Olivia Alperstein
@oliviaalperstein.bsky.social
Communications professional out here fighting the good fight. Deputy communications director, Institute for Policy Studies. She/her. I post on behalf of myself not any org. Reposts are not necessarily endorsements.
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
NEW: This week, Trump sloppily tried to freeze funding for thousands of programs that Americans rely on. This administration is trying every tactic — legal or not — to fund its planned massive tax handout to its billionaire backers.
IPS scholar @karendolan.bsky.social:
IPS scholar @karendolan.bsky.social:
A Coup Attempt Against American Taxpayers - OtherWords
Trump’s attempt to freeze federal funds for government services was an effort to steal our tax dollars to enrich billionaires. And he’ll try again.
otherwords.org
January 29, 2025 at 7:32 PM
NEW: This week, Trump sloppily tried to freeze funding for thousands of programs that Americans rely on. This administration is trying every tactic — legal or not — to fund its planned massive tax handout to its billionaire backers.
IPS scholar @karendolan.bsky.social:
IPS scholar @karendolan.bsky.social:
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
"This is what “Oil-garchy” looks like": On the 2nd Trump administration: www.commondreams.org/opinion/pros...
Fossil Fuel 'Oil-Garchs' Reap Billions in Payback for Trump Support | Common Dreams
A new report tracks the monthly wealth of fossil fuel billionaires.
www.commondreams.org
January 17, 2025 at 5:06 PM
"This is what “Oil-garchy” looks like": On the 2nd Trump administration: www.commondreams.org/opinion/pros...
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
SCOOP: Instagram blocked teens from searching LGBTQ-related content for months.
Posts with LGBTQ+ hashtags were hidden under Meta's “sensitive content” policy which restricts "sexually suggestive content", Meta said they are fixing this “error” after I reached out for comment.
Posts with LGBTQ+ hashtags were hidden under Meta's “sensitive content” policy which restricts "sexually suggestive content", Meta said they are fixing this “error” after I reached out for comment.
Instagram blocked teens from searching LGBTQ-related content for months
Posts with LGBTQ+ hashtags were hidden under Meta's “sensitive content” policy which restricts "sexually suggestive content"
www.usermag.co
January 6, 2025 at 2:42 PM
SCOOP: Instagram blocked teens from searching LGBTQ-related content for months.
Posts with LGBTQ+ hashtags were hidden under Meta's “sensitive content” policy which restricts "sexually suggestive content", Meta said they are fixing this “error” after I reached out for comment.
Posts with LGBTQ+ hashtags were hidden under Meta's “sensitive content” policy which restricts "sexually suggestive content", Meta said they are fixing this “error” after I reached out for comment.
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
I am quoted in this article by @newsweek.com
The frenzy surrounding AI has caused the value of tech stocks to skyrocket, thus making tech billionaires even richer. This class of billionaires have even more material power, which they can convert into political power.
www.newsweek.com/america-bill...
The frenzy surrounding AI has caused the value of tech stocks to skyrocket, thus making tech billionaires even richer. This class of billionaires have even more material power, which they can convert into political power.
www.newsweek.com/america-bill...
December 26, 2024 at 9:40 PM
I am quoted in this article by @newsweek.com
The frenzy surrounding AI has caused the value of tech stocks to skyrocket, thus making tech billionaires even richer. This class of billionaires have even more material power, which they can convert into political power.
www.newsweek.com/america-bill...
The frenzy surrounding AI has caused the value of tech stocks to skyrocket, thus making tech billionaires even richer. This class of billionaires have even more material power, which they can convert into political power.
www.newsweek.com/america-bill...
Americans across the political divide support curbing excess CEO pay. CEOs pocket massive paychecks while their workers struggle to get by. @sarahanderson.bsky.social @ips-dc.org's 2024 analysis found the CEO-worker pay gap at the top 100 low-wage corporations is 538 to 1. ips-dc.org/the-low-wage...
