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Skimm for February 1st

Skimm’d on a red eye

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Carrying my wedding bouquet” - Some new lyrics from last night’s performance of “Grease: Live” on Fox. The original was “wearing my lacy lingerie” but that didn’t work because…primetime.

ROCK OUT WITH YOUR CAUCUS OUT

THE STORY

The Iowa caucuses are today. You can officially start paying attention to 2016 now.

WHY DO THEY MATTER?

Today, Iowa voters will caucus. Which basically means voters from each party will talk it over in local groups, and pick who they want to run for president from each party.

GOOD FOR THEM, BUT I DON’T LIVE IN IOWA.

Mazel. But this is a BFD since Iowa is the first state in the nation to vote. What happens in Iowa could mean fundraising dollars and a national spotlight for some - and could force others to pack their campaign buttons and go home.

WHAT’S THE LATEST?

Based on the polls, Donald Trump and former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton are going to come out on top. But anything could happen. Sen. Ted Cruz (TX) has a strong following in the state and could end up trumping Trump. Meanwhile, a lot of Iowans are feeling the Bern. Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT) announced yesterday his campaign raised $20 million in January - meaning even if he loses the tight race in Iowa, he’ll still have enough cash to stay alive. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the New York Times thinks you should vote for either Hillz or Gov. John Kasich (R-OH).

theSKIMM

Iowa is the first real political test of the election. For front-runners, it’s a chance to get a little momentum. And for candidates who’ve been out of the spotlight, placing second or third is a chance to get back on the map. Consider the 2016 ribbon cut.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT...

Syria. Over the weekend, ISIS took responsibility for a triple bombing that killed dozens of people in a suburb near Syria’s capital. This happened just as the (very shaky) UN-led peace talks to end Syria’s five year civil war kicked off in Geneva. So far in this conflict, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed, millions have fled from their homes, and ISIS has had the chance to gain territory and power along the way. The international community has taken sides, with Iran and Russia backing Assad, and the US & friends backing the moderate rebels trying to oust him. The last time the UN tried to get everybody to the negotiating table was in 2014. That fell apart because the US insisted that President Assad step down - an idea he wasn’t too excited about. Since then, ISIS has become a much bigger problem for Syria, and the rest of the Mideast. Now, the US is more open to working with Assad if it means an end to the civil war, and a new focus on beating ISIS. But this weekend’s attacks were a big blow to the already fragile process.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO SAYS ‘MATE’...

A lot going on Down Under. The Australian Open wrapped up over the weekend. Serbian Novak Djokovic picked up his sixth win in Melbourne, beating Swiss rival Roger Federer in the semis, and going on to topple Brit Andy Murray in three sets during the final match. Meanwhile, Serena Williams got upset by newbie Angelique Kerber in the women’s final. Kerber’s the first German lady to pick up the Australian Open trophy since Steffi Graf in the 90s. And speaking of, if Serena had won, she would have tied with Graf for 22 major titles. She’ll get another chance at the French Open in May.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE WATCHING...

Nigeria. Over the weekend, Boko Haram attacked a village in the country’s northeast, killing at least 86 people. Many of them were children. Boko Haram is the Islamic extremist group that got the world’s attention for kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls back in 2014. For six years, the group has been terrorizing the country and has killed tens of thousands of innocent people while the government has struggled to fight back. Last year, the country’s president was kicked out of power in an election, and a new guy was brought in who promised to get things under control. Easier said than done. In this latest attack, Nigerian soldiers who came to defend the village were out-armed and couldn’t stop the group until backup came hours later.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU GET A SHOUTOUT FROM YOUR BOSS AT THE MORNING MEETING...

I’d like to thank my co-workers. The Screen Actors Guild Awards were this weekend. Hint: the one that hands out awards for TV and film that’s not the Golden Globes. It’s usually an indicator for who’ll take home Oscar gold . “Spotlight” (aka the true-life story of journalists uncovering sex abuse in the Catholic Church) took home the top film trophy. Leo, Jeffrey Tambor, Idris Elba, and Frank Underwood are the best actors, while Brie Larson, Viola Davis, Queen Latifah, and Crazy Eyes are the best actresses. A lot of SAG voters are also in the Academy that votes for who wins on Oscar night. But unlike the Oscars, there was actually some diversity in the room. Many winners took the time to call this out when they picked up their hardware. Which should add to the awkward atmosphere when the Oscars hit the stage later this month.

SKIMM THE VOTE

Rabbit rabbit. It’s February 1st, which means 2016 primary voting is officially kicking off. With caucuses. Here’s what you need to know…

Primary: Very organized. Voters go to their local polling place. They vote. They leave.

