Groundwork Collaborative
@groundwork.bsky.social
Building an economy that works for all of us. #WeAreTheEconomy
If everything feels harder than it should—canceling a subscription, fixing a bill, getting a refund, talking to real-life customer service—you’re not imagining it.
@annielowrey.bsky.social reports on our new analysis detailing the cost of the Annoyance Economy and its impact on working families.
@annielowrey.bsky.social reports on our new analysis detailing the cost of the Annoyance Economy and its impact on working families.
America’s Annoyance Economy Is Growing
The government should protect consumers instead of annoying them.
www.theatlantic.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:52 PM
If everything feels harder than it should—canceling a subscription, fixing a bill, getting a refund, talking to real-life customer service—you’re not imagining it.
@annielowrey.bsky.social reports on our new analysis detailing the cost of the Annoyance Economy and its impact on working families.
@annielowrey.bsky.social reports on our new analysis detailing the cost of the Annoyance Economy and its impact on working families.
NEW: Ever feel like everything takes longer, costs more, and leaves you more frustrated than it should? That’s not a coincidence.
We call it the Annoyance Economy, and it costs American families $165 billion a year in wasted time and money. 👇
We call it the Annoyance Economy, and it costs American families $165 billion a year in wasted time and money. 👇
Taking on the Annoyance Economy - Groundwork Collaborative
groundworkcollaborative.org
February 9, 2026 at 6:28 PM
NEW: Ever feel like everything takes longer, costs more, and leaves you more frustrated than it should? That’s not a coincidence.
We call it the Annoyance Economy, and it costs American families $165 billion a year in wasted time and money. 👇
We call it the Annoyance Economy, and it costs American families $165 billion a year in wasted time and money. 👇
Reposted by Groundwork Collaborative
The end of Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits in January caused millions to lose health care coverage and millions more to face higher premiums.
@kdoc-writes.bsky.social + @groundwork.bsky.social's Breyon Williams find Black families disproportionately face these impacts. Their latest 👇
@kdoc-writes.bsky.social + @groundwork.bsky.social's Breyon Williams find Black families disproportionately face these impacts. Their latest 👇
Failing to extend the enhanced ACA premium tax credits is an attack on working-class Black families and major metro areas
Summary Millions of working families will lose health care coverage, while millions of others are facing higher premiums, following the expiration of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax...
www.epi.org
February 9, 2026 at 5:27 PM
The end of Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits in January caused millions to lose health care coverage and millions more to face higher premiums.
@kdoc-writes.bsky.social + @groundwork.bsky.social's Breyon Williams find Black families disproportionately face these impacts. Their latest 👇
@kdoc-writes.bsky.social + @groundwork.bsky.social's Breyon Williams find Black families disproportionately face these impacts. Their latest 👇
This deal hits right at our new series with @prospect.org on the business of sports: billionaire team owners exploiting taxpayers for their own greed and gain.
NFL owners are the closest thing we have in America to medieval kings and queens.
🔗: prospect.org/2026/02/02/f...
NFL owners are the closest thing we have in America to medieval kings and queens.
🔗: prospect.org/2026/02/02/f...
February 9, 2026 at 3:24 PM
This deal hits right at our new series with @prospect.org on the business of sports: billionaire team owners exploiting taxpayers for their own greed and gain.
NFL owners are the closest thing we have in America to medieval kings and queens.
🔗: prospect.org/2026/02/02/f...
NFL owners are the closest thing we have in America to medieval kings and queens.
🔗: prospect.org/2026/02/02/f...
NEW INVESTIGATION: @borrowerjustice.bsky.social just released a new report revealing disturbing trends in short-term, high-cost “Rent Now, Pay Later” loans & the predatory firms using them to profit off of working families struggling to pay rent.
Rent Now, Pain Later Report - Protect Borrowers
Protect Borrowers and Towards Justice document predatory short-term, high-cost loans marketed to Americans struggling to pay high rents.
protectborrowers.org
February 6, 2026 at 8:51 PM
NEW INVESTIGATION: @borrowerjustice.bsky.social just released a new report revealing disturbing trends in short-term, high-cost “Rent Now, Pay Later” loans & the predatory firms using them to profit off of working families struggling to pay rent.
Reposted by Groundwork Collaborative
One of my favorite pieces from our sports issue is out today.