The Low-Wage Corporations That Blew Half a Trillion Dollars to Inflate CEO Pay - Institute for Policy Studies
A new report reveals that nearly half of the 100 largest low-wage employers spent more on stock buybacks than on long-term capital investments over the past five years.
ips-dc.org
December 23, 2024 at 7:09 PM
Americans across the political divide support curbing excess CEO pay. CEOs pocket massive paychecks while their workers struggle to get by. @sarahanderson.bsky.social @ips-dc.org's 2024 analysis found the CEO-worker pay gap at the top 100 low-wage corporations is 538 to 1. ips-dc.org/the-low-wage...
The power of song to uplift and inspire never ceases to move me. As multiple holiday traditions celebrate hope and light in the darkest time of the year, songs and music warm our collective spirits. I'm grateful that I grew up exposed to traditions that mix protest songs with spirituals and prayers.
December 23, 2024 at 12:56 AM
The power of song to uplift and inspire never ceases to move me. As multiple holiday traditions celebrate hope and light in the darkest time of the year, songs and music warm our collective spirits. I'm grateful that I grew up exposed to traditions that mix protest songs with spirituals and prayers.
I'm so proud to work alongside my brilliant @ips-dc.org colleagues at a research institution that's supported social movements for decades, fighting corporate greed.
@millsrodrigo.bsky.social and @sarahanderson.bsky.social highlight 10 inequality victories in 2024: inequality.org/article/10-i...
@millsrodrigo.bsky.social and @sarahanderson.bsky.social highlight 10 inequality victories in 2024: inequality.org/article/10-i...
10 Inequality Victories in 2024
Our year-end review of 10 of the most inspiring inequality wins, from union drives to fair taxes to consumer protection.
inequality.org
December 20, 2024 at 4:16 PM
I'm so proud to work alongside my brilliant @ips-dc.org colleagues at a research institution that's supported social movements for decades, fighting corporate greed.
@millsrodrigo.bsky.social and @sarahanderson.bsky.social highlight 10 inequality victories in 2024: inequality.org/article/10-i...
@millsrodrigo.bsky.social and @sarahanderson.bsky.social highlight 10 inequality victories in 2024: inequality.org/article/10-i...
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
BREAKING: Today, Biden announced the latest U.S. contribution to the Paris Agreement. It falls far short of what's needed to protect communities in the U.S. and around the world, warn climate justice groups.
"It is unacceptable for the US government to walk away from its responsibility.” Statement:
"It is unacceptable for the US government to walk away from its responsibility.” Statement:
Climate Justice Groups: Latest U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution Falls Short of What's Needed - Institute for Policy Studies
This NDC falls short of what we need: a concrete, substantive action plan that builds global solidarity to address the climate crisis at scale.
ips-dc.org
December 19, 2024 at 8:29 PM
BREAKING: Today, Biden announced the latest U.S. contribution to the Paris Agreement. It falls far short of what's needed to protect communities in the U.S. and around the world, warn climate justice groups.
"It is unacceptable for the US government to walk away from its responsibility.” Statement:
"It is unacceptable for the US government to walk away from its responsibility.” Statement:
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
NEW: A host of billionaires — sports team owners, oil barons, Wall Street traders and others — have managed to avoid paying a tax on investment income.
propub.li/41EtbPK
propub.li/41EtbPK
How Billionaires Have Sidestepped a Tax Aimed at the Rich
Wall Street financiers were a clear target of the tax, but some, on questionable legal grounds, have claimed their outsized profits were exempt, sometimes avoiding hundreds of millions in taxes.
propub.li
December 18, 2024 at 1:00 PM
NEW: A host of billionaires — sports team owners, oil barons, Wall Street traders and others — have managed to avoid paying a tax on investment income.
propub.li/41EtbPK
propub.li/41EtbPK
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
The ultra-wealthy get huge tax breaks for donating to Wall Street-backed funds — despite no guarantee that those donations ever make it to active charities. Instead, they often make it to dark money hate groups.
