Skimm'd while working from home…

"You can tell he loves his job and has fun doing it" – A UPS driver did the "In My Feelings" dance in front of a doorbell camera. Loves his job and can dance? He's got the whole package.

THINGS MAKING DC SWEAT

The Looming Government Shutdown

The Story

If Congress and President Trump can't agree on a funding bill by midnight, the gov could be ringing in the holidays with a partial shutdown.

Say more words.

Earlier this week, the Senate passed a short-term bill to keep the gov up and running until February. It was expected to pass in the House and get a signature from Trump. But yesterday, House conservatives said 'Trump, don't wimp out on us' and pressured him to stay strong on his request for $5 billion in funding for the US-Mexico border wall. They say his base wouldn't be happy if he didn't fight for the money. Also important: it might be harder for him to get border wall funding in 2019 (when Dems get the House) – which could jeopardize the GOP's chances in 2020. Now, the president won't sign the bill until he gets the added funding, which he says could even go towards "steel slats." Last night, the House said 'we got your back' and gave him a version of a bill that includes that money.

theSkimm

The border wall was one of Trump's biggest campaign promises. But it's unclear if a bill including funding for it will have enough support in the Senate. Lawmakers only have until midnight to work things out. Otherwise they risk a partial gov shutdown –which could leave federal workers' pay, disaster relief, and normal gov operations on hold.

Jim Mattis

The Story

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is getting ready to plan his retirement party.

Say more words.

Mattis is a retired four-star general who spent decades in the Marine Corps and was the head of US Central Command. When he was first nominated to be the defense sec in 2016, some thought he'd be a big help to President Trump and his zero military experience. But they haven't always seen eye-to-eye. Example: this week's announcement that the US is pulling troops out of Syria. Mattis and some advisers have some concerns about withdrawing from Syria, including that it would let Russia and Iran become more influential in the Middle East. Yesterday, Mattis handed Trump his resignation letter, saying he'll retire at the end of February. He also said that the president deserves to have a defense sec "whose views are better aligned" with his.

Anything else?

Always. Yesterday, it also came out that Trump ordered the military to start pulling some troops out of Afghanistan. The US has been fighting there for 17 years. Now, the president wants to pull out nearly 7,000 troops (about half the amount that are currently there), which could take months. This is also an issue Mattis and Trump disagree on. Coincidence?

theSkimm

While there have been a lot of turnovers in the Trump admin, Mattis has been one of the few to have bipartisan support. Now, there's the big Q of who will replace him and handle major geopolitical issues...like the Middle East.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when you hear the acting AG is critical of the Russia investigation he's overseeing...

The Trump admin is critical of the current asylum process. Yesterday, the Trump admin announced a new policy that would make asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases play out in court. Typically, if someone claims asylum (meaning: they're facing or could face persecution back home and are looking for legal protection to stay in the US) they get to stay in the US while they wait. Now the admin is changing the rules for those who cross the border illegally. Mexico says it will accept those asylum seekers and let them apply to work and give them help while they wait. But the wait could take months, maybe even years. So expect this to face some legal challenges. In other news of changes the Trump admin is making, food stamps. Yesterday, it introduced a proposal to limit eligibility to get them. The rule would make it harder for states to waive work requirements in some places where there is a high unemployment rate. This would seriously reduce the number of waivers that are granted.

Who will most definitely have his day in court...

Harvey Weinstein. Yesterday, a judge said that the sexual assault case against him can go ahead. When you hear #MeToo, you think of Weinstein. He's been accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct going back decades. But this case is in connection to accusations by two women – one who's accused him of rape, the other who's accused him of forced oral sex. He initially faced six charges, but one was dismissed earlier this year. Weinstein was trying to get the other charges thrown out. The judge said 'definitely not.' And told him he'd be back in court in March.

What people are talking about…

This new report accusing Planned Parenthood of mistreating pregnant employees. It says a majority of Planned Parenthood offices don't offer paid maternity leave. It also says that some employees have been passed over for promotions if they were likely to get pregnant, some were pushed out of work after having kids, and some weren't allowed to take breaks while pregnant. The report says part of this is because of tight budgets and constant threats of defunding. But others are saying 'sounds a little hypocritical.' The president of the org said it's investigating the allegations.

What to say to the tall one in the group…

Lucky you. Because according to a new report, the rest of us are gaining weight. But not height.

What to say when you're upgrading your work wardrobe…

A black suit could solve all your problems.

THING TO KNOW

Burn rate

Not how many times you listened to Usher in middle school. It's the rate at which a company spends money. It usually refers to how fast a startup spends its venture capital coin.

PS: Small businesses have a lot to manage. Enter: Salesforce Essentials. It helps startups manage customer service tasks (like FAQs and password resets) so teams can focus on the bigger picture.

SKIMM PICKS

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For when you didn't put enough money in the meter...

Clock is ticking. We picked the best last-minute Amazon gifts so you don't have to buy something from the airport. Psst...tomorrow's the last day for two-day shipping by Christmas. Go go go.

SKIMM SHARE

It's almost time for kick-off. This week, we're pre-gaming by giving you prizes just for downloading theSkimm App and getting the sports calendar. That way you won't miss any of the important college football bowl games. Download our app for the chance to win a new MacBook Air to stream the big games. And congrats to yesterday's winner Tina Holten of New Hope, MN. Questions? Answers.

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm'bassador.Break out the bubbly.

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