Harvard won’t – Randall Kennedy and Ann Larson break down two very different fronts in U.S. life: Harvard’s refusal to settle in its dispute with President Trump, and the day-to-day pressures on supermarket workers at the checkstand.
Harvard is not backing down—at least not in the way some hoped—while supermarket checkstand workers keep moving through their shifts, pressed by the realities of the job.
On an episode of Start Making Sense, Randall Kennedy examines Harvard v. Trump, focusing on why the case is still being fought rather than resolved through a settlement. The segment is built around the central point in the title of the episode: Harvard won’t settle.
The other half of the program turns to work that most shoppers barely notice until something goes wrong. Ann Larson explains the work behind the grocery store checkstand. sketching how routine movements at a register can hide a far more demanding job—one that comes with constant pace. attention. and pressure that land on workers every day.
The episode is presented as a two-part look at the distance between major legal conflict and everyday labor: a university holding its ground in a high-stakes legal fight over President Trump, and workers at the front lines of consumer life dealing with the strain of keeping operations running.
The program also carries a production trail that readers may recognize from the listing itself. Jon Wiener is named in connection with the post, and the episode is labeled with the two hosts: Randall Kennedy for the Harvard dispute and Ann Larson for the grocery checkstand work.
Harvard v. Trump Harvard won't settle President Trump Start Making Sense Randall Kennedy Ann Larson grocery store workers supermarket checkstand
Harvard really said no to settling? wow.
If Harvard won’t settle with Trump then they’re just wasting everyone’s time. Meanwhile the grocery workers can’t even take a breath at the register… like what are we even doing here.
Wait so the checkstand workers are like being sued too? Or is this one of those stories where they blame the customer for “pressure”? I only saw the headline and it sounded like Harvard and grocery workers were connected somehow.
I don’t get why they keep talking about Harvard “not settling” like that changes anything. Don’t they have lawyers for that? And the grocery workers part—sure they’re under pressure, but half the stores don’t even staff enough lanes. Also Start Making Sense sounds like some podcast series so I’m not sure how legit it is.