A new breed of financiers targets young athletes, typically Spanish-speaking, offering sketchy contracts with up-front money in exchange for a large cut of future earnings. Several players have sued. @carterd.bsky.social reports:
A new breed of financiers targets young athletes, typically Spanish-speaking, offering sketchy contracts with up-front money in exchange for a large cut of future earnings. Several players have sued. @carterd.bsky.social reports:
Circling Sharks - The American Prospect
A look inside the athlete-finance industry, which resembles predatory lending—and worse
prospect.org
February 6, 2026 at 2:20 PM
One of my favorite pieces from our sports issue is out today.
A new breed of financiers targets young athletes, typically Spanish-speaking, offering sketchy contracts with up-front money in exchange for a large cut of future earnings. Several players have sued. @carterd.bsky.social reports:
A new breed of financiers targets young athletes, typically Spanish-speaking, offering sketchy contracts with up-front money in exchange for a large cut of future earnings. Several players have sued. @carterd.bsky.social reports:
Reposted by Groundwork Collaborative
Rohit Chopra on @weeknightmsnow.bsky.social: As Trump downplays rising prices, major corporations report consumers delaying purchases, buying less, and relying more on credit — clear signs families are cutting back on essentials and taking on more debt just to get by.
February 5, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Rohit Chopra on @weeknightmsnow.bsky.social: As Trump downplays rising prices, major corporations report consumers delaying purchases, buying less, and relying more on credit — clear signs families are cutting back on essentials and taking on more debt just to get by.
Hear directly from President Trump 👂
President Trump says he wants to drive housing prices up, not down
Amid growing affordability concerns across the nation, President Trump said he is looking to drive housing prices further up, not down.
www.usatoday.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Hear directly from President Trump 👂
This deal follows the same billionaire playbook we’ve seen again and again.
Streaming is just another way greedy billionaires gouge you: If you want to see a sports game for all four major sports, that’ll cost you up to **$2,634 a year.**
Streaming is just another way greedy billionaires gouge you: If you want to see a sports game for all four major sports, that’ll cost you up to **$2,634 a year.**
Bad news for anyone who watches the NFL: The Trump administration just approved a massive consolidation of sports streaming.
It's a big mistake that will mean higher costs, and fewer choices to watch games.
It's a big mistake that will mean higher costs, and fewer choices to watch games.
February 4, 2026 at 3:39 PM
This deal follows the same billionaire playbook we’ve seen again and again.
Streaming is just another way greedy billionaires gouge you: If you want to see a sports game for all four major sports, that’ll cost you up to **$2,634 a year.**
Streaming is just another way greedy billionaires gouge you: If you want to see a sports game for all four major sports, that’ll cost you up to **$2,634 a year.**
FIFA is turning fans’ once-in-a-lifetime experience to attend a World Cup to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to price gouge fans.
@lindsayowens.bsky.social & Nia Law show how FIFA’s greed is extracting every last dollar from fans—from $175 parking fees to $80,000 tickets.
@lindsayowens.bsky.social & Nia Law show how FIFA’s greed is extracting every last dollar from fans—from $175 parking fees to $80,000 tickets.
February 3, 2026 at 9:06 PM
FIFA is turning fans’ once-in-a-lifetime experience to attend a World Cup to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to price gouge fans.
@lindsayowens.bsky.social & Nia Law show how FIFA’s greed is extracting every last dollar from fans—from $175 parking fees to $80,000 tickets.
@lindsayowens.bsky.social & Nia Law show how FIFA’s greed is extracting every last dollar from fans—from $175 parking fees to $80,000 tickets.
We can’t help with the Capitals’ performance, but the $16 12oz cocktail is a classic example of gouging.
Fans have no alternatives inside the arena, so billionaire owners charge whatever they want.
It doesn’t have to be this way ⤵️
Fans have no alternatives inside the arena, so billionaire owners charge whatever they want.
It doesn’t have to be this way ⤵️
February 3, 2026 at 8:07 PM
We can’t help with the Capitals’ performance, but the $16 12oz cocktail is a classic example of gouging.
Fans have no alternatives inside the arena, so billionaire owners charge whatever they want.
It doesn’t have to be this way ⤵️
Fans have no alternatives inside the arena, so billionaire owners charge whatever they want.
It doesn’t have to be this way ⤵️
New in @prospect.org: FIFA is gouging fans for cash at this year’s World Cup. @lindsayowens.bsky.social and Nia Law break down how.
