Good Morning!

It's Monday, December 22, and in today’s edition of Rise & Recap, we look at:

• Is that gut feeling making you anxious?

• You can fix that “functional freeze”.

• Could this be a $1.6 billion holiday miracle!

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Top headlines

SPILL THE NEWS

US News

Is Denmark’s Vaccine Policy Better Than America?

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce plans to shift the US childhood vaccination schedule to Denmark’s model, recommending fewer vaccines. The move follows a directive from President Donald Trump to align US practices with peer countries. 

Denmark’s schedule omits shots for several diseases still recommended in the US Danish and German health officials criticized the idea, saying their schedules reflect local disease prevalence and healthcare systems. Anders Hviid of Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut called the US approach “crazier and crazier in public health.”

Related Read: Trump signs pricing deals with nine drugmakers.

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Tech

This Christmas, All Your Family Wants Is Health-Tracking Monitors

Health-tracking products are increasingly being given as holiday gifts, including gut microbiome tests, continuous glucose monitoring programs, blood-test memberships, and sleep-tracking devices. Consumers are buying items such as Viome microbiome kits, Function Health testing memberships, Oura rings, Whoop subscriptions, and Eight Sleep systems. 

Companies including Eight Sleep, Ultrahuman, and Quest Diagnostics reported sharp increases in gift purchases. Gift givers cited interest in health data, fertility planning, and shared wellness tracking. Consumer psychologist Evan Polman warned such gifts can risk offending recipients and suggested framing them carefully.

Health

Don’t Let That Gut Feeling Turn Into Anxiety

Growing research links diet and mental health, with studies showing connections between the gut microbiome, micronutrient deficiencies, and conditions like anxiety and depression. In one case, Ebony Dupas’s bloodwork revealed magnesium deficiency after psychiatric symptoms escalated, leading her doctor to add supplements alongside medication. 

Researchers have found deficiencies in magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin D, omega-3s, and choline may affect mental health, though evidence on supplementation remains limited. Uma Naidoo of Massachusetts General Hospital said the food-brain connection is often overlooked, noting most serotonin is produced in the gut.

In the know

DON’T MISS

🌁 As San Francisco reels from a massive power outage, can someone check on those Waymo cabs?

🧠 We’ve all heard of “functional freeze” on TikTok. Here’s how to fix it!

✈️ If you’re flying economy on this airlines, chances are you’re going to feel much more basic without these perks.

🛍️ Did Trader Joe’s really release the “it” bag of 2025? Shoppers are losing it.

💰 This ruling just made Elon Musk the first person to have $700 billion.

🎁 Is this the $1.6 billion holiday present we’ve all been waiting for?

🍽️ Hailey Bieber’s “hyperfixation meal” is apparently a protein superhack. We’d like to try.

🗳️ At TurningPoint USA’s Arizona conference, endorsements for 2028 were made.

🍺 Someone just made a beer that’s also a vaccine.

🚢 US seizes third oil tanker linked to Venezuela sanctions evasion.

Health & Wellness

FOR YOUR WELLBEING

🏃‍♂️ Turns out sprinting isn’t just sweaty suffering. Short bursts may literally clean up your cells better than steady cardio.

💉 Many Americans start GLP-1 weight loss drugs, then quit within a year, citing sticker shock and stubborn side effects.

🥗 Holiday bloat happens. Experts say adding the right amount of this nutrient can calm gas and get digestion back on schedule.

📈 The treadmill doesn’t have to be a dreadmill. Trainers say the right intervals and inclines can turn it into a surprisingly effective tool.

Fashion & Beauty

BEYOND THE MIRROR

👖 Jeans aren’t the only star in 2026. Next year’s pants lineup includes suede hues, satiny shine, retro track vibes and the unexpected return of super skinny cuts.

😁 Teeth whitening isn’t magic, but in-office treatments can show big results same day — strips and DIY paste help too.

🎄 From festive red to sequins, leopard, and luxe pajamas, pre-fall 2026 makes holiday dressing refreshingly low-effort.

💄 ‘Emily in Paris’ Season 5 gets a beauty glow-up, with Lily Collins channeling ’90s Posh Spice–level polish.

Hollywood

THE FAME FRAME

🎤 Nicki Minaj appears at Turning Point USA event alongside Erika Kirk; praises Trump and “assassin” JD Vance.

😅 Tom Brady posts thirst trap after ex Gisele Bündchen’s wedding.

🎬 ‘The Wire’ and ‘Sinister’ star James Ransone dies at 46.

💔 Olivia Rodrigo and Louis Partridge reportedly split after two-year romance.

🚨 Brett Ratner,Director of Melania Trump documentary, appears in Epstein files photo.

Interactive

WEIGH IN

Google, Apple, Microsoft, and ServiceNow are warning some visa-holding employees not to leave the US amid embassy delays stretching up to a year. New social media screening requirements are slowing visa stamping for H-1B workers, students, and dependents. Immigration lawyers say international travel now risks employees being stuck abroad for months. The advisories come as President Donald Trump’s administration prioritizes stricter vetting, turning routine travel into a high-stakes decision for global tech workers.

“I survived the days I thought would kill me.” 

— Roxane Gay