by Derek Seidman | Feb 14, 2026 | AI, big tech, BlackRock, blackstone, Climate Crisis, data centers, Economy, Environment, Fossil Fuels, News Analysis, Organizing, Private Equity, Wisconsin
Data centers are big business. Around 3,000 new data centers — huge buildings that house the computing power that props up the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) — are currently being built or planned across the U.S. Some speculate that global spending on data centers could hit $3 trillion by 2029. Corporate interests — from energy firms and construction companies…
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by Derek Seidman | Nov 11, 2025 | BlackRock, Climate Change, Climate Crisis, data centers, electricity, Minnesota, News Analysis, Private Equity, public utilities
Ratepayers across the U.S. are facing rising electric bills — a trend that could be turbocharged by Wall Street’s growing effort to capture the electric utilities we all depend on. A critical turning point in this development occurred in October when Minnesota state regulators greenlit the acquisition of Allete by asset management behemoth BlackRock — set to become Allete’s majority…
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by Derek Seidman | Nov 6, 2025 | Amazon, big tech, Billionaires, BlackRock, Cryptocurrency, Deportations, Donald Trump, Gaza, Genocide, ICE, Israel, News Analysis, Palantir, Palestine, Private Equity, Surveillance, Trump Administration, Wall Street
Money has always distorted U.S. politics, but the current Trump regime has entered new territory with an unabashed pay-to-play setup that’s stuffing the president’s political coffers while enriching him and his family. Donald Trump’s coldly transactional dealings have been on full display as he’s tapped billionaire allies and major corporations to shower his administration with donations to…
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