Susan Holmberg
@susanrholmberg.bsky.social
Proudly from Minnesota. Writer, Comms, looking for patterns in the economy. Associate Director for Research @ILSR. Former @rooseveltinstitute.org @PERIatUMass. PhD, UMass Econ.
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
I live in Minneapolis, and witnessing the ways local businesses are boldly and creatively stepping up to meet community needs as large corporations offer mild statements or facilitate ICE reminds me why antimonopoly policy is central to a healthy democracy.
foodandpower.substack.com/p/wall-stree...
foodandpower.substack.com/p/wall-stree...
Wall Street Doesn’t Reward Resilience, Main Street Does
Minnesota shows how small businesses can support their communities through crisis while large corporations make measured statements, or worse, cooperate with authoritarian overreach.
foodandpower.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:30 PM
I live in Minneapolis, and witnessing the ways local businesses are boldly and creatively stepping up to meet community needs as large corporations offer mild statements or facilitate ICE reminds me why antimonopoly policy is central to a healthy democracy.
foodandpower.substack.com/p/wall-stree...
foodandpower.substack.com/p/wall-stree...
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
🚨 The political economy of finance summer school is back, 3rd year running! Better still: We're bringing it to London via @lse-ei.bsky.social.
𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜: Finance & democracy
𝙳̲̲𝚊̲̲𝚝̲̲𝚎̲: 4-5 June 2026
𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦: March 1. Link below.
We've got brilliant instructors as usual. Please spread the word!
𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜: Finance & democracy
𝙳̲̲𝚊̲̲𝚝̲̲𝚎̲: 4-5 June 2026
𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦: March 1. Link below.
We've got brilliant instructors as usual. Please spread the word!
February 4, 2026 at 3:27 PM
🚨 The political economy of finance summer school is back, 3rd year running! Better still: We're bringing it to London via @lse-ei.bsky.social.
𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜: Finance & democracy
𝙳̲̲𝚊̲̲𝚝̲̲𝚎̲: 4-5 June 2026
𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦: March 1. Link below.
We've got brilliant instructors as usual. Please spread the word!
𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜: Finance & democracy
𝙳̲̲𝚊̲̲𝚝̲̲𝚎̲: 4-5 June 2026
𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦: March 1. Link below.
We've got brilliant instructors as usual. Please spread the word!
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
happening this morning in Minneapolis -- ICE agents drawing guns on observers. I reiterate again that it is only a matter of time before DHS kills more innocent people in Minnesota. Congress needs to shut this shit down right now.
February 3, 2026 at 4:19 PM
happening this morning in Minneapolis -- ICE agents drawing guns on observers. I reiterate again that it is only a matter of time before DHS kills more innocent people in Minnesota. Congress needs to shut this shit down right now.
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
"four things"
Tim Walz Calls for Mass Resistance Against ICE in Minnesota
YouTube video by electron media group, inc.
youtu.be
January 15, 2026 at 5:57 PM
"four things"
Reports from outside Minneapolis are that ICE is pulling people over on the freeway, leaving cars abandoned. They have been seen in towns throughout the Twin City exurbs. If you are feeling moved to help families in MN, this is verified. www.gofundme.com/f/support-so...
Donate to Support Twin Cities families in Crisis: Metro Surge, organized by Southwest Alliance
Our neighbors all over the Twin Cities Metro have now been end… Southwest Alliance needs your support for Support Twin Cities families in Crisis: Metro Surge
www.gofundme.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Reports from outside Minneapolis are that ICE is pulling people over on the freeway, leaving cars abandoned. They have been seen in towns throughout the Twin City exurbs. If you are feeling moved to help families in MN, this is verified. www.gofundme.com/f/support-so...
@ronmknox.bsky.social has a must read end-of-year piece. Working Americans are raging against corporate power, which is coalescing into an antimonopoly movement. This should be the Democratic party's lodestar. (Also, no one does antimonopoly storytelling better.) www.thenation.com/article/acti...
Anger at Corporate Power Is Everywhere
It should guide the Democrats.
www.thenation.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:36 PM
@ronmknox.bsky.social has a must read end-of-year piece. Working Americans are raging against corporate power, which is coalescing into an antimonopoly movement. This should be the Democratic party's lodestar. (Also, no one does antimonopoly storytelling better.) www.thenation.com/article/acti...
Months ago, we filed to get the FTC complaint against Pepsi unsealed. Last week, the judge ruled in our favor. It's damning, implicating Walmart. @ilsr.bsky.social
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Pepsi Gave Walmart Special Discounts, Biden-Era FTC Alleged
PepsiCo Inc. offers Walmart Inc. special product promotions and discounts that it doesn’t offer to any other retailers, according to a Biden-era antitrust complaint that was unsealed by a court.
www.bloomberg.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Months ago, we filed to get the FTC complaint against Pepsi unsealed. Last week, the judge ruled in our favor. It's damning, implicating Walmart. @ilsr.bsky.social
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
good LORD. like some turducken of neoliberal nightmares
A for-profit education firm called Stride is opening a school inside a for-profit immigration prison run by CoreCivic. Stride has been accused of defrauding investors and providing substandard education to children.
