Reading archive 2026-09-03

MLB players on salary cap, CBA talks, potential lockout, more

Trump is set to mark a dangerous first for the labor force: A drop in the number of workers in the economy is uncharted territory. - "Donald Trump is on track to become the first president in a century to oversee a U.S. labor force that will be smaller when he leaves office than when he entered. Since the start of his second term, the number of people in the United States who are either employed or looking for a job has dropped by 1.6 million — and it’s largely because of Trump’s immigration restrictions. Unless those policies change, a shrinking workforce will cause slower economic growth and lead to more expensive public debt."

Republicans fear Trump will keep super PAC money and not spend on the midterms: With the window for spending starting to shrink, a Trump-allied nonprofit is putting $1 million toward ads featuring the president, but his PAC hasn’t spent in contested races.

Trump administration threatens to cut off agencies’ ties to Smithsonian: Echoing White House attacks, an Interior Department letter threatened the institution “under current leadership” with loss of support for sourcing artifacts and more.

D.C. sues landlord over broken AC, rodents, other problems at apartments: The owner of the Delta Pearl accumulated nearly 200 code violations for problems such as piled up trash and broken locks, D.C's. attorney general's office alleges. - "In an email to The Washington Post, [building owner Buwa] Binitie acknowledged the “serious” conditions at the Delta Pearl and said unpaid rent and repeated vandalism by residents are partly to blame. Binitie said roughly two-thirds of the building’s residents are behind on their rent, and the property is carrying more than $1.8 million in delinquencies."

Why Trump is planting controversial genetically modified trees near the White House: The Agriculture Department deregulated a variety of engineered American chestnuts, known as Darling 54, easing permitting rules for planting.