Antitrust Policy archive - The Capitol Forum

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 >

UnitedHealthcare’s Cost-Cutting Drive Could Mean Fewer Mental Health Services—Especially for Kids

As CEO of Sun Behavioral Health, Steve Page has the unenviable task of trying to maintain services at his small chain of four mental health facilities amid federal cuts to Medicaid. Sun Behavioral Health provides services for children and adults who suffer from conditions ranging from...

Oct 22, 2025 Read Now >

Merger Lobbying Picks Up as ‘MAGA Lobbyists’ Cash in on Trumpworld Connections

Merger-related lobbying ticked up slightly in the third quarter as lobbyists connected to President Donald Trump worked to boost support for pending deals involving Nexstar (NXST), Tegna (TGNA), Norfolk Southern (NSC) and other clients. So-called “MAGA lobbyists” have been in high...

Oct 22, 2025 Read Now >

Zillow: Realtors Are Required to Drive Business to Zillow’s In-House Lending Arm, Potentially Raising Buyer Costs; Agents Express Concern They Are Violating RESPA

Zillow’s (Z) commission-splitting Flex program could violate anti-kickback provisions of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) because it requires that real estate agents steer homebuyers to Zillow’s mortgage arm, realtors tell The Capitol Forum. The Flex program is an...

Oct 22, 2025 Read Now >

Saudi Role in Electronic Arts Takeover Likely to Face EU Scrutiny Under Foreign Subsidies Rules, Sources Say

The European Commission is expected to assess whether Saudi Arabia’s role in a consortium to acquire Electronic Arts (EA) for $55 billion will give the country outsized influence over the EU gaming sector, multiple sources told The Capitol Forum. The U.S.-based videogames company is...

Oct 21, 2025 Read Now >

Ski Gear Maker Tecnica Confirms EU Antitrust Raid of Austrian Facility

Tecnica Group, the Italian owner of the Rollerblade inline skates brand, was among the companies raided by the European Commission as part of a cartel investigation into the ski equipment sector yesterday, a company spokesperson told The Capitol Forum. Commission representatives visited...

Oct 21, 2025 Read Now >

Google Proposes New Search Changes Amid Threat of Fresh Fine Under EU Digital Rules

Google (GOOG) is proposing additional changes to results for shopping queries in its dominant search engine amid pressure to dodge a potential fine from the European Commission under the EU’s digital rules, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The commission in March...

Oct 13, 2025 Read Now >

SHEIN and Temu Look to Europe for Growth After End of De Minimis Exemption in U.S., Raising Concerns Among EU Policymakers

Chinese e-commerce companies Temu and SHEIN will no longer be able to rely on their low-cost direct-to-consumer model in the U.S. following the end of a trade exemption known as de minimis. As the companies look to Europe for growth, however, European policymakers are preparing to push...

Oct 06, 2025 Read Now >

Mars/Kellanova: EC Leaning Towards Clearing Deal, Sources Say

The European Commission is leaning towards clearing Mars’s $36 billion proposed acquisition of Kellanova (K) without remedies because it’s struggling to back up the concerns that motivated its in-depth review, according to sources familiar with the probe. The enforcer last week...

Oct 02, 2025 Read Now >

Anglo American/Teck Resources: Merger Set to Face ‘Canada Strong,’ ‘America First’ Agendas in Foreign Investment Reviews

London-based Anglo American (LSE: AAL) and Teck Resources’ (TECK) plan to create a $50 billion-plus copper-mining behemoth will likely encounter regulatory scrutiny driven by “Canada Strong” and “America First” agendas. In Ottawa, the main focus will be on whether the deal...

Oct 01, 2025 Read Now >

ADNOC/Covestro: Remedies Expected to be Filed as Early as Wednesday, Sources Say

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is set to file remedies with the European Commission as early as tomorrow in a bid to clear its €14.7 billion acquisition of German chemicals company Covestro (COV: ETR), sources said. The proposed remedies will address the major concerns raised...

Sep 30, 2025 Read Now >

Stanley Woodward Included in Second Batch of Trump Nominees Thune Will Bring to Confirmation Vote

Senator John Thune (R-SD) will include Stanley Woodward, the president’s choice to become DOJ’s No. 3 official, in a second batch of nominees that Republicans plan to bring to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote, a spokesperson for the majority leader said. Woodward, whose...

Sep 19, 2025 Read Now >

Financials Friday: Trump Debanking Crusade Could Buttress a Consumer Protection Law; Cboe Joins Rush to Offer Popular Crypto Bets; U.S. Banks Look to Shed Low-Yielding Loans and Investments; Banks Fair Lending Gets an Inadvertent Boost in Debanking Crusade

The Trump administration’s vow to end “debanking” could end up fortifying a federal law that requires banks to help vulnerable communities, said a leading consumer advocate. Banks may not jettison clients based on their political allegiance or other factors deemed to constitute a...

