Antitrust Policy archive - The Capitol Forum

The European Antitrust Agenda: Merger Guidelines Offer Clarity to Startup Buyers and Consider Workers’ Rights

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, brought to you by Europe Executive Editor Javier Espinoza and Senior Correspondents Lydia O’Neal, Barbara Pianese, Joanna Sopinska and Catherine Stupp. This week, we look at the leaked draft of the EU’s forthcoming merger guidelines. A boon...

Apr 28, 2026 Read Now >

Publishers Urge EU to Take ‘Immediate’ Measures to Tackle Meta Scam Ads Under Digital Rules

European publishers are urging EU officials to act quickly to force Meta (META) to stop the proliferation of fraudulent advertisements impersonating reporters and media outlets across its platforms in a memorandum to the European Commission seen by The Capitol...

Apr 22, 2026 Read Now >

House Judiciary Panel Counsel Cella, Paul Hastings Partner Murray Emerge as Early Contenders to Become DOJ Antitrust Head

Adam Cella, a senior House GOP counsel, and Michael Murray, who served at DOJ during President Donald Trump’s first term, have emerged as early contenders to take over the department’s antitrust division, sources familiar with the matter said. Cella is chief counsel for the House...

Apr 20, 2026 Read Now >

JD.com/Ceconomy: JD.com Set to File EU Foreign Subsidies Notification Shortly for Ceconomy Takeover, Sources Say

China’s e-commerce group JD.com (9618: HK) plans to file a notification shortly under the EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) of its takeover bid for Germany’s electronics retailer Ceconomy (CEC: GY), according to two people familiar with the matter. The move forms part of the...

Apr 20, 2026 Read Now >

Private Equity Investment in Clinical Trial Sites Raises Potential Antitrust, CPOM Concerns

Private equity’s growing interest in clinical trial sites and services raises questions about how increased consolidation will impact the cost and sustainability of pharmaceutical research and development (R&D), and this trend could implicate both antitrust law and state Corporate...

Apr 17, 2026 Read Now >

European Proposals for Social Media Bans Create Pressure on VPNs

Plans to restrict children’s access to social media have been sprouting around Europe in the last few months, raising questions about whether kids could easily get around such bans. The attention is making virtual private network (VPN) providers...

Apr 16, 2026 Read Now >

LeadsOnline: Former Employee Voices Monopoly Concerns, Citing Anticompetitive Mergers, Price Increases

LeadsOnline, a private equity–backed provider of crime data and forensic tools, has acquired such firm control of the markets in which it operates that a former account executive says the company may need to be broken...

Apr 16, 2026 Read Now >

Dismissal of News Publisher Suit Against Google’s AI Summaries Is Setback, Not Death Knell, For Parallel Penske Case; European Regulators Eye Opt-outs

Google’s (GOOG) victory over a lawsuit from two local news publishers accusing the company of leveraging its search monopoly to misappropriate online news content is a clear setback for Penske Media Corporation’s parallel lawsuit before the same judge: U.S. District Judge Amit...

Apr 16, 2026 Read Now >

DOJ Antitrust Chief Assefi and Dhillon, Department’s Civil Rights Head, Consider Leaving for Private Practice; Dhillon’s Departure Hinges on Whether She Gets No. 3 Post

More personnel changes may be in store at DOJ following Attorney General Pam Bondi’s firing. Omeed Assefi, the department’s acting antitrust head, is considering leaving for private practice, sources familiar with the matter said. And Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for...

Apr 14, 2026 Read Now >

Paramount Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery: Booker Schedules Wednesday Hearing on Deal Featuring Labor, Media Witnesses

This article has been updated to include Paramount Skydance’s response to Booker’s invitation for CEO David Ellison to testify. Senator Cory Booker, a critic of Paramount Skydance’s (PSKY) proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), has scheduled a hearing today on the $81...

