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Skimm for November 5th

Skimm’d while playing fetch.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Live possibility” – Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s way of saying the update is…there is no update. Yesterday, she told US lawmakers the central bank might decide to raise interest rates at its December meeting.

RUSSIAN PLANE

THE STORY

Investigators now think an explosion probably caused the Russian plane crash over Egypt.

CATCH ME UP.

Over the weekend, a plane going from an Egyptian resort town to St. Petersburg crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula shortly after takeoff. All 224 people on board were killed. Right away, friends of ISIS claimed responsibility, but didn’t give any evidence. Intelligence officials quickly ruled out a missile taking down the plane. But then, earlier this week, US officials raised their hands and said their satellite data shows there was a heat flash around the plane right before it crashed – which suggested some kind of explosion.

WHAT’S THE LATEST?

Yesterday, British PM David Cameron suspended all UK flights to and from the Sinai Peninsula, saying the plane “may well have been brought down by an explosive device.” Also yesterday, the same friends of ISIS again claimed responsibility...but again didn’t give any evidence to back it up.

theSKIMM

International investigators now agree it was an explosion that brought down the plane, but aren’t sure yet if it was terrorism or a technical failure. So all eyes are on the investigators and the plane’s black boxes.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR BOSS REJECTS AN EXTENSION ON A BIG WORK PROJECT…

That doesn’t help me. Exactly Canadian energy company TransCanada’s sentiment. Earlier this week, it asked the US gov. to stop reviewing its request to build the Keystone XL Pipeline. Yesterday, the State Department said ‘ha, no’ to that request. The Keystone XL Pipeline is a project that would carry lots and lots of crude oil from Canada to Texas. The GOP and oil companies are all in, saying it would create jobs and reduce North American dependence on Mideast oil. Dems and environmentalists aren’t so on board, saying the pipeline would open up a can of global warming worms. It’s up to Obama to sign off on the project, and he’s taken his time — aka his entire time in office — to decide. Many think TransCanada wanted to wait until after 2016 (when there might be a new GOP prez) to have the project reviewed. But yesterday’s news means Obama’s aiming to say ‘yay’ or most likely ‘nay’ by the end of his presidency.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT…

Fox Lake, IL. Yesterday, officials said an officer who they thought was killed in the line of duty probably committed suicide . Back in September, the officer was found dead in a suburb outside Chicago after he radioed that he was chasing three suspects. Cue a manhunt for the suspects and the officer being called a hero. But yesterday, officials said the whole thing could have been one big lie. The officer was apparently stealing money from a youth program. He was also apparently very close to being caught, so it seems he staged his death to look like a homicide. And it worked, until investigators started taking a closer look at the case. Now “CSI” writers are taking notes.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR HALLWAY SMELLS LIKE POT…

Holaaaaa. Yesterday, Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of four people who want to grow and smoke pot . The court says it’s their right to light up. Which a lot of people think opens the door to legalizing the drug in Mexico. In case you missed it, Mexico’s got a big drug cartel problem. And there are a lot of opinions on how to fix it. One side says the best way to stop drug trafficking is to have strict laws. But the other side says legalizing pot could reduce drug violence. This all comes as parts of Mexico’s neighbor up north have started making ‘brownies’ legal (lookin’ at you, Colorado).

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU HEAR BALMAIN’S H&M LINE IS IN STORES…

Get in line. That’s what NASA told astronaut wannabes yesterday when it said it’ll soon accept applications for its next class of space walkers. This is the first time NASA’s put up a “Now Hiring” sign since it suspended its shuttle program in 2011. NASA says the new push to hire is preparation for a journey to Mars. Far out. NASA also says it’ll take applications starting in December, and it’ll announce the new astronauts in 2017. So now would be the time to update your LinkedIn interests to “loves long walks in space.”

THING TO KNOW

“Is a hot dog a sandwich?”: A new brain teaser making the rounds. It’s a debate that’s dividing the nation, with everyone from Carly Fiorina to the Buffalo Bills weighing in.

SKIMM GIFT

Feel that? It’s a chill in the air. The British Virgin Islands will only have you chilling on a beach. Four nights with an ocean view. Enter to win here.

SKIMM SHARE

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm’bassador. Treat yo’self.

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