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Skimm for October 27th

Skimm’d with a cookie sandwich

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Small loan” – What Donald Trump called a $1 million starter loan he got from his dad. Billionaire politicians, they’re just like us.

QUAKE

THE STORY

Yesterday, an earthquake hit Afghanistan and Pakistan in a big way.

HOW BIG?

Very big. The 7.5 magnitude quake was centered in Afghanistan, but was also felt in Pakistan, India, and Tajikistan. More than 200 people have died so far. Thousands of homes were destroyed and there were widespread power failures. Pakistan declared states of emergency and military units have been sent to respond to the disaster. It doesn’t help that the quake struck in places that are already dealing with 99 other problems.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

The hard-hit areas are some of the poorest in the region. Plus, the Taliban’s been gaining strength in some parts of Afghanistan...the same parts that were affected by the quake.

theSKIMM

This part of the world is very prone to earthquakes, and doesn’t always have the resources to deal with them. Think: the devastating earthquake in Nepal earlier this year. Now, the UN is coordinating a response to the latest quake.

THE *: In other news that makes you want to call for Captain Planet, it came out yesterday that the Persian Gulf might be too hot for humans by the end of the century. Great.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR FRIENDS FINALLY AGREE ON A HALLOWEEN COSTUME...

At last. Yesterday, Congress came close to agreeing on something too. They’re almostttt ready to shake on a major budget deal. It would raise government spending by a casual $80 billion and also raise the debt ceiling. Aka the limit on how much money the US can borrow. It looks like the House will vote on it later this week. And that’s not the only voting action on Capitol Hill. Today, the US Senate is voting on a new cybersecurity bill that’s supposed to protect companies from hackers. The bill aims to make it easier for the feds to share info on hackers with US companies, and communicate with each other. But pretty much every tech company is throwing shade. They say this would leave the door wide open to more government surveillance on US citizens. Somewhere, Edward Snowden is nodding.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR CO-WORKER’S CHAIR KEEPS BUMPING INTO YOURS...

Stay out of my area, please. That’s what China told the US this morning, after a US warship sailed into the South China Sea. South China Sea: an area of the Pacific that includes major shipping routes and an island chain that countries like China, Vietnam, and the Philippines all claim is theirs. In recent years, China’s upped the territorial ante by building man-made islands there for its military. And today, China did NOT like it when the US destroyer passed through, saying the US “illegally” entered the area. But the US has been under pressure from allies to respond to China’s SimCity-esque moves, and today the Philippine president gave the thumbs up, saying it helps keep the “balance of power” in the region. Psst…confused? Here’s your Skimm.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO’S GOING TO THE FIRST GAME OF THE WORLD SERIES TONIGHT…

Maybe don’t have a hot dog. Yesterday, the World Health Organization ruined every bacon lover’s day when it released a report that said processed meat can be a major cause of cancer, especially colon cancer. Processed meat: things like hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and ham. Great. The WHO says processed meats are in the same league as cigarettes. Really great. The report also says red meat “probably” causes cancer. No surprise, meat industry groups had serious beef with the report, and called it misleading. Veggie burger, anyone?

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU HEAR THAT THE FED’S MEETING TODAY...

The Fed’s got more than interest rates on the mind. An ex-Goldman Sachs banker will reportedly plead guilty to federal criminal charges. He allegedly got confidential docs from an old co-worker at his former employer…the New York Fed. The banker supposedly shared the intel with his team at Goldman. Bad idea. The NY Fed worker is also facing charges. Meanwhile, Goldman says that it did some damage control after it realized what was going on. Read: it let regulators know, and fired the banker and his boss. Goldman is reportedly going to write a $50 million check to regulators to help patch this whole thing up.

THING TO KNOW

30% rule: The way to check yo’self before you think about renting that place with the walk-in closets. The rule says don’t spend more than 30% of your “take home pay” on where you live. Relying on friends or family who make a lot more money than you and can help you get that security deposit or be your guarantor may be helpful, but living beyond your means is not advised unfortunately.

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SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm’bassador. Get out your dancing shoes.

*Carolyn Breder (Mediapolis, IA); *Ami Rodrigues (Atlanta, GA); *Christina Stamper (Wixom, MI); *Miranda Hamaker (Austin, TX); *Melanie Krohn (Omaha, NE); *Heather Mullally Joines (East Windsor, NJ); Katie Markowitz (New York, NY); Mari Buttarazzi (Vienna, VA); Maya Shair (Washington, DC); Brooke Selis (Chicago, IL); Caroline Casey (New York, NY); Noël Largess (Los Angeles, CA); Shannon O’Malley (Chicago, IL); Josie Zimmermann (Columbia, MO); Sarah Hays (Saint Paul, MN); Margot Chima (Detroit, MI); Rachel Landoski (Warren, MI); Petra Lewis (Brooklyn, NY); Maria Falls (Cupertino, CA); Peg Golden (Weston, MA); Kelly Janhunen (Denver, CO); Katherine Labonte (New York, NY); Christine Xu (Los Angeles, CA); Robert Slaughter (Phoenix, AZ)