Apr 13, 2026 Read Now >

Volvo Car, Polestar—European Automakers with Chinese Ties—Face Ban from U.S. Market Over Wireless Connection Rule

Volvo Car (VOLCAR-B) and Polestar (PSNY)—two automakers with ties to Chinese ownership—face potential exclusion from the U.S. market under a national security rule covering virtually every modern vehicle that targets not just where cars are built or who writes their software, but who...

Apr 09, 2026 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: Divisions Eclipse EU-U.S. Digital Rule ‘Dialogue’; CMA Microsoft Probe Tests Soft Approach on Big Tech

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda (…) Ronan Scanlan, partner at Steptoe, told The Capitol Forum that the CMA appears to be taking a pragmatic approach, accepting voluntary commitments instead of imposing remedies or opening a lengthy SMS investigation into the cloud sector....

Apr 07, 2026 Read Now >

Merger Monthly: With FCC, DOJ Aid, Nexstar’s Rush-Close Strategy Worked—Until it Didn’t; Outlook for Key Transactions Including Boston Scientific /Penumbra, Paramount Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery, and Providence Equity Partners/Cantaloupe

Nexstar’s (NXST) March 19 decision to close its $6.2 billion purchase of Tegna over pending lawsuits from eight state attorneys general and DirecTV was one of the most aggressive maneuvers by an acquiring party in recent memory. But the more consequential story may be what deal...

Apr 01, 2026 Read Now >

Booking CEO Warns Google’s Gemini, ChatGPT Could Squeeze Out Small Hotels

Booking (BKNG) CEO Glenn Fogel raised fresh concerns about the influence of artificial intelligence tools like Google’s (GOOG) Gemini on how people find hotels online and said he’s happy regulators are scrutinizing the search giant’s AI-generated answers to search queries under...

Mar 25, 2026 Read Now >

Antitrust Agenda: HPE/Juniper Tunney Act Hearing Set for 1pm ET Today; State Attorneys General Group Signals Need for Companies to Cooperate on Merger Investigations; Analysis of Past Comments from Fertilizer Executives Amid Price Spikes; Acting DOJ Antitrust Division AAG Omeed Assefi Talks Press Criticism

Preview of HPE/Juniper hearing. U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts of the Northern District of California will hear arguments today on whether to approve under the Tunney Act DOJ’s motion to finalize its settlement in the Hewlett Packard Enterprise/Juniper Networks case. At 1:00 p.m....

Mar 24, 2026 Read Now >

Paramount Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery: EC Asks Questions Related to Foreign Subsidies Probe, Sources Say

The European Commission has sent fresh requests for information (RFIs) to Paramount Skydance (PSKY) as part of its foreign subsidies investigation into the company’s proposed $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), according to two sources familiar with the probe. The...

Mar 24, 2026 Read Now >

Live Nation: State AGs Present Settlement Counterproposal, Await Company’s Response

The coalition of 33 states continuing the monopolization lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment (LYV) delivered today a counterproposal for a settlement to the company earlier this week, their counsel told the judge overseeing the trial. Live Nation confirmed it’s reviewing the offer...

Mar 20, 2026 Read Now >

Federal Reserve Policy: Warsh’s Pursuit of Quantitative Tightening Faces Myriad Political and Market Constraints

Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to chair the Federal Reserve, has said that he wants to reduce the Fed’s “bloated” portfolio of assets and has asserted that quantitative easing (the Fed policy of buying assets like Treasuries and mortgage securities) has led to...

Mar 19, 2026 Read Now >

Live Nation: Bipartisan Group of State AGs Vows to Fight on Despite DOJ’s Proposed Settlement with Entertainment Giant

Democratic and Republican state attorneys general said the proposed settlement between DOJ and Live Nation Entertainment (LYV) to resolve the company’s alleged antitrust violations is insufficient and they’ll continue the monopoly...

Mar 09, 2026 Read Now >

EU Preparing First Google Fines Under Digital Rules as Soon as This Month, Sources Say

The European Commission is preparing two fines against Google (GOOG) for alleged breaches of the EU’s digital competition rules as soon as this month, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The long-awaited final decisions mark the first penalties for the technology giant...

