You may have missed it, but an outfit called Digital First Media (DFM) is trying to buy the Gannett newspaper chain. Last year, I wrote a lengthy investigative piece on how private equity and hedge fund companies like DFM are destroying what’s left of America’s metropolitan dailies. You can read about it here. The basic […]
Private Equity
Posted inEducation in America
LA Teachers’ Potential ‘Meta-Strike’ Reveals Battle Lines in U.S. Public Education War
Superintendent Austin Beutner and his allies have made it clear they do not believe that the LA Unified School District in its current incarnation is worth investing in—or even preserving.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Sears Adds Further Insult to Its Workers — Bankruptcy Bonuses for Execs
Amazingly, a bankruptcy judge has approved $25 million for 334 senior executives, while tens of thousands of ordinary employees face layoffs.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Last President of the Old Ruling Class
George H.W. Bush, 1924-2018
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Who Gets to Tell Stories About Poverty?
The Economic Hardship Reporting Project is redefining how we cover inequality.
Posted inHousing and Transportation
Challenges to Corporate Power Are on the BallotÂ
Voters in several states consider initiatives on progressive measures that major corporations are working hard to defeat.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Women Bolster the Democrats’ Midwestern Prospects
Michigan Democrats are making a comeback. Women candidates, activists and voters are the reason why.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Private Equity Pillage: Grocery Stores and Workers At Risk
The private equity business model is to strip assets from companies that they acquire. The latest victims: retail grocery chains
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Blackstone Spends Huge to Kill California Rent Control
Much of the $65 million campaign against the state’s rent-control initiative comes from giant private equity firms and real-estate investment trusts.
Posted inEconomic Policy
The Silver Lining of the New Gilded Age: Fewer Targets
When a private equity firm like Blackstone becomes a mega-landlord, money lender, and construction behemoth, many different progressive constituencies can come together to pressure and bargain with it.
