Back on the Ban Wagon

What's Happening

Politics

Back on the Ban Wagon

What's going on: President Donald Trump signed a proclamation yesterday banning travel from 12 countries — escalating his strict immigration policy. Starting June 9, individuals from nations including Afghanistan, Iran, Haiti, and Sudan will be barred from entering the US. A partial travel ban from seven other nations, including Cuba, Venezuela, and Sierra Leone, will also go into effect. The proclamation makes exceptions for visa holders and permanent residents. In a statement, Trump said he’s acting to “protect the national security and national interest” of the US. The ban comes after an attack in Boulder, Colorado, injured more than a dozen people. In a video message Wednesday, Trump said the attack “underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted.” (The proclamation doesn’t target Egypt, where the suspected attacker is from.)

What it means: Since the start of his second term, Trump has enacted a sweeping immigration agenda. Federal officials have conducted raids, blocked asylum at the southern border, and challenged policies that granted temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of people — all while the administration promotes a $5 million Gold Card program to fast-track US residency. The ban, reminiscent of his first term’s policy targeting Muslim-majority countries, is expected to face legal challenges. (The Supreme Court upheld one of Trump’s travel bans in 2018.) Democrats derided the new ban, saying it’d further isolate the US and be discriminatory. An immigrant rights group, meanwhile, called the move “political theater” dressed up as a security measure. Trump said new countries could be added to the ban if there are new threats.

Related: Trump Just Barred New International Students from Attending Harvard (The Hill)

US News

Citigroup Is Locked and Loaded

What's going on: A trailblazer on Wall Street is scrapping some of its checks and balances. Citigroup confirmed it’s ending a set of gun safety rules it introduced after the 2018 Parkland school shooting, which killed 17 people. The company had required firearm sellers and manufacturers to follow some rules to do business with the bank — like enforcing background checks and not selling to anyone under 21. The policy applied only to businesses, not individuals, but it was still a rare stand in the financial world. Those rules are now out the window. The move comes as conservatives, including President Donald Trump, accuse financial institutions of “debanking” and discriminating against right-leaning clients.

What it means: Citigroup joins a long list of companies that have walked back policies to seemingly avoid Trump’s ire and pressure (including on issues like embracing crypto). It’s even updating its employee code of conduct to spell out that it doesn’t discriminate based on political affiliation. Many other businesses have faced similar pressure, especially since Trump began targeting DEI initiatives. Some Republican-led states have taken it a step further and now plan to pass laws that make it illegal for banks to discriminate based on political beliefs. Executives at banks, including Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, have pushed back, saying they don’t deny anyone service for political reasons.

Related: Did Biden Aides “Deceive the Public”? Trump Orders Federal Probe (Axios)

Lifestyle

The Science of the "Ick"

What's going on: If you’ve ever caught the “ick” from someone using a baby voice — or from some other horrifying thing you now can’t unsee — science says that gut reaction might say more about you than them. A new study from Azusa Pacific University surveyed 125 people, ages 24 to 72, and found certain personality traits make you extra prone to that immediate cringe. People who score high on disgust sensitivity, perfectionism, or narcissism tend to ick out more easily. Sound like someone you know? Meanwhile, women (unsurprisingly) clock this aversion more often than men, especially when it comes to misogynistic comments (hard pass) or irritating speech patterns (please, no vocal fry). Men, on the other hand, mostly side-eye vanity or overly trendy behavior.

What it means: That visceral ick (first coined on Ally McBeal) once served an evolutionary purpose — it helped early humans steer clear of disease and bad mating prospects, according to Psychology Today. Think poor hygiene, no survival instincts, or anything “unbecoming” of a potential partner. And today? Still applies. But now the triggers look a little different — like asking for a shot of “expresso” or showing up to brunch in toe shoes. Each cringey moment still sends a signal that something feels off about a potential mate — just in a modern, less life-or-death way. As one researcher put it, “it’s important to take each ‘ick’ with a grain of salt” — because while standards are healthy, filtering out every human quirk could leave you more alone than enlightened. Okay, but if someone starts chewing loudly…

Related: “Grandma Showers” Are Sparking a Big Debate (Today)

Settle This

How much does the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimate that President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will cost the government?

Extra Credit

Read

What’s more American than a Hollywood nepo baby landing a podcast deal? A chaotic, cross-country road trip. And in Kevin Wilson’s Run for the Hills, this one’s anything but typical. It kicks off when Reuben Hill, a writer from Boston, shows up unannounced at a Tennessee farm to tell Madeline “Mad” Hill that he thinks she’s his long-lost sister. Reuben’s already hired a PI to track down their dad — who disappeared 30 years ago — plus two other half-siblings. So Mad and Rube hit the road and along the way, their impromptu family reunion gets bigger, emotional baggage gets unpacked, and yes, hijinks absolutely ensue.

Game Time

Brick Breaker meets word search in Spelltower, your new favorite game. For every word you find, letter tiles disappear. The fewer tiles left when you run out of words, the better your score. Try it.