Tickets are topping out at $80,000. Not a typo.
That price didn’t happen by accident.
Tickets are topping out at $80,000. Not a typo.
That price didn’t happen by accident.
February 3, 2026 at 7:00 PM
New in @prospect.org: FIFA is gouging fans for cash at this year’s World Cup. @lindsayowens.bsky.social and Nia Law break down how.
Tickets are topping out at $80,000. Not a typo.
That price didn’t happen by accident.
Tickets are topping out at $80,000. Not a typo.
That price didn’t happen by accident.
Reposted by Groundwork Collaborative
"From 2006 to 2022, the best available tickets to World Cup openers cost between $600 and $725 (adjusted for inflation). Now they are selling for triple that amount: $2,170 in Toronto, $2,355 in Mexico City, and a whopping $2,735 in Los Angeles." prospect.org/2026/02/03/f...
Red Card - The American Prospect
World Cup ticket prices are not fair play.
prospect.org
February 3, 2026 at 5:05 PM
"From 2006 to 2022, the best available tickets to World Cup openers cost between $600 and $725 (adjusted for inflation). Now they are selling for triple that amount: $2,170 in Toronto, $2,355 in Mexico City, and a whopping $2,735 in Los Angeles." prospect.org/2026/02/03/f...
Over 80% of Americans say sporting events are too expensive to attend. So it’s no surprise fans feel they’re being ripped off.
It’s the same playbook we see everywhere else: billionaire greed, consolidation, and profit above everything—whether it’s housing, health care, or your hometown team.
It’s the same playbook we see everywhere else: billionaire greed, consolidation, and profit above everything—whether it’s housing, health care, or your hometown team.
February 3, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Over 80% of Americans say sporting events are too expensive to attend. So it’s no surprise fans feel they’re being ripped off.
It’s the same playbook we see everywhere else: billionaire greed, consolidation, and profit above everything—whether it’s housing, health care, or your hometown team.
It’s the same playbook we see everywhere else: billionaire greed, consolidation, and profit above everything—whether it’s housing, health care, or your hometown team.
Reposted by Groundwork Collaborative
Details here
prospect.org/2026/02/02/f...
prospect.org/2026/02/02/f...
February 2, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Details here
prospect.org/2026/02/02/f...
prospect.org/2026/02/02/f...
Welcome to sports in the 21st century: KS taxpayers will spend $3 billion to move the Chiefs 23 miles—while the owners keep all the profits.
This is the new business of sports: Kansas hands out welfare to billionaire sports owners while fans fight for less opportunities to see their hometown team.
This is the new business of sports: Kansas hands out welfare to billionaire sports owners while fans fight for less opportunities to see their hometown team.
February 2, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Welcome to sports in the 21st century: KS taxpayers will spend $3 billion to move the Chiefs 23 miles—while the owners keep all the profits.
This is the new business of sports: Kansas hands out welfare to billionaire sports owners while fans fight for less opportunities to see their hometown team.
This is the new business of sports: Kansas hands out welfare to billionaire sports owners while fans fight for less opportunities to see their hometown team.
Reposted by Groundwork Collaborative
"As our economy has been defined by soaring inequality, the rising cost of living, the suppression of workers, and the financialization of everything over the last half-century, those same extractive and exploitative practices have crept their way onto the field of play."
Behind the Bleachers - The American Prospect
Behind the Bleachers: The business of sports looks a lot like the rest of our unequal, excessively financialized economy.
prospect.org
February 2, 2026 at 4:24 PM
"As our economy has been defined by soaring inequality, the rising cost of living, the suppression of workers, and the financialization of everything over the last half-century, those same extractive and exploitative practices have crept their way onto the field of play."
There it is: Gen Z voters regret their vote for Trump because he's failed them on the economy.
Our @lindsayowens.bsky.social called it back in October when she said young Americans were being squeezed from all sides as the American Dream floated out of reach.
Read it here ⤵️
Our @lindsayowens.bsky.social called it back in October when she said young Americans were being squeezed from all sides as the American Dream floated out of reach.
Read it here ⤵️
February 2, 2026 at 5:55 PM
There it is: Gen Z voters regret their vote for Trump because he's failed them on the economy.
Our @lindsayowens.bsky.social called it back in October when she said young Americans were being squeezed from all sides as the American Dream floated out of reach.
Read it here ⤵️
Our @lindsayowens.bsky.social called it back in October when she said young Americans were being squeezed from all sides as the American Dream floated out of reach.
