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DOJ and State Attorneys General File Joint Consumer Lawsuit

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “Healthy competition in the rental housing market requires two key ingredients,” added Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “The market must be dictated by open and honest competition among landlords. And, renters must be able to negotiate prices with landlords — without the specter of collusion…. But RealPage has shut away those ingredients, changed the locks, and thrown away the keys. That’s collusion — and that’s against the law.”

Published

1 year ago

September 9, 2024

Charlene Crowell NNPA Newswire Columnist

By Charlene Crowell

In August, the Department of Justice and eight state Attorneys Generals filed a lawsuit charging RealPage Inc., a commercial revenue management software firm providing apartment managers with illegal price fixing software data that violates antitrust law and artificially increases costs for millions of renters across the nation.

After a nearly two-year investigation, the agencies found an estimated 80 percent of renters are forced to pay falsely inflated rates while also denying honest landlords an opportunity to compete for these same customers.

The lawsuit claims RealPage’s practices are federal interstate commerce violations provided by the long-standing Sherman Act enacted in 1890.

“When the Sherman Act was passed, an anticompetitive scheme might have looked like robber barons shaking hands at a secret meeting,” stated. “Today, it looks like landlords using mathematical algorithms to align their rents. But antitrust law does not become obsolete simply because competitors find new ways to unlawfully act in concert. And Americans should not have to pay more in rent simply because a company has found a new way to scheme with landlords to break the law.”

Joining the civil lawsuit are the Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.

Falsely-inflated rental costs worsen the already disproportionate financial strain felt by people of color. Tight living spaces that come at sky-high costs especially harm disproportionate numbers of Black and Latino renters. As Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies 2024 State of the Nation’s Housing noted:

“More than half of Black (57 percent), Hispanic (54 percent), and multiracial (50 percent) renter households were cost burdened at last measure in 2022… While racial income inequality explains some of the difference, burden rates remain disproportionately high for lower-income renters of color, at 85 and 87 percent for Black and Hispanic renters, respectively, as compared to 80 percent of their white counterparts.”

The complaint alleges that RealPage contracts with competing landlords who agree to share with the firm nonpublic, competitively sensitive information about their apartment rental rates and other lease terms. This data is then used with RealPage’s algorithmic pricing software to generate recommendations, including apartment rental pricing and other terms, for participating landlords. The use of rivals’ data trove of competitively sensitive information violates interstate commerce law aimed at preventing monopolies.

The complaint further alleges that in a free market, these landlords otherwise would be competing independently to attract renters based on pricing, discounts, concessions, lease terms, and other dimensions of apartment leasing.

“Healthy competition in the rental housing market requires two key ingredients,” added Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “The market must be dictated by open and honest competition among landlords. And, renters must be able to negotiate prices with landlords — without the specter of collusion…. But RealPage has shut away those ingredients, changed the locks, and thrown away the keys. That’s collusion — and that’s against the law.”

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, whose office filed the joint lawsuit on August 23 in the Middle District of North Carolina, also weighed in on the lawsuit’s importance.

“Few things are as important as our homes – but too many North Carolinians struggle to afford their apartment,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “Rents are already too high. I will not tolerate any company scheming to block healthy competition among landlords. It raises rent, and it’s illegal.”

For one North Carolina local official, the lawsuit is an opportunity to right a grievous wrong.

“Between 2010 and 2020 the median rent in Wake County jumped up 40 percent,” said Shinica Thomas, Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair. “That costs families an extra $4,200 a year. For a household that’s struggling to make ends meet, that can be the difference between stability and eviction.”

A growing metro market, Wake County is home to the state’s capitol, Raleigh. But according to multiple independent housing research reports, high rental rate increases have occurred throughout the nation, in communities of varying sizes and locales.

For example, monthly rents in Knoxville, TN reached $1,818 in February 2024, a 59.1 percent increase from 2019, according to this spring, SmartAsset.com.

More recently, Apartments.com found posted national rental rate averages by state and city. Nationally, the average national monthly cost of a one-bedroom apartment with 699 square feet is $1,563.

