“I learned about this like three weeks ago” - House Speaker Paul Ryan(R-WI), who just discovered GIFs. Insert blinking guy here.

THINGS ON TRUMP'S MIND

The Story

Yesterday, President Trump said ‘hello, it’s me’ to NATO.

What happened?

For the first time, Trump met with leaders from NATO - the 28-country alliance formed during the Cold War. Many thought he might drop his harsh campaign rhetoric, and officially say that the US will come to the defense of member countries if needed. That didn’t exactly happen. He said the US is pulling too much weight, and other countries need to contribute more cash money to the group’s military costs.

Anything else?

The US and the UK are also working out some issues. UK authorities, who have been sharing intel with the US about this week’s Manchester attack, are alarmed by alleged leaks to the US media. Yesterday, PM Theresa May warned Trump that the leaks could compromise the investigation. Trump agreed and promised to investigate.

theSkimm

It’s very unusual for a US administration to have any iciness toward NATO allies. Especially since the US is one of the NATO founders.

The Story

Yesterday, it came out that Jared Kushner is a focus in the FBI’s Russia investigation.

What’s going on?

The FBI’s looking into whether President Trump’s team helped Russia interfere in last year’s election. FBI investigators now believe that Kushner - who is Trump’s son-in-law and one of his closest advisors - is key to figuring out what did or didn’t happen.They’re especially interested in meetings he had last year with the Russian ambassador to the US and a Russian banker. He hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing. Kushner’s thought to be the only White House official to come under the microscope.

theSkimm

Even though Trump has been overseas on his first foreign trip, this investigation is still taking up a lot of attention back home. And probably will for a long time.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when all your co-workers leave early for the long weekend...

No surprises there. None in the NBA either. The Cleveland Cavaliers are headed to the finals. For the third time. Where they’ll be facing off against the Golden State Warriors. For the third time. Yesterday, the Cavs beat out the Boston Celtics 135-102 to make it happen. Oh, and LeBron swished past Michael Jordan to become the number one playoffs scorer of all time. Cue the crying face. Meanwhile, the NHL playoffs had everyone frozen to the edge of their seats. The Pittsburgh Penguins pucked over the Ottawa Senators to pull off a 3-2 win. It wasn’t easy. The two teams were tied, pushing the game into OT. Twice. Now the Penguins will waddle over to the finals where they’ll face the Nashville Predators.

What to say when you enter the wrong pin number at checkout...

Denied. Just like President Trump’s travel ban. Yesterday, a federal appeals court said Trump’s executive order temporarily banning travelers from several Muslim-majority countries violates the First Amendment. This is the second time Trump’s tried to put a travel ban in place, saying it’s needed to protect the country from terrorism. But critics said ‘sounds a lot like religious discrimination.’ After version 1.0 got shut down, Trump gave it a few edits that were supposed help the policy stand up in court. But Version 2.0 also got blocked. The Trump administration appealed the ruling. Now, that appeals court is saying ‘nope, still benched.’ The Justice Department has promised to take the case to the Supreme Court.

What to say when you score a last-minute goal during your company kickball game...

Down to the wire. Yesterday, Montana held a special election to replace Ryan Zinke, who was tapped to head up the Interior Department under President Trump. The winner? Republican candidate Greg Gianforte. You might know him as the one who, on the last day of the campaign, was charged with assaulting a journalist. Oops. Lucky for him, most Montana voters mailed in their ballots early. The state has been deep-red for decades, and Trump won there by double digits last year. But this special election is one in a series of close races across the country that are seen as a litmus test for how the Republican party is doing in the Trump era. Democratic candidate Rob Quist managed to raise a lot of money and support. But no cigar.

What people are talking about...

Mosul. Yesterday, the Pentagon said that in March, a US airstrike accidentally killed more than 100 civilians in Iraq’s second largest city. This is one of the worst civilian death tolls from a US airstrike in years. Back in 2014, ISIS made the international community sit up and pay attention when it captured Mosul. A few months later, the US began launching airstrikes against the group. After this recent airstrike, there were reports of a lot of civilian deaths. The US was scrutinized for maybe not doing enough to avoid the situation. The Pentagon investigated. Now, they say the airstrike was aimed at two snipers inside a certain building. It turns out there were also many civilians taking cover inside. And ISIS had planted a bunch of explosives that detonated when the airstrike hit. Now, the Pentagon is apologizing to “all those that were affected.”

What to say when you realize it’s been 20 years since NSYNC’s first album...

Mark Zuckerberg’s feeling nostalgic too.

THING TO KNOW

147: The number of shades in the Sherwin-Williams cream paint color family. Because “Pearly White” is not “Snowbound” is not “Alabaster.” Paint us curious.

SKIMM READS

For your friend who read “Wild” more than once…

Meet “The Rules Do Not Apply” by Ariel Levy. This memoir by the New Yorker staff writer is Cheryl Strayed meets a Nora Ephron movie. You’ll laugh, ugly cry, and finish it before the weekend’s over. Get it here.

PROGRAMMING NOTE

Skimm HQ is observing Memorial Day. That’s why you won’t see us in your inbox on Monday. Don’t worry. We’ll be back at it on Tuesday.

SKIMM SHARE

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm’bassador. Cake, cake, cake.

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