The Navigator, Saturday, August 30, 2025
Heat that accelerates aging, chatbot therapists, Trump's try to white-wash American history, Elon Musk's Texas tunnels, ICE in the Hamptons—and more
Happy Labor Day weekend!
It’s a holiday meant to celebrate our nation’s workers, but this year, nearly 1,000 “Workers Over Billionaires” protests are planned starting this weekend in all 50 states as part of a Labor Day week of action organized by labor unions and advocacy groups in opposition to the Trump administration’s policies.
Marches and rallies are planned in cities including Chicago and Los Angeles, and there will be a Labor Day parade in New York City, rallies in Palmer, Alaska and in Freeport, Maine— and a planned protest at the state capitol in Honolulu, Hawaii. The protests are being organized by the AFL-CIO and dozens of partner organizations, including Public Citizen, Indivisible, Democracy Forward, MoveOn and a new group called Patriotic Millionaires.
“When people see tanks rolling into Washington when we were promised lower costs, millions of American workers are like, this makes no sense,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler told The Guardian. Lisa Gilbert, co-President of Public Citizen, said in an interview: “The billionaire agenda … is changing the way government is functioning. The gutting of Mediaid, all the firings we’ve seen of federal workers, the ravaging of families through ICE raids. It’s just all coming together to cause people to stand up an say, “we are the people of this country. It is workers over billionaires.”
The protests come as no surprise. Over the past five decades, U.S. GDP growth has outpaced wage growth by 63% — in years prior, GDP and wages expanded at the same rate. In 1970, the American middle class received 62% of the country’s aggregate income; today it’s 42%. The top 1% now owns 32% of our nation’s wealth, and the bottom 50% owns 3%.
Some of the policies being protested this weekend are the Trump administration’s attempts to rescind collective bargaining rights from 1 million federal workers, which the AFL-CIO calls the largest single act of union busting in U.S. history. Also being protested is a proposed rule to eliminate federal minimum wage and overtime protections for 3.7 million childcare and home care workers, and the rescission of a minimum wage requirement for disabled workers.
“America has never been so disdainful of its workers,” says NYU marketing professor and No Mercy/No Malice podcaster Scott Galloway.
He said lawyers, doctors, accountants and other “smart, ambitious, hard-working, college-educated people who have played by the rules and done everything right” are also now struggling, Galloway says, “but they’re too embarrassed to admit it.”
Wishing you, our New Rules network, a peaceful and active holiday weekend!
Trump Moves to Strip More Federal Workers of Union Protections (The New York Times)
The pre-Labor Day order included NASA, the National Weather Service and the agency that oversees Voice of America.
In a Hotter World, Some People Age Faster (The New York Times)
Over-exposure to extreme heat waves over just two years could add up to 12 extra days of age-related health damage, new data suggests.
Does Anyone Know What ‘Wellness’ Means Anymore? (WIRED)
The well-being business is booming, sometimes at the expense of actual health.
The Trump Administration’s Efforts to Reshape America’s Past (The New Yorker)
Ahead of next year’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the White House has issued a directive to the Smithsonian.
Teens are Using ChatBots as Therapists. (The New York Times)
In a new survey, 72% of American teens said they use A.I. chatbots as companions, and nearly one-eighth have sought “emotional or mental health support” from them—a share that, if scaled to the U.S. population, would equal 5.2 million adolescents.
With Summer Almost Over, the Hamptons’ Largely Immigrant Workforce Worries About ICE Crackdowns (Vanity Fair)
A Sag Harbor spa. An East Hampton market. Workers at the most exclusive oases on Long Island face the consequences of a nationwide deportation effort as their busiest season winds down.
Elon Musk is trying to build $760M tunnels under Houston. He’s tapped a Texas congressman to help. (Houston Public Media)
For years, experts in Houston have been studying the idea of building massive tunnels under the area to divert floodwaters and save lives and property. Now, Elon Musk wants a piece of the project.
AI Has Broken High School and College (The Atlantic)
It is clear that AI has been widely adopted, by students and faculty alike, yet the technology has also turned school into a kind of free-for-all.
The WNBA Is Finally Getting Better Treatment—Here’s How It’s Improved Nneka Ogwumike's Game (Women’s Health)
The Seattle Storm forward says the treatment may add "years" to her career.
Wings and a Prayer (The Food Section)
Saying grace in restaurants functions in mysterious ways.
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