Stacy Barrett

For decades, capital punishment in the United States moved away from older methods of execution—like hanging, the electric chair, and the gas chamber—toward lethal injection. Lethal injection was viewed by many as a more clinical and humane option. But states have struggled for years to get the drugs needed for lethal injection executions, which has led many states and the federal government to look for alternatives.

For over two decades, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents performed their duties with their faces visible. But starting in 2025, as ICE operations surged in cities across the United States, face coverings became a standard accessory for ICE agents and a potent symbol of President Trump's immigration crackdown.

On November 1, 2025, for the first time in its 60-year history, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is set to run out of funds due to the government shutdown. About 42 million low-income Americans—including 16 million children—who rely on SNAP to buy groceries each month are at risk of losing access to food assistance.