Read it here ⤵️
Our new edition with @prospect.org dropped just in time for the Winter Olympics & the Big Game.
We break down how the same forces driving inequality in the economy are corrupting our national pastimes—with the wealthy prospering while fans & even players beg for the bare minimum.
We break down how the same forces driving inequality in the economy are corrupting our national pastimes—with the wealthy prospering while fans & even players beg for the bare minimum.
February 2, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Our new edition with @prospect.org dropped just in time for the Winter Olympics & the Big Game.
We break down how the same forces driving inequality in the economy are corrupting our national pastimes—with the wealthy prospering while fans & even players beg for the bare minimum.
We break down how the same forces driving inequality in the economy are corrupting our national pastimes—with the wealthy prospering while fans & even players beg for the bare minimum.
Reposted by Groundwork Collaborative
We'll have lots more coming over the next two weeks. I'm super proud of the issue and can't wait for you to see more. You can find each story here as we release them:
prospect.org/archive/feb-...
prospect.org/archive/feb-...
Feb 2026 Issue - The American Prospect
prospect.org
February 2, 2026 at 2:40 PM
We'll have lots more coming over the next two weeks. I'm super proud of the issue and can't wait for you to see more. You can find each story here as we release them:
prospect.org/archive/feb-...
prospect.org/archive/feb-...
Reposted by Groundwork Collaborative
Sports are just about the only thing we do together as Americans. It connects across generations & cultures, because it encapsulates the ideals we like to think America stands for: competition, fairness, hard work.
Yet as Alex Jacquez & I write, the business of sports stands for the exact opposite.
Yet as Alex Jacquez & I write, the business of sports stands for the exact opposite.
Behind the Bleachers - The American Prospect
Behind the Bleachers: The business of sports looks a lot like the rest of our unequal, excessively financialized economy.
prospect.org
February 2, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Sports are just about the only thing we do together as Americans. It connects across generations & cultures, because it encapsulates the ideals we like to think America stands for: competition, fairness, hard work.
Yet as Alex Jacquez & I write, the business of sports stands for the exact opposite.
Yet as Alex Jacquez & I write, the business of sports stands for the exact opposite.
Reposted by Groundwork Collaborative
For the next two weeks we at @prospect.org are rolling out a special issue on the business of sports.
Maybe you think this sounds trivial, that there are weightier topics to be tackled.
Actually it encompasses so much about our economy and society. (🧵)
Maybe you think this sounds trivial, that there are weightier topics to be tackled.
Actually it encompasses so much about our economy and society. (🧵)
February 2, 2026 at 2:40 PM
For the next two weeks we at @prospect.org are rolling out a special issue on the business of sports.
Maybe you think this sounds trivial, that there are weightier topics to be tackled.
Actually it encompasses so much about our economy and society. (🧵)
Maybe you think this sounds trivial, that there are weightier topics to be tackled.
Actually it encompasses so much about our economy and society. (🧵)
Reposted by Groundwork Collaborative
Rising electricity bills are just another thing families are struggling to afford in this economy. We shouldn't have to choose between paying the heat bill, paying rent or having health insurance. bsky.app/profile/grou...
We know Trump doesn't like long reads, so here are just four (4) “bad” numbers for his attention span.
January 31, 2026 at 2:03 AM
Rising electricity bills are just another thing families are struggling to afford in this economy. We shouldn't have to choose between paying the heat bill, paying rent or having health insurance. bsky.app/profile/grou...
Working families aren’t imagining it.
Housing, health care, child care, and education now cost so much that most voters say a middle-class life is unaffordable.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
Housing, health care, child care, and education now cost so much that most voters say a middle-class life is unaffordable.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
What Americans Really Mean by ‘Affordability’
A few key necessities are driving dissatisfaction, particularly among the young, our poll finds.
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Working families aren’t imagining it.
Housing, health care, child care, and education now cost so much that most voters say a middle-class life is unaffordable.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
Housing, health care, child care, and education now cost so much that most voters say a middle-class life is unaffordable.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
We’ll keep it short and sweet: Kevin Warsh is a disastrous choice to oversee monetary policy as Chair of the Federal Reserve.
January 30, 2026 at 1:23 PM
We’ll keep it short and sweet: Kevin Warsh is a disastrous choice to oversee monetary policy as Chair of the Federal Reserve.