Mar 09, 2026 Read Now >

Live Nation: Trial Spotlights Scope of Entertainment Giant’s Influence and Alleged Abuses to Keep Grip on Industry

DOJ’s closely watched antitrust case against Live Nation Entertainment (LYV) and its ticketing arm, Ticketmaster, went to trial today in a lawsuit that could reshape competition in the U.S. live entertainment industry for years to...

Mar 02, 2026 Read Now >

Bayer: DOJ Deepens Corn and Soybean Seeds Probe By Issuing CIDs to Agriculture Giants, Independent Seed Companies

DOJ issued civil investigative demands (CIDs) last week to agriculture companies, sources familiar with the matter said—signaling that its antitrust probe of the corn and soybean seeds sectors is deepening. The rest of this publication is currently locked and only available to...

Mar 02, 2026 Read Now >

Tech/Media/Telecom Weekly: Profit Boom for Memory Chip Oligopoly Set to Continue in Short Term as Sources in National Security Community Say Policymakers are Unlikely to Soften Stance Toward Chinese Memory Chip Companies

The TMT Weekly is a forward-looking tipsheet that covers tech policy across The Capitol Forum’s U.S. policy coverage universe, from Congress to the Courts. In this edition: National Security Outlook: Profit boom for memory chip oligopoly set to continue in short term: Sources in...

Feb 25, 2026 Read Now >

EU Cookie Banner Cleanup Plan Faces Conflicting Pushback, Echoing Tensions That Tanked Past Efforts

The European Commission’s plan to relieve internet users of much-hated cookie consent banners is generating intense and, in some cases, conflicting opposition from a variety of interests, throwing its future – and at the very least its objective – into doubt. As parliamentarians and...

Feb 24, 2026 Read Now >

Meta Faces Scam-Ad Complaint Under EU Digital Rules

Swedish media companies are accusing Meta (META) of violating the EU’s digital content-moderation and advertising-transparency rules by allegedly allowing rampant scam advertisements on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, according to a complaint seen by The Capitol Forum. The complaint...

Feb 18, 2026 Read Now >

Antitrust Agenda: Warner Reopens Merger Talks with Paramount; Cattle Ranchers Decry Trump EO Raising Argentina’s Beef Imports; Ohio AG Alleges Cannabis Cartel in Antitrust Suit; Maryland Moves Toward Algorithmic Pricing Ban

Warner Brothers re-opens merger negotiations with Paramount; experts and enforcers weigh in. Warner Brothers-Discovery (WBD) reentered deal talks with Paramount-Skydance (PSKY) this morning, asking for a “best and final” offer with a February 23 deadline to outbid Netflix’s (NFLX)...

Feb 17, 2026 Read Now >

EU Advances Visa, Mastercard Probes with New Questions, File Requests, Sources Say

The European Commission has in recent weeks asked parties involved in its investigations of Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA) to prepare non-confidential versions of documents detailing complaints about the companies’ conduct, so that the submissions can be added to the official case...

Feb 16, 2026 Read Now >

Kimberly-Clark/Kenvue: Rivals Expected to Raise Portfolio Concerns but Clearance Still Likely, Sources Say

Kimberly-Clark’s (KMB) proposed $48.7 billion acquisition of Kenvue (KVUE) is expected to face pushback from rival suppliers in Europe, who are concerned that the combined group’s broad portfolio in key consumer categories could strengthen its bargaining leverage with retailers and...

Feb 13, 2026 Read Now >

Live Nation: New DOJ Antitrust Head Assefi Tells Company Representatives Case Is Strong, He Favors Trial, Even as Settlement Talks Continue

Omeed Assefi, the acting head of DOJ’s antitrust division, told representatives of Live Nation Entertainment (LYV) today that the department believes it has a strong antitrust case against the company and that he favors going to trial on March 2, sources familiar with the matter...

