Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 14h

Private equity is all-in on the housing market, with 10% of all U.S. apartments owned by a private equity landlord. Meanwhile, more and more Americans are struggling with the rising cost of housing. Check out PESP's Multi-Family Housing Tracker to see if PE is in your neighborhood ➡️

Private Equity Multi-Family Housing Tracker

PESP’s analysis of private equity buyouts in apartment housing reveals that PE firms own 10% of all US apartment units

pestakeholder.org

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 23h

“Extractive real estate practices that contribute to harmful impacts on patients and reduced access to care for entire communities should have no place in healthcare.” — Mary Bugbee, PESP
🔗 www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-r...

Markey, Sanders, Blumenthal Introduce Legislation to Protect Health Systems from Predatory Real Estate Investment Trust Deals | U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts

Bill Text (PDF) Washington (October 8, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on...

www.markey.senate.gov

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 23h

The Stop Medical Profiteering and Theft Act would rein in these harmful real estate practices that have drained hospitals and driven closures across the country.

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 1d

Private equity is quietly taking over outpatient surgery centers. PESP’s new research brief shows how Wall Street consolidation is reshaping care—and raising serious questions about cost, transparency, and competition.
🔗 pestakeholder.org/reports/private-equity-asc

Private Equity in Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Private equity firms are reshaping outpatient surgical care through consolidation, leveraged buyouts, and joint ventures with major health systems. This PESP report examines how those strategies…

pestakeholder.org

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 1d

What happens when BlackRock takes control of your power company?

James Baratta gives an inside look at the private-equity takeover of a vital Minnesota utility—and what it means for communities and clean energy.

🔗 prospect.org/environment/...

BlackRock Just Bought a Minnesota Utility

On Friday, state regulators voted unanimously in favor of allowing private equity to take a Duluth-based utility holding company private. The Prospect takes you inside the room where it all went down.

prospect.org

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Reposted by Private Equity Stakeholder Project

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6d

Aw, man, Walz, what up?

Private Equity Power Play in Minnesota

BlackRock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners and a Canadian pension giant want to buy a Minnesota-based utility. Gov. Tim Walz’s agencies have been in on pushing the deal.

prospect.org

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 6d

“Private equity ownership of Minnesota Power will likely mean higher bills, less accountability, and more risk for Minnesotans," Alissa Jean Schafer, climate and energy director at the Private Equity Stakeholder Project. abcnews.go.com/Technology/w...

Regulators approve disputed $6.2B takeover of Minnesota Power by investment group

Minnesota regulators have approved the takeover of Minnesota Power by an investment group, despite opposition from the state attorney general and consumer advocates

abcnews.go.com

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 6d

With today’s Minnesota PUC decision approving BlackRock’s takeover of Minnesota Power, BlackRock wins—Minnesota loses.

➡️ Read our full statement: pestakeholder.org/news/mn-puc-...

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 7d

Minnesotans have spoken: No to BlackRock.

Experts, the public, and the state’s Administrative Law Judge all agree this deal is bad for Minnesota.

On Oct 3, the PUC must listen to the people they serve — and deny the takeover.

pestakeholder.org/news/minneso...

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 7d

BlackRock wants to take over Minnesota Power. Gov. Walz’s own PUC appointees may decide its fate—while allies close to him line up in support.

Where does the governor stand?
prospect.org/environment/...

Private Equity Power Play in Minnesota

BlackRock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners and a Canadian pension giant want to buy a Minnesota-based utility. Gov. Tim Walz’s agencies have been in on pushing the deal.

prospect.org

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 8d

“There’s a lot of energy from private companies convincing schools that outsourcing will be cheaper, will make it so that schools have less to manage,” Azani Creeks, senior coordinator at PESP, told The Lever, but “outsourcing often costs the same amount, if not more, than keeping services in-house.

Private Equity’s New Playground: America’s Schools

Under the guise of championing “school choice,” the new school voucher program will likely divert millions in taxpayer dollars to private equity firms.

www.levernews.com

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 8d

BlackRock’s bid for Minnesota Power could raise bills & undermine MN’s clean energy goals.

In her new Minnesota Reformer op-ed, @alissajean.bsky.social asks: Will Gov. Walz stand with Minnesotans — or with BlackRock?

🔗 minnesotareformer.com/2025/10/01/d...

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 10d

🚨 PRIVATE EQUITY ALERT 🚨 Electronic Arts, the developer behind Madden NFL and The Sims, is set to be acquired in the largest private equity buyout ever. As gamers bemoan more and more micro-transactions and in-game advertising, PE's profits-first playbook could spell out even more to come.

Video gamer Electronic Arts to be acquired for $52.5 billion in largest-ever private equity buyout

Electronic Arts, the video game maker, is being acquired and taken private for about $52.5 billion in what could become the largest-ever buyout funded by private-equity firms.

apnews.com

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 13d

Seen in St. Paul for yesterday's regulatory hearing: “Reject the BlackRock takeover. Put people before profit.” The message is clear—PUC must listen to Minnesotans, not BlackRock.

