Most regular folks don't wake up worrying about institutions. They have more immediate concerns. But once you live through a period when core institutions fail, you start paying attention, and historical memory is rebuilt for a time. We're going through one of those moments now.

What to make of POTUS's attempt to fire the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)? Let's run down what knowledgable people are saying...

A contender for the most “Show me your budget and I’ll tell you who you are” bills in modern history. An act of breathtaking moral monstrosity and nearly unprecedented self-sabotage for the country.

Glad to be part of this conversation. Thanks @equitablegrowth.bsky.social for pulling us together.

Join us 5/13 at the National Union Building for "The Rise of Populism and Economic Policy." The event previews a new essay series on how people have experienced economic policy over the decades, plus ideas for the future. See @awhf.bsky.social share what to expect: www.youtube.com/watch?v=M44L...

It's all fun and games until … "Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London told the BBC #ChatGPT is "burning through energy", and the data centres used to power it consume more electricity in a year than 117 countries." www.bbc.com/news/article...

No human being belongs there, and no one should have been sent there. We need to keep repeating those parts, too.

- Rumeysa Öztürk has never been charged with a crime. - Mahmoud Khalil has never been charged with a crime. - Momodou Taal has never been charged with a crime. - Badar Khan Suri has never been charged with a crime.

It’s worth stating this simply: For literally anyone in the US Govt from 1945 to 2025, Signalgate would require an instant resignation—and a criminal investigation. It would be a matter of personal *honor* to resign. The fact Mike Waltz & Pete Hegseth are choosing to fight it out is a terrible omen.

Tragic. apple.news/AnjXnnoXpS8a...

By accepting Trump’s anti-Black premise and regurgitating the narrative that equates anything Black as DEI, the NY Times has become part of the propaganda machine

Here are some facts about "facilities and administrative" (F&A) costs, what we in the business call "indirects" and what Musk is calling "overhead" as he tries to convince Americans with being ok with cutting billions on dollars from medical and public health research at universities & hospitals 1/

DOGE plans to slash about as much ($4B) from NIH, and hence from universities and medical centers, as the government gave SpaceX ($3.8B) last year. It's not about the money and government "waste." It's never been about the money or government "waste." www.usatoday.com/story/money/...

As someone who has studied autocratization elsewhere, I can tell you that you need to keep your eyes on THIS. Changes to the partisan balance of bodies overseeing elections or changes to the electoral system is key to how wannabe autocrats become actual autocrats. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/u...

There are critics of DEI who point to its historic use as a way to capture the rhetoric of social justice movements and mitigate the transformative potential of anti discrimination law, and then there are critics of DEI who think race and sex discrimination is good.

I want to spell out the basic reason it’s so dangerous for Elon to have control of the U.S. payments system. It may seem like a technical matter, but the dynamics are simple. 1/x

EPA has 8,500 employees in total. Cutting 1,100 probationary employees would be a massive blow. If all probationary employees are going to be fired (and given what Musk is saying, this sounds more likely) it will kill federal recruiting www.cbsnews.com/news/epa-emp...

This morning, we learned that President Trump fired Board Member Gwynne Wilcox, whose Senate-confirmed term runs until 2028. This move must be called out for what it is—a frontal assault on the NLRB, its employees, workers, and the very idea of an independent civil service. 🚨

🚨 Applications are still open for the rest of the week 🚨 (full review begins Monday, Jan 20)

Fascinating. I had no idea.

Our update went deeper on how to implement work redesign strategies and on strategies particularly useful for older workers (but likely valuable to all). Excited to have the updated Toolkit out!

@mitiwer.bsky.social is delighted to offer a warm welcome home to Richard M. Locke, newly announced as the incoming Dean of @mitsloan.bsky.social: news.mit.edu/2025/richard...

How can policy confront minimum wage non-compliance? Using the case of the US and the UK, @annastansbury.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social @mitiwer.bsky.social argues that improved enforcement alone is insufficient & expected penalties must increase substantially. doi.org/10.1177/0019...

Fascinating write up on community coalitions bargaining and building for the common good.

"...city of Minneapolis had about 250,000 minimum wage workers and three labor standards investigators. The United Nations International Labor Organization recommends cities have one investigator for every 10,000 workers." www.startribune.com/wage-theft-i...