Capital Punishment

Three Executions, One Random Thursday

What's going on: Three different people are set to be executed in the US today, all by lethal injection: Anthony Darrell Hines, 66, in Tennessee; Jeremy Williams, 41, in Alabama; and Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 71, in Oklahoma. If the plans go through, it will be the first time the US has executed three people in a single day since 2010. According to officials, this is simply a scheduling coincidence, but it follows another rare event last month, when Florida executed two people in one day. Executions in the US are rising, driven by a small number of states in the South and Southwest, while others are moving to limit capital punishment. Eleven states executed 47 people in 2025 — the highest since 2009. So far, 19 people have been executed in 2026. By the end of today, that number is expected to be 22. 

Divided opinions: The death penalty is currently legal at the federal level and in 27 states, although four of those have placed a moratorium on executions. President Donald Trump’s administration has made expanding it a focus, from having the Justice Department prioritize capital punishment for certain crimes to adopting firing squads. This is in sharp contrast to former President Joe Biden, who put a moratorium on federal capital punishment and commuted 37 death row sentences to life in prison. Death penalty critics argue it meets the definition of cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by the Eighth Amendment, point out that Black and Hispanic defendants are disproportionately sentenced to death, and say that the risk of executing an innocent person is too great. However, a recent Pew Research survey shows that public support for the death penalty has increased in recent years: 66% are now in favor of it for those convicted of murder, up from 60% in 2021. 

Related: More States Are Bringing Back Firing Squads (The Guardian) 

Sticker Shock

School Supplies’ Failing Grade

What’s going on: If having your kids home with you all summer cost you your sanity, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, sending them back to school is also going to cost you. The latest CPI (Consumer Price Index) numbers say inflation is up 3.4% compared to 2.7% this time last year. And back-to-school supplies and groceries for school lunches are seeing an 11% hike, according to progressive think tanks Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation. Items like lunchboxes, notebooks, scissors, and glue sticks are all seeing the biggest price hikes, likely due to the trifecta of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, energy, and gas prices. Even everyone’s favorite subject — lunch — is taking a hit, with rising costs for blueberries and sandwich bread (might be time to reengage my sourdough starter).

Look for the helpers: Never underestimate a parent looking to provide for their kids. Sixty-two percent of families start shopping for back-to-school in July so they can spread out the expenses over time. In Chicago, some have taken to dumpster-diving in an area school where brand new supplies were thrown away. Politicians have also tried to find ways to help, with Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) recently introducing legislation that would exempt school supplies from Trump’s tariffs. Organizations like Get Your Teach On and DonorsChoose help teachers fulfill their classroom wishlists. And several states offer sales tax holidays to give anyone headed back to class relief on back-to-school items.

Related: Americans’ Credit Card Balances Are Headed for An All-Time High (ABC News) 

SCOTUS

Conflict Irresolution

What’s going on: It’s a conflict of interest for a Supreme Court judge to rule on an industry that they profit from…right? That’s the question the court is currently facing after a new report on Justice Samuel Alito’s finances. The findings show that Alito gained somewhere between $400,000 and $2.9 million from fossil fuel investments between 2005 and 2024. That could be a problem on October 5, when SCOTUS is expected to hear a case on whether subnational governments (in this case, the city of Boulder, CO) can sue oil and gas companies (in this case, Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil) for contributing to climate change. 

Order in the court: Watchdog groups want Alito to recuse himself from the case and are calling for a Senate investigation. But he argues that he shouldn’t have to sit this one out, and the court’s backing him. According to current ethics rules, SCOTUS judges only have to recuse themselves from cases involving companies they’ve specifically invested in, a situation Alito has navigated before (weird flex, but OK). This case could affect the entire industry and its shareholders, including…Alito. Calls for court reform have grown louder in recent years, though they may be falling on deaf ears in Congress since lawmakers also make millions trading on the companies they regulate (looking at you, Nancy Pelosi). 

Related: SCOTUS Will Hear a Case Challenging LGBTQIA+ Protections (The Hill)

Quick Hits

👑 Ex-Prince Andrew was stripped of his title, but according to The Daily Mail, he’ll still get a royal funeral. He’s not dead…they’re just planning ahead.

⭐ Astronomers have discovered a new phenomenon called a "black hole star." We didn’t expect it to look so much like a Georgia O’Keeffe painting.

🎥 The trailer for the movie version of Colleen Hoover’s Verity — starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson — has arrived. We can’t get it out of our heads.

🐶 America’s most popular dog name is (drumroll, please) Bella. Every Jessica knows the feeling.

🌹 If you need a reason to get another tattoo, they can help protect you from AI deepfake videos. Getting new ink is just being cautious.

🏈 Nightmare fuel: A high school football player put on his helmet and there was a viper inside. Nope, nope, nope.  

🐣 Rihanna shared a rare photo of all three of her kids as they visited her childhood home. We would also like to live on Rihanna Drive.

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