Daily Skimm

Quote of the Day

"This is what it looks like when no one tells me no"

— Kacey Musgraves shared the inspiration behind her, ahem, ballsy concert decor. They’re not to everyone's taste, but they’re scrotally hers.

“The Women Our Parents Warned Us Against”

Gloria Steinem’s Unfinished Revolution

What’s going on: The pioneering feminist Gloria Steinem — a journalist, activist, author, and Ms. magazine cofounder — passed away this week at 92. The personification of second-wave feminism, Steinem's accolades are numerous. She tackled cultural and institutional inequalities, from equal pay to reproductive rights. She helped create rape crisis centers and shelters for those experiencing domestic violence. “When we started, there was not even a term for sexual harassment — it was just called life,” Steinem said. She raised awareness at a time when women weren’t legally allowed to own credit cards or apply for mortgages without their husbands’ permission. She advocated for intersectionality, serving as treasurer of the legal defense fund for revolutionary Black feminist Angela Davis. She also wasn’t afraid to reevaluate her views with the times. She was a staunch advocate for abortion, even dedicating her 2015 memoir My Life on the Road to the doctor who helped her obtain one before Roe v. Wade. And she wore the hell out of those aviators.

Good girls really do revolt: Steinem lived through the Civil Rights Movement and the real-life Mad Men era. Yet, despite all her progress, she found herself fighting some of the same battles in recent years that she did in the '60s. She managed to keep her wit, spunk, and perseverance, providing a blueprint for other women upset with the status quo. In 2022, when it became apparent Roe would be overturned, she told NPR that making change is like growing a tree. “Too often, we think the tree grows from the top, from Congress. Trees grow from the bottom,” she said. That meant grassroots organizing, donations, and women's votes, work that Steinem helped make possible and work that's sure to continue after her death. As she’d surely remind us at a time like this: “Hope is a form of planning.”

The News in 6

🗞️ The AI bots have had enough: ChatGPT, Grok, and Claude all experienced simultaneous outages Thursday morning. As one of our editors put it, “I’ve seen this sci-fi movie before.”

🗞️ The Big Beautiful Bill cut SNAP assistance for more than 1 million kids — and now, it could affect free or reduced-price lunch at schools.

🗞️ But really, what is going on with the bond market? Here’s why you’ll want to pay attention.

🗞️ The Los Angeles Clippers were fined $30 million — the largest in NBA history — and lost all first-round draft picks for five years for violating salary cap rules. You know what they say about payback…

🗞️ The latest DC vanity project we didn’t ask for (but will probably end up funding)? A “garden of heroes,” complete with gazebos gifted from Uzbekistan and 250 statues of notable Americans. We’re guessing at least one will be painted gold.

🗞️ Some Ulta Beauty stores are using Flock cameras to try to deter theft. Unhappy shoppers are signing a petition asking them to sever ties, citing the ways the cameras have been used to stalk women.

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In Our Rotation

If your car insurance bill makes you sigh, this free tool checks if you’re overpaying — and could save you $600+ a year. You’re welcome.*

Levi's is taking 30-40% off sitewide, plus an extra 40% off sale items. (PS: Stay tuned for more Labor Day sales this afternoon.)

Keep scrolling... more recs below

Rewriting The Rule Books

More Schools Are on Notice

What’s going on: In 2023, a Supreme Court ruling ended race-based affirmative action in university admissions. Yesterday, the Trump administration took this a step (or 10 steps) further. In a new set of proposed rules, the IRS and Treasury Department threatened to strip schools of their tax-exempt status if they considered race in admissions, athletics, and scholarships. The move spells a potential funding problem for schools, since it could discourage donors from writing a check — a move that usually doubles as a tax write-off. The proposal is slated to go into effect after May 31, but it has to go through a comment period first. If implemented, it could affect 18,000 private schools — including primary schools, colleges, and trade schools — and about 750,000 students who have scholarships linked to their ethnic background.

You said it’s a proposal: Yes, but it’s the administration’s latest blow to DEI efforts that took decades to build, and higher education has been hit especially hard. Initiatives aimed at Black and minority students were a way to address the country's history of racism and discrimination, and elite institutions have often provided a path to overcome socioeconomic barriers. While schools could still aid low-income students, the Trump administration has been hypervigilant about such policies helping students of color, even cracking down on specific schools. The 2023 SCOTUS ruling has already had a “cascade effect”: Black student enrollment at both Princeton and Amherst has been halved, and at Harvard, it has been cut significantly by about 35%.

