From the Group Chat: Two New Species of Truffles, a Potential Alternative to IVF, and the National Zoo’s Giant Panda Cam

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Monday. Skimm HQ is off for Presidents’ Day, but we’re still here to keep you informed. So here are three things to know to start your week, plus some good news you might have missed — and you’ll probably want to text to your friends.

— theSkimm editors

• On Friday, federal prosecutors moved to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, arguing that the case “restricted” Adams’s ability to enforce the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The Justice Department's order to dismiss the charges prompted at least seven other federal prosecutors to resign in protest, citing ethical concerns about political interference in the judicial process. Adams has denied any wrongdoing, and President Donald Trump’s border czar has rejected accusations that the move was a quid pro quo.

• President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk have intensified efforts to slash government spending and reduce the size of the federal workforce. The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to lay off thousands of workers as soon as this week, which some say “could squeeze resources” ahead of the April 15 federal tax filing deadline. Last week, more than 9,500 federal employees were fired, affecting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Energy Department, the National Park Service, and other agencies.

• Tomorrow, senior US government officials — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio — are expected to meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia to start discussions about ending the war in Ukraine. It’s unclear whether the talks — which come days after President Trump spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin — will include Ukrainian officials.

Remember when you were proud of your dog for fetching a stick? Meet Monza and Luca, two Lagotto Romagnolos, who — with the help of their humans and researchers at Michigan State University and the University of Florida — discovered two new species of truffles in the American Southeast. The prized fungi were named the Tuber canirevelatum or “dog-found” truffle (an homage to Monza) and the Tuber cumberlandense, which is a nod to the spot where Luca found the delicacy. Monza and Luca, our future plates of pasta thank you.

• Women’s college basketball teams will finally get paid for participating in and winning March Madness games. Starting with the 2025 tournament, a total of $15 million will be awarded to the women’s teams, and that number will increase to $25 million by 2028. Though this is probably where we should mention that the pool for the men’s basketball teams is over $200 million…and they have been paid for years. 

• This month, Pittsburgh’s first women’s sports bar, aptly named Title 9, will open — so fans can root for their favorite teams, without having to nod politely as someone mansplains penalty kicks. It’s part of a growing trend, as women’s sports viewership continues to skyrocket. We’ll drink to that.

• If you’ve also made women’s rugby your entire personality since the 2024 Paris Games (relatable), here’s something to cheer about: Ahead of its kickoff in March, the US’s first professional women’s rugby league (aka Women’s Elite Rugby) released the names, colors, and crests for its six inaugural teams — and, well, they didn’t have to go so hard, but we’re so glad they did.

• The era of uncomfortable scooting and even more uncomfortable Pap smears may finally be over. In a move that’s, oh, only 84 years late, women can now use a simple swab at doctor’s offices and medical facilities to collect their own samples for cervical cancer screenings. And, before you ask: Yes, self-collection may be just as effective as traditional Pap tests at preventing cervical cancer in women 25 and older, according to more than two decades of research and countries like Australia, the Netherlands, and Sweden, where it’s common practice. Goodbye speculums — can’t say we’ll miss you.

• Speaking of things that shouldn’t be as torturous as they are: There could be a gentler (and cheaper) alternative to IVF. Enter in vitro maturation (IVM), which “involves collecting immature eggs from the ovaries and maturing them in the lab.” Instead of a week or two of hormonal injection hell, there’s just one or two days, as well as the potential for fewer side effects, fewer visits to a provider for bloodwork and monitoring, and prices that more women and families can actually afford. Of course, if maturing an egg in a dish sounds, shall we say, complicated, it is — which is why IVM has historically generated fewer mature eggs and embryos than IVF. But thanks to advances in technology, those stats are changing.

• Look at research confirming what we already knew — which is that the US economy would fall apart without women. (Kidding, but also not at all.) According to a new report from Bank of America, US women are outpacing men in income and spending growth. That’s all good and great, except for one small issue: Women are still (emphasis on still) making less money than men.

• What’s that about Silicon Valley being one big boys’ club? According to recent data, a record number of women are running startups worldwide. Between 2001–2005 and 2021–2023, startup rates for women increased from 6.1% to 10.4% across 30 countries.

Good night, bears. Good night, chairs. And good night to all other stamps everywhere. Last month, the US Postal Service announced that it’ll release a collection of stamps in 2025 based on the iconic picture book by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrator Clement Hurd. Maybe this’ll be the motivation we need to send out that year’s worth of thank-you cards…

The National Zoo’s Giant Panda Cam is back. We repeat, the National Zoo’s Giant Panda Cam is back.

Unleash your competitive side with today’s games and puzzles. Choose from an anagram word search, digital jigsaw puzzle, or crossword (with a twist). Better yet: Try them all.