Thomas Birmingham

@thomasbirm.bsky.social

Y23, He/Him | Someone once said I’m naturally anti-dogmatic. Housing is a human right. Currently @thenation.com. Previously @inthesetimesmag.bsky.social and more!

I had the honor of spending time this week with the Kentucky Tenant Union and came away inspired by their razor-sharp clarity of purpose and commitment to one another. At a time when so many feel powerless, they're showing what's possible when neighbors come together to build real collective power.

Group photo of Brian with Kentucky Tenant Union members and organizers in Louisville

There's still time to apply for a summer internship @inthesetimes.com! As fascists and billionaires ransack the journalism industry, there's never been a better time to join an award-winning, nonprofit, progressive outlet. Deadline is March 15! Details: inthesetimes.com/internships

Internships

If you have a strong interest in progressive politics, independent publishing and journalism, we encourage you to apply for an editorial internship with In These Times.

inthesetimes.com

“American Landmark is … owned by Elco, one of Israel’s largest corporations… Elco … has done extensive business in Israeli settlements … considered illegal under international law. Elco has also maintained deep ties to the Israeli military, including during the genocide in Gaza.” Wow.

Thomas Birmingham@thomasbirm.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Yesterday, @thenation.com ran my unprecedented investigation revealing a major U.S. landlord's links to West Bank settlements and the IDF. To see how American Landmark's U.S. tenants are being victimized, let's look at AL's properties in Charlotte, NC. (1/10) www.thenation.com/article/soci...

Today's must-read by @thomasbirm.bsky.social: a major corporate landlord is fueling homelessness across the U.S. *and* the mass displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank. The Israeli company owns tens of thousands of apartments in the South, filing evictions at nine times the national average.

The Eviction Kings

One of Israel’s biggest companies is taking over huge swaths of US real estate—and tenants are paying the price.

thenation.com

Also if you read this story and went "omfg," please follow @thomasbirm.bsky.social, who worked on it for over a year and is brilliant in every way.

Jack Mirkinson@jackmirkinson.bsky.social · 9mo ago

We have a stunning story from @thomasbirm.bsky.social in @thenation.com. It's about how one of Israel's biggest companies, with deep ties to the IDF and illegal settlements, is taking over huge swathes of US real estate—with tenants paying the price. A MUST-read. www.thenation.com/article/soci...

We have a stunning story from @thomasbirm.bsky.social in @thenation.com. It's about how one of Israel's biggest companies, with deep ties to the IDF and illegal settlements, is taking over huge swathes of US real estate—with tenants paying the price. A MUST-read. www.thenation.com/article/soci...

The Eviction Kings

One of Israel’s biggest companies is taking over huge swaths of US real estate—and tenants are paying the price.

thenation.com

BREAKING: Hundreds of tenants across four states are waging the first campaign in recent memory to bargain with a shared private equity landlord across state lines For @inthesetimes.com, this is the Tenant Union Federation’s effort to win a historic interstate lease inthesetimes.com/article/priv...

Have Private Equity Landlords Met Their Match?

A new campaign from the Tenant Union Federation is uniting hundreds of tenants in four states to take on the mega-corporation that owns their homes.

inthesetimes.com

A new campaign from the Tenant Union Federation is uniting hundreds of tenants in four states to take on the mega-corporation that owns their homes. New report from @thomasbirm.bsky.social @inthesetimes.com on how tenant unions are taking on private equity landlords.

Have Private Equity Landlords Met Their Match?

A new campaign from the Tenant Union Federation is uniting hundreds of tenants in four states to take on the mega-corporation that owns their homes.

inthesetimes.com

In NY, homeowners are 2x as likely to vote as tenants. Unless there are pro-tenant policies on the ballot, that is, like a rent freeze. In the mayoral race @tenantbloc.bsky.social tried to awaken the untapped potential of tenants as a political bloc. Read @thomasbirm.bsky.social on this strategy ⬇️

Will NYC's Long-Suffering Tenants Carry Zohran Mamdani to Victory?

A close look inside the campaign that has helped turn New York City renters into a force to be reckoned with.

inthesetimes.com

NEW: Since February, I've followed @tenantbloc.bsky.social's campaign to win a rent freeze in NYC. Now, Zohran Mamdani is on the verge of a victory that would deliver one. Here's a first look into how organizers brought over 20,000 tenants into Mamdani's coalition. inthesetimes.com/article/zohr...

Will NYC's Long-Suffering Tenants Carry Zohran Mamdani to Victory?

A close look inside the campaign that has helped turn New York City renters into a force to be reckoned with.

inthesetimes.com

I'm so, so honored to be named a 2025 Livingston Award finalist for “As Corporate Landlords Spread, a Mold Epidemic Takes Root” in @inthesetimes.com. I spent 6+ months on this investigation, interviewing New Haven tenants who developed respiratory conditions thanks to landlord neglect. Read below!

Wallace House Center for Journalists@umwallacehouse.bsky.social · last yr.

🌟 The 2025 Livingston Award Finalists for National Reporting! These exceptional journalists under 35 are telling stories that challenge assumptions and deepen our understanding of the nation. Read their work here: loom.ly/LAVASEQ #JournalismExcellence

As someone who was there, the Jewish student the YDN quoted as saying he was “blocked from walking through Yale’s campus”was: - Attempting to forcefully move into the circle of students while filming them - Was the first to inform admin the encampment was being built - Is a frequent Fox News guest

BREAKING: Yalies4Palestine, Yale’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, was deregistered as an official student org at 3 PM today by Yale admin. The move comes after 200 students built a new encampment last night, an action the group says they were unaffiliated with. 🧵

BREAKING: Under threat of imminent arrests, organizers have instructed the newly constructed Gaza solidarity encampment at Yale to disperse for the night. They instructed protestors to reconvene tomorrow, when war-criminal Itamar Ben-Gvir will be addressing a Yale society. 🧵

BREAKING: A new Gaza solidarity encampment is being built at Yale, one year after dozens were arrested here. They demand immediate divestment from Israeli weapons manufacturing. Despite the Trump admin abducting activists like Mahmoud Khalil nationwide, hundreds of are here anyway. FREE PALESTINE!

BREAKING: I’ve confirmed that public housing authorities (PHAs) have been told that Trump’s funding freeze has been RESCINDED. Also received word from multiple PHAs that February Section 8 payments will go out as planned. See the email that went out today from HUD below:

An email from the Department of Housing and Urban Development