“Too heavily dramatized” - A Palace source on Queen Elizabeth’s feelings about “The Crown.” She apparently liked it. But she has some notes. Sips tea.

THINGS THAT ARE ALL SHOOK UP

The Story

European leaders are wondering if they can still do trust falls with the US.

What are you talking about?

Over the weekend, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that, while the US-EU relationship is still very important, Europe can no longer ‘fully count on others.’ Since Germany is one of the US’s strongest allies, this raised some eyebrows.

What’s this about?

President Trump’s first foreign trip last week, where he ruffled some European feathers. He made NATO allies nervous by not explicitly saying whether the US would have their backs in military conflicts. Then later on, Trump didn’t say whether the US will continue to support the Paris climate deal. The one where pretty much every country in the world agreed to cut carbon emissions. He plans on making the final call this week.

theSkimm

US relations with the EU have been on solid ground since WWII. But for the first time in decades, leaders seem to be giving it a second look.

The Story

Jared Kushner - President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor - is in hot water.

Why’s that?

Last week, it came out that Kushner is a focus in the FBI’s investigation into whether Trump’s campaign team colluded with Russia to tilt the election in his favor. Then, over the weekend, everyone found out why. US officials say that last December, Kushner floated the idea of a secret communication channel between Trump’s team and the Russian government. Officials know this based on transcripts of intercepted Russian communications. The idea came up during a meeting Kushner had with the Russian ambassador to the US. Former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn - who is also being scrutinized by the FBI for his ties to Russia - was there too.

What’s next?

Robert Mueller - the former FBI director who’s now leading the agency’s Russia probe - is working fast to get to the bottom of all this. Meanwhile, former FBI director James Comey is expected to testify before the Senate in the coming days.

theSkimm

For weeks, the White House has been trying to dismiss the FBI’s investigation as a distraction. Now, a senior White House official is in the spotlight.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say to your friend who loves the classics…

RIP Gregg Allman. Over the weekend, the iconic rock musician died of complications from liver cancer. He was 69. Allman and his big bro Duane were the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band. You have them to thank for “Midnight Rider,” “Ramblin’ Man,” and “Jessica.” They became famous in the ’70s, inspiring everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Phish and eventually making it to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. Gregg also picked up a lifetime achievement Grammy along the way. He struggled with drug and alcohol problems, and back in 2010, he had a liver transplant. But he was still making music. His latest album is expected to come out later this year. Here’s another hall of famer we lost over the weekend: award-winning sports journalist Frank Deford. He died at age 78 on Sunday. It’s unclear how. You know his writing from Sports Illustrated and his voice from NPR. He was in the business for decades before signing off earlier this year. 

What to say when you call customer service and get put on hold for 30 minutes...

Not how I was planning to spend the day. Same for British Airways customers. Over the weekend, an IT glitch forced the airline to cancel all of its flights from two major London airports. Leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded with bad RBF. British Airways says the problem stemmed from a “power surge,” and even the backup system was on the fritz. A workers union blamed the tech failure on outsourcing certain IT jobs. British Airways said ‘not true.’ Almost all flights were back on by Monday. But the whole meltdown could cost the company tens of millions of dollars for things like reimbursing passengers. PR seatbelts on.

What people are talking about...

Portland, OR. On Friday, two men were stabbed to death on a Portland commuter train. It started when the suspect, a 35 year-old white man, began shouting at two teenage girls - saying they should “go back to Saudi Arabia” and “get out of his country.” One of the girls was wearing a hijab. Three other men tried to get the suspect to calm down. That’s when the suspect allegedly stabbed all of them. Two of them died soon after. The third man is in the hospital recovering. The suspect was later arrested and charged with murder. His Facebook page includes racist posts and shows sympathy for Nazis. The FBI is looking into whether to charge him with a hate crime. Meanwhile, a prominent advocacy group called on President Trump to speak out against the attacks, pointing to a rise in anti-Muslim incidents in the past year. Yesterday, Trump said the attacks are “unacceptable.”

What to say to your friend who’s ready for the Stanley Cup Final...

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is in the penalty box.

THING TO KNOW

Rosé pineapple: A new kind of (non-alcoholic) pineapple genetically engineered to be pink on the inside. Prepare to see it on your Insta feed. Stop looking at me, inflatable swan.

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