On a statewide basis, average rental costs in California, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York all surpass $2,000 for dwellings with as low as 631 square feet to no more than 727 square feet. Conversely, Oklahoma is one of the states with the lowest average rent of $880 for a 687 square foot unit.

Comparing costs and square footage by city, Apartments.com additionally found New York City had the highest monthly rental cost of $3,865, and the smallest square footage at 598 square feet. The only other city, Boston ($3,450), was the only other city with more than had over $3,000 in average rental costs. All of the following cities average rental costs exceeding $2,000 for less than 700 square feet in Los Angeles, Miami, Oakland, San Diego and Seattle.

“Access to affordable housing options is becoming increasingly difficult,” said Monica Burks, Policy Counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending. “Anti-competitive practices that inflate already high housing costs disadvantage individuals and families working hard to secure this basic need.”

Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

Charlene Crowell NNPA Newswire Columnist

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#NNPA BlackPress

Poll Shows Support for Policies That Help Families Afford Child Care

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

Published

22 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Oakland Post

By First Five Years Fund

New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

The national survey was conducted by UpOne Insight on behalf of the First Five Years Fund from January 13–18, 2026.

Key findings include:

• Parents need help: 80% of voters say the ability of working parents to find and afford child care is either in a state of crisis or a major problem.

• This is an affordability issue: 82% believe federal child care funding will help lower costs for working families — including 69% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats.

• And there continues to be strong support (62%) for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), a federal program that makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of families to afford safe, quality care for their children while parents work or go to school, including a majority of Republicans, 63% of Independents and 72% of Democrats.

• Support for funding child care programs remains strong: 75% believe child care funding should be increased or kept at current levels — including 75% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 97% of Democrats.

• 74% say funding for child care is an important and good use of tax dollars, including a majority of Republicans, three-quarters of Independents, and nine in ten Democrats.

FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling said, “Voters across the country are sending a clear message: federal child care and early learning programs work. These investments help parents stay in the workforce, strengthen families, and support healthy child development. They have also long had strong bipartisan support in Congress. At a time when affordability is top of mind for families, continued federal funding is essential to ensure child care remains accessible and within reach.”

First Five Years Fund works to protect, prioritize, and build bipartisan support for quality child care and early learning programs at the federal level. Reliable, affordable, and high-quality early learning and child care can be transformative, not only enhancing a child’s prospects for a brighter future but also bolstering working parents and fostering economic stability nationwide.

We work with Congress and the Administration to identify federal solutions that work for families with young children, as well as states and communities. We work with policymakers to identify ways to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and early learning programs for children. And we collaborate with advocacy groups to help align best practices with the best possible policies. http://www.ffyf.org

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Trump’s MAGA Allies are Creating Executive Order Plan to Steal the 2026 Midterms

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

Published

4 days ago

February 27, 2026

Oakland Post

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

A group of MAGA pro-Trump activists, who say they are working in coordination with the White House, are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that would claim without evidence that China interfered with the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential to President Joe Biden by over 7 million votes. Since Trump lost to Biden in 2020, he has repeatedly claimed that the election was “stolen” without evidence. The report of a group of “Trump allies” preparing an executive order to give Trump power over elections was first reported by The Washington Post.

The lies around the right-wing campaign that pushed falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen was trafficked through right-wing media, particularly Fox News. Fox News was then sued for defamation for the claims by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox lost the case and had to settle for the largest defamation amount on record of $787.5 million in April 2023.

The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

The story in The Washington Post arrives as Trump increasingly signals that he may take actions that would alter the result of the 2026 midterms. The Republicans are widely expected to lose as their approval ratings plummet as a result of a failing economy under Trump. Over 50 members of Congress have announced they will retire this year and not return in 2027.

The Trump Department of Justice, which now has a large image of Trump on the side of it, “sued five new states Thursday [Feb. 26, 2026] demanding access to their unredacted voter rolls — escalating a campaign that has been rejected by multiple federal courts and faces resistance from Republican-led states as well,” according to Democracy Docket, a group that works to protect voting rights.

Trump claimed back in late 2020, the last year of his first term, that he had the authority to issue an executive order related to mail-in voting for the 2020 elections — which he would then lose. But the Constitution states that control of elections lies with the states. As the GOP works to place hurdles in front of voting, Democrats worked to make voting easier.