@whitneycwimbish.bsky.social spotted the job listings:
prospect.org/2025/12/10/f...
@whitneycwimbish.bsky.social spotted the job listings:
prospect.org/2025/12/10/f...
For-Profit School Opening in For-Profit ICE Family Prison - The American Prospect
Stride, Inc., is hiring multiple teachers to run a new school at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley.
prospect.org
December 10, 2025 at 6:54 PM
good LORD. like some turducken of neoliberal nightmares
Check out our latest investigation. Public buying on Amazon has ballooned and governments are facing higher costs and less transparency. This is pushing out independent suppliers that feed local tax bases — at a time when local budgets are bleeding dry. There's a better way. ⬇️
1. Amazon has become a major force in how cities, counties & schools buy basic supplies. Our new report finds Amazon is using opaque pricing algorithms to drive up costs and eliminate transparency—while harming competition by pushing out better-performing independent suppliers.
Turning Public Money into Amazon’s Profits | Independent Business
Amazon has quietly captured a growing share of government purchasing. This major report explains how, and what to do about it.
ilsr.org
December 4, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Check out our latest investigation. Public buying on Amazon has ballooned and governments are facing higher costs and less transparency. This is pushing out independent suppliers that feed local tax bases — at a time when local budgets are bleeding dry. There's a better way. ⬇️
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
Okay, so maybe I wasn't too mean to him ...
November 12, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Okay, so maybe I wasn't too mean to him ...
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
More power for workers. Protections for small businesses. Freedom from slumlords. With Lina Khan by his side, Zohran Mamdani is the vanguard of the modern antimonopoly movement.
Mamdani and the Antimonopoly Movement
In policies and promise, Zohran Mamdani has become antimonopoly's flag bearer
www.whoshallrule.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:32 PM
More power for workers. Protections for small businesses. Freedom from slumlords. With Lina Khan by his side, Zohran Mamdani is the vanguard of the modern antimonopoly movement.
What is this feeling? It's so unfamiliar.
November 5, 2025 at 1:05 PM
What is this feeling? It's so unfamiliar.
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
The imperial presidency wasn’t built in a term - my latest
Comment, denounce, retweet!
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/o...
Comment, denounce, retweet!
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/o...
Opinion | Resistance to Trump Isn’t Enough
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 11:34 AM
The imperial presidency wasn’t built in a term - my latest
Comment, denounce, retweet!
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/o...
Comment, denounce, retweet!
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/o...
Ron is an exceptional storyteller of resistance and analyst of corporate abuses. This substack is going to be good.
Hello. Today, I'm launching Who Shall Rule, where I'll tell stories and share thoughts about frontline fights against corporate control - fights that reflect an emerging political movement to break free from the abuse of corporate oligarchy. Welcome! Subscribe!
www.whoshallrule.com/p/who-shall-...
www.whoshallrule.com/p/who-shall-...
Who Shall Rule: A welcome note
People everywhere are standing up to corporate domination.
www.whoshallrule.com
October 6, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Ron is an exceptional storyteller of resistance and analyst of corporate abuses. This substack is going to be good.
There's an antimonopoly movement afoot, happening at the local level. prospect.org/economy/2025...
The Shifting Anti-Monopoly Landscape
Fights over data centers and music venues show that resisting corporate power will have to go local in the age of Trump.
prospect.org
September 3, 2025 at 1:22 PM
There's an antimonopoly movement afoot, happening at the local level. prospect.org/economy/2025...
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
Dr Lisa Cook is a fantastic economist and person, and the attacks lobbed against her are absolutely egregious. Sharing the letter in support of her below. #Econsky
Over 125 economists signed the open letter calling on the President, Congress, and the American public to uphold the principles of Federal Reserve independence and not remove Lisa Cook without due process.
There's still time to sign! And please share.
#EconSky
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
There's still time to sign! And please share.
#EconSky
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Open letter
Click here to add your signature. An Open Letter from Economists in Support of Governor Lisa Cook and Federal Reserve Independence To the President, Members of Congress, and the American public: We wr...
docs.google.com
August 28, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Dr Lisa Cook is a fantastic economist and person, and the attacks lobbed against her are absolutely egregious. Sharing the letter in support of her below. #Econsky
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
Standing up for workers. Treating everyone with dignity and respect. Working as hard as possible for the people of Ohio.
I've tried to live my life by those principles. But these days that's not what's happening in Washington—so I'm running for Senate.
I've tried to live my life by those principles. But these days that's not what's happening in Washington—so I'm running for Senate.
August 18, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Standing up for workers. Treating everyone with dignity and respect. Working as hard as possible for the people of Ohio.
