Subject: Daily Skimm: It’s frickin’ freezing in here, Mr. Bigglesworth
From: "theSkimm" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2019 06:52:44 -0500 (EST)

<=m>Skimm'd while buying a wedding gift�=80�

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JANUAR= 24, 2019

RE=D IN BROWSER

Skimm'd while buying a wedding gift…<=a>

QUOTE O= THE DAY

"You're hot" – What Alex Trebek says he hears a lot from his 70- and 80=year old fans. We'll take 'things we didn't want to know' for $400, Alex.<=p>

POWER PLAY

The Story

Venezuela has a new self-proclaimed president.

What about the current president?

Nicolas Maduro? Well, he's technically still in offic=. Here's how we got here: Maduro took over after socialist President Hugo =havez died in 2013. Since then, Maduro's continued to consolidate power. H=s authoritarian government has been blamed for the current crisis the country's in. Think: hyperinfl=tion, massive debt, food and medicine shortages, millions fleeing, and ant=-gov protests. To top it all off, countries refused to recognize Maduro's 2018 re-election win. Yest=rday, hundreds of thousands of protesters turned out to put pressure on hi= to step down – the biggest show of force since a deadly crackdown=in 2017.

So who's the new guy?

Opposition leader Juan Guaido. The 35-year-old is also the head of the country'= parliament. Even though Maduro took away its power in 2017, the international community reportedly =till recognizes it as the country's last democratic institution. Earlier t=is month, it declared Maduro's rule was illegitimate and approved a plan t= let Guaido take over until there are new elections. Yesterday, Guaido off=cially stepped up to the plate, declaring himself the interim president an= saying it's time to rescue the country from "dictatorship."

Is this legit?

President Trump thinks so. He officially recognized Guaido as the country's int=rim leader. And said that "all options" – including economic, dipl=matic, and military ones – are on the table to restore democracy i= Venezuela. The State Dept backed him up, saying that the US "does not rec=gnize the Maduro regime."

Can they do that?

Maduro doesn't think so. And is accusing the US of su=porting a coup. He's cutting off diplomatic ties with the country, and giv=ng diplomats 72 hours to pack their bags. But Sec of State Mike Pompeo sai= the Trump admin will ignore =hat deadline. The US isn't the only one throwing its weight behind Gua=do – Canada, Brazil, Colombia, and other countries have done the same.

How will all this play out?

No one knows for sure. Maduro is showing no signs he'= ready to step down. Guaido could be arrested (again). The US may try to get involved by imposing sa=ctions where it hurts: Venezuela's oil industry. And many are watching to see which side the militar= decides to support. Either way, there's concern this could turn into an e=en bigger humanitarian crisis for the Venezuelan people.

theSkimm

Yesterday wasn't the first uprising against Maduro. B=t now that the US has formally backed the opposition, this latest uprising=seems to be the biggest threat to Maduro's grip on power since he was firs= elected six years ago.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say to your aunt who knows all the lyrics to =The Sound of Music"…

The hills are alive…with more DC drama. Yeste=day, Michael Cohen postpo=ed his appearance in front of Congress. Cohen – President Trump's =x-lawyer who's heading to prison in March for all sorts of crimes – was supposed to answer s=me questions from Congress next month. It was expected to be one of the fi=st public grillings of someone close to Trump since Democrats took the Hou=e this year. Yesterday, Cohen postponed because of "ongoing threats" again=t his family. ICYMI, Trump's lawyer accused Cohen's father-in-law of havin= ties to organized crime.=Trump says Cohen's "only been threatened by the truth." Democratic lawmake=s say this is a textbook case of witness intimidation. Speaking of things =rump and Democrats haven't seen eye-to-eye on...the State of the Union. Trump was planning to go ahe=d with the speech next week, even though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)=asked him to wait until the gov re-opens. After a lot of back and forth re=arding security concerns and location, Trump announced he would wait until=the end of the shutdown to give his address.