In March 2021, President Biden signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to expand voting access as part of the Biden Administration’s effort “to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections.”

Trump’s focus is clearly on altering the November 2026 midterm elections. Trump’s polling numbers and the elections and special elections that have taken place around the U.S. over the last year clearly indicate that Republicans are about to be hit by a blue wave of Democratic victories.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the founder of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and hosts the show LAUREN LIVE on YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

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PRESS ROOM: NBA Hall of Fame Nominee Terry Cummings Joins 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to Launch Victory & Values Initiative

NNPA NEWSWIRE — NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th.

Published

4 days ago

February 27, 2026

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Cummings becomes an honorary member, joining other role model sports stars

NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings has officially become an honorary member of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County, marking a powerful new chapter for the 100 Black Men and youth development across the region.

Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th. The moment signified more than membership — it marked the launch of the organization’s transformative new platform, the Victory & Values Initiative.

The Victory & Values Initiative is a groundbreaking youth development program designed to empower elementary and middle school students through a dynamic blend of sports, mentorship, and STEM exposure. The initiative focuses on building health, discipline, character, leadership, and access to opportunity — creating pathways for long-term academic and personal success.

“This is about more than sports,” said Cummings during the ceremony. “It’s about using the platform of athletics to teach life lessons, create access, and build the next generation of leaders.”

The induction ceremony also featured notable guests including NASCAR’s newest Star Driver, Lavar Scott and NASCAR Director of Athletic Performance, Phil Horton, who joined Cummings for a powerful Victory & Values Town Hall discussion. The Town Hall was moderated by renowned Sports Emcee John Hollins and focused on leadership, resilience, discipline, and the importance of mentorship in shaping young lives.

A “Day at NASCAR” for 75+ Youth

Cummings wasted no time getting to work. On his first full day as an honorary member, he joined his new brothers of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to host a “Day at NASCAR,” escorting more than 75 youth to a once-in-a-lifetime experience at EchoPark Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway).

The youth participants received behind-the-scenes access including: an exclusive tour of Pit Row, access to the Garage Area and exploration of the interactive Fan Zone.

The experience culminated with a surprise meet-and-greet and Q&A session with NASCAR Superstar Bubba Wallace, who shared insights on perseverance, preparation, and breaking barriers in professional sports.

The day served as a living example of the ‘Victory & Values’ Initiative in action — exposing youth to new industries, expanding their vision for the future, and connecting them directly with high- level mentors and role models.

Building Leaders Through Access and Mentorship

The 100 Black Men of DeKalb County – a chapter of the largest, national mentoring organization in the county – continues to expand its footprint with programs focused on academic excellence, economic empowerment, leadership development, and health & wellness.

The launch of ‘Victory & Values’ represents a strategic expansion of the organization’s impact

intentionally integrating athletics and STEM to engage youth at an early age while reinforcing core principles such as integrity, accountability, teamwork, and perseverance.

“Our mission has always been to mentor the next generation,” said Vaughn Irons, President-Elect of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County. “With Terry Cummings joining the brotherhood, along with partners in NASCAR and professional sports, we are creating unprecedented access and exposure for our youth. Victory & Values is about turning inspiration into structured opportunity.”

By connecting elementary and middle school students to professional athletes, executives, STEM professionals, and community leaders, the initiative aims to:

Increase youth exposure to careers in sports business, engineering, and performance science
Strengthen mentorship pipelines
Promote physical wellness and mental resilience
Build character-driven leadership at an early age

Open Invitation to Youth and Families

All youth are invited to participate in the Victory & Values Initiative, along with the other countless, impactful programs offered by the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County.

Parents and guardians seeking mentorship, leadership development, academic enrichment, and transformative exposure opportunities for their children are encouraged to connect with the organization.

As NBA Legend Terry Cummings’ induction demonstrates, Victory & Values is more than a program — it is a movement designed to build champions in life, not just in sports.

For more information about the Victory & Values Initiative or to enroll a student, contact: 100 Black Men of DeKalb County at Phone at 404.241.1338, info@100bmod.org or Tee Foxx at 404.791.6525,