and how each of us can take control of our health regardless of where we live.

Finally: We’ll catch up with a reporter at the Cannes Film Festival about the glitz, glamour and some upcoming releases.

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Want more Skimm? 

Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Luke Vargas, and Ciara Long. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First up: Haiti’s president was assassinated in his home this week. We’ll get into what just happened and what this could mean for the country. 

Next: Gas prices are way up. We’ll break down why that is, and how long the new prices might last.

Then: We’re checking in on three stories from recent episodes to see what’s changed -- about the Delta variant, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the job market.

ICYMI: The Tokyo Olympics were already a hot mess. Now, simply qualifying for the games is causing drama. We’ll break down three controversies and look at the athletes whose performances could still save the day.

Finally: It’s been 25 years since the Spice Girls spiced up our lives. We’ll ask a music writer about their legacy and why there aren’t more girl bands around today.

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Want more Skimm? 

Skimm'd by Alex Carr and Luke Vargas. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. With additional support from Ciara Long. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices