Skimm This

This weekend President Trump unleashed a Twitter tirade against the city of Baltimore and Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings. Trump said Charm City is “infested with rodents,” and “dangerous,” reigniting the ‘good country, bad cities’ stereotype. We’ll explain what the numbers say about Baltimore and why Trump could still benefit from his attacks on America's inner cities. Also over the weekend: Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats updated his LinkedIn, announcing he’s stepping down in August. Trump is tapping Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas to fill the role. We break down why Coats was on the outs with Trump and why Ratcliff's choice is raising some eyebrows. Also on today’s episode: Greta Thunberg’s unconventional plans to get to the US and which summer threats are scarier than Shark Week.

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 Russia targeted U.S voting systems. Right, we’ve heard that before. From Robert Mueller, for example. He really wanted to talk about Russian interference during his testimony on Capitol Hill this week. But yesterday a new report dropped details about just how extensive it was. Spoiler: it was in all 50 states. That was 2016 - but they’re still at it - and other countries are getting in on the game. We’ll explain. Meanwhile: Up to 150 migrants trying to get to Europe died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya. Both the EU and Libya are being criticised by human rights organizations to change their controversial treatment of migrants. Also on today’s episode: The real world legacy of the final season of “Orange is the New Black” and fun facts about the hardcore cyclists of the Tour de France. Bon week-end.

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North Korea is playing with fire – literally. Just a couple weeks after President Trump visited Kim Jong Un in North Korea and agreed to resume denuclearization talks, North Korea tested two missiles this morning. Back in the US, Attorney General Bill Barr is resuming the death penalty, but he’s making some changes to how it’s implemented. Also on today’s show: Europeans and A/V guys everywhere are sweating it out. 

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Today, Democrats and Republicans told former special counsel Robert Mueller: ‘have a seat - actually, have two.’ Mueller said he was done talking about his report -- but lawmakers have more questions. We’ll tell you why, and what happened during today’s hearings. Meanwhile, Facebook has to pay $5 billion and change up its privacy rules after an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. We’ll explain. Also on today’s episode: how self-care is about more than just relaxing, and a very expensive stroll. 

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The UK has a new prime minister. Between dealing with Brexit and tensions with Iran, Boris Johnson has a long ‘to do’ list to tackle. And he doesn’t even have a full cabinet yet. We’ll explain what lies ahead for Johnson and the UK. Meanwhile, a proposed Trump admin rule could cut millions of people off from food stamp benefits. We’ll break down why the admin wants this rule, and who it affects. Also on today’s episode: more women are being nominated to attend US military academies, and a star who wrestled her way to the top.

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Today, Iranian officials announced that they’ve broken up a CIA spy ring and that they’ve arrested 17 suspected spies. Iran’s claimed this kind of thing before -- and President Trump says reports of arrests aren’t true. But there’s a history here that’ll help you decode today’s headlines. Meanwhile, anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Puerto Rico today, calling for Puerto Rico’s governor to resign. He says he’s staying put. But lawmakers are already talking impeachment. We’ll explain. Also on today’s episode: India makes its way to the south side of the moon, and there’s one less place to document on your Instagram.

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Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of the “giant leap for mankind.” You may have heard of it. On today’s episode, we break down the Apollo 11 mission: what it took to prepare for the mission, and what actually happened over the course of the eight-day-long journey to the moon and back. There was a lot that could have gone wrong. But it was a complete success. And NASA kept returning to the moon. Astronauts not only brought in a new phase of the space race - they brought back some souvenirs. Some of which are just being studied for the first time. Listen in.

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Turkey just ordered a new missile defense system from Russia. And now the US is telling Turkey: no F-35 fighter jets for you. Basically, the US is worried selling Turkey the F-35s means giving Russia access to top secret tech. We’ll tell you why that’s a concern for the US, and how it affects the relationship with Turkey, a key NATO ally. Meanwhile, another Russian invention is causing people’s hair to go gray: it’s called FaceApp. Some US lawmakers are warning that your uploaded selfies may end up in the Russian government’s inbox. We’ll explain why. Also on today’s episode: tragedy strikes a famous animation studio in Japan, and why the US government is going there...out there.

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Today, the head of Facebook’s global cryptocurrency project got a bipartisan grilling from the House Financial Services Committee. Lawmakers have been raising concerns about the crypto, called ‘Libra’: over who will regulate it, how Facebook will handle people’s private financial data, and whether their approach could break antitrust laws. We’ll break it down. Meanwhile, the president of Planned Parenthood has been ousted from the job after eight months. The organization reportedly wants make fighting for abortion rights a priority. We’ll explain. Also on today’s episode: why Netflix has gone back and edited an old scene from the show ‘13 Reasons Why,” and how Apple is giving us more ways to express ourselves. 

PS - If you or someone you know needs it, here’s the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.

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The Trump administration has issued a new rule that’ll mean most migrants heading to the US-Mexico border likely won’t be eligible for asylum. The admin says asylum seekers will have to ask other countries first. And those other countries are saying: who, us? Legal experts say this new rule could violate domestic and international law. We’ll explain why. Meanwhile, soon-to-be former German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen has been elected the new president of the European Commission. She’s making history as the first woman to hold the job - and she’s got a surprising to-do list. Also on today's episode: just how many Emmy awards ‘Game of Thrones’ is nominated for, and a really big lift(-off.)

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