Sep 19, 2025 Read Now >

ADNOC/Covestro: Acquirer Spoke With Ribera Amid Stalled EC Review, Sources say

ADNOC’s top brass spoke with EU competition chief Teresa Ribera in the past few days regarding its proposed $16 billion acquisition of German chemicals company Covestro (ETR: 1CO), sources told The Capitol Forum. The conversation came after a tentative remedy offer and public criticism...

Sep 10, 2025 Read Now >

Merger Monthly: The Antitrust Division is Open for Dealmaking, With Partial UnitedHealth/Amedisys Fix the Latest Example; Outlook for Key Transactions Including Mars/Kellanova, Omnicom/Interpublic and Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern

DOJ’s August 7 consent decree settling its long-running litigation challenge to UnitedHealth’s $3.3 billion purchase of home health rival Amedisys “secure the largest divestiture of outpatient healthcare services to resolve a merger challenge,” Assistant Attorney General Gail...

Sep 08, 2025 Read Now >

Google Set to Get EU Adtech Fine as Early as Today, Sources Say

Google (GOOG) is expected to receive a fine as early as today from the European Commission over alleged abuses in its advertising technology business, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The Brussels enforcer has had a decision ready for months to fine the Big...

Sep 05, 2025 Read Now >

Keurig Case Could Influence Outcome of Major Antitrust Actions Against Big Tech, Live Nation, Visa

After more than 10 years, a major private antitrust case against Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) is approaching a milestone that could have ramifications not only for the world’s largest maker of single-serve coffee products but also for U.S. government lawsuits against Big Tech behemoths, Live...

Aug 26, 2025 Read Now >

Google: Ad Tech Giant Facing Possible Class Action, More Publisher Lawsuits in Coming Months; Liability Could Stretch Into Billions

Following a favorable April ruling in the federal antitrust lawsuit against Google’s (GOOG) ad-tech business, publishers are likely considering filing their own lawsuits against the company. The biggest publishers could be looking at hundreds of millions—even billions—of dollars in...

Aug 19, 2025 Read Now >

Former DAAG Roger Alford Plans to Blast Mizelle, Woodward for Role in ‘HPE/Juniper Merger Scandal,’ Call DOJ ‘Pay-to-Play Antitrust Enforcement’ Status Quo ‘Simply Unsustainable

Roger Alford, the antitrust division’s former No. 2 official, in a speech today will blast DOJ Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle and Associate Attorney General nominee Stanley Woodward for their role in the “HPE/Juniper merger scandal” and enabling “MAGA-In-Name-Only...

Aug 18, 2025 Read Now >

Metro CEO Urges EU Cap on Visa, Mastercard Interchange Fees, Seen as ‘Silent Tax’

Obscure and rising commercial card fees that Visa (V), Mastercard (M) and other major card networks set for business-to-business payments should be capped by the EU, Metro CEO Steffen Greubel said in an interview with The Capitol Forum. “It’s a money-making machine for them and a...

Aug 14, 2025 Read Now >

Dozens of Federal Judges Attended Antitrust Seminars Hosted by Big Tech-Funded Group, Records Show

Dozens of federal judges attended seminars in idyllic locales like Hawaii and Portugal held by a George Mason University (GMU) law school organization that received Big Tech funding, a Capitol Forum review of public records found. The university’s Antonin Scalia Law School, one of the...

Aug 13, 2025 Read Now >

Prosus/Just Eat Takeaway.com: EC to Market Test Phase 1 Remedy Offer, Sources Say

The European Commission is seeking market feedback on Prosus’s offer to sell down its stake in food delivery platform Delivery Hero (ETR: DHER) before it decides whether to accept the remedy or send the investment firm’s €4.1 billion acquisition of Just Eat Takeaway.com (AMS: TKWY)...

Jul 28, 2025 Read Now >

Google Says Its Comments on AI’s Link to Search Are Consistent, But Some See Them as Contradictory, Confusing

What a difference two years has made in Google’s comments about artificial intelligence’s relationship to its dominant search...

Jul 28, 2025 Read Now >

Anthropic Facing Massive Potential Damages in Newly Certified Copyright Class Action; Other AI Companies Also at Risk

Anthropic is facing a certified class action lawsuit—and the prospect of massive statutory damages—over its use of pirated datasets to train its generative AI systems. “It’s a huge deal,” Edward Lee, a professor at Santa Clara University Law School told The Capitol Forum, of...

