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Skimm for October 26th

Skimm’d after watching the Giants win.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Sincere apologies to all the patrons of the quiet car that were offended” – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s spokesperson. On an Amtrak yesterday, the GOP candidate broke the first rule of the quiet car: you do not talk in the quiet car.

WINTER IS COMING

THE STORY

Yesterday, European leaders had an emergency meeting. On the agenda: the continent’s migrant and refugee crisis, which could soon get a lot worse.

CATCH ME UP.

In recent years, places like Syria, Iraq, and North Africa have been more of a mess than usual – making lots of people desperate to leave. So far this year, more than half a million migrants and refugees have come to the EU by boat or land, and thousands have died trying. The EU has struggled to come up with a plan to deal with the crisis that member nations can agree on. And in the meantime, European border countries are overwhelmed by people knocking on their door.

WHAT’S THE LATEST?

Winter is on the way, which means conditions for the migrants and refugees are about to get much harsher. At yesterday‘s meeting, leaders agreed that they should work together on getting aid to border countries and making sure people traveling into the EU are registered.

theSKIMM

This is the worst migrant and refugee crisis since the end of World War II. And it comes as EU member countries are still really divided on how to respond. Some (think: Germany) are saying ‘come one, come all,’ while others (think: Hungary) are saying ‘not in my backyard.’

THE *: Want more background? We Skimm’d it for you.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO WENT ABROAD IN BUENOS AIRES...

Things are about to change. Yesterday, Argentina headed to the polls, and said ‘so long’ to outgoing President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. She has to leave her spot as Argentina’s numero uno after serving two terms. Before that, her late husband was prez. Leading up to the election, it looked like a guy named Daniel Scioli - who Kirchner endorsed - would win. But opposition candidate Mauricio Macri surprised everyone yesterday with strong support at the polls. So strong that Scioli and Macri will now face each other in a run-off election next month. Whoever wins has big shoes to fill, since left-leaning Kirchner is still very popular in Argentina. In the US, not so much. Ever since Argentina defaulted on its debt in 2001, the government’s been arguing with US hedge funds about how much it owes. So whoever gets handed the presidency will also get handed this years-long legal battle and a meh economy. Good times. Meanwhile, yesterday was a big day for swiping V-cards in other countries too.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR BOSS ASKS WHICH WEEKENDS YOU’RE FREE TO WORK…

None of the above. Over the weekend, President Obama became every kid’s hero when he called for less standardized testing in schools. It’s a big reversal, since in the past he’s pushed for more testing. But after hearing from stressed out students, teachers, and parents, Obama’s decided that a lot of these tests are unnecessary, and shouldn’t be the only measurement of academic performance. Now, he’s suggesting that no more than two percent of class time should be spent filling out bubble sheets. Next, it’s up to Congress to decide whether or not to actually change the rules.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN THE SIGN SAYS ‘TRAIN DELAY’ BUT IT PULLS UP ON TIME...

Fake-out. Over the weekend, Hurricane Patricia went from being called ‘one of the strongest storms ever recorded’ to just a really bad rainstorm. It hit Mexico on Friday, and then took a detour into the mountains. So most of the country dodged the hurricane bullet. No deaths have been reported so far. Patricia’s now messing with Texas, where there’s been two days of heavy rain.

THING TO KNOW

Amortization: Kind of like deciding to run your first marathon. You make a schedule, the schedule seems overwhelming at first, but it’s supposed to get easier over time. A fixed payment schedule structures your student loans like mortgage payments. Which is good because the schedule helps you pay off your interest first and then, over time, more of it goes towards the principal. Boom. But if you miss a payment, it can affect your credit. Womp. Pay off as much as you can, as soon as you can, so you can lose that balance.

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