Politics

Mailing It In 

What’s going on: Nearly one in three Americans voted by mail in 2024 — the practice is largely used by voters who are white, over 65, or in the US military (so basically, President Donald Trump’s base). Still, that hasn’t deterred his crusade to restrict mail-in voting, and the Supreme Court just sided with him in the fight. On Monday, a divided court issued an emergency opinion that paves the way for the Trump administration to rewrite the mail-in ballot process. Under the president's executive order (first signed in March), voting by mail would be limited to US citizens verified by the federal government. The USPS would then be allowed to deliver ballots only to names on the list. The government says this will eliminate noncitizen voting, though numerous reports have found this practice to be extremely rare.

Not so fast: Despite the court’s move, the mail-in voting process hasn’t changed. That’s because there’s another injunction against the executive order that’s making its way through the courts. Still, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — one of three who dissented in the emergency opinion — said this approval “needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections.” There are also questions surrounding how the USPS would handle such a change under its current workload and financial constraints. That isn't stopping Trump from doing what he can to control the process. In the past month, he’s named four Republicans who doubt election security and the 2020 election results to the USPS Board of Governors. 

Related: See the States That Vote by Mail the Most (The New York Times gift link)

Paging Coach Taylor

Could This Study Finally Change Football?

What's going on: It’s almost football season, and what’s that spell? CTE. Yes, experts are raising awareness about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease that was first linked to America’s favorite sport 20 years ago. Alarming new research that examined hundreds of deceased NFL players showed that at least one in four had CTE. The study looked at 878 players who died between 2016 and 2021, finding that 215, or 24.4%, had CTE. This is likely an undercount, since the study didn’t include over 600 players who died during the same period and weren’t tested. CTE is preventable and caused by repeated head trauma, and it can only be diagnosed posthumously. Previous research has shown running backs and linebackers are more likely to experience brain symptoms than, say, kickers and quarterbacks. Symptoms range from memory loss to mood swings to a higher propensity for addiction and impulsive behavior. It’s so life-altering that some players have retired early to try and avoid it. 

Senseless sacking: In any other American workplace, this occupational safety hazard would be deemed unacceptable. But…Americans love their football. Critics say the NFL downplayed the risk for years, so meaningful change has been out of field goal range. Researchers on the study hope the new staggering stats will spur action, particularly if the government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration gets involved. It’s been shockingly hands-off. Why? Former workers for the org told The New York Times that Big Football is too powerful and popular for regulation. Although the NFL has made some changes in recent years, like reduced-speed kick-offs and allowing padded helmets, experts say it’s not enough. As for what this means for parents — especially those with kids who want to be linebackers when they grow up — consider pointing your child towards flag instead of tackle football. Experts also encourage limiting contact during practice. Good places to start, but it’s also worth noting that track and oboe lessons don’t involve any tackling at all. 

Related: The Original Story of the Pathologist Who First Bravely Published CTE Findings (GQ) 

Now Hiring...Olive Oil Enthusiast?

Manic Pixie Dream Resume 

What's going on: Your resume likely includes your career history, technical skills, and education. But if you’re looking for a job, maybe you should try listing your niche hobbies, like collecting matchboxes or making sourdough bagels. The Wall Street Journal reports that over the past year, recruiters who place applicants in law and finance have seen an increase in resumes listing quirky interests. One said that more than half of the people she placed in the last year included such details in an effort to stand out. “AI is pushing out resumes that all look the same,” a corporate recruiter told WSJ. “Let’s bring the human back.” A Monster blog post from earlier this year even encouraged job seekers across industries to add hobbies such as cake decorating, leading a book club, and DIY crafts to their resumes.

Time to revamp the skills section: This trend shows that applicants are trying just about anything to get a job in today’s low-hire, low-fire labor market. And it's actually a bit of a throwback. Resumes used to be more personalized before the 2010s, when recruiters advised candidates to remove non-relevant skills in an effort to reduce hiring bias (RIP to all those finance bros’ golf stats). If you want to get in on the trend, experts shared tips with the WSJ: Include the section at the end, don't take up more than one line, and be specific. But whether this trick works also heavily depends on the recruiter. Some will immediately pass over a resume that’s too weird, as happened when one person listed “olive oil” in their “interests” section (we’re intrigued). At least adding your strange hobbies to your resume is relatively low effort and free, unlike buying a career spell from an Etsy witch. 

Related: Companies Might Finally Face Fines for Posting “Ghost Jobs” (Inc.)

Quick Hits

👟 If you have strong opinions about “shoes off” vs. “shoes on” households, you should read this microbiologist’s take. We need to see her debate Carrie Bradshaw. 

🥔 Chefs say you should never store these eight foods in your pantry. Just ignore us while we quietly move a few things to the fridge…

👑 Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary says she doesn’t believe Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be “welcomed back with open arms.” OK, but what about a coat of arms? 

♥️ How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is getting a sequel, 23 years later. Kate Hudson is returning, but can she top that yellow dress?

✂️ Connor Storrie cut his hair, and the Heated Rivalry fans are going to need some time. Meet us at the cottage for a reset. 

👭 We want friends who go to bat for us the way Glenn Close defended co-star Kim Kardashian. All caps included. 

Back-to-School Refresh

Ali, Senior Commerce Director, here. While I am a full-grown adult and haven’t stepped into a school in many, many years, I still partake in back-to-school shopping as a way to transition myself from summer into fall. Here are the few things I’m buying to enter the new season:

• The vitamin I take to cover my bases (it’s 40% off when you sign up for a subscription)

• A new pair of sheets that I recommend for any hot sleeper (25% off with code LD25)

• The spray I use daily to keep my skin from breaking out

• The new "it" backpack of the school year

Skimm'd by: Kylie McConville, Molly Longman, Aryanna Prasad Bhullar, Erika W. Smith, Maria Corpus, Samantha Darby, Jessica Prois, and Marina Carver. Fact-checked by Sara Tardiff.