Jul 22, 2025 Read Now >

Prosus/Just Eat Takeaway.com: Acquirer To Offer EC Divestiture Remedies, Sources Say

This article has been updated with a statement from Prosus. Prosus is offering to sell down its stake in food delivery platform Delivery Hero (ETR: DHER) to single digits in hopes of avoiding an in-depth European Commission investigation into its proposed acquisition of Just Eat...

Jul 18, 2025 Read Now >

BlackRock/Allete: Judge’s Recommendation Energizes Opponents as Focus Turns to Commission Decision in Fall

After a judge Tuesday recommended the rejection of a $6.2 billion deal that would give BlackRock (BLK) control of Allete’s (ALE) Minnesota Power, opponents and supporters alike turned their attention to the state’s public utility authority, which will decide the transaction’s fate....

Jul 17, 2025 Read Now >

Antitrust Agenda: DOJ Indicts Oak View Group CEO for Arena Bid Rigging; Low Efficacy of Post-Merger Divestitures Indicates Need for Stronger Enforcement, New Paper Concludes; Manufacturers Neglect of Repair Manuals and Materials Could Run Afoul of Right-to-Repair Laws

Live entertainment executive indicted on criminal bid-rigging charges. The Justice Department last Wednesday indicted Timothy Leiweke, the CEO of the live entertainment company Oak View Group (OVG), for allegedly orchestrating a bid-rigging conspiracy to secure the contract for the...

Jul 14, 2025 Read Now >

Merger Monthly: After Novel Omnicom/Interpublic, HPE/Juniper Remedies, is Everything Settleable?; Outlook for Key Transactions Including Getty/Shutterstock, Mars/Kellanova, and UnitedHealth/Amedisys

In the months after Inauguration Day, the Trump administration’s merger policy appeared to be slowly but surely rounding into form: To wit, meaningful continuity from the Biden administration (retaining the 2023 Merger Guidelines and updated HSR Form), coupled with substantive pull back...

Jul 10, 2025 Read Now >

Chess Grandmaster Accuses Platform of Abusive Conduct in EC Complaint

The world’s largest online chess platform, Chess.com, is abusing its dominance through a host of anticompetitive practices, including killer acquisitions, price discrimination and exclusivity clauses, according to a complaint filed with the European Commission by former world chess...

Jul 10, 2025 Read Now >

ADNOC/Covestro: Deal Headed for In-Depth EU Subsidy Probe, Sources Say

ADNOC’s €14.7 billion planned acquisition of chemicals producer Covestro (ETR: 1CO) is likely headed for an in-depth EU foreign subsidies investigation at the end of this month because the European Commission wants the United Arab Emirates oil giant to give up its unlimited state...

Jul 07, 2025 Read Now >

Prosus/Just Eat Takeaway.com: State-of-Play Meeting Signals EU ‘Serious Doubts,’ Raising Prospects of In-Depth Probe or Remedy Offer

Prosus is set to meet European Commission officials next week for a state-of-play meeting to discuss the enforcer’s initial concerns about the investment firm’s €4.1 billion takeover of Just Eat Takeaway.com (AMS: TKWY), according to two sources familiar with the...

Jul 02, 2025 Read Now >

Brussels Readies Google Antitrust Penalty as Breakup Pressure Mounts

The European Commission has had a decision ready for months to fine Google (GOOG) over alleged abuses in its advertising technology business, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told The Capitol...

Jul 01, 2025 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: Google’s Search Redesigns Spark Criticism; Ireland’s Regulator Hires More Staff Amid Surge in Tech Complaints

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, written by Europe Executive Editor Javier Espinoza and Senior Correspondents Charley Connor, Vesela Gladicheva and Lydia O’Neal. This week, Google is up for a grilling over its compliance with the EU’s digital antitrust regime and the Irish...

Jul 01, 2025 Read Now >

EU Competition Chief says Bloc ‘Won’t Compromise Sovereignty’ in Talks with U.S., Criticizes American Big Tech Crackdown

European Commission competition chief Teresa Ribera dismissed reports that the EU might water down its digital antitrust rules in trade negotiations with the U.S. and criticized America’s own effort to rein in the power of Big Tech as slower and less effective than the bloc’s regime....

Jun 30, 2025 Read Now >

Omnicom/Interpublic: EC, CMA Reviews Set to Grapple with Truncated FTC Investigation, Novel Theory of Harm, Behavioral Remedies

The FTC’s move this week to clear Omnicom’s (OMC) proposed acquisition of advertising holding company rival Interpublic (IPG) through a truncated process culminating in an unusual complaint and consent order places European competition enforcers in unfamiliar, and largely...

Jun 27, 2025 Read Now >

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