Who Is Caring for These 100,000 Children?

US News

Who Is Caring for These 100,000 Children?

What's going on: During President Donald Trump’s first term, protests erupted across the country over family separations tied to his administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy. Eight years later, a new report from the Brookings Institution says the issue has returned on a greater scale. Researchers estimate that more than 100,000 children — about 75% of whom are US citizens — have been separated from their parents amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Experts say this is likely an undercount and could keep climbing since Congress approved an additional $45 billion to expand ICE’s detention capacity. For comparison, roughly 5,500 children were taken from their parents under the 2018 policy, according to Brookings. 

Tell me more: The Department of Homeland Security didn’t comment on the numbers, but says that parents can either leave the country with their US-born children or place them with guardians. But advocates argue it’s not a humane choice. In many cases, kids end up with family members or friends already facing financial hardship or uncertain immigration statuses of their own. Separations like these can have long-lasting psychological and physical health impacts — not only on the kids, but on parents and entire communities, per The Society for Research in Child Development. Losing access to a parent can be traumatic. It often means losing a sense of safety, and it can have long-term effects on a child’s ability to manage stress. And even for undocumented immigrant parents who ICE hasn’t arrested, the fear of separation is constant, especially for newly postpartum mothers.

Related: We Wouldn’t Want To Be the Ones To Tell Trump About His Approval Ratings (The Guardian)

The News in 6

🗞️ In an attack police are investigating as a hate crime, two teenagers opened fire at a mosque in San Diego on Monday, killing three men. The suspected shooters died of apparent self-inflicted wounds.

🗞️ President Donald Trump dropped a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS after the DOJ negotiated a controversial settlement, and it involves taxpayer money.

🗞️ Yesterday, officials said a brush fire in Southern California’s Simi Valley was spreading dangerously fast. More than 29,000 residents received evacuation orders.

🗞️ Everlane is reportedly selling to an unexpected fast-fashion retailer. Is this the beginning of the end? 

🗞️  A jury has weighed in on the Musk v. Altman trial. It’s safe to say this isn’t the outcome Elon wanted, especially since it came down to one thing. 

🗞️  Trump’s latest AI-generated social media post is something out of this world. 

Megamerger

Energy Companies Are Playing Monopoly

What’s going on: AI companies want more data centers. Data centers want more electricity. And now two of America’s biggest utility companies want to merge to supply it. On Monday, Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy announced plans for a $67 billion merger that would create the nation’s largest electric utility provider. With a $249 billion market cap, it would also become the energy sector’s third-largest company after Exxon Mobil and Chevron. If regulators approve the deal, the new company would serve roughly 10 million customers across Florida, the Carolinas, and Virginia. A true power player.

What does it mean for my bill?: The companies’ PR teams are working overtime to pitch it as a way to keep electricity reliable and costs under control as AI use explodes. Shocker. They say it’s better to expand the existing power grid than force tech companies to build backup energy systems and “shadow networks.” But critics say ordinary customers could still subsidize the AI boom, which is expected to use triple the electricity by 2030. As The Washington Post reports, consumer advocates argue that residential ratepayers are helping foot the bill for massive infrastructure projects that primarily benefit tech companies. It’s a charged issue. The vast majority of Americans don’t want to live near AI data centers (let alone pay for them), but NextEra is planning to build 30 more to meet demand.

Related: What if You Were Paid To Live Near a Data Center? (Business Insider)

Pomp and circumstance

College Grads Say Boo

What's going on: Forget wearing a tassel in your hair à la Serena van der Woodsen. This year’s hottest graduation trend is booing commencement speakers — specifically, those who praise AI. Instead of going viral for thoughtful, inspirational lines destined for gift books or Taylor Swift lyrics, some speeches are now going viral because they’re being drowned out by loud, sustained boos from the crowd. That is exactly what happened to real estate exec Gloria Caulfield and Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta earlier this month, as well as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt this past Friday. As TechCrunch puts it, if you’re giving a commencement speech in 2026, maybe don’t mention AI.

Get loud: Gen Z isn’t the first to boo commencement speakers. It’s a time-honored tradition dating back to at least the 1960s. Students have heckled speakers over war, politics, economics, and human rights. It’s not just AI this year, either: Earlier this month, New York University students jeered “anti-woke” author Jonathan Haidt. However, it’s the boos over AI speeches that are sparking schadenfreude. Many young people partly blame the technology for the increasingly bleak job market. It’s an example of Gen Z’s “AI paradox” in action — Gallup data shows that just over 50% of Gen Z use AI tools at least weekly, but 42% feel anxious about the technology and 31% feel angry, a sharp rise from the previous year. 2027 commencement speakers, take note.   

Related: A Master’s Degree Might Not Give You a Career Boost (The Wall Street Journal Gift Link)

Quick Hits

🐔 We thought this millennial childhood “party” trend got left behind in the ‘90s where it belongs, but apparently, it’s back.

👀 Pope Leo is a couple of months late to this internet trend, but at least he tried.

🧀 Move over, cottage cheese: This French cheese is all the rage among protein-maxxers. Trader Joe’s, are you listening?

🍼 After a shocking break-up, these celebrity exes’ co-parenting battle has gone public.

👑 Meghan Markle had a very special red-haired helper in her closet. Disney’s got nothing on these two. 

On Our Calendar

Things to jot down today…

🗓️ The NBA Eastern Conference Finals tip off at 8pm ET on ESPN — and here’s how things might stack up.

🗓️ On National Devil’s Food Cake Day, upgrade your box mix with this suggestive alternative.

🗓️ Score by Kennedy Ryan — the next in her Hollywood Renaissance trilogy and “one of the most anticipated books of the year”  — hits bookshelves.

Psst…For more dates worth knowing this week, check out the Skimm+ calendar.

Together with Medik8

Skin Reboot

If your skin’s been in a rut lately…same. Enter: the next-gen serum designed to bring it back to life. New Exo-PDRN Prismatic+ taps into tech usually reserved for medi-spas (minus the appointment and the $$$) to help support your skin’s natural rejuvenation — boosting it by over 50%.^‡

Translation: Restore your skin’s visible vitality, refine tone and texture, boost luminosity, and visibly reduce wrinkles. The formula pairs vegan PDRN with a Triple Exosome Complex to improve the overall quality of your skin. 

Consider this your shortcut to well-rested-looking skin (even if you’re not).

Together with Johnson & Johnson

Playing the Part

It might seem easier to say “I’m fine” than admit when you’re really struggling with depressive symptoms. You're not alone, and support can look different for everyone. Here’s why we’re ready to drop the act.

Skimm'd by: Rashaan Ayesh, Marisa Iallonardo, Molly Longman, Aryanna Prasad Bhullar, Erika W. Smith, and Marina Carver. Fact-checked by Sara Tardiff.