October Surprise

What in the Alaska Is Happening 

What’s going on: It seemed like a silly coincidence: Another Dan Sullivan challenged Sen. Dan S. Sullivan (R) in Alaska’s Senate race. News outlets had fun with it, with headlines like “Battle of the Dans” and “Alaska Voters, Seeing Double Dan Sullivan.” But now, the tone of the race has changed drastically. Earlier this week, The New York Times found that Democratic nominee Mary Peltola’s team helped recruit Dan J. Sullivan — a retired teacher living in a remote area of Alaska — to draw votes from Sen. Sullivan. Peltola denied her team’s involvement and suggested the investigation was a “distraction” from issues like Sen. Sullivan’s support of the war in Iran. But in the wake of the report, President Donald Trump called for Peltola to drop out and be criminally prosecuted, and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) ordered an investigation. (Sen. Sullivan, meanwhile, has already launched a new campaign ad.) The stakes couldn’t be higher: Alaska is one of the states most likely to flip blue in the Senate.

Is this even legal?: Trump described it as “voter fraud at the highest level,” and Attorney General Todd Blanche called it “cheating.” But analysts point out that there are no laws preventing it. Peltola’s alleged plan is a form of ballot-stacking, in which a party recruits additional candidates to run in an attempt to draw votes away from its main opponent. It might be considered “dirty" politics, but it’s also a time-honored tradition in US campaigns. Fun fact: In the 1946 election, two Joe Russos ran against John F. Kennedy for a House seat. Simply encouraging a third-party candidate to run is a more common form of ballot-stacking. It's what experts say is happening in Ohio, where both Republican and Democratic groups have spent big to promote third-party candidates in the Senate race. As for what’s next, don’t expect this story to fade from the headlines. The Justice Department just issued a flurry of new grand jury subpoenas as part of its ongoing probe of the Alaska Senate race, according to officials who spoke to multiple news outlets.

Related: The Justice Department Also Subpoenaed Local Election Officials in California (The New York Times gift link)

Period Piece

The Key to a Woman’s Heart

What's going on: Four major medical groups, including the American Heart Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, released the first shared playbook for women’s heart health — and prevention and awareness start at your first period. The guide splits a woman’s life into different hormonal stages and connects the dots: periods, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause shape a woman’s heart in ways men never experience. And the shift is seismic. Like how irregular periods can point to PMOS, which comes with four times the heart disease risk. Pregnancy is treated as a biological stress test, so complications like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm birth can all raise lifetime heart risks. And women are more likely to have anxiety, eating disorders, and depression, all of which can wear on the heart.

Why it matters: All that blood, and somehow we missed the heart connection. Heart disease kills more than 400,000 US women a year, more than breast cancer, lung cancer, and chronic lung disease combined. Yet only 41% of women see it as their biggest health threat. The upside: Most heart attacks and strokes after menopause are more than 80% preventable if risks are caught early. So talk to your OB-GYN about your history, including wonky cycles, heavy bleeding, a rough pregnancy, and the postpartum anxiety you brushed off. You can also ask your doctor for your PREVENT score, a calculator that estimates your heart risk 30 years out. I mean, we could have told doctors our hearts were complicated. 

Related: Hormone Therapy for Hot Flashes May Protect Heart Health (Everyday Health)

PS: Health isn’t one-size-fits-all, and a study from the ’70s on three male rats shouldn’t have the last word on your body. Find out what matters for you every Wednesday in the Skimm Well + Good newsletter. Subscribe here.

Book Smart

Put the Humans Back in Humanities

What’s going on: Don’t tell the tech bros, but a Harvard humanities class (think: James Joyce and Homer) has become the unlikely favorite among undergraduates. Humanities 10, or HUM 10 as it’s known on campus, was so highly recommended by Harvard alums that 180 freshmen applied (by writing an essay, obviously) and only half got in. The lucky ones are expected to read a book each week, write regular essays, and participate in deep discussions about literature and themes. As one HUM 10 student told The Wall Street Journal, “The only way to get anything out of this class is to not use AI.” Yes, you must physically be there because attendance is taken, and no devices are allowed. Ahh, the humanity. Really. 

So students don’t need a full tech schedule?: Nope. Many once viewed tech-related majors as a golden ticket to job security, but HUM 10 shows that other paths are still popular. That's even true for people pursuing tech careers. Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei (a literature major herself) said “uniquely human” qualities are crucial in tech careers. In a viral social media clip, author Brené Brown recalls conversations with tech CEOs who credit their humanities education for their careers. Other schools besides Harvard are getting the memo, too. The University of Colorado at Boulder uses the classics to expand AI understanding. Duke and Brown are making liberal arts departments a priority again after some strategic cost-cutting measures. It’s dreamy to think about the Dead Poets Society renaissance of it all (with women this time). But practically, humanities classes promote critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills that can be beneficial in any career. Your move, Coding 101.

Related: These Are the Jobs That Recently Gave Out the Biggest Pay Bumps (CBS News) 

TOGETHER WITH CLIMATE POWER

Fuel for Thought

And it’s not just gas: 57% say the same about their home and utility bills, according to an October poll. 

If your budget’s been taking hits at the pump, at the grocery store, and every time you flip a switch, you’re in good company. Electric bills are up as much as 18% in the past two years, 1 in 5 Americans are cutting back on groceries to pay power bills, and home heating could cost about $540 more this winter. 

Here’s where you come in: Election Day is coming Tuesday, Nov. 3. Learn what’s driving energy costs up, then make your voice heard at the polls.

Quick Hits

🎶 Apple released a digital version of the original iPod to celebrate 25 years since its release, complete with a nostalgic playlist. Now bring back those dancing commercials.

🪐 Pluto might have a new dwarf planet friend: 2026 ED138, which is hanging out about 4.3 billion miles from the sun. Can we work on the name?

🏃 Run, Marty, run. Ninety-year-old Marty Granoff is preparing to run the New York City marathon for the first time in 43 years. We need his sneaker recs.

🎃 Please don’t eat your carved pumpkin after Halloween. Instead, compost it or toss it out for wildlife on Nov 1. 

🎤 Karen Read is going from true crime headline to true crime host. The Massachusetts woman acquitted of murdering her boyfriend is teaming up with her defense attorney for a weekly podcast. 

🍿 The Dune popcorn bucket that broke the internet is back for the third film, and AMC somehow made a version for couples. We refuse to believe anyone in that design meeting didn't know what they were doing. 

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