Today’s picks
1. Our forecast of the midterms’ outcome
This article forecasts the outcome of the midterms and argues that the current auguries favor the Democrats. It likely draws on polling, historical patterns and model-based analysis to explain the basis for that forecast and the variables that could alter it. It is worth reading for a concise guide to the race’s likely direction, the limits of prediction and the stakes involved.
2. Weil’s collapse and the death of corporate loyalty
Using Weil’s collapse as a lens, this article examines corporate fascination with superstar talent and how that reliance can erode loyalty and amplify risk. It shows how exceptional individuals may mask structural fragility. Worth reading for managers and employees reassessing talent, loyalty, and organizational resilience.
3. RFK, Jr., loosens restrictions for six popular peptides, bypassing the FDA
The new policy lets certain pharmacies dispense compounded combinations of six popular but unproven peptides, effectively bypassing the FDA’s usual restrictions. The article explains the regulatory change and its implications for access, evidence, and safety oversight. It is worth reading for anyone tracking U.S. drug regulation, peptide therapies, and public-health policy.
4. Landmark study finds three in four NFL players die with CTE
A landmark study estimates that about three in four former NFL players die with CTE, based on an analysis of medical records from thousands of former players. Its scale makes it a significant contribution to the debate over repetitive head impacts and long-term brain injury. Readers should examine the study’s methods and limitations to understand what the estimate does—and does not—establish.
5. From the archive: The disabled villain: why sensitivity reading can’t kill off this ugly trope – podcast
This archive episode revisits a 2023 Guardian long read by Jan Grue, a wheelchair user, on the “disabled villain” trope. He traces how centuries of fiction have used outer difference to signal inner monstrosity, and argues that sensitivity reading cannot fix this by removing a few slurs. The piece is worth reading for its account of how deeply such stereotypes are built into narrative structure.
By publication
The Economist
Scientific American
- RFK, Jr., loosens restrictions for six popular peptides, bypassing the FDA
- Landmark study finds three in four NFL players die with CTE