New @inequality.bsky.social findings in @jacobinmag.bsky.social:
New @inequality.bsky.social findings in @jacobinmag.bsky.social:
The Rich Are Hoarding Their Wealth Using Charity Funds
Wall Street–backed charity funds provide ultrawealthy donors with massive charitable tax breaks — yet operate without any requirement to ever distribute the money to working charities.
jacobin.com
December 5, 2024 at 9:03 PM
The ultra-wealthy get huge tax breaks for donating to Wall Street-backed funds — despite no guarantee that those donations ever make it to active charities. Instead, they often make it to dark money hate groups.
New @inequality.bsky.social findings in @jacobinmag.bsky.social:
New @inequality.bsky.social findings in @jacobinmag.bsky.social:
In 2023, 5 prominent Salvadoran community leaders who were instrumental in the nationwide 2017 ban on metallic mining were arrested on sham charges. They were found innocent at trial, but another court granted the Salvadoran Attorney General's appeal and ordered a retrial. ips-dc.org/release-inte...
International Allies Against Mining in El Salvador condemns decision to retry ADES Santa Marta Five Water Defenders and Bukele’s attempts to overturn mining ban - Institute for Policy Studies
The decision to grant a retrial presents further evidence of the deterioration of independence within El Salvador’s judicial system, and its politicization to punish and weaken the struggle to uphold ...
ips-dc.org
December 4, 2024 at 11:00 PM
In 2023, 5 prominent Salvadoran community leaders who were instrumental in the nationwide 2017 ban on metallic mining were arrested on sham charges. They were found innocent at trial, but another court granted the Salvadoran Attorney General's appeal and ordered a retrial. ips-dc.org/release-inte...
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
NEW: Just 12 U.S. billionaires now have a collective net worth of over $2 trillion, according to new analysis from IPS scholar @ocampomar.bsky.social — a figure that amounts to a little less than a third of total federal spending in 2023.
@eloisegoldsmith.bsky.social has more in @commondreams.org:
@eloisegoldsmith.bsky.social has more in @commondreams.org:
'Unsettling New Milestone': Top 12 US Billionaires Now Control $2 Trillion in Wealth | Common Dreams
"The oligarchic dozen is richer than ever, and they are endowed with extreme material power that can be used to pursue narrow political interests at the expense of democratic majorities," according to...
www.commondreams.org
December 4, 2024 at 8:21 PM
NEW: Just 12 U.S. billionaires now have a collective net worth of over $2 trillion, according to new analysis from IPS scholar @ocampomar.bsky.social — a figure that amounts to a little less than a third of total federal spending in 2023.
@eloisegoldsmith.bsky.social has more in @commondreams.org:
@eloisegoldsmith.bsky.social has more in @commondreams.org:
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
It’s Dark Money-Giving Tuesday! "A group of Wall Street-backed charity funds fueling the dark-money takeover of American politics is set to help collect half of all individual charitable donations within the next three years."
@thelever.bsky.social @countingcharity.bsky.social @ips-dc.bsky.social 🤝
@thelever.bsky.social @countingcharity.bsky.social @ips-dc.bsky.social 🤝
It’s Dark Money-Giving Tuesday
A new study reveals that charitable giving will soon be dominated by Wall Street dark-money funds that enrich the wealthy and never have to give to working charities.
www.levernews.com
December 3, 2024 at 3:12 PM
It’s Dark Money-Giving Tuesday! "A group of Wall Street-backed charity funds fueling the dark-money takeover of American politics is set to help collect half of all individual charitable donations within the next three years."
@thelever.bsky.social @countingcharity.bsky.social @ips-dc.bsky.social 🤝
@thelever.bsky.social @countingcharity.bsky.social @ips-dc.bsky.social 🤝
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
NEW: 40 years after the Bhopal chemical disaster, residents are STILL fighting for accountability.
A new resolution from @repjayapal.bsky.social, @reprashida.bsky.social, and @senjeffmerkley.bsky.social would mark December 3 as National Chemical Disaster Awareness Day to demand justice:
A new resolution from @repjayapal.bsky.social, @reprashida.bsky.social, and @senjeffmerkley.bsky.social would mark December 3 as National Chemical Disaster Awareness Day to demand justice:
74 Health, Environment, and Public Service Organizations Applaud Congressional Resolution on 40th Anniversary of Bhopal Chemical Disaster to Designate December 3 as National Chemical Disaster Awarenes...