Feb 13, 2026 Read Now >

EU Nvidia Scrutiny Intensifies with New Questions on Data Center Components, Sources Say

The European Commission has in recent months questioned industry players about definitions of products involved in data centers as part of an antitrust investigation into Nvidia (NVDA), two sources familiar with the matter said. The commission has also asked whether different data...

Feb 11, 2026 Read Now >

Deutsche Boerse/Allfunds: Deutsche Boerse Chief Makes Case in Brussels for Landmark EU Deal, Sources Say

Deutsche Boerse (DBKG) chief executive Stephan Leithner has recently met senior officials from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition in Brussels to argue that its planned merger with Allfunds (ALLFUN) is essential to creating a ‘European champion’ in the...

Feb 11, 2026 Read Now >

Mark Hamer, One of DOJ Antitrust Head Gail Slater’s Top Deputies, Plans to Leave Department For Private Practice

Mark Hamer, one of DOJ antitrust head Gail Slater’s top deputies, is set to leave the department’s antitrust division to return to private practice, a source familiar with the matter said. The source said Hamer will be returning to Baker McKenzie, where he served as global antitrust...

Feb 09, 2026 Read Now >

Kid Rock, Senator Blackburn Say Trump Considering Executive Order to Cap Prices on Ticket Resales

Kid Rock said he’s optimistic President Donald Trump will sign an executive order to cap prices on ticket resales. The musician, who’s a close Trump confidante, spoke to The Capitol Forum after testifying at a Senate Commerce consumer protection subcommittee hearing last week...

Feb 02, 2026 Read Now >

Trump Triggers Revival of Big Tech Digital Services Tax Talks Among EU Officials

U.S. President Donald Trump may have walked back threats to seize Greenland militarily and impose tariffs on exports of European countries that stand in his way – but the damage is done. His willingness to jeopardize transatlantic alliances has prompted EU officials to take a hard look...

Jan 28, 2026 Read Now >

Major UK Phase 2 Will Push CMA Analysis on Economic Growth Claims and Market Definitions, Sources Say

The UK Competition and Markets Authority’s fast-tracked phase 2 review of Associated British Foods’ (LON: ABF) proposed acquisition of Hovis will likely broaden the enforcer’s willingness to accept economic-growth focused arguments about failing firms, rivalry-enhancing...

Jan 26, 2026 Read Now >

Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery: Paramount to File Hostile WBD Bid in Brussels, Seeking Early Clearance Before Netflix Vote

Paramount (PSKY) is preparing to file its hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) with the European Commission as early as this month to potentially get the deal cleared by the EC before Warner’s shareholders vote for the competing Netflix deal in April, according to two people...

Jan 21, 2026 Read Now >

Vestager Urges Officials to Abandon X, Compares Social Media to Smoking Indoors

Civil servants and public bodies need to stop posting on X as Europe looks to depend less on American tech platforms and develop homegrown competitors, former EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in an interview. As European regulators confront X over its AI tool Grok,...

Jan 14, 2026 Read Now >

Congressional Appropriations Bill Directs FTC to Submit Reports Detailing Competition in Retail, Pharmacy, Grocery, and Fire Trucks

The latest funding package for the FTC directs the agency to submit reports to Congress on retail competition in the food, pharmacy and grocery sectors as well as consolidation in the fire truck market. Those requests come...

Jan 13, 2026 Read Now >

Senate Commerce Committee Plans Hearing on FCC National Ownership Cap Rule

This article has been updated with a statement from Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is planning to hold a February 10 hearing on lifting the cap prohibiting a company from owning television stations that reach more than 39% of U.S....

Jan 12, 2026 Read Now >

Capitol Forum’s Tech Policy 2026 Predictions: Brinkema Will Break Up Google’s Ad Tech Monopoly, DOJ and/or States Will Appeal Google Search Remedy, Open AI Will Take Feud with Google to Europe, Big Tech Will Push for Trade Policy ‘Get Out of Jail Free Card’

As part of our tech policy coverage, we are launching our annual predictions on some of the most meaningful events expected to take place in 2026, which we will track regularly throughout the year. To discuss these predictions with Executive Editor Teddy Downey, please join us for a...

