Pull Up a Chair

Standing Up for Sitting Down

What's going on: If you’ve ever worked in retail or customer service, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean” (shoutout to the Nautica in Daily Skimm writer Erika’s hometown outlet mall). Apparently, the only way to be a good worker is to stand like the Tin Man at all times. The TSA seems to agree: It announced on Wednesday that it’s removing chairs at ID checkpoints in airports around the US. "This welcome change reinforces both our security posture and our commitment to hospitality by having these officers on their feet and alert," a spokesperson told ABC News. The union representing TSA employees pushed back, saying the agency is treating sitting like a “privilege” when it’s actually “basic safety and common decency for the workforce.” (Prolonged standing can lead to adverse health conditions, including lower back, foot, and knee pain.) This news comes amid other changes in the TSA, including expanding TSA PreCheck and privatizing some checkpoints.

Why are we so obsessed with standing?: America is one of just a few countries where employers can require workers to stand throughout their shifts (Canada is another). And in the US, the battle over the right to sit goes back to factories in the 1880s. Some states and cities have their own “right to sit” laws, but most of the US doesn’t. The ADA allows disabled workers to request seats as a “reasonable accommodation,” and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act does the same, but these rules aren’t always honored. Experts say that culturally, we’re stuck in an endless feedback loop associating standing with good customer service, but elsewhere, they’re not so linked. Perhaps we can take a page from European retailers. As chains like Aldi have spread to the US, customers have noticed that cashiers can sit down, and somehow, the work not only gets done, but even improves.

Related: A Japanese Chain Hired Lady Gaga To Solve Its Labor Shortage (SmartCompany) 

Doctor Roboto

Make America Rely on AI?

What’s going on: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to Make America Healthy Again… with AI. At a MAHA conference on Tuesday sponsored by Anthropic and OpenAI, among others, Kennedy said the technology has the power to “free us from medical tyranny” and can offer medical advice that is “much better informed than any doctor in the country.” Kennedy also shared details of a conversation he had with OpenAI’s Chief Executive Sam Altman, who told him it would be “malpractice” for a doctor to write a prescription or make a diagnosis without consulting AI. The conversation about AI in the health space was so prevalent at the conference that Vice President JD Vance quipped, “I guess I’m in the wrong summit. I thought this was about weight loss and acid.” 

A who’s who in health?: The summit magnified just how fractured the MAHA movement has become since it rallied behind Kennedy and helped elect Trump in 2024. Some prominent MAHA activists criticized the event because of its sponsorships (including Noom, Walmart, and Hims & Hers) and focus on business. Robert Malone, MD, who Kennedy briefly appointed to the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel before a judge ruled he was unqualified, called it “a grift.” “MAHA Mom” podcaster Alex Clark, asked, “Why were none of the founding women of the movement involved?” Meanwhile, actor Russell Brand, who will go on trial this month in London for rape and sexual assault charges, moderated a panel. With just five weeks until the midterm elections, more Democrats could be looking to lure disillusioned MAHA voters to their side.  

Related: Majority of Rural MAHA Supporters Say the Health of Their Communities Hasn’t Changed (The Associated Press)

A New Iconic Fall Duo

Is It the End of an Era for Pumpkin Spice?

What’s going on: The New York Times once described the pumpkin spice trend as the “touchstone of the American palate.” Since Starbucks added it into their 2003 rotation, pumpkin spice has not only become a predictable autumn flavor, it's inspired entire industries beyond the coffee chain. It’s found in countless foods (at least 65, by one writer’s count), not to mention the candles and beauty products trying (and often failing) to capture the scent. But its powerful allure may be fading. For the first time in a decade, McDonald’s bumped the flavor to make room for, wait for it, caramel apple pie. Other chains like Dairy Queen and even sodas like Olipop and Poppi are tapping into all things apple, offering caramel, honeycrisp, and good old-fashioned apple pie options. Other classic flavors like pecan and maple are having breakout moments of their own this fall, too. 

A post-PSL world: Pumpkin spice’s downturn may be caused by what made it so enthralling in the first place: People want to try new, exciting flavors, and getting them in everyone’s hands is easier (and more globalized) than ever. We still crave cozy notes, but there’s interest in fresh alternatives like miso-caramel, brown-butter honey, smoked butterscotch, and hojicha, a Japanese green tea. Still, there likely won’t be another marketing unicorn like pumpkin spice, which brands still sprinkle into their offerings. Last year, foods with the flavor generated $1.25 billion in revenue (which we contributed to with plenty of Trader Joe’s hauls). Love it or hate it, pumpkin spice season is its own holiday celebration — and it’s probably here to stay, even if it’s a little further down the menu or grocery shelf. 

Related: Banana Popsicles Were Never It, but Apparently Banana Coffee Is (Axios)

Quick Hits

⛲ Geology staff at Yellowstone fished out and photographed the junk that people dropped or tossed into geysers and other hydrothermal attractions this year, including more than 280 hats, 42 pencils, and six Invisalign retainers. Hold onto your stuff, folks.

🍿 Regal Cinemas is selling a popcorn bucket shaped like a stack of books in honor of Sense and Sensibility coming to theaters. We require so much.

🪥 Remember that AI-powered $499 electric toothbrush we told you about? Many owners said theirs stopped working, and Allure reports it’s no longer available online. That was quick.

🧘🏽‍♀️ If you’ve ever wanted to examine your mobility (or be humbled), enter: the Y-balance test. No equipment required.

🍽️ Yelp dropped its 2026 Best New Restaurants list, and the winner is a jungle-themed spot in Tempe, Arizona. The wildcat decor is reason enough to visit.

😬 Experts say there are seven things you should never put in your washing machine. Your velvet party dress deserves better. 

🎃 There is now a candy corn pizza, and you can decide whether that counts as a trick or a treat. 

Moms Who Get It Awards

In your baby’s first year, they’ll go from an adorable lump to a sentient little being with likes, dislikes, and a large variety of killer facial expressions. Along the way, they’ll need a lot of stuff. Lest decision fatigue become one more stressor, we rounded up Skimm-mom-approved products that really work: 

• Chlorine-free diapers with a 100% cotton liner. 

• The incredible Babylist Bottle Box. It’s got a range of bottles so your little one can sample them all. 

• A soft, simple night-light for 2 a.m. (and 3 a.m.) feedings. 

• The Nozone UPF 50 baby blanket, which is ideal for stroller walks or picnic-adjacent naptimes. 

• A stainless steel humidifier that isn’t a total pain to clean.

• And more of everything else you’ll need in the first year, from pouches and puffs to cribs and bouncers.