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 | Jan 20, 2026 | AI, Banks, big tech, Billionaires, Cryptocurrency, data centers, Deregulation, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Fossil Fuels, News Analysis, Palantir, Private Equity, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Trump Administration, Venezuela, Wall Street
The first year of Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president has been a most profitable one for the Trump family and its inner circle. By now, much has been reported about the web of conflicts — the unapologetic ethical morass — that defines the second Trump administration and the Trump family’s cryptocurrency ventures, foreign business deals, military contracts, and more.
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by Mike Ludwig | Jan 13, 2026 | department of housing and urban development, Deportations, Discrimination, Donald Trump, Fair Housing Act, housing, HUD, News, Private Equity, Tariffs, Trump Administration, Wall Street
President Donald Trump pledged on the 2024 campaign trail to “end inflation” and bring down housing costs “with the goal of cutting the cost of a new home in half.” That messaging, which resonated with swing voters frustrated with inflation, helped propel Trump back into the White House. Nearly a year into his term, Trump’s approval ratings have hit new lows as he calls the continuing…
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by Rosemary Batt | Dec 10, 2025 | bankruptcy, Corporate Crime, health care, News Analysis, Nursing Home, nursing home abuse, Nursing Homes, Private Equity
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) is set to reintroduce the Corporate Crimes in Health Care Act — legislation that authorizes criminal and civil penalties for private equity owners of healthcare organizations when their actions cause the injury or death of patients under their care. It is the toughest legislation to date designed to curb the worst excesses of Wall Street owners in healthcare.
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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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