Related: Some Universities Are Sending Acceptance Letters. The Problem: Students Didn’t Apply (The Wall Street Journal gift link)

Note: This Is Not an Ad

The $500 AI Toothbrush

What's going on: It’s a toothbrush, Michael. What could it cost? If it’s the new Dyson CameraJet toothbrush, the answer is $499 – not counting the $11.50 non-foaming toothpaste or the $25 replacement brush heads. It’s, of course, electric. It also features a water jet with a carefully designed spray pattern to floss for you, a camera so you can livestream the process of getting that little piece of kale out from between your incisors, plus WiFi, Bluetooth, and AI. (What, no solar panels?) The engineers at Dyson have been working on this for more than six years. Two Allure editors who were among the first to test the toothbrush called it “a joy to use” but noted that they can’t say it’s more effective than using a cheaper electric toothbrush and flossing.

If you build it…: With everyday expenses like groceries skyrocketing, will people really drop half a grand on a fancy toothbrush? Dyson has already convinced many to buy its $1,000 vacuums and $650 hair dryers, so don’t count it out just yet. They’re going all-in on the advertising; Skimm writer Erika noticed the ads near her bus stop and thought they might be for a new makeup brand. Dyson’s business model allows for experiments and market failures, like past attempts at an electric car and a washing machine. Its founder has a knighthood and a net worth of $15 billion. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Sir James Dyson said, “I had no idea of the market size, and I’ve got no idea how many we’ll sell. We don’t really structure things on a business plan.”

Related: The Internet Is Full of Veneer “Horror Stories” (Marie Claire)

Quick Hits

😋 It’ll be easy to pretend you made these seven Costco finds from scratch. We promise we won’t tell.

🧠 Looking for ways to declutter your mind? It might start in the bedroom.

☕ Editors brewed more than 1,000 cups of coffee while testing coffee machines. The journalism we needed.

🤖 The Roomba is so 2000s. San Franciscans are already hiring humanoid maids to clean their homes.

👶 Miss World Uganda Elle Muhoza wore a custom gown with a layered backstory. Seven layers, in fact, to represent the ones doctors cut through during a C-section. She gets our vote.

🪡 Kaia Gerber shared her weirdest hobby: making tiny clothes for an Avatar doll named after Keanu Reeves. You win this one, Kaia.

🛍️ Your skin’s Labor Day treat: 25% off a peptide-packed serum that visibly diminishes expression lines in 10 minutes.*^†

Skimm This

The winning skimm is…

“And that's how it's done boys!”

It was a close one this week. But with 42% of the vote, Kathleen D. of West Yarmouth, MA, is officially our champ. Let's go, girls.

Your next Skimm This drops on Tuesday. Same time, same place.

On Our Calendar

Friday, September 4

🏀 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup begins

The 16-team tournament tips off in Berlin. Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, Angel Reese, and the rest of Team USA take on China at 8:15 am ET — without these two standouts. Catch it on TNT and HBO Max.

Saturday, September 5

😋 National Tailgating Day

College football officially kicks off this weekend and we're ready for these game-day dishes. Especially if it's number three.

🥓 International Bacon Day

Make a BLT, a BEC — or these, perfect for your next girl dinner.

Sunday, September 6

📚 National Read a Book Day

Some inspo: eight books our editors read (and immediately texted each other about) this month.

⚽ NWSL Must-Watch Matches

Tune in to CBS for two matches: Denver Summit vs. Gotham FC at 2 pm ET, then Portland Thorns vs. Washington Spirit at 4 pm ET. Pass the popcorn.

Psst… this is just the preview: Subscribe to theSkimm app and never miss a moment.

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In Our Rotation

Use code SAVE20 to get 20% off thousands of items at PetSmart. They deserve all the treats.

Leather jacket season is right around the corner. This under-$200 bomber has been on our wish lists for a while.

Psst… love our recs? Follow @skimmshopping on Instagram for more products, gifts, and services that are actually worth the hype (and the price tag).

KNOW IT ALL

The Minnesota State Fair has been voted “best in show” across all 50 states — but which vendor (and its signature product) rakes in the most dough?

A. The Mouth Trap’s cheese curds

B. Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar’s buckets of chocolate chip cookies

C. Pronto Pups’ corn dogs

Love solitaire? Then you'll be obsessed with Pile-Up Poker. Climb the leaderboard.

Spotlight on

🥳 Some Birthdays

Moritz Graefrath (Germany), Valerie Morby (TX), Nili Duek (Israel), Lisa Val Verde (CA), Emily Johnson (Morocco), Stephanie Keeler (PA), Julia Wunderlin (WI), Morgan Streeter (KS), Kate Kaesebier (GA), Sarah Olsem (IA), Christine Au (NY), Amani El Ogbi (Dubai), Lucy Mahoney (ME), Shina Alade (IL), and Alex Obrand (Canada)

Gloria, in all her glory