You worked hard enough this week. Let us plan your weekend…

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

Happy (almost) weekend. I’ve been thinking about coziness — mostly because New York is still stubbornly warm. So I’m finding it in familiarity instead: shows I can recite beat for beat and paperbacks I’ve carried from my freshman dorm to the home where I’m raising my son. To keep it going this weekend, I’ll…

• Try Sweetgreen’s new menu items from its first chef in residence, Molly Baz. As a longtime disciple of her devotion to punchy flavors, I’ll treat myself to the lemony, pickle-forward Big Dill Caesar Wrap for a solo lunch between errands. Pray for my breath. 

• Rewatch Nurse Jackie, after seeing Merritt Wever everywhere during the Primetime press tour. While the words “cozy” and “drug abuse dramedy” may seem at odds, it’s my go-to comfort rewatch. Picture Grey’s Anatomy meets Gilmore Girls meets Breaking Bad.

• Chip away at The Power Broker. I’m trying to model readership for my 2-year-old by putting my phone down in the rare moments I have both hands free. The Robert Moses biography is a strange choice for casual reading, but it’s the most appealing paperback in my Kindle-first home. I’ll review it when I finish in 17 years. 

• Consume a shocking amount of WNBA content while I wait to find out who the New York Liberty will face in round 2 of the playoffs. I’ll also attempt to re-create the smoothies that have become a fixture of the team’s postgame press conferences.

• Upgrade my sneakers. My beige Adidas Tokyos are very important to me, but my wardrobe could use color. I’m torn between the red Pumas from the Ciara Miller + DSW collab and Puma’s Speedcat Mules, which are sneaker-adjacent but endorsed by our shopping editor. 

— Amanda Duberman / VP of Multimedia / New York, NY

Law & Order

A Tale of Two Systems

What's going on: In the days since a former Cornell student filed a civil lawsuit alleging she was gang raped by a group of seven fraternity members in 2024, her case has put a spotlight on how campus police and the criminal justice system respond to sexual assault. According to The New York Times, in November of 2024, Cornell police and the school’s Title IX office conducted hours of interviews with Jane Doe, which they summarized in a six-page report that was shared with Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten. Among other things, the summary failed to include this clear statement from Doe: “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.” Van Houten, who reopened the case earlier this week, said that this summary was the main piece of evidence that his department considered two years ago when it declined to press charges. On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she’d “lost faith” in Van Houten’s ability to oversee the investigation and was appointing state Attorney General Letitia James to take over.

Tell me more: University police officers that are employed on 1,300 college campuses in the US are trained like regular law enforcement officers. But they also receive additional training on Title IX — which, among other things, helps ensure that campus sexual assaults are investigated. Cornell’s Title IX committee held at least a dozen hearings on this case following the alleged gang rape, collecting hundreds of pages of evidence that included emails, text messages, and interviews. It’s unclear how much of that evidence was ultimately reviewed by the DA’s office. While some legal experts say university proceedings can often lead to more accountability than the criminal justice system — where less than 10% of sexual assault cases end in a conviction — others say they mainly exist to protect a school's reputation. One law professor interviewed by the BBC describes both systems as often being “virtually impossible to navigate” for survivors.

Related: The Cornell Investigation Is Putting a “Loophole” in New York’s Rape Law Under the Microscope (CNN)

Health

A Trend We Don't Love

What's going on: Besides unaffordable housing and endless student loans, here's another thing for millennials and Gen Z to worry about. According to a new study in Neurology, strokes among adults 20 to 54 have nearly doubled over almost three decades, even as rates for older adults have gone down. Doctors have long known that oral contraceptives increase stroke risk in younger women (Hailey Bieber said that doctors attributed her birth control as a likely cause of her “mini-stroke”), but this study found other major factors at play. High blood pressure, diabetes, and irregular heartbeats were all significantly more common in younger stroke patients. Another factor could be marijuana, which was responsible for a large part of the increase in substance use among younger adults who had strokes.

Your cheat sheet: As a refresher, a stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or a blood vessel ruptures. The increase in this study was driven by ischemic strokes, the blocked-blood-flow kind. They’re still uncommon in younger adults, but because the symptoms can be subtle (think: slightly drooping arm, word slurring, even uncontrolled hiccups), it’s important to recognize the signs and act on them. Remember BE FAST: sudden Balance loss, Eyesight changes, Face drooping, Arm weakness, or Speech difficulty mean it’s Time to call 911 (even if the symptoms go away). On the prevention front, it’s the checklist that makes you roll your eyes and say, “I know.” Like exercising regularly, avoiding smoking, and working with your doctor to keep your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol in check. Oh, and pregnancy is also a risk factor, making it even more important to stay on top of your numbers.

Related: Are You at Risk for a Mini-Stroke? (Everyday Health)

PS: Health news shouldn’t make you feel panicked, it should make you feel prepared. Subscribe to our Skimm Well + Good newsletter, where every Wednesday, we break down top health headlines into advice that actually fits into your life. Sign up here.

Impulse Purchases

The Collab Industrial Complex

What's going on: Imagine applying your Jell-o x Tower 28 lip gloss and then slipping it into your Dunkin’ x L.L. Bean tote bag, right next to your Mane x Cinnabon hairbrush, before heading to work. There’s been a true deluge of unexpected brand collaborations lately, including those three all in the last month. For the companies involved, an offbeat collaboration — or what Business Insider calls “Franken-products” — can mean free marketing and reliable profits. But customers seem to be losing interest, especially as disposable income continues to shrink and the crowded market makes it harder for brands to generate buzz. Did you even notice that Liquid Death and Spotify launched a $495 Bluetooth-enabled funeral urn in February?

My wallet is tired: High-low designer collabs — think Missoni x Target or Stella McCartney x H&M — have been a retail mainstay since at least 1999. But while the appeal of a popular designer making more affordable clothes is obvious, many partnerships between two brands in unrelated spaces — like last year’s $345 Tecovas cowboy boots made from Chili’s red restaurant booth material — don’t have an obvious customer base (unlike Triple Dippers). These collections can also mean one brand gets caught in backlash against another (see: Callaway Golf and Good Good). Particularly creative or high-quality collabs can still break through; Emma Chamberlain’s West Elm collection appears to have boosted the home brand’s stock. Because you too need a ceramic glasses holder in the shape of a pigeon. "I don't know if there's as much collab fatigue as there is fatigue around unoriginal ideas," an art collective founder told Business Insider. If a brand is just slapping two logos on a sweatshirt, consumers might simply skip it and wait for the next.

Related: Protein-Maxxing Might Be the Ultimate Collab (The New York Times gift link)

Quick Hits

🧼 Kate Middleton says she loves washing the dishes and Prince William always does the drying. Every chore sounds a little nicer inside a palace though, doesn’t it?

📸 Aubrey Plaza made her first red carpet appearance since welcoming her baby, and (sorry) we can only say, “Mother.” 

🎬 A crowd of 1,100 people screamed their way through the new three-hour Elizabeth Holmes documentary at the New York Film Festival. Nathan Fielder, what did you do? 

🧛 Bridgerton heartthrob Jonathan Bailey has a new role: He’s playing Dracula in a new Audible adaptation. Suddenly, we’re audiobook people. 

🎶 Spotify data shows that many of us are already listening to Christmas music. Does the “Monster Mash” mean nothing to you? 

🎤 Josh Hartnett’s daughters are Swifties, and he loves Midnights. We need his “Cleveland!” review. 

🫁 Feeling stressed? Try this simple breathing technique next time you’re stuck in traffic.