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 19d

Minnesota residents deserve protection from Wall Street greed.
the MN Utility Commission must put ratepayers before BlackRock profits.

Op-ed by PESP's Alissa Jean Schafer: www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/colu...

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 21d

In Minnesota, BlackRock is attempting to acquire MN Power, a utility serving 150,000+ families and businesses. PESP's Alissa Jean Schafer told More Perfect Union why ratepayers should be wary of private equity plugging into the electrical grid: the PE playbook puts profiteering above all else.

The BlackRock Situation Just Got Worse...

BlackRock is trying to buy Minnesota Power, which provides power to over 150,000 people. Why? They want to profit off of the soaring electricity demand from AI data centers. If they win, and if it's…

www.youtube.com

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 21d

In a 2025 report, PESP flagged potential anticompetitive behavior, including significant leadership overlap, among IDD companies with investment backing from two of Sevita's PE backers, Vistria Group and Centerbridge Partners.

Three Directors Resign from Sevita Board of Directors in Response to the FTC’s Ongoing Enforcement Efforts Against Interlocking Directorates

The Federal Trade Commission announced today that three individuals have resigned from their positions on the Board of Directors of Sevita Health (Sevita) in response to the Federal Trade Commissio

www.ftc.gov

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 21d

This year, lawmakers in over a dozen states took aim at private equity’s risks in healthcare.

✅ 6 states passed oversight laws
⚖️ 5 still debating
❌ Industry lobbyists stalled progress in others

Read PESP’s full roundup ➡️

PESP state healthcare policy roundup

2025 has seen a frenzy of state legislative activity in which lawmakers in over a dozen states have proposed and debated bills aimed at bringing greater oversight and transparency to healthcare…

pestakeholder.org

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 24d

Like Joann’s, Red Lobster, Bed Bath & Beyond, and other private equity-owned retailers that went bankrupt before it, Claire’s appears to have been unable to bear the load of the significant amount of debt incurred by its first private equity owner, Apollo. pestakeholder.org/news/how-the...

How the PE playbook pierced Claire’s

Last month, tween jewelry retailer Claire’s filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time after a relatively long history with private equity.

pestakeholder.org

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 27d

PESP's Azani Creeks joined @manpreetkalra.bsky.social to unpack how private equity–backed companies like GardaWorld stand to profit immensely from immigrant detention in the wake of the Big Beautiful Bill, despite a long record of whistleblowers exposing abuses inside their facilities. Listen here ➡️

Big Beautiful Bill: How Private Equity is Profiting from Immigrant Detention | Art of Citizenry

In this episode of the Art of Citizenry Podcast, we speak with Private Equity Stakeholder Project about how HR 1 funnels $170B into detention, fueling private equity profits. Tune in now!

www.artofcitizenry.com

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · 29d

Corporate ownership of housing is tied to a 3.7x increase in eviction filings and a 1.6x increase in code violations, even when controlling for neighborhood characteristics and demographics, pestakeholder.org/news/liscs-n...

LISC’s new report links corporate ownership of rentals in Kansas City area to more evictions and code violations

In May, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) released an in-depth report showing that large, corporate landlords are contributing to evictions and reducing housing quality in the Kansas…

pestakeholder.org

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · Sep 10

August was a wake-up call: Genesis Healthcare went bankrupt, Weiss Memorial Hospital shut, UnitedHealth quietly swallowed the largest private GI group, and a Senate report exposed how PE profiteering undermines care in CT hospitals.

Don’t miss the full roundup: pestakeholder.org/news/private...

Private Equity in Healthcare – PESP’s August 2025 Roundup

Each month, PESP’s Healthcare Team will be putting together a roundup that shares the latest news stories related to private equity in healthcare and highlights the work that our team has published…

pestakeholder.org

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Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · Sep 9

Big news: The Guardian covers how BlackRock’s takeover of Minnesota Power threatens higher rates + stalled clean energy progress

“This could 'open the floodgates' for private equity firms eyeing utilities.” – PESP

Read: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Critics say BlackRock’s Minnesota utility bid will increase rates – and clean energy goals will suffer

Sale opponents say private equity’s profit-seeking is at odds with reasonable rates and state’s goal to decarbonize

www.theguardian.com

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · Sep 5

Wall Street is at it again.

Private equity’s new “Council for a Safe and Secure Retirement” is a dark money push to unlock 401(k) access. The same operatives ran Doctor Patient Unity, the ad blitz condemned across the aisle for misleading the public.

📖 pestakeholder.org/news/private...

Private Equity Stakeholder Project @pestakeholder.bsky.social · Sep 4

Federal filings reviewed by PESP reveal that Westinghouse management paid over $800,000 to union-busting consultants, including for 12 separate consultants to discourage employees from unionizing at its South Carolina plant. pestakeholder.org/news/brookfi...

Brookfield-owned Westinghouse spends $800,000 in anti-union campaign, fails to make federal disclosures

Brookfield-owned Westinghouse Electric spent more than $800,000 on anti-union consultants last year and failed to make required disclosures, according to a complaint filed on August 20 by watchdog…

pestakeholder.org