Monthly Monopoly Digest – November 2026

November 2, 2026 Anti-Monopoly Policies & EnforcementCompetition Policy Digest
By Morgan Harper, Milena Bimpong, & Phillip Berenbroick

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Admin

  • CORRUPT DOJ SETTLEMENT DETAILS EMERGE. In March 2026, Trump’s DOJ settled its monopolization case against LiveNation, with many speculating corruption was at play.  In an amended filing submitted pursuant to a federal court’s Tunney Act review, Live Nation confirmed that President Trump indeed spoke with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino before the DOJ settled its monopolization case against the live events giant.  In response to the LiveNation and antitrust cases settled during this administration, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has introduced the Antitrust Accountability and Transparency Act, which would clarify judicial power to overturn insufficient settlements. It is the companion bill to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) introduced earlier this year. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) also submitted a comment challenging the settlement. 

 

  • FTC COMMISSIONER SHUFFLE. The FTC continues operating without all five commissioners. No Democratic Commissioners have been nominated – Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter were the last Democratic commissioners until they were removed from their posts in March 2025.  President Trump nominated David MacNeil but he  has not yet received a Senate confirmation hearing.  And now, President Trump is expected to nominate Chris Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, to an FTC spot. It was rumored Chair Andrew Ferguson was considering leaving this past summer, but he denied it.

Corruption

  • SCOTUS ROLLS OUT RED CARPET FOR CORRUPTION. Americans are increasingly concerned about corruption: according to a recent Gallup survey, 89% of adults believe that government corruption is widespread, which is a 10% increase since 2025, and 71% of Americans say corruption is widespread in business. Congress may need to enact new legislation to tackle corruption. In a recent op-ed, Economic Liberties’ Visiting Senior Fellow Leo Wise explained how the Supreme Court has weakened laws Congress enacted to address corruption by public officials. Members of Congress have taken notice. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced three government anti-corruption bills in September intended to address problematic SCOTUS precedents and to create a private right of action for individuals to hold public officials accountable for honest services fraud. Check out Economic Liberties’ brief on how the Trump Administration’s corruption is driving up costs for working families.  

Housing

  • COMPASS’ LEGAL BATTLES TO EXPAND PRIVATE REAL ESTATE LISTINGS. In January, the Trump DOJ approved Compass’s merger with Anywhere to become the world’s largest real estate brokerage. Compass is using its market dominance to force more sellers to list homes exclusively on their private platforms, which limits potential buyers and drives up home prices. For example, Compass private listings sold for 4.6% more than public listings. Now, Compass is suing to challenge the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS) requirement to list properties as an antitrust legal violation. In response, six other MLS groups have sued Compass to clarify their listing services comply with antitrust laws. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) also sent a letter to FTC Chair Ferguson urging him to investigate this conduct, but so far the FTC has not responded publicly. Check out Economic Liberties’ model legislation to restrict private listings. 

 

  • ROAD TO HOUSING IN MOTION. Earlier this year, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law. The landmark bipartisan legislation reduces barriers to homebuilding and places guardrails on institutional investors like private equity firms that own more than 350 homes. Now, the U.S. Treasury has released a proposed rule to define the limitations on larger institutional investors. The deadline to submit comments is November 23rd. Once finalized, the proposed rule would take effect in January 2027.

Airlines

Reining In Big Tech

  • DOJ SETTLING WITH APPLE? In 2024, the DOJ and 16 state attorneys general filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple for illegally monopolizing the high-end smartphone market. Apple then filed a motion to dismiss, which the US District Court for New Jersey denied in June 2025. Now, rumors are swirling that the DOJ may settle and developers likeEpic Games and Paypal worry any deal will allow Apple to continue illegally abusing its monopoly power to harm app developers and lock consumers into more expensive  products.  The DOJ has not issued a response. 

