Susan Holmberg
@susanrholmberg.bsky.social
Writer, Political Economist, looking for patterns in the economy. Associate Director for Research @ILSR. Former @rooseveltinstitute.org @PERIatUMass. PhD, UMass Econ.
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...
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
It is going to be another very stressful news day, so particularly if you are in Minnesota and reading this, please go eat something RIGHT NOW and drink a full glass of water - keep your strength and your mind healthy.
June 14, 2025 at 2:03 PM
It is going to be another very stressful news day, so particularly if you are in Minnesota and reading this, please go eat something RIGHT NOW and drink a full glass of water - keep your strength and your mind healthy.
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
Downtown Saint Paul is an excellent location for the city's first municipal owned grocery store. ilsr.org/articles/com...
Community Wins: In the Face of Consolidation, Communities are Opening Their Own Grocery Stores - Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Visited 552 times, 3 visit(s) today
ilsr.org
June 5, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Downtown Saint Paul is an excellent location for the city's first municipal owned grocery store. ilsr.org/articles/com...
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
We have to do what every other successful effort to confront authoritarianism, both in our past and in the present abroad, has done: organize sustained civil resistance. Imagine if, in lieu of bus boycott, civil rights leaders had waited on Dems? Or ACT-Up folks not done die-ins & broke into NYSE?
June 3, 2025 at 10:50 PM
We have to do what every other successful effort to confront authoritarianism, both in our past and in the present abroad, has done: organize sustained civil resistance. Imagine if, in lieu of bus boycott, civil rights leaders had waited on Dems? Or ACT-Up folks not done die-ins & broke into NYSE?
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
Four newspapers in rural, northwest Minnesota announced they'll be sending their final papers out this week. I thought the founder's reason for the closure was interesting:
www.grandforksherald.com/news/minneso...
www.grandforksherald.com/news/minneso...
May 28, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Four newspapers in rural, northwest Minnesota announced they'll be sending their final papers out this week. I thought the founder's reason for the closure was interesting:
www.grandforksherald.com/news/minneso...
www.grandforksherald.com/news/minneso...
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
The FTC just voted 3-0 to drop this case — that's effectively an endorsement of the predatory tactics Walmart uses to crush local grocery sores, create food deserts, and drive up prices. This will hit working-class, rural, and Black communities hardest.
1. Big news! The FTC took action today to end Walmart’s stranglehold on the grocery market. The agency filed suit against Pepsi for giving illegal and unfair price advantages to Walmart while charging competing grocery retailers higher prices.
Stacy Mitchell Statement on the FTC’s Action Against PepsiCo for Rigging Soft Drink Competition
"Much of Walmart’s market dominance can be attributed to its use of this illegal and anti-competitive tactic," says Stacy Mitchell
ilsr.org
May 22, 2025 at 8:56 PM
The FTC just voted 3-0 to drop this case — that's effectively an endorsement of the predatory tactics Walmart uses to crush local grocery sores, create food deserts, and drive up prices. This will hit working-class, rural, and Black communities hardest.
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
omg thank you Claire! If, ahem, you'd like to pick one up, you can do that here! microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zine...
May 12, 2025 at 6:57 PM
omg thank you Claire! If, ahem, you'd like to pick one up, you can do that here! microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zine...
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
Resist. Refuse. Ridicule.
This fascist regime requires our capitulation to enact their agenda.
This fascist regime requires our capitulation to enact their agenda.
from @lizdye.bsky.social - and this headline and the pic of Governor Mills!!!:
Maine fought the law, and Maine won www.publicnotice.co/p/janet-mill...
Maine fought the law, and Maine won www.publicnotice.co/p/janet-mill...
Maine fought the law, and Maine won
The Trump administration can't defend the indefensible.
www.publicnotice.co
May 7, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Resist. Refuse. Ridicule.
This fascist regime requires our capitulation to enact their agenda.
This fascist regime requires our capitulation to enact their agenda.
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
ILSR is hiring! We're looking for a terrific Operations Associate to help make this workplace hum: vist.ly/3n3bvt6
May 2, 2025 at 4:13 PM
ILSR is hiring! We're looking for a terrific Operations Associate to help make this workplace hum: vist.ly/3n3bvt6
Reposted by Susan Holmberg
1. My colleague Ron Knox just published a killer guide to resisting monopolies. It shows that fighting monopoly power isn't just a job for the government — it's something regular people can do every day in their communities and workplaces.
Resist Monopolies!: How to Fight Corporate Control and Support an Economy That Matters
What can we do to resist monopolies in a world that tells us they’re too big to fail and too strong to fight? We take them on anyway! From vacant downtowns to...
microcosmpublishing.com
May 1, 2025 at 12:33 PM
1. My colleague Ron Knox just published a killer guide to resisting monopolies. It shows that fighting monopoly power isn't just a job for the government — it's something regular people can do every day in their communities and workplaces.