Daily Skimm

Quote of the Day

"Pumpkinfest went a little off-kilter this year, but we let it roll"

— A North Carolina farm’s statement after a giant inflatable pumpkin blew away and rolled into the road, blocking traffic. Worth it for the viral video.

The fraternity house at the center of a rape allegation stands on the campus of Cornell University on October 8, 2026, in Ithaca, New York.

Higher Education

Do We Really Need Campus Fraternities?

What's going on: On Tuesday, Cornell University announced that it was banning fraternity parties for the remainder of the 2026-2027 academic year as part of its response to allegations of a gang rape at a campus frat house. And it’s not just Cornell. Universities around the country are dealing with backlash in response to cases of sexual assault, hazing, drug dealing, and even deaths reported in connection to frats. A 2019 survey found that a quarter of undergraduate women had experienced nonconsensual sexual contact, with fraternities listed as the most common setting. “The Greek system, in my judgment, supports alcoholism, sexual harassment, bullying under the guise of hazing, groupthink and, of course, the objectification of women,” one Cornell professor told The Guardian. Some critics say the university’s party ban doesn’t go far enough — they're calling for an outright ban of Greek life.

Can that happen?: Banning fraternities is more difficult than it sounds. A university can disaffiliate a frat, but they can’t shut it down without running into “thorny legal issues around the first amendment right to freedom of assembly,” writes The Wall Street Journal. Disaffiliated frats often just move off campus. “It’s slightly naïve of Cornell to think that these parties won’t happen,” one Cornell student told The New York Times. For many colleges, frats are also a big part of social life and campus culture — not to mention a major part of attracting potential students. But the biggest reason frats have stood the test of time might be the money. When colleges discipline frats, alumni tend to push back and stop donations. That doesn’t mean banning fraternities hasn’t been done before: In 2019, Swarthmore College permanently banned Greek life after documents leaked discussing a fraternity’s “rape attic,” which led to protests and a hunger strike. “This was the work of the students that really made this happen,” one student told The Philadelphia Inquirer at the time.

Related: An Alleged Sexual Assault at a University of Chicago Frat Is Being Compared to Cornell (The New York Times gift link)

The News in 6

🗞️ The USDA scrapped a plan to vaccinate US egg-laying hens against bird flu amid concerns that it would clash with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine views, according to Politico.

🗞️ Jamaica is the latest country to receive migrants deported from the US. Twenty-two people with no connection to the island arrived in Kingston earlier this week and were quickly ushered to an undisclosed location.

🗞️ Sally Rooney’s books, including Normal People and Conversations With Friends, will no longer be sold in the UK. The decision comes after the author pledged proceeds of her book sales to a pro-Palestinian protest group that the UK banned last year.

🗞️ In a real-life Suits plotline, White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia’s background is raising questions, including whether she passed the bar exam.

🗞️ There’s video of the Kelly Clarkson-Art of Play saga thanks to journalist Pablo Torre. Plus, store co-owner Adam Rubin now says that if someone buys the bird Clarkson wanted (officially for sale at $15 million), he’ll give every employee a $15,000 bonus and send the artist $1 million.

🗞️ In an ironic twist, Britain — which has withheld seized treasures from other lands for decades — wants one of its own quintessential pieces of history back: The OG Winnie-the-Pooh. Oh, bother.

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In Our Rotation

A couple drops of this serum can make you hair longer and stronger (and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg).

Until October 19, Rothy's is taking up to 25% off all their clog styles, including mules. Don't miss out.

Keep scrolling... more recs below

No Friend Requests

Hollywood’s New Villain

What’s going on: Gone are the days when tech founders were cast as scrappy underdogs in Hollywood — now, they’re cold, calculating villains. Four new major films and documentaries are shining a light on powerful tech pioneers like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Elizabeth Holmes, and Sam Altman. The four-hour documentary Musk saw a limited theatrical release last weekend, while The Social Reckoning — an unofficial sequel to 2010’s The Social Network — debuted nationwide and flopped at the box office (these Zuckerbergs are not the same). Nathan Fielder’s You Can See Everything, which is about the Theranos founder and former CEO, comes out tomorrow. OpenAI's controversial CEO is also getting the silver screen treatment, with Andrew Garfield playing Altman in the upcoming film Artificial. Television is picking up on the vibes, too: Cupertino piloted last week on CBS, while AMC’s The Audacity — a dark comedy capturing the “madness and failings” of Silicon Valley — hit small screens this spring.

A watchful eye: These productions come as public trust in tech erodes, culminating in sharp skepticism against AI and data centers. While earlier films and shows like Jobs and Silicon Valley cast tech founders as brilliant, ambitious outsiders trying to change the world, their power and influence have changed, and so have their character arcs on screen. Today’s productions are darker and more pessimistic — instead of saving the world, tech is destroying it. As one Sony executive told Politico, these founders are “more significant than governments,” adding that so much power has been concentrated in so few people. Hollywood villains have long reflected our biggest cultural fears, and takeovers and competition have seemingly turned tech into Tinseltown’s own personal adversary. But it appears many tech CEOs aren’t taking it to heart. When asked about Artificial, Altman said he expected it to be inaccurate and “funny.”