 

  • META’ S CIVIL LIABILITY RECKONING. Since its inception in a Harvard dorm room more than two decades ago, Meta has blatantly disregarded the privacy and safety of its users in pursuit of profits. The company is finally being held liable for those missteps. Earlier this year, a coalition of state attorneys general settled litigation with Meta over violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), with Meta agreeing to pay up to $17 billion in penalties. Florida Attorney General James Ultmeier did not join the settlement, calling it a “slap on the wrist for a trillion-dollar corp.” His decision has proven prescient. In another case, a New Mexico jury found that Meta misled Facebook users over data privacy practices, committing over 43 million violations of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act. New Mexico sought up to $219 billion in civil penalties ($5,000 per violation, the maximum under the New Mexico law) and the court ordered Meta to pay $25 billion, far exceeding the multi-state settlement for Meta’s COPPA violations. Economic Liberties’ released a statement emphasizing that jury awards and strong enforcement actions are crucial, but settlements are not sufficient enough to hold deep-pocketed offenders like Meta accountable.

Artificial Intelligence

  • AI INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE MOUNTING.  AI experts have warned about safety risks for years, but this summer the risks came to a head with the Hugging Face hack and  researchers speaking out about risks. In response, regulators and lawmakers are launching inquiries. In September, multiple reports confirmed that the FTC will investigate OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI companies, including their executives, over potential dangers to consumers and unfair methods of competition. Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) called for greater oversight and inquiry into OpenAI’s safety practices. Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), ranking members of House committees with AI jurisdiction, recently sent  letters to AI labs urging them to report any previous instances when AI models circumvented safeguards a request to y report any further incidents within 48 hours. Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) has called for the next Congress to require AI CEOs to testify about safety risks. At the state level, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes sued OpenAI for consumer fraud violations, claiming the company’s ChatGPT chatbot is designed to draw in users by appealing to human emotions, including minors. Meanwhile, President Trump has responded to AI safety concerns by insisting the technology be re-branded as “Super Intelligence” and asking AI firms to self-regulate.

 

  • WAVE OF AI BILLS HIT CONGRESS. The tsunami of cyber attacks by the AI labs are also pushing members of Congress and the companies themselves to respond with a range of AI safety and liability legislation. In October, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, issued aI governance framework that would require clear and enforceable standards for AI development and deployment, third-party testing and auditing, and incident disclosure requirements. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) also released a framework  to require  labs receive federal charters to develop and distribute advanced AI. Other legislative proposals include whistleblower protections, bans on superintelligence, and pauses on AI development. Bipartisan support is emerging to ensure  frontier labs are held liable for cyber attacks, torts, and illegal acts by their AI agents. On the company side, Anthropic has circulated draft legislation on Capitol Hill, proposing an unserious self-regulatory regime that would allow AI to kill 50 people before the federal government could intervene. Investors are fearing an AI bubble amid recent slides in tech stocks. In October, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-TX), House Financial Services Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), and other congressional Democrats introduced a resolution opposing any federal bailout for AI firms. California Secretary of Business and Consumer Services Rohit Chopra told Politico that Washington isn’t prepared for the fallout from an AI bubble. Finally AI companies have  pushed for an antitrust exemption in the NDAA in the name of safety, but antitrust experts and bipartisan Senators including Sens. Warren (D-MA), Cruz (R-TX), Hawley (R-MO), Blumenthal (D-CT)  oppose the idea. For more on why an antitrust exemption is problematic, check out Economic Liberties’ fact sheet here.

Utilities

  • OPPOSITION TO NEXTERA AND DOMINION MERGER GROWS, BUT WILL BALLROOMS SAVE THEM? 57% of Americans say utility bills are unaffordable, and in Virginia, Dominion Energy projects residential electric bills could increase by more than 57% over the next twenty years.  Against that backdrop, NextEra Energy’s proposed $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy continues to face stiff opposition. In testimony submitted to the SCC, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger argued that the merger should only be approved if NextEra and Dominion are required to freeze residential electricity rates for six years and triple customer bill credits. AG Jay Jones and Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi have also formally opposed the merger. At the federal level, Sen. Warren (D-MA) and house members like Eugene Vindman (D-VA) wrote FERC expressing concerns about the transaction, though FERC has yet to comment. Meanwhile, new reporting revealsNextEra contributed $4 million to fund the Trump White House ballroom. Check out Economic Liberties’ Senior Policy Analyst Sarah Meyerhoff’s substack explaining why this merger will raise electricity rates, and Economic Liberties’ a town hall on the merger. 

