Trump Administration Promised a Manufacturing Revival in 2026. Just Released First-Half Data Show It Isn’t Happening
August 4, 2026 — U.S. industrial employment down 75,000 since Trump’s return, manufactured goods trade deficit bigger than pre-Trump as overall deficit narrowed mainly because of more silver, gold, LNG commodity exports. Shipments of U.S.-made goods only bright spot
Ellison Says the Paramount-Warner Deal Isn’t About Market Share. The Numbers Say Otherwise.
August 4, 2026 — In a New York Times op-ed published today, Paramount CEO David Ellison argues that the antitrust suits against his company’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery aren’t really about market share, they’re about his politics and whether he can be trusted with CNN. Read the complaints and it’s clear that isn’t what’s at issue.
Economic Liberties: Ruling on Atlantic City Casino Pricing Algorithm is a Warning Shot Against Market-Rigging Tech
July 29, 2026 — Today, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court dismissal and revived a landmark antitrust case alleging that Atlantic City casino-hotels and pricing software company Cendyn used an algorithmic pricing program called “Rainmaker” to coordinate room prices and inflate costs for consumers. In response, Economic liberties released the following statement:
Judge Must Sanction Nexstar Lawyers and Executives for Flagrant Lawbreaking and Contempt of Court
July 23, 2026 — After court filings revealed that Nexstar Media Group stacked the board of TEGNA Inc. exclusively with its own current and former executives — despite a federal injunction ordering the two broadcast rivals to remain separate while their illegal $6.2 billion merger is challenged — the American Economic Liberties Project called on the court to grant a motion filed by a bipartisan coalition of 13 state attorneys general and DirectTV to address their conduct. Economic Liberties also urged the judge to issue sanctions and contempt orders against the defendants’ executives, and refer defendants’ attorneys to the bar for disciplinary action.
The CA Chamber of Commerce is Spending Millions On a Misinformation Campaign to Kill the COMPETE Act
July 22, 2026 — The California Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber) announced yesterday the launch of a “multi-million dollar effort” in opposition to California Assembly Bill 1776 (Aguiar-Curry), also known as the COMPETE Act. A much needed amendment to California’s core antitrust law — the Cartwright Act — the bill aims to close a century-old gap in the law that prevents enforcement against anticompetitive conduct by a single firm, or “illegal monopolization.”