I've tried to live my life by those principles. But these days that's not what's happening in Washington—so I'm running for Senate.
I've tried to live my life by those principles. But these days that's not what's happening in Washington—so I'm running for Senate.
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
A great time to re-up this article -- How to Break Up with Amazon: ilsr.org/articles/its... @ilsr.bsky.social @kennedysmith.bsky.social
July 11, 2025 at 2:25 PM
A great time to re-up this article -- How to Break Up with Amazon: ilsr.org/articles/its... @ilsr.bsky.social @kennedysmith.bsky.social
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
"It’s easy to think of food deserts as a natural consequence of poverty. But...the real reason food deserts emerged...is because of a major shift in one federal policy."
The 99% Percent Invisible podcast has a great new episode on the hidden history of the Robinson-Patman Act.
The 99% Percent Invisible podcast has a great new episode on the hidden history of the Robinson-Patman Act.
Food Deserts - 99% Invisible
Woonsocket, Rhode Island was once home to many locally owned and regional grocers. There were small stores such as Fernandes Produce and Big D’s. The city also had supermarkets from classic New Englan...
99percentinvisible.org
July 10, 2025 at 1:06 PM
"It’s easy to think of food deserts as a natural consequence of poverty. But...the real reason food deserts emerged...is because of a major shift in one federal policy."
The 99% Percent Invisible podcast has a great new episode on the hidden history of the Robinson-Patman Act.
The 99% Percent Invisible podcast has a great new episode on the hidden history of the Robinson-Patman Act.
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
Complaining about process is a way to sidestep having to take a stand and use your position to fight for a simple, obvious, and popular rule that would help Americans save money and avoid being taken advantage of.
July 9, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Complaining about process is a way to sidestep having to take a stand and use your position to fight for a simple, obvious, and popular rule that would help Americans save money and avoid being taken advantage of.
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
Shoppers have fewer options for groceries after waves of supermarket mergers, and, writes Ron Knox, they get nickled and dimed at the stores that remain. www.thenation.com/article/soci...
As Federal Chaos Ensues, Trustbusters Rise in the States
With Trump’s antitrust appointees more concerned with scoring points in MAGA culture wars than restraining corporate abuses, officials in the states are keeping up the fight.
www.thenation.com
July 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Shoppers have fewer options for groceries after waves of supermarket mergers, and, writes Ron Knox, they get nickled and dimed at the stores that remain. www.thenation.com/article/soci...
A beautiful tribute to the late founder of @ilsr.bsky.social. He profoundly shaped how to think about the intersection of place, power, and policy. ilsr.org/articles/rem...
A Letter from ILSR’s Co-Directors: Remembering David Morris - Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Visited 105 times, 105 visit(s) today
ilsr.org
July 2, 2025 at 8:01 PM
A beautiful tribute to the late founder of @ilsr.bsky.social. He profoundly shaped how to think about the intersection of place, power, and policy. ilsr.org/articles/rem...
State leadership on antitrust is not new. Our first trustbusting laws were incubated at the state-level. This tradition is being revived. New from @ronmknox.bsky.social
Trump's "MAGA antitrust" enforcers seem more interested in unserious culture war grievances than enforcing the law. But don't worry: The states - our original trustbusters - are fighting for workers, shoppers and small businesses. New from me in
@thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/soci...
@thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/soci...
As Federal Chaos Ensues, Trustbusters Rise in the States
With Trump’s antitrust appointees more concerned with scoring points in MAGA culture wars than restraining corporate abuses, officials in the states are keeping up the fight.
www.thenation.com
July 2, 2025 at 5:56 PM
State leadership on antitrust is not new. Our first trustbusting laws were incubated at the state-level. This tradition is being revived. New from @ronmknox.bsky.social
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
With many people talking about how Mamdani has embraced small businesses as a crucial & obvious part of a progressive coalition of working people, I wanted to re-up this piece from a few years ago: ilsr.org/articles/in-...
June 25, 2025 at 5:07 PM
With many people talking about how Mamdani has embraced small businesses as a crucial & obvious part of a progressive coalition of working people, I wanted to re-up this piece from a few years ago: ilsr.org/articles/in-...
@ronmknox.bsky.social's new piece in Wash Monthly today, examining why the Trump FTC's decision to drop a landmark case against PepsiCo for price discrimination will be extremely bad for for community grocers and people who, you know, like to buy food. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/06/25/h...
Has Trump’s FTC abandoned fair markets? | Washington Monthly
Trump's FTC just killed a landmark antitrust case that could have leveled the playing field for small grocers.
washingtonmonthly.com
June 25, 2025 at 3:25 PM
@ronmknox.bsky.social's new piece in Wash Monthly today, examining why the Trump FTC's decision to drop a landmark case against PepsiCo for price discrimination will be extremely bad for for community grocers and people who, you know, like to buy food. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/06/25/h...