Prozac, Meet Politics

Mental Health

Prozac, Meet Politics

What’s going on: In recent years, antidepressant stigma has waned significantly. Celebrities like Lady Gaga and Chrissy Teigen (along with your bestie, your work wife, your brow waxer) have opened up about how medications like Prozac and Zoloft help them treat anxiety and depression. “Live, Laugh, Lexapro” merch abounds. Now, advocates fear a new push by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to curb SSRI prescriptions could undo some of that progress. This week, he announced new guidelines and training for clinicians that encourage them to tap nonpharmaceutical options like therapy and exercise (we love our yoga class, but it can’t solve everything). A new reimbursement mechanism under Medicare and Medicaid will allow doctors to be paid for the time they spend helping patients get off antidepressants.

But don’t those medications help?: They do. Although RFK Jr. said he’s not telling people to skip their medications, skeptics worry that’s the message in between the lines. Kennedy has previously claimed people “have had much worse experiences getting off SSRIs than they do getting off heroin” (a claim experts and research refute, though there can be withdrawal symptoms). He’s also made reducing SSRI use a major plank of his MAHA agenda, including a push to avoid them during pregnancy. The American Psychiatric Association took issue with the new changes (partly because it wasn’t included in conversations). It pushed back on the idea that SSRIs are overprescribed, noting that not everyone who needs them can access them. About one in six American adults took SSRIs in 2025, and — while they’re not without side effects — they help millions of people get through the day. 

Related: Everyone Wants To Sell You “Natural” Womanhood (The Atlantic Gift Link)

The News in 6

🗞️ Authorities are racing to trace at least 29 passengers from 12 countries who left the MV Hondius before officials confirmed the deadly hantavirus outbreak.

🗞️ The US and Iran traded fire Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz. But US officials say the ceasefire, technically, still stands.

🗞️ The Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act last week, and Tennessee wasted no time carving up its only majority-Black district.

🗞️ President Donald Trump’s list of renovation projects keeps growing. Now, he’s got his sights on giving this 19th-century federal building a facelift.

🗞️ Starting today, thousands of parents who owe child support could lose their passports. The threshold might surprise you. 

🗞️ Former President Barack Obama plans to open his presidential center in June, and he shared a special detail — just in time for Mother’s Day.

Sports Tech

Claude Wants To Be Your Personal Trainer

What's going on: Your new personal trainer has an encyclopedic knowledge of every Women’s Health online article and never sweats. Its name is Claude — or ChatGPT, or Google Gemini — and yes, it’s an AI platform. About two-thirds of gym-goers say they used AI-powered fitness software in 2025. Apps like Strava, Runna, and Peloton already weave AI into workouts, while the new Google Health Premium comes complete with an AI Health Coach. But those subscriptions add up, so many people with a budget of free-99 are turning to the same AI platforms they use to draft important emails to get their customized workout plans. Who needs a human gym buddy, anyway?

Does it know what it’s doing?: Kind of. LLMs can draw from mountains of fitness knowledge and tailor plans around your goals, schedule, and workout history. But they also struggle with math, can overreact to single data points, and let's not forget the hallucinations. AI can’t read body language, spot when your form is off, or catch those subtle “something’s not right” signals a human trainer picks up instantly. As one competitive bodybuilder puts it, AI is like “the biggest nerd that's never been to the gym but read every book about training.” 

Related: Personal Trainers Say These Fitness Apps Are Actually Good (Good Housekeeping)

Sports

Women's Sports Found Their Sponsorship Era

What’s going on: Class is in session, and one former NCAA athlete is teaching college athletes how to capitalize on social media partnerships. At Alabama, Jenna Johnson figured out how to split her time between classes, softball practice, and inking social media deals with Lululemon, NASCAR, and Squishmallows. She was able to do it all after the NCAA relaxed its rules in 2021 to allow athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Now, Johnson works with sports marketing giant Learfield to coach Vanderbilt University athletes to do the same. Since she joined in 2025, at least 70 Vanderbilt athletes have scored 146 NIL deals. The student is now the teacher.

Sounds like a home run: It is. Thanks to these social media partnerships, college athletes are skipping the ramen noodle phase. Nobody does it like the women, either. Brands see them as a key to reaching Gen Z audiences, especially at a time when interest in women’s sport has exploded. One analysis found that women’s sports fans are nearly three times more likely to listen to their favorite athlete’s recs than other influencers. WNBA star Angel Reese may have been the best at it, pulling Mielle Organics and Reebok into women’s basketball during her college days. No pros? No problem. Just look at Livvy Dunne and the Cavinder Twins. Nothing but net.

Related: Trinity Rodman Outshines the Boys in a Star-Studded World Cup Campaign (USA Today)

Quick Hits

🧼 Oncologists say that this super-common cleaning product could increase the risk of cancer. You probably have it in your bathroom right now. 

🐳 Before The Late Show goes off the air later this month, Stephen Colbert is hoping to land this dream guest. We pray that it happens, just to see the hat. 

👀 In case you were curious where Steph Curry’s work ethic comes from, his mom shared her parenting trick.

📱 Instagram just became the latest social media platform to add this controversial button. We’d like to use it on Mark Zuckerberg. 

👠 It’s clear Michelle Obama has been practicing her Miranda Priestly walk, because she just recreated an iconic Devil Wears Prada scene. 

🇫🇷 Natalie Portman shared a rare update on her très chic life in Paris. Our version would have a lot more croissants.

On Our Calendar

Things to jot down today…

🗓️ On World Ovarian Cancer Day, know the signs of the disease, which could impact more than 21,000 women in the US this year.

🗓️ It's the WNBA's 30th birthday — but is that old? The rookies weigh in.

🗓️ Billie Eilish’s new documentary hits the big screen, with James Cameron (yes, really) as co-director.

🗓️ Remarkably Bright Creatures is on Netflix, starring an unexpected trio — observant octopus included.

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

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