Immigration

ICE Said, “We Don’t Think Airports Are Stressful Enough” 

What’s going on: Here's a summer brand collab no one asked for: ICE x TSA. The New York Times reports that the TSA seems to be notifying ICE about airport travelers who have technically overstayed their visas. ICE used to primarily target people with preexisting deportation orders. But now, the NYT reports that agents wearing plainclothes are arresting people at check-in counters and arrival gates. At least 15 airports are involved, with the NYT claiming that agents have grabbed everyone from spouses of US citizens to specialized tech workers and a former au pair. 

“The worst of the worst”?: Before, people were much more likely to get a de facto grace period as they awaited visa extensions or permanent residency approvals (aka, doing it “the right way”). But today’s immigration policy lacks such nuance. President Donald Trump promised to deport the “worst of the worst,” and yet, according to data-gathering nonprofit TRAC, 70% of immigrants currently detained have no criminal convictions. And many of the ones that do are for minor violations, like parking tickets. (The DHS and the administration dispute these figures.) If you’re thinking, “well, at least I’m a US citizen,” meet Samuel Tunick. He alleges that when authorities detained him at an Atlanta airport last year, they didn’t read him his rights and denied his requests for a lawyer. When they seized his phone to search it, Tunick gave them a "duress passcode" that wiped his data instead. Now he's pleading not guilty to an obstruction charge.

Related: Some Major Trump Donors Are Now Reaping Billions in ICE Contracts (The Miami Herald)

Reproductive Health

Anti-Abortion Advocates Test the Waters 

What’s going on: Anti-abortion activists are escalating a longtime effort to block access to the abortion medication mifepristone by using environmental protection laws. Students for Life of America just published the results of a controversial study claiming at-home abortions using mifepristone pose a threat to the environment by contaminating wastewater. Yes, it’s an unexpected strategy from conservative activists, who aren’t generally known for environmentalism. But the politicians who have supported limiting access to mifepristone claim that medical waste, “including blood, placental tissue, and human remains,” gets flushed down our toilets, along with traces of the elements in abortion pills.

What it means: This is one study in a journal led by anti-abortion physicians. The group's research acknowledges there’s no proof that mifepristone has any impact on human health, animal health, or the environment. Mary Ziegler, an abortion law expert and historian, tells theSkimm the study’s purpose is not to get the attention of the medical community or scientists. “The audience here is really Congress and the Trump administration,” she says. “It's meant to ratchet up the pressure on the Trump EPA to actually do something.” Mifepristone remains widely popular, and is still frequently used in states with abortion bans in the post-Roe world. Ziegler says the other goal of a study like this is a MAHA-coded appeal to the masses from the anti-abortion movement. “The idea is that eventually you might be able to chip away at public support,” Ziegler says. 

Related: Data Centers Want to Use PFAS to Cool Reactors, and Activists Aren’t Happy (The Guardian)

Cutting Coupons 

A New Kind of Debt Trap

What's going on: You’re not the only one who feels like you’re spending a whole paycheck every time you go to Aldi or Walmart, let alone Whole Foods. Grocery costs have risen 33% since 2019 (the largest jump in half a century, according to the Associated Press), and many Americans have been going into debt just to eat. A survey from the Urban Institute released earlier this month shows that more than a quarter of American adults used credit cards to purchase groceries in 2025 and then couldn’t pay the whole bill, while others dipped into savings, used “buy now, pay later” programs, or signed up for payday loans. Even those who aren’t going into debt are changing how they grocery shop to cut down on costs, such as buying less meat — ground beef costs have risen 79% since 2019 — or swapping their Cheerios for Great Value Toasted O’s.

What happens now?: Well, it’s probably going to keep getting worse. The Iran war sent food prices climbing even higher, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut millions of Americans’ SNAP benefits. Experts say unpaid grocery bills can trap people in a cycle of debt, lowering their credit and making it more difficult to achieve financial stability in the long term. All this debt also has an effect on the American economy at large. Recently, global bank Société Générale warned clients that US household debt is rising and household savings are declining, making the country more vulnerable to swings in the market. Or as one SocGen strategist memorably put it to Business Insider, "The US consumer currently resembles the Wile E. Coyote character, running off the cliff and suspended in thin air briefly, before collapsing." Colorful, thanks.

Related: Klarna Wants to Become a Bank Now (Yahoo Finance)

Quick Hits

🩺 According to one survey, 80% of adults don’t understand this health marker that experts say is a key to living longer. 

🧊 Zendaya revealed one wellness trend she won’t try, and we’re with her on this one. 

🛍️ Another day, another grocery store tempting us with an adorable, viral mini tote bag. We just need to remember to actually bring it with us.

🥵 It’s not just you — this summer has been muggier than usual, and apparently a summer cookout staple is partially to blame.

👑 Prince William and Kate Middleton gave us a sneak peek into their summer highlight reel, and suddenly the photo dump of our beach trip isn’t looking so hot. 

🐳 Around 30 beluga whales are getting Valium before a rescue flight. Honestly, we feel the same about flying.

Skimm'd by: Marisa Iallonardo, Molly Longman, Samantha Darby, Aryanna Prasad Bhullar, Erika W. Smith, Kate Preziosi, Jessica Prois, and Marina Carver. Fact-checked by Jordan Mamone.