Grateful to be speaking at @aspenideas.bsky.social in Tulsa later this month on what it takes to build a middle-class life today.

Even retirement doesn't guarantee rest anymore. Americans over 65 have seen their daily leisure time shrink from almost 180 minutes a day in 1995 to about 120 minutes by 2020, even as they've traded a working life for one that's supposed to be their own.

The thing about people losing faith in government is, they’re right. We deserve so much better.

Elizabeth and I share many connections. It’s no surprise that so much of what is in the Roosevelt Institute’s Good Life Agenda under her leadership reflects our priorities in the Mamdani administration, especially recognizing that an economy isn’t just numbers. It’s people.

New for Fireside Stacks: Our CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social speaks with New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice @juliesulabor.bsky.social about how the project of building a good life for New Yorkers requires “bringing people into government who have been on the sidelines.” Read ⬇️

We don't need to settle how dangerous AI is before acting to protect workers, consumers, and citizens. We shouldn't entertain government being to slow or inexpert as a reason for self-regulation. It's about putting us, not them, in the driver's seat. 6/6

We have tools, like the DPA, that can allow for government supervision. We have a Congress whose job it is to protect us. We have state legislatures, AGs, and civil society who can provide a counterweight to the labs. 5/

Put aside fights about the nature and size of the risk. Here's the real issue: Safety isn't an all-purpose get-out-of-jail-free card for oversight and regulation. Labs want to coordinate on safety, while AI money works to defeat pro-regulation candidates. No. 4/

There are reasons to be skeptical of the doom talk. It can crowd out harms already here, and “safety” can become a defense for monopoly. At the same time, reports of Claude use for cyberattacks, influence campaigns, and weapons development show us risks are real. 3/

The stakes of AI's breakneck, unregulated explosion have never been clearer than in the past week--AI agents run amok, lab employees forecasting doom, tech titans calling for a slow down. This is really about power and control — who decides what risks we take: us or them. 1/

If we want to defend ourselves and our democracy from authoritarianism, “we must invite people into the process of policymaking,” posits Elizabeth Wilkins (@elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social), president and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute.

New from @shahrzadshams.bsky.social: Prediction markets are becoming increasingly entrenched in major American institutions. Across sports, media and finance, these once-niche platforms are being woven into institutional infrastructure, data and marketing. That creates a problem for regulation. 🧵

Rising Treasury yields aren’t nothing. And working-class Americans will feel the consequences. For more on what’s actually driving the surge and what it means for the economy, read @grahamsteele.bsky.social’s new explainer:

Treasury yields just hit their highest level since 2007. Why should you care? Higher yields mean higher borrowing costs and more stress on financial markets. Our Fellow @grahamsteele.bsky.social explains what’s driving the spike and why the administration’s response could make things worse. ⬇️