Jan 08, 2026 Read Now >

DEA Pushing to Restart Program That Allegedly Seized Millions From Innocent Last-Minute Air Travelers Targeted as Drug Couriers

The Drug Enforcement Administration is trying to bring back a controversial program that allowed it to search the carry-on luggage of boarding and exiting airline passengers who fit its profile of drug traffickers, The Capitol Forum has learned. At the same time, the DEA has been telling...

Jan 07, 2026 Read Now >

AkzoNobel/Axalta: Merger Likely to Face In-Depth EU Antitrust Probe, Sources Say

AkzoNobel’s (AKZA) $25 billion acquisition of rival coatings manufacturer Axalta (AXTA) could well be facing an in-depth European Union antitrust investigation and potential structural remedy demands due to the combined company’s likely dominance in the powder coating market,...

Jan 06, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: Zynex Files for Bankruptcy; Most FTC-Challenged Patents Delisted; TX AG Sues Epic; UnitedHealth Contract Dispute; Analysis of FDA Draft Guidance on Animal Testing; Report on Utilization Management in Traditional Medicare

Zynex files for bankruptcy. Yesterday, Zynex Medical (ZYXI) announced that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas. The announcement comes after a turbulent year for the company during which the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Zynex’s largest source of...

Dec 17, 2025 Read Now >

X to Face Fine Under EU Digital Rules as Soon as Friday, Sources Say

The European Commission is poised to fine X in the coming days and possibly as soon as Friday in what would be the executive’s first-ever sanction under its content moderation and transparency law, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The timing could still...

Dec 04, 2025 Read Now >

2 Senior DOJ Career Officials Set to Depart Antitrust Division Next Month

DOJ’s antitrust division is losing two senior career officials next month, further depleting the roster of top advisers surrounding Gail Slater, the agency’s head. Aditi Mehta, the division’s economics director of enforcement, is departing early next month, sources said. One of the...

Nov 19, 2025 Read Now >

Kalshi: Prediction Platform May Have to Block Access for Nevada Users

A federal judge said Friday that he was considering reversing a prior decision that had allowed prediction market operator Kalshi to continue offering sports event-based contracts in Nevada while its legal battle with state gambling regulators plays out in court. After hours of oral...

Nov 14, 2025 Read Now >

Meta Heading Toward More EU Fines for Breaking Digital Rules as Apple Makes Progress, Sources Say

Meta (META) is veering toward potentially hefty penalties under the EU’s digital antitrust rules as talks with the enforcer over changes to its “pay-or-consent” data use model for users of its social networks have proved unproductive, according to two sources familiar with the...

Nov 10, 2025 Read Now >

DEA Seizing Fewer Fentanyl Pills Following Agent Shift to Surges, Immigration Enforcement

The DEA is seizing far fewer fentanyl pills than it did a year ago, signaling the impact of the agency’s deployment of resources to help with National Guard surges in cities and immigration enforcement, a Capitol Forum analysis of department data indicates. DEA agents are seizing fewer...

Nov 07, 2025 Read Now >

EU Advances Cookie Consent Overhaul in Controversial Move that Risks Re-opening Landmark Privacy Rules

Brussels is weighing a politically charged plan to scrap the EU rules that underpin the ubiquitous “accept cookies” pop-ups, with senior officials mulling over the move as early as today, said two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The step would lead to the reopening of the...

Oct 31, 2025 Read Now >

Kalshi: Cracks in Legal Theory Beginning to Emerge After Early Court Victory

Kalshi, the U.S.-based prediction market operator that recently introduced sports betting to its platform, notched an early courtroom win in Nevada earlier this year, bolstering the notion that the company’s novel interpretation of the law could open the door for nationwide sports...

Oct 29, 2025 Read Now >

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