10 Labor Day Reads

My long weekend morning reads: • This data has helped fight workplace discrimination for 60 years. The Trump administration plans to delete it: The move marks a fundamental shift for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Without this data, it will be much harder for the agency to identify widespread cases of discrimination in hiring and promotions, experts and former employees of the commission say. And, they warn, it will bring the Trump administration one step closer to reshaping the commission from an independent watchdog into an arm of the executive branch narrowly focused on advancing the political grievances of Donald Trump’s base. Amy Qin on the EEOC data experts say the agency can’t police hiring discrimination without. (The Guardian) • Labor Day on Track to Set Record at the Pump: The national average hits $4.14 — the highest ever for this time of year — with Strait of Hormuz volatility keeping crude around $90. (AAA) see also Imperialist Delusions and the Price of Fuel: Paul Krugman on the Venezuela adventure and what it’s doing at the pump. (Paul Krugman) • Should You Buy Alien Abduction Insurance?: Joseph Moore on the 100,000-plus Americans holding coverage — GEICO sold some, Lloyd’s underwrote 20,000, and two claims were paid. Behavioral economists would hardly be surprised. (Joseph Moore). • Paid Actors, AI Writing: How a New Kind of Video Business Cashed In on America’s Divided Politics: Max Tani on “William,” whose AI-scripted kitchen-table video — Mayor Mamdani Panics as Taylor Swift Triggers a $2.3 Billion Celebrity Exodus — racked up 474,000 views. (Semafor) • Humans Did Not Invent Art. It Was the Other Way Around: In 1940, four teenage boys chasing rumors of secret passageways near Montignac found chambers bejewelled with horses, elk, ibex, and bulls instead — Lascaux, almost perfectly preserved. (Aeon) • In Red States, Law-and-Order Republicans Turn Against Flock Cameras: David Ovalle on the governors of Texas and Florida moving to curtail license-plate readers, even as police say they help solve crime.. (New York Times) • USPS ‘carefully reviewing’ whistleblower claim on plan for Trump’s mail in voting order: “USPS leadership, it appears, has discarded all best practices as they speed the project to be ready for a September 1 implementation — raising questions about whether catastrophic failure would be a feature rather than a bug,” said the disclosure, prepared by Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit organization representing the anonymous federal government official with direct knowledge of the Postal Service’s development of the new system. Hansi Lo Wang on the disclosure warning that Postal Service leadership “discarded all best practices” racing to a September 1 launch — “raising questions about whether catastrophic failure would be a feature rather than a bug.” (NPR) • More Than Half of Americans in Their 40s Are ‘Sandwiched’ Between an Aging Parent and Their Own Children: Juliana Menasce Horowitz with Pew’s numbers on the generation squeezed from both directions. (Pew Research) • Behind Closed Doors, John Fetterman Shows Little Interest in the Work of a Senator: Former staffers and lawmakers describe a light daily schedule, canceled constituent meetings, skipped hearings, and a focus on conservative media ties. Poised to be a possible swing vote in a divided Congress, he churns through staff as he dodges constituents, alienates fellow Democrats and courts Israel lobby (Wall Street Journal) • A Little League Coach’s Advice to His Team Went Viral. Anyone Can Appreciate the Message: Cory Edwards saw the fought-off tears and finger-pointing as his Henderson, Nevada team’s run ended — and didn’t want his players going out sullen. (The Athletic) Video of the day: Aaron Sorkin on Why AI Will Fail, Facebook & The Future of America | What I’ve Learned Be sure to check out our Master’s in Business this week with William McNabb, former CEO and Chairman of the Vanguard Group from 2007-17. He is also an advisor to Venrock, and was an investor and advisor to Altruist, which was just sold to VG for $2 billion. More Americans Are Identifying as Democrats Ahead of Midterms Source: New York Times Sign up for our reads-only mailing list here.