The resolution recommends common-sense measures to protect communities' health, prevent future chemical disasters, and hold companies accountable for the harmful effects of disasters they've caused.
ips-dc.org
December 3, 2024 at 6:18 PM
NEW: 40 years after the Bhopal chemical disaster, residents are STILL fighting for accountability.
A new resolution from @repjayapal.bsky.social, @reprashida.bsky.social, and @senjeffmerkley.bsky.social would mark December 3 as National Chemical Disaster Awareness Day to demand justice:
A new resolution from @repjayapal.bsky.social, @reprashida.bsky.social, and @senjeffmerkley.bsky.social would mark December 3 as National Chemical Disaster Awareness Day to demand justice:
The US Department of Labor has proposed a rule to phase out Section 14(c) certificates that currently enable employers to pay a subminimum wage to certain people with disabilities. The subminimum wage policy has impacted poverty rates among disabled Americans for decades. www.dol.gov/newsroom/rel...
US Department of Labor announces proposed rule to phase out certificates allowing payment of less than minimum wage to workers with disabilities
www.dol.gov
December 3, 2024 at 5:20 PM
The US Department of Labor has proposed a rule to phase out Section 14(c) certificates that currently enable employers to pay a subminimum wage to certain people with disabilities. The subminimum wage policy has impacted poverty rates among disabled Americans for decades. www.dol.gov/newsroom/rel...
This #GIvingTuesday, while everyday donors are choosing which charities to support, the wealth defense industry is exploiting loopholes to give back to itself. Read @ips-dc.bsky.social's new report “Gilded Giving 2024: Saving #Philanthropy from #WallStreet.” ips-dc.org/report-gilde...
Gilded Giving: Saving Philanthropy from Wall Street
Philanthropy is becoming just another tool to benefit the wealthy and their money managers — leaving real charities behind in the process. Here’s how we fix it.
ips-dc.org
December 3, 2024 at 2:40 PM
This #GIvingTuesday, while everyday donors are choosing which charities to support, the wealth defense industry is exploiting loopholes to give back to itself. Read @ips-dc.bsky.social's new report “Gilded Giving 2024: Saving #Philanthropy from #WallStreet.” ips-dc.org/report-gilde...
Reposted by Olivia Alperstein
Seems like people wanna talk about all the locked-up stuff at chain pharmacies and big box stores today. Here’s a gift link to a feature I published a few months ago about why retailers started putting so much stuff behind plexiglass and how badly it’s backfired. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Retailers Locked Up Their Products—and Broke Shopping in America
CVS, Target and other chains have barricaded everything from toiletries to cleaning supplies. It’s backfired in almost every way.
www.bloomberg.com
December 1, 2024 at 6:30 PM
Seems like people wanna talk about all the locked-up stuff at chain pharmacies and big box stores today. Here’s a gift link to a feature I published a few months ago about why retailers started putting so much stuff behind plexiglass and how badly it’s backfired. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Billionaires and greedy corporations count on people not finding out just how much they exploit tax loopholes and undercut ordinary workers to ensure they rake in huge profits.
Luckily, there are researchers and organizations that are willing to expose villains for what they are.
Luckily, there are researchers and organizations that are willing to expose villains for what they are.
Scooby Doo Fred Jones GIF
Alt: Scooby Doo GIF where Fred Jones pulls off a white mask with eyeholes to reveal the villain's face underneath.
media.tenor.com
November 30, 2024 at 10:38 PM
Billionaires and greedy corporations count on people not finding out just how much they exploit tax loopholes and undercut ordinary workers to ensure they rake in huge profits.
Luckily, there are researchers and organizations that are willing to expose villains for what they are.
Luckily, there are researchers and organizations that are willing to expose villains for what they are.