Caucus: Each state has its own rules. But generally, everybody from the same party gets together at their local meeting spots. Somebody repping each candidate tries to get undecided voters to come to their side. The candidate with the most supporters wins.

PS: Click on the Insta button below if you’re feeling excited and relaxed and reaaaadyyyy to paaaartyyyyy in 2016.

SKIMM SHARE

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

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

*Becky Stifter (Berkeley, CA); *Savannah Edwards (Bear, DE); *Anne Marie Szmajda (Tuscaloosa, AL); *Ashley Short (Athens, GA); *Dayna Less (West Lafayette, IN); *Elana Golub (Newton, MA); *Emily Stone (Norman, OK); *Kate Findlay (Pasadena, CA); *Kelly McCormick (Los Angeles, CA); *Lauren Capra (Chicago, IL); *Luke Miles (Wake Forest, NC); *Sara Pedraz Matía (Barcelona, Spain); *Kim Comatas (Boston, MA); *Skye Gillispie (Greenport, NY); *Ashlynn Dey (Tusitn, CA); *Melissa Lamkin (Chicago, IL); *Bridget Devlin (Cherry Hill, NJ); *Emily Edwards (Chicago, IL); *Hannah Warner (San Diego, CA); *Lindsay Chambers (Los Angeles, CA); *Natalie Martinez (Tampa, FL); *Sarah McNeilly (Princeton Junction, NJ); *Shannon Bernardy (Seattle, WA); *Suzanne Camden (Virginia Beach, VA); *Sarah Edwards (Columbus, OH); *Gracie McKinstry-Smith (Minneapolis, MN); Amelia Barnett (Boston, MA); Martha Gregory (Summit, NJ); Ben Preziosi (West Palm Beach, FL); Sarah Clise (Seattle, WA); Mike Schultz (New York, NY);Anne Szmajda (Chicago, IL); Beata Teixeira (Princeton, NJ); Betsy Appleton (Nashville, TN); Bailey Hatch (Chicago, IL); Bonnie McHeffey (New York, NY); Brenda Craig (Hudson, OH); Casey Martin (Lagrange, GA); Christina Cuesta Kline (Manchester, NJ); Hayley Seifert (New York, NY); Jamie Gentile (Birmingham, AL); Jean Moore Edwards (Saint Helena, CA); Jenna Elson (New York, NY);Jillian Broaddus (Atlanta, GA); Joey Kuhn (New York, NY); Julie Wampler (Fairfax, VA); Kaitlyn Woods (Miami, FL); Kathryn Taylor (Greenville, SC); Keni Poirier (Hatfield, PA); Kenzie Fell (Ada, OH); Kia Reinertson (Los Angeles, CA); Kristina Redd (Phenix City, AL); Lauren Camanzo (New York, NY); Margo Swomley (Denver, CO); Merrell Forrest (New York, NY); Meg Parker (Miami, FL); Lauren Rosnick (Washington, DC); Pat Macdonell (Lake Oswego, OR); Peter Pena (Aguanga CA); Sarah Schroede (Milwaukee, WI); Selena Albanese (Austin, TX); Yael Navon (Richmond, VA); Lexi Katz (Livingston, NJ); Mitchell Brister (Lexington, VA); Samantha Courbanou (Huntington, NY); Catherine Roberts (Richmond VA); Jenna Bruce (Chicago, IL); Addison Hunt (New York, NY); Christina Robinson (Toronto, Canada); Amanda Johnson (Austin, TX); Becky Pressman (San Diego, CA); Bella Thoms (Lake Forest, IL); Beth Savicki (Syracuse, NY); Caitlin McCay (Fayetteville, AR); Carolyn Moor (Orlando, FL); Carter Bell (Iowa City, IA); Chris Steadley (Westlake, OH); Collette Hopkins (Atlanta, GA); Elizabeth Ellick (Chappaqua, NY); Hanna Rosenfeld (Atlanta, GA); Kacey Sunseri (San Jose, CA); Margaret Moore (Boston, MA); Meagan Collman (Baton Rouge, LA); Merle Wexler (Miami, FL); Michael Kutach (West Hollywood, CA); MJ Halberstadt (Boston, MA); Michelle Toney (Hollywood, FL); Molly Radis (Praks Island, ME); Nikki Aaron (Fairfax, VA); Sabrina Budhrani (Marina del Rey, CA); Sarah Siegel (Miami, FL); Stephanie Castrelos (Jersey City, NJ); Mary Lou Weidman (Opportunity, WA); Helen Kakouris (Miami, FL); Mary Cherif (Ossining, NY); Jocelyn West (Washington, DC); Aimee Rovane (Memphis, TN)