 

  • BREAKING POWER LINE GRIDLOCK. Building new, long-distance power lines can help bring renewable energy onto the grid. But investor-owned utilities typically stonewall these lines to avoid competing with cleaner, cheaper energy. Instead, utilities install smaller lines to evade regulatory scrutiny, increasing rates. In September, Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA), which would fix both sides of this new line permitting issue – by expanding FERC’s authority to circumvent utilities and competitively bid out larger lines, and to investigate and penalize utilities that are found to have spent excessively on smaller lines. Experts suspect that utilities are already quietly mobilizing to water down these provisions. Oklahoma Gas & Electric is lobbying against them, and power giants Duke Energy and Southern Company have included BAAJA in their most recent lobbying disclosures. 

Lowering Prices

  • FTC SETTLES ON PESTICIDE LOYALTY PROGRAMS. Pesticide prices have reached an all-time high, with U.S. farmers bearing the burden. As the gap between production costs and farmers’ earnings has rapidly grown in recent years, the agricultural industry is reaching a breaking point. In 2022, the FTC and multiple state attorneys general filed a lawsuit alleging that Corteva established a loyalty program for pesticide distributors that prevented competitors from selling generic products, allowing Corteva to sell their products for high prices. The lawsuit also alleged that Syngenta Crop Protection, another pesticide manufacturer, used its loyalty program to hurt competitors. The FTC and multiple state attorneys general have now reached a settlement with Corteva to end their loyalty program for 10 years and end unfair corporate practices, so lower-priced generic manufacturers can enter the market. Syngenta was not included in the settlement, and  its litigation is ongoing. 

 

  • FTC FOLDS ON ROBINSON-PATMAN ENFORCEMENT. Independent liquor stores, grocers, and convenience stores pay 12% to 67% more than big chains like Total Wine and Costco for identical bottles of liquor because dominant distributors charge them higher prices. In 2024, the FTC sued Southern Glazer’s, the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor, for such conduct as a violation of the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), the first such action in a generation. Though DOJ’s case survived a motion to dismiss, Trump’s FTC has now settled — imposing no fines, no penalties, or safeguards to prevent future RPA violations, a move Economic Liberties and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance opposed. Between this settlement and last year’s dismissal of the PepsiCo case, the FTC has no active RPA cases.

 

  • FTC DIGGING IN ON SURVEILLANCE PRICING? The FTC sought public comment, published here, earlier this year on an enforcement policy statement regarding personalized pricing, addressing concerns about companies collecting personal data to set prices based on how much the consumer is willing to pay. This October, the FTC announced that they’re seeking more information about personalized pricing from major airline, ride-sharing, and food-delivery companies. The agency issued Delta, United, JetBlue, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Target, and Walmart orders to turn over information about each of their pricing and compensation methodologies. Each company has 45 days to respond. The FTC’s latest investigations follow Chair Ferguson shutting down Lina Khan’s pricing investigations in January 2025. 

Improving Healthcare

  • HHS TAKES ON BIG DIALYSIS. Medicare covers kidney failure treatment regardless of patient age, so the federal government is the dominant payer for dialysis. Two for-profit companies, DaVita and Fresenius, that control nearly 75% of the dialysis market are the primary providers. Patients and taxpayers have paid the price for their dominance. Dialysis life expectancy is unchanged since 2009, five-year survival is less than 50%, and Medicare spending on kidney failure has reached is through the roof. In response, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled the Kidney Care National Plan, which calls on CMS to investigate the largest firms’ anti-competitive strategies. AELP has long pushed for these reforms, drawing on the work of Tom Mueller, who wrote the book on Big Dialysis and whose Searchlight Investigative Journalism Foundation is a member of the Break Up Big Medicine coalition.  