What states are talking about…

Abortion. A number of states have been trying to ban =ost abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected – which can happe= as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Last year, Iowa passed its versio= of that bill. It would've been the country's most restrictive abortion la=. But Roe v Wade protects women's access to abortions, especially in the b=ginning of their pregnancies. Cue: court challenges. Iowa legislators were='t worried. Some hoped the law would be challenged so it could make its wa= up to the Supreme Court – the thinking being that the court's sol=d 5-4 conservative majority might use the case to overturn Roe v Wade. Yes=erday, a state judge ruled Iowa's law was unconstitutional because it's up to women to decide if the= want abortions, not the state. It's expected to be appealed. Ohio's paying attention – its =ew governor says he would pass a similar bill that the previous governor v=toed.

What to say when you pause, look up from your coffee,=and wonder how we all got here…

There are theories…like this one. A new report says that a planet the =ize of Mars may have crashed into Earth 4.4 billion years ago, leaving beh=nd most of the carbon and nitrogen that make up our bodies. Oh, and splint=ring off a little thing called the moon. The researchers ran a bunch of si=ulations of planets crashing into each other and said 'yup this idea makes=sense to us.' Well, okay then.

Who people are talking about…

Bryan Si=ger. There have been sexual assault accusations against the "Bohemian =hapsody" director for years n=w. Yesterday, a report revealed the accusations of four more men �=80� two who say Singer abused them when they were underage. Singer is in=the spotlight again now that "Bohemian Rhapsody" is part of the award seas=n rounds. Singer was fired from the production weeks before it wrapped, ap=arently for unprofessional behavior on set. He denies the assault allegati=ns and claims the reporting doesn't hold up. The reporters are standing by=their investigation.

What to say when you hear Hulu is dropping its prices....

BuzzFeed=/a> is dropping 15% of its workforce. The co says it's doing it to cut cos=s and avoid having to raise more funding.

What to say to your friend who hasn't paid you back o= Venmo...

Stay far=away from me.

<=mg src="https://media-cdn.theskimm.com/dailyskimm/social-icons/Twitter_v=.png" width="35" height="35" style="margin-left:12px;margin-right:12=x;" border="0">

HOW TO HELP

Regardless of where you stand politically, the partia= gov shutdown has impacted an estimated 800,000 federal employees and thei= families. If you want to help your community/federal workers in need, her= are two good places to start: National Diaper Bank. And if you're looking to do even more, here's how to contact your local reps=to make your voice heard.

SKIMM PICKS

For when the registry is the best part of wedding =lanning...

This company makes it even sweeter than cake=testing. Register with them for kitchen, bath, furniture and home déc=r products. Plus, get $50 in rewards when you register and guests start gi=ting. Cheers.*

F=r when you're deep in work mode…

Do not disturb, screening in progress. HQ stares at s=reens all day too. We like this eyewear brand because it =elps us avoid eye strain and headaches. Psst…Skimm'rs get early ac=ess to their new metal collection. Go for gold (or silver).=

F=r when freebies are up for grabs at work…

Gone in a New York minute. You can be too. How does a=trip to NYC sound? You and a friend get hotel and travel credit, quip star=er packs, two Away carry-ons, plus tickets to see Maggie Rogers. Enter here.

*PS This is a sponsored section, which mean= if you purchase or sign up, theSkimm may get something in return. Thanks.=/p>

SKIMM'RS

Chilling champagne for…Rebecca D (CO),=who was recognized as one of 2019's Most Influential Young Professionals b= ColoradoBiz Magazine.

C=ngrats to…Laura D (CA), who quit her accounting job to become = travel consultant. And to Emily J (CO), who paid off all=her student loans. Cha-ching.

(=ome) Birthdays…Phil Voss (CA), Carol Schulweis (NY), Joe Cho (=A), Gabriella Daidone (NJ), Kathryn Dodds (SC), Jo-Anne Burleigh (BC), Pai=e Butterfield (IA), Frankie Grande (NY), Kate Papadimitriou (AUS), Briana =iles (NE), Gabriella Nourafchan (CA), Carolyn Warren (TX), Sarah Weigle (G=), Rachel Williamson (KY), Rhegan Wollerman (LA)

*=elcome to a new Skimm community section we're testing. Want to take it to =he next level with us? Reach out here for a chance to be featured.

SKIMM SHARE

Skimm HQ is buried under tissues. Share theSkimm with =our friend who needs soup or tea.

Or use this referral link theskimm.com/?r==b66f6bb

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