Imagining better US disability policy solutions isn't exactly a fringe issue. Roughly 1 in 4 Americans are disabled. Millions more are one medical incident away from becoming disabled or chronically ill. Fighting for a more accessible future is a vital part of fighting for a better future, period.
November 27, 2024 at 10:51 PM
Imagining better US disability policy solutions isn't exactly a fringe issue. Roughly 1 in 4 Americans are disabled. Millions more are one medical incident away from becoming disabled or chronically ill. Fighting for a more accessible future is a vital part of fighting for a better future, period.
On public transit, you can't tell by looking who has a disability and who doesn't. Sometimes it's a guy in a wheelchair or a woman dictating speech to text with a service dog in tow. Sometimes it's someone in pain without visible mobility aids who needs to sit down. Don't police priority seating.
November 26, 2024 at 11:05 PM
On public transit, you can't tell by looking who has a disability and who doesn't. Sometimes it's a guy in a wheelchair or a woman dictating speech to text with a service dog in tow. Sometimes it's someone in pain without visible mobility aids who needs to sit down. Don't police priority seating.
Just for once I'd like to see a Christmas movie about an underworked, underpaid guy from a small town who inherits an Upper West Side apartment from his great aunt, moves to the big city, and meets a smart woman with a marketing job who encourages him to pursue an MFA and shows him how to jaywalk.
November 25, 2024 at 1:03 AM
Just for once I'd like to see a Christmas movie about an underworked, underpaid guy from a small town who inherits an Upper West Side apartment from his great aunt, moves to the big city, and meets a smart woman with a marketing job who encourages him to pursue an MFA and shows him how to jaywalk.
I joined Bluesky back when you still needed a code. Right now, it feels a bit like kids returning to summer camp and seeing all their friends. People created some wonderful online communities on Twitter, and they've been rebuilding some on Bluesky. I'm excited to watch new communities grow, too.
November 23, 2024 at 1:07 AM
I joined Bluesky back when you still needed a code. Right now, it feels a bit like kids returning to summer camp and seeing all their friends. People created some wonderful online communities on Twitter, and they've been rebuilding some on Bluesky. I'm excited to watch new communities grow, too.
A new report from @ips-dc.bsky.social and Popular Democracy reveals how billionaires are super-charging the US housing crisis — and common-sense measures communities and governments can take to create and preserve truly affordable housing solutions.
ips-dc.org/report-billi...
ips-dc.org/report-billi...
November 21, 2024 at 8:39 PM
A new report from @ips-dc.bsky.social and Popular Democracy reveals how billionaires are super-charging the US housing crisis — and common-sense measures communities and governments can take to create and preserve truly affordable housing solutions.
ips-dc.org/report-billi...
ips-dc.org/report-billi...
IPS's new report found the avg. CEO-worker pay gap is 538-1 at the 100 largest low-wage US employers. Sarah Anderson spoke with swing state voters. "I've found that people get most incensed when CEOs pocket massive paychecks" while workers struggle to get by. www.newsweek.com/one-issue-th...
One Issue That Unites a Divided America—Curbing Excessive CEO Pay | Opinion
Nearly half of the country's largest low-wage corporations spent more on CEO pay-inflating stock buybacks than on capital expenditures over the past five years.
www.newsweek.com
September 6, 2024 at 6:48 PM
IPS's new report found the avg. CEO-worker pay gap is 538-1 at the 100 largest low-wage US employers. Sarah Anderson spoke with swing state voters. "I've found that people get most incensed when CEOs pocket massive paychecks" while workers struggle to get by. www.newsweek.com/one-issue-th...
Happy Disability Pride Month! According to the CDC, up to 1 in 4 people in the US have some kind of disability. We honor disability justice champions who won significant progress over many decades, as we continue the fight for better policies to create a more livable, accessible future for all.
July 3, 2024 at 12:50 AM
Happy Disability Pride Month! According to the CDC, up to 1 in 4 people in the US have some kind of disability. We honor disability justice champions who won significant progress over many decades, as we continue the fight for better policies to create a more livable, accessible future for all.