Fear the Vulture: Alden Destroys News Organizations While Promising to Save Them

10 Sep 2020

Introduction MediaNews Group board member Heath Freeman, who once walked through a newsroom and asked “What do all these people do?” recently told a Washington Post reporter, “I would love our team to be remembered as the team that saved the newspaper business.”[1] That statement no doubt prompted dark laughter among the hundreds upon hundreds of newspaper employees who have been “saved” out of a job under his management of the company.... Read More

Pain and Profit: COVID-19 Profiteers in Puerto Rico

30 Jul 2020

Spanish PDF By Abner Dennis For many years, the pharmaceutical industry has extracted enormous amounts of wealth from Puerto Rico. The companies have secured lucrative tax breaks from local government officials interested in attracting their operations to the island, and as a result pharmaceutical products account for a large share of Puerto Rico’s exports.... Read More

FUND THE PEOPLE’S RECOVERY: MAKE BILLIONAIRES AND THE SUPER-RICH PAY

15 Jul 2020

Connecticut is in crisis Working people — especially those who are Black or brown — are losing their jobs, losing their health and losing their lives from COVID-19. They are terrorized by persistent, systemic racism in law enforcement. They do the risky-but-lifesaving work in the public sector and the private sector that’s essential to keep our state safe and functioning.... Read More

The Great Pandemic Wealth Divide: Billionaires Thrive In New York State as Working People Suffer

21 May 2020

I. Introduction When asked about raising taxes on the wealthy to fund New York State’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo has said “I don’t know how you raise taxes on people who are out of work and their businesses are closed because government needs more funding.”[1] It is not the only time that Cuomo has implied that the ultra-rich have been as ravaged by the pandemic as working class New Yorkers.... Read More

Amazon: Endangers Workers, Delivers Contagion, Reaps the Profit

16 Apr 2020

As the US quickly becomes the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, millions of people sheltering in place are increasingly turning to Amazon to secure basic goods. People working throughout Amazon’s operations are taking enormous personal risks by continuing to go to work in the midst of a pandemic. A single Amazon warehouse can employ thousands of people, which significantly concentrates the risk of transmission.[1]... Read More

HEDGE PAPER NO. 71: IT'S TIME TO MARTIN ACT

11 Mar 2020

Partner Paper: Billionaires Have Fueled Andrew Cuomo’s Political Career

4 Dec 2019

Download PDFDownload Billionaires Have Fueled Andrew Cuomo’s Political Career 49 Billionaires worth a combined $280 billion have made more than $4 million in individual donations to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is famous for his massive campaign war chest, funded by some of the state’s wealthiest residents and businesses.... Read More

HEDGE PAPERS NO. 70: LORI LIGHTFOOT’S FAVORED FEW

24 Oct 2019

422,000 reasons the Mayor won’t tax the rich to fund our schools There’s a revenue raiser out there that you likely won’t hear about from Mayor Lori Lightfoot. A financial transactions tax of $1-$2 on all options traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Options is projected to raise between $10 and $12 billion per year for the state of Illinois.[1] ... Read More

HEDGE PAPERS NO. 69: BILLIONAIRE CORPORATE LANDLORDS ARE EXACERBATING CALIFORNIA’S HOUSING CRISIS

27 Aug 2019

BILLIONAIRE CORPORATE LANDLORDS ARE EXACERBATING CALIFORNIA’S HOUSING CRISIS Acknowledgements This report was researched and written by Eli Vitulli (Center for Popular Democracy). Additional research and writing support was provided by Sofia Lopez (Action Center on Race & the Economy). It was edited by Amy Schur and Anya Svanoe (Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment), Michael Kink (Hedge Clippers), and Emily Gordon and Connie Razza (Center for Popular Democracy).... Read More

HEDGE PAPERS NO. 68: PAIN AND PROFIT Rosselló is gone but vultures still prey on Puerto Rico

13 Aug 2019

PDF En Espanol Pain and Profit – Rosselló is gone but vultures still prey on Puerto Rico Over the past month, Puerto Ricans have risen up in historic numbers to reject the old political and economic order overseen by a corrupt local elite that prioritizes its own interests and Wall Street profits over the Puerto Rican people.... Read More