Rebecca Burns
@rebeccaburns.bsky.social
Investigative reporter and editor. 🏡,🏦,☀️, also🐈. she/ her.
New York City tenants won a rent freeze. @rebeccaburns.bsky.social reports that after months of organizing by tenant groups, unions, & rent-stabilized tenants, the Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze rents for 1 million regulated apartments.
Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to “Freeze the Rent”
“Affordable rent should be an essential demand of the labor movement as a whole,” says New York Taxi Workers Alliance President Bhairavi Desai.
inthesetimes.com
Indiana is building a new prison, and it’s already equipped for firing squad executions, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reports.
Indiana's new prison already equipped for firing squads as death penalty debate continues • Indiana Capital Chronicle
Indiana prison officials confirmed the state's next correctional complex is already equipped for a firing squad option.
indianacapitalchronicle.com
A city panel looks set to enact a first-of-its-kind, two-year rent freeze on 1 million+ NYC apartments tonight. @psc-cuny.org was among the labor groups backing the rent-freeze campaign—and wants to see more unions learn to "exercise our power in broader ways." inthesetimes.com/article/labo...
Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to “Freeze the Rent”
“Affordable rent should be an essential demand of the labor movement as a whole,” says New York Taxi Workers Alliance President Bhairavi Desai.
inthesetimes.com
“We’re trying to encourage others to be involved in this kind of work. That involves all unions learning to exercise our power in a broader way.” —Jen Gaboury, talking about @psc-cuny.org's admirable efforts to bring Bargaining for the Common Good to NYC!
In These Times@inthesetimes.com · last mo.Tonight, NYC’s Rent Guidelines Board votes on whether to freeze rents for roughly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. “Affordable rent should be a central, essential demand of the labor movement as a whole,” says New York Taxi Workers Alliance President Bhairavi Desai.
Tonight, NYC’s Rent Guidelines Board votes on whether to freeze rents for roughly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. “Affordable rent should be a central, essential demand of the labor movement as a whole,” says New York Taxi Workers Alliance President Bhairavi Desai.
Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to “Freeze the Rent”
“Affordable rent should be an essential demand of the labor movement as a whole,” says New York Taxi Workers Alliance President Bhairavi Desai.
inthesetimes.com
Wow. Prairieland defendants being handed sentences between 40 and 100 years. For background on this case: www.ms.now/news/antifa-...
Trump wants to prosecute anti-fascists as terrorists. This Texas trial will test his power.
A July 4 shooting at an ICE detention center could change the way the federal government prosecutes activists.
ms.now
DFW Support Committee@dfwsupportcommitt.bsky.social · last mo.Federal sentencing has started. Zachary Evetts was just sentenced to 50 years by Chief District Judge Reed O'Connor. Maricela Rueda was just sentenced to 840 months / 70 years by Judge Mark Pittman.
SCOOP: ICE is planning to offload seven warehouses purchased for more than $700 million by either giving them to other federal agencies or selling them outright, according to documents obtained by The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/u...
ICE Spent $700 Million on 7 Warehouses. Now It Wants to Get Rid of Them.
nytimes.com
We were the only UNIONIZED employees he’d ever had, too. I am broke as hell now, but I’ll never regret saying this: EAT SHIT, YOU PATHETIC TWERP. No matter how much cash you accrue, you’ll never know the joy of solidarity. Your life is empty, and you’ll be remembered as a warning to children.
Update: I have been informed that the country is big and that this is a small fraction of the total multifamily apartment stock. That seems right. Much more impressive is the proportion of men living in the Bay Area whose jobs would appear to consist of repeating this single talking point.
Rebecca Burns@rebeccaburns.bsky.social · 2mo agoNEW: Can landlords act as a monopoly? We're about to find out: A merger between two real-estate behemoths is set to put nearly 200,000 apartments in the hands of one company. (🧵) inthesetimes.com/article/real...
Rental property mergers have been made exempt from antitrust scrutiny, yet 2 companies—AvalonBay Communities and Equity Residential—are planning to merge and create effective monopolies in at least seven communities. Co-pubbed with @inthesetimes.com, from Rebecca Burns. prospect.org/2026/06/17/r...
Real Estate Merger Poised to Create Several Local Apartment Monopolies - The American Prospect
A combination between AvalonBay and Equity Residential would put close to 200,000 apartments in the hands of one company.
prospect.org
This is weird. An ICE flight on a private jet (operated by Talon Air, owned by Jordache jeans founder Joe Nakash) fell off of both ground and satellite receivers for about 7 1/2 hours this morning. This is NOT NORMAL. 1/
A $69 billion merger between two real estate behemoths is set to create the largest publicly traded apartment landlord in U.S. history. Both have been sued repeatedly over alleged tenant abuses and illegal price-fixing. prospect.org?p=139889
NEW: Can landlords act as a monopoly? We're about to find out: A merger between two real-estate behemoths is set to put nearly 200,000 apartments in the hands of one company. (🧵) inthesetimes.com/article/real...
Real Estate Merger Poised to Create Several Local Apartment Monopolies
A combination between AvalonBay and Equity Residential would put close to 200,000 apartments in the hands of one company.
inthesetimes.com
EXCLUSIVE: Top Pentagon Official Admits Boat Strike May Have Killed Victims of Human Trafficking If this boat was running drugs, why was it loaded with so many people? theintercept.com/2026/06/10/t...