 

  • PBMs STILL UNDER SCRUTINY. After several false starts, Congress finally passed bipartisan incremental pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms as a part of a larger government spending bill in February. Although the largest PBMs had hoped otherwise, policymakers continue to scrutinize their business practices. The Trump administration finalized a rule that will force PBMs to disclose payments from manufacturers and drug pricing data to employer health plan sponsors. In the House, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) is investigating whether the largest PBMs retaliated against independent pharmacies for supporting additional PBM reforms, and House Democrats have compiled a health care agenda for the new Congress that includes several bipartisan structural PBM reforms. Notably, the FTC is an outlier, having essentially issued the largest PBMs a corporate pardon by settling lawsuits against them for allegedly inflating insulin prices. The Government Accountability Office has also released a report finding that the prevalence of vertically integrated pharmacies could make it increasingly difficult for independent pharmacies to operate. In 2023, 8 of the 15 plan sponsor pharmacies with the largest Part D enrollment were vertically integrated.

Media

  • PARAMOUNT LAYOFFS BEGIN. The consummation of the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger means the film, television, news, and streaming markets have become more consolidated. In September, California AG Rob Bonta & others settled amid Paramount’s threats to leave California. Despite a failed last-ditch attempt by a group of Paramount customers to block the merger and a letter by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) to the federal judge overseeing the case noting that the state AG settlement does not remedy the deal’s harms, the transaction officially closed on October 6th, creating the new media giant, Skydance. Experts anticipate higher streaming prices, and Paramount has already announced layoffs of 2,000 employees — conflicting with the worker protections they committed to in the settlement with state AGs.That is just the beginning of the $6 billion in costs Skydance anticipates cutting. embark on. The Block the Merger coalition is committed to continue fighting to make the media ecosystem more diverse and competitive. Democrats on the Hill also appear poised to conduct oversight of the transaction, the FCC, and media consolidation if they flip either chamber of Congress this week.

Merger Mix

  • LABOR REJECTS RAIL MERGER. Union Pacific Railroad’s $72 billion offer to acquire Norfolk Southern Railway would create the nation’s largest railway. The Stop the Rail Merger Coalition is composed of railroad and shipping workers, labor unions, advocacy groups, and consumers who oppose the merger. According to the coalition, nearly two thirds of unionized workers at both railroads have publicly opposed the merger. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) representing over 10,000 railroad workers is also now opposing the deal to avoid anticipated job losses. In September, Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR) and 100 members of Congress wrote to the STB urging them to examine the consequences of the merger and to protect railroad worker jobs. The STB is accepting public comments until November 18, 2026.

 

  • FOOD DELIVERY MONOPOLY? DoorDash dominates online food ordering, executing two thirds of U.S. food deliveries, following acquisitions of Grubhub Campus Dining and Deliveroo. Now, DoorDash has announced their largest acquisition yet–buying grocery service Instacart for $17 billion, a food delivery competitor through Instacart’s partnership with UberEats. The FTC would have to approve the transaction for it to close. To place guardrails on food delivery services, Economic Liberties’ statement calling on the FTC to block the merger for being anticompetitive and  concerns over consumer and work impacts.

 

  • FTC STOPS PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT MERGERS IN ITS TRACKS. During the Biden administration, the DOJ and FTC issued the 2023 Merger Guidelines, which established a stricter threshold for what constitutes an illegal merger. Recognizing years of neglect from enforcers and courts, the 2023 guidelines provided in-depth analysis on the challenges that private equity transactions pose to competitive markets. The FTC cited the guidelines in its challenge to the proposed merger between PlayPower and BCI Burke, two of the largest US outdoor playground equipment manufacturers. PlayPower is owned by Platinum Equity, a private equity firm. In October, the FTC and a bipartisan group of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against PlayPower, citing that the anticompetitive merger would have resulted in higher prices and lower quality materials in playground equipment. As a result, PlayPower and BCI Burke mutually decided to terminate their merger agreement. Arizona AG Kris Mayes and California AG Rob Bonta, who were a part of the group of state AGs that filed the lawsuit, issued statements applauding the termination.

 

  • BIG GROCERY IS WATCHING. Ohio’s grocery market is dominated by Kroger and Giant Eagle: Kroger has the highest grocery market share in Columbus at about 43%, and Giant Eagle has the second highest in Cleveland at 20%. In July 2026, Kroger announced an agreement to acquire Giant Eagle in a $1.65 billion deal. This proposed merger will lead to not only higher prices and lower wages, but also alarming concerns about how an even larger Kroger may use more data to deploy surveillance tactics against its customers and employees. The FTC or a state attorney general could block the transaction, and the parties anticipate closing by next year. For more information, check out Economic Liberties’ brief. 

