Good Morning!

It's Monday, May 18, 2026, and in today’s edition of Rise & Recap, we look at:

• Women obsessively “optimizing” their vaginas.

• Another day, another breakfast staple messing your digestion.

• Traits occurring in adults asked to toughen up as kids!

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Top headlines

SPILL THE NEWS

Law

Advocates Push for Federal NICU Leave Policy

A growing national movement is urging Congress to pass a federal neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) leave policy, allowing parents to stay with hospitalized newborns without exhausting standard parental leave. The push follows Colorado’s historic January rollout of up to 12 weeks of paid NICU leave, while Illinois will implement a more modest unpaid policy next month. Currently, the US lacks a federal mandate for paid family leave, forcing many parents to work through medical crises. State Rep. Nicole La Ha (R-IL), whose daughter spent 45 days in intensive care, noted, “The last thing you want to think about is work but unfortunately you have bills to pay.” 

US Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) is drafting a federal bill to add NICU leave to the Family and Medical Leave Act. Advocates cite extensive medical benefits, noting parental presence stabilizes infant heart rates and breathing. Chris Madden, a Colorado father who utilized the new state benefit, told Associated Press, “It was life changing not to have to think about money and stress and just be present with your baby.”

Health

How to Avoid the "Health Span Gap"

Want to add two years of prime, disease-free life to your future? It turns out the secret isn't a fancy longevity pill — it’s just a brisk daily walk. A massive new study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, tracking 25,000 people found that being aerobically fit in your 40s and 50s delays serious age-related illnesses by a year and a half and extends your overall lifespan by two years. 

Right now, Americans face a massive 12.4-year gap between how long they live and how long they actually stay healthy. But getting midlife fit shifts that trajectory. You don't need to run marathons either; just moving consistently matters. As co-author I-Min Lee puts it, two extra years of healthy living during retirement "sounds good to me."

Health Tech

Why Women Are Now Obsessively Testing Their Vaginas

Forget optimizing your steps, women are now obsessively optimizing their vaginal microbiomes. Fueled by a medical system that has historically ignored women's health, a wave of at-home testing kits from startups like Evvy and TinyHealth are flying off the shelves.

The trend recently exploded into mainstream conversation after tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson bragged on X that his girlfriend’s test results put her in the “top 1% of all vaginas”. While the internet mocked the public scorekeeping, thousands of women are using these $150 kits to diagnose painful conditions or boost fertility. However, the trend has sparked a new wave of optimization anxiety in online forums. Experts also warn that the vaginal ecosystem naturally fluctuates based on diet, stress, and race — meaning a "perfect" score doesn't actually exist.

In the know

DON’T MISS

🤢 Up to 1,700 passengers are being held on a cruise ship in France after at least 50 caught a stomach sickness. Are these trips even safe at the moment?

🥣 Your morning routine might be a trap. Turns out, this "healthy" breakfast staple could be causing your bathroom issues.

👀 Anti-aging tech millionaire Bryan Johnson just found a wild new use for Botox. Hint: It’s not for his wrinkles — he now wants to be “de-aging his penis".

🏛️ Thousands of demonstrators gather outside the Alabama State Capitol to protest a new congressional map weakening Black voting rights.

📚 This dark new thriller is apparently making people hate their husbands. Don’t open it unless you want to question everything.

💼 New Federal Reserve leader Kevin Warsh is stepping into an internal battle over whether to slash interest rates.

💬 Were you told to "toughen up" as a kid? Psychologists say it leaves these specific, hidden traits in adults.

🏆 Forget hot dogs, the UK has a competitive eating contest for this random leafy green. Talk about a healthy flex.

🌦️ Whether you like them or hate them, experts warn that weather shifts are causing millions of these insects to emerge way ahead of schedule.

Health & Wellness

FOR YOUR WELLBEING

💬 Is the biological clock just one big scam? Hostile, barren, and geriatric are still being used by doctors to describe women's reproductive health, but the culture is over it. 

📵 Scientists might know why a simple walk in the park makes you feel so good. According to a new global study, spending time in nature results in a more positive body image and higher self-compassion — provided you put your phone away. 

🫁 Good news: getting completely winded after a single flight of stairs isn't always just a sign you're out of shape. But there is one red flag to watch out for!

🚴 Want five extra minutes on the bike? An upbeat playlist can distract your brain right past the urge to quit.

Fashion & Beauty

BEYOND THE MIRROR

⚫ Polka dots are everywhere right now, but you don't have to look like a walking 1950s throwback to make it work. Here’s how stars are styling the print. 

💇‍♀️ Brave the big chop! Let these inspo pics be the sign you needed to book that salon appointment, finally.

👜 If you think fashion is finished at those “silly little pouches”, this summer’s hottest bag trends are taking themselves a bit more seriously. We’re seeing work totes with actual personality, and enough fringe to do the outfit accessorizing for you.

😎 Those clogs you only wear to run errands? Their ugly-chic “high-fashion” moment is here now.

Hollywood

THE FAME FRAME

🎙️ Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper just announced she’s pregnant. Looks like she’ll need to order a custom baby-sized microphone. 

🌺 Those Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi dating rumors are …. true. The two were spotted looking cozy on a getaway in Hawaii, and we’re swooning. 

💃 Fiancé, all the time, fan occasionally? Zoë Kravitz was seen dancing with Harry Styles’ mom at his tour kickoff. 

🏆 Bulgaria just won its first-ever Eurovision title. Meanwhile, the UK finished last with a single point.

🖤 Cindy Crawford came out of runway retirement to close Gucci's Times Square show — that too in a dramatic feather gown and a voluminous blowout. Did the calendar flip back to 1992?

Interactive

WEIGH IN

A White House-backed Christian prayer rally on Washington’s National Mall is sparking debate over religion, politics, and the separation of church and state. Supporters say the event reflects America’s spiritual roots and national values, while critics argue it promotes one specific religious identity in a country that’s increasingly diverse and nonreligious. With politicians, pastors, and culture-war messaging sharing the same stage, the rally has reignited questions about what role faith should play in public life.

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

— Oscar Wilde