“New Zealand Post accepts no responsibility for inappropriateness of gifts” - New Zealand’s postal service is organizing a Secret Santa by matching strangers on Twitter. What could possibly go wrong.

CRASH

THE STORY

Last night, a chartered plane carrying a Brazilian professional soccer team crashed in Colombia. 76 people were killed.

THE WHAT

The plane was traveling from Santa Cruz, Bolivia to Medellin, Colombia. It declared an emergency at around 10pm ET because of an electrical failure. Weather conditions were so bad that rescue operations had to be suspended because of low visibility at one point. Five passengers survived the crash.

THE WHO

The Brazilian team – called Chapecoense – was on its way to play in the finals of a regional tournament, and in the middle of a Cinderella season. The small-town squad had only been in Brazil’s top division for two years. And this year, they made it into the Copa Sudamerica finals (aka a BF soccer D) after defeating a few well known teams. A soccer club official said “Chapecoense was the biggest source of happiness” in the area.

theSKIMM

What was supposed to be a celebration for a Brazilian city just turned into a massive tragedy. Now, everyone’s waiting for answers as to how exactly this could have happened.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SADDENED BY...

Ohio State University. Yesterday, a man rammed a car into a group of people on campus. He then got out and attacked people with a butcher knife. At least 11 people were injured. The attacker - an OSU student of Somali descent - was then shot and killed by a university police officer. Authorities are still investigating the attacker’s motives and whether the incident was terror related. The victims are all still being treated. One is in critical condition.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT…

Syria. Yes, it’s getting worse. Yesterday, government forces there got one big step closer to retaking the key city of Aleppo. Syria’s been going through a civil war for more than five years. Moderate rebel fighters (backed by the US) who want Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out of power have been facing off against Syrian gov forces (backed by Russia and Iran). Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. Millions have fled for the EU. Aleppo, one of Syria’s largest cities, has been ground zero for the war, and hundreds of thousands of civilians are apparently still trapped in the city. Yesterday, Syrian gov forces took back about a third of the territory rebel groups held in Aleppo. It was the biggest blow to the rebels in years. Hundreds have been killed in recent weeks, and rebels are running low on supplies. So now it looks like Assad’s finally about to say ‘mine’ to Aleppo, for real. Or what’s left of it, anyway. Big deal, because if Assad’s forces recapture Aleppo, it may mean the end of the opposition movement in the country.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR FRIEND FINALLY JOINS SNAPCHAT...

Better late than never. Same for Michigan. Yesterday, the state announced that President-elect Donald Trump won its 16 electoral votes. Yes, Michigan has really been counting votes since Election Day. And now, it may have to do it all over again. Reminder: during the campaign, the US intelligence community raised its hand and accused Russia of trying to influence the election by doing things like hacking the DNC. But the US gov also says that there’s no evidence that results on Election Day were manipulated. Then, earlier this month, some data experts said ‘hold that thought.’ They took a closer look at results in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and decided there is a small possibility that voting machines may have been hacked. So earlier this week, former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein filed for a recount in WI and PA. Hillary Clinton’s team said ‘count us in’ on the effort. Now, Stein plans to file for a recount in MI next. It doesn’t help that Trump won that state by less than 1%, making it one of the closest presidential races in the state’s history. So MI’s getting ready to take out that voter list and check it twice.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO ALWAYS GETS A LOT OF BUG BITES ON VACAY…

Heads up. Yesterday, Texas said ‘howdy’ to the Zika virus. Health officials there said a person was infected with Zika, potentially from a local mosquito. Zika: the virus you get from a mosquito bite or having sex with an infected person. Symptoms are pretty minor, but Zika’s dangerous for pregnant women because it’s linked to severe birth defects. And there’s no cure for it yet. Most cases are in places like Latin America and the Caribbean. Earlier this year, Florida became the first state in the US with local cases of Zika. And now, Texas might be joining that list. State health officials aren’t too worried yet because this is the only local case so far, but they’re keeping a close eye on things. So don’t zzz on it just yet.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO SAYS SHE WANTS TO BE AN ASTRONAUT...

No, you don’t.

SKIMM'R OF THE WEEK

Skimm’r Asha Curran and the 92nd Street Y (New York, NY): You may know that today is Giving Tuesday. But you may not know that the 92nd Street Y was one of the OG organizations to make Giving Tuesday a thing. Asha works for the Y’s center for innovation and social impact, meaning she has better karma than you. Share how you’re giving back with #MyGivingStory today, and the 92nd Street Y might donate some cash money to your cause of choice.

SKIMM'NESS

Skimm A is always in meetings and misses important texts. So Skimm B got her this. It’s like your middle school mood ring got a high-tech upgrade. Plus, theSkimm just got you a discount on your purchase. Because, ’tis the season.

Psst…Skimm HQ is helping you curate your holiday shopping list all week. Check out our other picks here.

P.S. these are affiliate partners, which means if you buy something, theSkimm gets some cash money. Thanks.

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