 

  • PROPOSED UNIFORM COMPANY MERGER IN HOT WATER. Cintas and UniFirst are key players in the apparel industry – Cintas holds about 20% of the market share in the services sector, while UniFirst almost 5%. In March, Cintas announced their proposed $5.5 billion merger with UniFirst, and has since focused on lobbying efforts for the merger as a client of Trump-connected Miller Strategies. The FTC has reportedly raised concerns about the deal, intending to file a lawsuit, though has not made a public statement, nor voted on whether to sue. 

Trade

  • TRUMP TURNS TO DIESEL IMPORTS FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE. High fuel prices, driven by President Trump’s war with Iran, are straining Americans’ wallets. According to AAA, regular unleaded gasoline costs more than $4.20 per gallon (up from around $3 per gallon a year ago), while diesel costs more than $6.30 per gallon (up from $3.68 a year ago). Jet fuel prices have hit record highs – more than doubling since last year – sending airfares for holiday season travel soaring. Scrambling to address high fuel costs during election season, on October 16 President Trump waived sanctions and tariffs under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, days before they were set to take effect. The legislation overwhelmingly passed Congress earlier this year, garnering 86 votes in the Senate and 262 in the House. Trump’s waivers immediately drew bipartisan criticism as Russian attacks continue to kill civilians in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Trump also agreed to buy Russian diesel. However, the initial 300,000 metric tons promised would cover less than two days of U.S. demand, and analysts doubt the arrangement will meaningfully lower prices. The Russia trade waiver and diesel sales would require new legislation to reverse or a new president to reconsider. Waiving tariffs for Russia contrasts sharply with Trump’s latest trade escalation with Canada, with new import bans on certain Canadian imports taking effect September 29.

 

  • TRUMP FETES XI AT U.S.-CHINA SUMMIT, BUT MAJOR TRADE ISSUES LEFT UNRESOLVED. Last year, President Trump authorized Nvidia to sell powerful AI chips to China and suspended the penalties imposed under a Section 301 investigation of trade abuses in China’s shipbuilding sector, including U.S. port fees on Chinese ships. In May, President Trump agreed to cut tariffs on China, and in September the two governments agreed to extend their existing trade truce by two months, through January 10, 2027. Against this backdrop, President Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi to Washington in late-September for a state visit and summit. Xi became the first foreign leader in decades to be greeted by a U.S. president at Andrews Airforce base versus when arriving at the White House. Negotiations between the U.S. and China produced no progress on longstanding trade disputes, as reflected in both countries’ official statements. Both countries listed $30 billion in products for a “Board of Trade” ostensibly launched to cut tariffs on non-sensitive products, but no final tariff cuts were announced. The U.S. list included consumer goods such as toys and small appliances, while China’s included some U.S. agricultural products but excluded soybeans, the largest U.S. ag export to China. Major disputes remain unresolved, including China’s restrictions on rare-earth minerals, outstanding past commitments to purchase U.S. goods, and U.S. export controls on advanced AI chips. In late October weeks after the summit, USTR indicated the administration’s intention to waive port fees targeting Chinese vessels for another year. Despite anticipation that summit would produce progress on global AI governance, meetings produced little more than agreement to relabel AI as “Super Intelligence” and establish a channel for communications about AI-related incidents.

 

  • MILWAUKEE G20 TRADE MINISTERIAL: WORKERS AND FARMER HIT THE STREETS. Despite President Trump’s campaign promises to rebalance U.S. trade and reduce trade deficits, the U.S. trade deficit widened to $134.9 billion in September, the largest since March 2025. In October, the G20 Trade Ministerial, an annual meeting of the trade ministers from the world’s leading economies on global trade issues and economic policy, convened in Milwaukee. The official “chair’s statement” issued by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer showed significant division among G20 countries, reflecting both China’s opposition to addressing chronic trade imbalance and overproduction issues, as well as fallout from other countries angered by ever-changing U.S. tariff policies. However, on October 7, 14 countries — excluding China — joined the United States in a statement issued on the sidelines of an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Trade Committee meeting, pledging to work together on excess manufacturing capacity issues. But the non-binding statement leaves major underlying trade and supply chain problems unresolved. Ahead of the ministerial, Rethink Trade hosted  a teach-in to lay out an alternative trade policy approach drawing from Rethink Trade Director Lori Wallach’s August Foreign Affairs article. The following morning, Wisconsinites rallied outside the G20 meeting, carrying tombstones naming the Wisconsin employers that fired tens of thousands of workers pursuant to flawed trade policy.