Top Pentagon Official Admits Boat Strike May Have Killed Victims of Human Trafficking
If this boat was running drugs, why was it loaded with so many people?
theintercept.com
Earlier this week, Aala Abdullahi and I published a story about the impact of rapid transfers on people that ICE has locked away in detention facilities. www.themarshallproject.org/2026/06/01/i...
ICE Detained Them, and Then They Vanished
Under Trump, the U.S. increasingly sends immigrants all over the nation with little warning, leaving families and attorneys unsure where they are.
themarshallproject.org
Next weekend in Chicago! After the Labor Notes conference, come through @inthesetimesmag for an afterparty with music, comedy, and a veritable murderer's row of labor journalists. secure.actblue.com/donate/inthe...
Tix here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/inthesetimesafterparty
Tix here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/inthesetimesafterparty
secure.actblue.com
In Bozeman, MT, trailer park tenants unionized in 12 days. Now, facing an 11% rent hike and an anonymous investor, @rebeccaburns.bsky.social reports, they launched a rent strike — reviving a forgotten history of tenant collective bargaining in the state.
This May Day, Montana Trailer Park Tenants Are Going on Rent Strike
As surging housing costs push workers out of Bozeman, tenants are confronting rising rents with collective action.
inthesetimes.com
Today, @rebeccaburns.bsky.social reports Washington State passed a millionaire’s tax—and at least eight others will consider new taxes on the ultra-wealthy this year, as organizers set their sights on state legislatures. inthesetimes.com/article/slog...
RESULT: Community organizer Miguel Alvelo-Rivera has ousted state Representative Jaime Andrade in the Democratic primary. This is the Chicago-based HD40, & Andrade has been a longtime target of the Chicago left.
I covered money in politics for years, and a state race playing out in my district is truly one of the most alarming things I've seen. SuperPACs funded by Meta and DraftKings are absolutely hammering voters with positive ads for incumbent Rep. Jaime Andrade... (🧵)
ICYMI, the race in IL HD-40 (where I live) has fully jumped the shark. Instead of red-baiting the challenger to his Left, which hasn't worked in this district, establishment ally Jaime Andrade has doubled down the lie that immigrant rights organizer Miguel Alvelo-Rivera ... supports ICE?
Taniel@taniel.bsky.social · 5mo agoElections continue this Tuesday. What’s up? —the first round to replace MTG in Georgia —a generational battle in the Dem primary for Mississippi’s CD02 —Dems have a chance at another legislative flip in New Hampshire —local elections in Tempe, Arizona Details on each:
Shorter: Rep. Jaime Andrade is flat out lying.
Drew@drewrussian.bsky.social · 5mo agoRich Miller on Jaime Andrade's "hallucinatory campaign"
The law firm that challenged U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino in federal court last fall signals a forthcoming bid for a special prosecutor to "investigate crimes committed by federal agents under Operation Midway Blitz." Press conference Thursday:
Loevy & Loevy@loevy.com · 5mo agoMEDIA ADVISORY: At a press conference Thursday, a coalition of organizations, elected officials, religious leaders, journalists, attorneys, academics, and individuals will call for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate crimes committed by federal agents under Operation Midway Blitz.
There are three state level candidates sponsored by DraftKings - Jaime Andrade, Adam Braun, and Sara Feigenholtz - and all three have either no showed or won't agree to a debate. A pattern emerges.
Mike Fragassi@refrag.bsky.social · 5mo ago
#ILPolitics scoop -- DraftKings is now the largest outsider spender in state races. The sportsbook's new SuperPAC is spending big on candidates like Rep. Jaime Andrade in Illinois' 40th district. @votejandrade.bsky.social is being challenged by community organizer @miguelfor40.bsky.social.
In These Times@inthesetimes.com · 5mo agoDraftKings wants your legislature. @matthewccook5.bsky.social reports a DraftKings-backed super PAC is pouring $1.2M into Illinois Democratic primaries, backing candidates who’ll block tighter rules and higher taxes after the state’s per-bet tax cut into profits.
This is basically straight up lying to the voters by Jaime Andrade’s campaign, which is smearing his opponent by false accusing them of supporting ICE. Good campaign truth squadding by @olivia0.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/25/i...
Illinois Democrats are trying desperately to tie their opponents to ICE, including in one key state House race
Illinois Democrats had been largely unified against President Donald Trump’s Chicago-area immigration enforcement crackdown. Now, the issue is being used as a political wedge in this spring’s Democ…
chicagotribune.com
A window into the utter uselessness of establishment Dems from my corner of the world... Last fall, as masked agents kidnapped my neighbors daily, I literally never once saw my state rep. @jaimeandrade.bsky.social. Now, he's sending unhinged mailers accusing his challenger of being pro-ICE (1/6)
The largest rent strike in a century? The Minnesota unions behind the massive Jan. 23 day of action are now backing a potential rent strike to demand an eviction moratorium. At least 10K could withhold rent starting March 1. Here's what to know (1/6) inthesetimes.com/article/ice-...
Terrorized By ICE, Unable to Pay Rent, Minnesotans Are Getting Ready for a Rent Strike
A tenant organizing push in the Twin Cities has support from labor unions representing more than 25,000 workers.
inthesetimes.com
