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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 come.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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)...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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)...