Sports

  • NCAA FIGHT MOVES TO THE HOUSE. In 2021, SCOTUS ruled that NCAA rules restricting athlete compensation violated federal antitrust law. Ever since, the NCAA has prioritized reasserting its control over college athletes, calling on Congress to eliminate any semblance of a free market in college sports, claiming it will benefit women’s and Olympic sports. The Senate did its part in September and passed the Sen. Cantwell’s (D-WA) Protect College Sports Act of 2026, which grants the NCAA a federal antitrust exemption to restrict athlete compensation, eligibility, and transfers. The legislation does not restrict economic mobility or pay of highly paid coaches or athletic directors. Economic Liberties expressed disapproval of the bill’s passage. The NAACP and labor unions also oppose the legislation. The bill’s path in the House is uncertain because it faces stiff opposition from members of both parties. For more background, check out Economic Liberties’ memo busting the myths surrounding the bill.

 

  • SPORTS BETTING GETTING ITS DAY IN WASHINGTON? More than a quarter of Americans have an online sports betting account, including more than half of men ages 18-49. In 2025, the average sports better lost about $430 in a year. A shift in this attitude may be coming soon, as Jon Schweppe, former FTC Senior Policy Adviser under Chair Ferguson, said that online sports betting platforms should now be put in the “hot seat.” The FTC is rumored to  be investigating the online sports betting industry, focusing on FanDuel and DraftKings, companies already been under scrutiny from lawmakers at the federal and state levels. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY), and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) have sent multiple letters to FanDuel demanding that they end their VIP program due to fan safety concerns, and have demanded copies of all VIP celebrity videos. FanDuel and DraftKings have both denied any wrongdoing.

ICYMI

  • Sen. Warren (D-MA), Sen. Hirono (D-HI), Sen. Blumenthal (D-CT), Rep. Balint (D-VT) and Rep. Jayapal (D-WA) released a report on how affordability is directly impacted by the Trump administration’s weak antitrust enforcement.

 

  • Rep. Balint (D-VT) is in the running to lead the House Antitrust Subcommittee, sparking conversation on how House Democrats will tackle antimonopoly policy issues in the 120th Congress.

 

  • A new report from the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator (VPA) found that 47% of Live Nation’s U.S. outdoor amphitheaters and stadiums are government-owned and Live Nation received at least $420 million from local governments to provide the service as a contractor. Check out VPA’s Evict Live Nation substack for more on this research.

 

  • The Congressional Research Service recently published a report outlining how the Federal Power Act can be amended to create a federal role over utilities’ return on equity (ROE) levels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • The Association for Independent Medicine (AIM) held its inaugural Independent Physician Summit last month in Chicago, featuring physicians working to protect the practice of independent medicine. 

 

 

 

  • Check out Economic Liberties’ paper outlining policy recommendations for Maine’s next Governor to address energy affordability and utility accountability.

 

  • As a part of their So Expensive video series, Business Insider published a video about Amazon’s price-fixing scheme. While Amazon lowers their own prices, they push their competitors to increase theirs – driving up prices overall. 

 

  • Economic Liberties applauded the introduction of the No Secrets for Data Centers Act. Introduced by Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH), Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI), and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the bill calls for full transparency and accountability in data center development.

 

 

  • Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Hank Johnson (D-GA), and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) submitted an amicus brief in the New York Times v. OpenAI litigation opposing the DOJ’s national security arguments for giving AI companies an exemption to copyright laws.

 

  • The Cryptoskeptics Forum released a report analyzing the vertical integration of the crypto industry.