Work Life

It’s Spooky Season for Young Workers

What's going on: Hug the teenager in your life today. The job market is haunting them. This summer, The Washington Post interviewed several teens who went to great lengths to land a summer job — they memorized elevator pitches, swapped professional clothes for interviews, and submitted hundreds of applications — only to come up empty-handed. “The opportunities for workers at the start of the career ladder started to dry up,” one economist told The Post about the summer job season. Recently, The Wall Street Journal found a teenager taking career anxiety to new extremes. Sixteen-year-old Avi Lichtenstein is so worried about his prospects that he put posters of his face all over New York City, where he lives. His ask? “Let me shadow you,” to get a better idea of what he wants to do with his life. So far, he’s shadowed a dog groomer, a radio show host, and a ramen shop owner. He might hop on a flight to shadow an airline captain next.

Does this count as extra credit?: Unclear, though Avi is getting part-time job offers. The approach is unconventional, but it’s a signal of broader tech-driven anxieties among teens and young adults. Young people are entering the workforce amid predictions that AI adoption will destroy their career prospects. The good-ish news? The vibes are terrible, but the numbers aren’t… yet. Researchers from UCLA Anderson studied job trends for 22-to-25-year-olds with bachelor’s degrees and found that they did just as well in the summer of 2026 (the first real test case for the AI-era job market) as their peers in recent years. But a separate study from the Census Bureau found that graduates with AI-exposed majors like computer science had a harder time finding work in their fields, often ending up in lower-paying industries like restaurants and retail. Maybe Avi will have mentors to spare.

Quick Hits

🎨 Move over, Pantone: Benjamin Moore named its color of the year for 2027, and it’s a “quintessential” shade of green that makes your home feel both stable and energetic.

🐣 These 11 classic baby names are about to fall off the charts. Save the Lizes.

🇺🇲 Joni Mitchell is now an American citizen after living in the US for 62 years. She’s feeling red, white, and Blue.

🎃 Turn your jack-o’-lantern’s guts into a snack: Pumpkin seeds aren’t just tasty, they’re also great for your cardiovascular health.

💕 Beyoncé’s daughters Blue Ivy and Rumi helped their mom cut the ribbon at the opening of the new Knowles-Rowland House, which provides housing for people who are chronically homeless. Doing good together.

👑 Royals, they’re just like us, but with bodyguards? Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte were spotted riding the Tube in London along with their security detail.

🔪 We’re manifesting an invite to Nicole Richie’s gory, spooky Halloween dinner next year. At the very least, we need to know how she made pasta look this creepy.

🤎 The most flattering vintage jeans just got an espresso upgrade.*

On Our Calendar

Thursday, October 15

🎤 Catch the new episode of Well Played

This week, our favorite cohosts get into the WNBA Finals, that moment between Mariska Hargitay and the USWNT and, of course, the sexy game of the week. Check it out on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.

🍿 The Diplomat returns to Netflix

Keri Russell is back as a US ambassador with a very complicated marriage. This season, her husband and the president are plotting something that could start a war — and she has to stop them. Even the trailer is tense.

🔪 Friday the 13th prequel released on Peacock

Enter: Jason’s mom. In the A24 prequel, Crystal Lake, Linda Cardellini stars as a grieving mother who refuses to accept her son’s drowning… and things only get darker from there. Camp is back in session.

Psst... See what else is happening this week so you never miss a moment.

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In Our Rotation

Of all the new product launches floating around the internet, these are the ones worth watching.

If you've ever wondered how our editors decorate their homes, here's your inside scoop.

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

Skimm This

Which skimm is your favorite?

Bob's Burgers portrait taken at Comic Con New York

A. “The wilted lettuce in my fridge begging me to ignore all the options on Uber Eats.” — Megan G., Austin, TX

B. “My reaction to yet another one of my kids' art projects.” — Heather F., Greenville, SC

C. “All your bad decisions watching you make another.” — Emily D., Lexington, SC

Turn a word search into your favorite strategy game with Spelltower. Clear the board.

Together with

Quote of the Day

"Pumpkinfest went a little off-kilter this year, but we let it roll"

Higher Education

Do We Really Need Campus Fraternities?

The News in 6

✴︎

In Our Rotation

No Friend Requests

Hollywood’s New Villain

Work Life

It’s Spooky Season for Young Workers

Quick Hits

On Our Calendar

Thursday, October 15

🎤 Catch the new episode of Well Played

🍿 The Diplomat returns to Netflix

🔪 Friday the 13th prequel released on Peacock

✴︎

In Our Rotation

Skimm This

Which skimm is your favorite?

If Paddington could do it…