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Skimm for January 4th

Skimm’d while watching the “Downton Abbey” premiere.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It will be done when it’s done” – George RR Martin, author of the books “Game of Thrones” is based on, in a blog post to fans. He’s a little behind on the next novel. Meaning yes, the next GOT season will air before the next book is out. Winter is here.

HOT MESS IN THE MIDEAST

THE STORY

Iran and Saudi Arabia – aka the Betty and Veronica of the Mideast – need a time out.

WAIT...BACK UP.

Iran is the dominant Shiite power in the Mideast. Saudi Arabia is the main Sunni power in town. They don’t get along. At all. And in recent years, they’ve basically been in proxy battles against each other by backing opposite sides of conflicts in places like Syria and Yemen.

SO WHAT’S THE LATEST?

Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia executed a popular Shiite cleric in the country named Nimr al-Nimr, along with 46 others. al-Nimr: a popular activist who was known for speaking out against the Saudi royal family and called for better conditions for the country’s minority Shiites. Saudi Arabia slapped al-Nimr with a terrorism charge for stirring up antigovernment protests in 2011, although he denied it. His execution did NOT sit well with Shiites around the Mideast.

WHAT HAPPENED?

There were protests in Bahrain, Pakistan, and Iran. In Iran’s capital, protesters set fire to Saudi Arabia’s embassy there. And Iran’s Supreme Leader promised “divine revenge” on Saudi Arabia. To which the Saudis said ‘we see your divine revenge and raise you by cutting off diplomatic ties.’ All of Iran’s diplomats in Saudi Arabia have two days to GTFO.

theSKIMM

The Mideast is struggling to deal with a brutal civil war in Syria and a little thing called ISIS. And the two major regional powers choose now to stop speaking. Good timing.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY WHEN THE PARTY’S OVER BUT THAT ONE GUEST DOESN’T GET THE MEMO…

Occupied. Over the weekend, dozens of armed anti-government protesters took over a building in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon. Protesters say the refuge has unfairly said ‘mine’ to rancher land over the years, but this particular protest is in support of two ranchers who were convicted of arson a few years ago. The ranchers said they were setting fire to federal land to protect their own land from wildfires. But prosecutors said they were trying to cover up an illegal slaughter of deer. Not the same thing. They both served time in prison, but now a federal judge is saying ‘not good enough,’ and they’re being sent back to prison today to serve even more time. Protesters have taken over part of the wildlife refuge as a way of saying the federal gov should back off and let ranchers do their own thing. The protesters include Ammon Bundy, whose dad you might remember for fighting with the government over where his cows could graze. The protesters say they don’t plan on using their weapons, but they’re staying for “as long as it takes.” Hope they brought Scrabble.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU SEE THREE POLITICAL ADS IN A ROW…

Welcome to 2016. It’s a new year, and Donald Trump is still everywhere. Over the weekend, an al-Qaeda affiliate released a recruitment video that allegedly features vocals from the Donald. Refresher: After last month’s attacks in San Bernardino, CA, Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” till the US figures out this whole terrorism thing. Now, this group is apparently using his words to convince Muslims in America to join their fight. Trump’s response: “I have to say what I have to say.” Meanwhile, GOP candidate Carly Fiorina is also feeling the 2016 heat. The former HP exec rooted against her alma mater Stanford in its game against the University of Iowa last Friday. The Iowa caucuses are less than a month away. Twitter said, ‘pandering much?’ and blamed Fiorina for Iowa’s loss. Now, she’s hoping Iowa voters will forget about all this real quickly.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT…

Israel. Yesterday, Israel charged two Jewish citizens for an arson attack in the West Bank in July that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents. A lawyer representing the two said his clients were tortured by investigators, and they gave false confessions. The attack was one of the incidents that helped fuel the latest wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israelis “oppose violence of all kinds.”

WHAT TO SAY WHEN IT HITS YOU THAT THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER…

At least there’s football. Over the weekend, your newsfeed was filled with pictures of people in football jerseys. That’s because it’s playoff season, and everyone’s dreaming of the C word: championship. The New England Patriots are in the playoffs, but another loss yesterday means they could be feeling a little deflated. The Pittsburgh Steelers took home a big W on their Sunday Funday matchup against the Cleveland Browns - and since the New York Jets lost their game, the Steelers can now stay alive for the playoffs. All 12 teams in the playoffs are set, so it’s do or die until the Super Bowl next month. Meanwhile, your friend who loves college football is calling in sick next Tuesday. Clemson and Alabama won their bowl games over the weekend and will face each other in the national championship game next Monday. BYO seven layer dip.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIENDS WHO JUST GOT MARRIED…

This will be...an everlasting love. And thank Natalie Cole for your wedding song.

THING TO KNOW

Gun show loophole: A, yup, loophole in gun laws that allows people to buy firearms at gun shows without a complete background check. Hint: it’s a phrase you might hear about later this week when President Obama is expected to take executive action on gun control.

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