My Fellow Americans, Our Long National Nightmare/Recent 43-Day Congressional Dysfunction Is Over
I’m not sure I’ve quoted Gerald Ford here before, but never mind that. The big news at the agencies—not least the antitrust agencies, but in this case, all of them—is that we the people of the United States of America are once more, as a polity, back in “business.” The federal government is now funded ... My Fellow Americans, Our Long National Nightmare/Recent 43-Day Congressional Dysfunction Is Over
Antitrust at the Agencies: Happy New Year 5786 Edition
It’s the beginning of a new year for some of us, so let me wish all of you a good year, and a sweet year, even if you don’t know what I’m talking about. Private Anticompetitive Censorship Continued? Turning back to the agency beat: in a Sept. 7 guest essay in The New York Times, ... Antitrust at the Agencies: Happy New Year 5786 Edition
The Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Amazon
A Sept. 25 press release from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) declares a sort of victory: “FTC Secures Historic $2.5 Billion Settlement Against Amazon.” The settlement comes in the infamous “dark patterns” case, where—as the press release reminds us—the agency “alleged that Amazon used deceptive methods to sign up consumers for Prime subscriptions and made ... The Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Amazon
Antitrust at the Agencies: Moderation in All Things Edition
This Just In Judge Amit P. Mehta’s memorandum opinion in the Google Search case has dropped. It’s 230 pages, and I’ve merely skimmed it. A careful discussion–from me or anyone else–will wait a bit. For now, the remedies are quite a bit more than Google had proposed, but at the same time, a good deal ... Antitrust at the Agencies: Moderation in All Things Edition
The More Things Change: Exits, Reversals, and the Revolving Door
I’d like to begin with a tip of the hat to my former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) colleague Tara Koslov, who recently announced her retirement from the FTC after more than 28 years of service. Tara and I agreed on much, but far from everything. Heck, I have it on good authority that she hated ... The More Things Change: Exits, Reversals, and the Revolving Door
Antitrust and Collusion on Regulating Misinformation: Thoughts on the DOJ’s Statement of Interest
The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) Antitrust Division filed a statement of interest late last week in a private antitrust case brought against a number of major news publishers by, among others, the Children’s Health Defense—the organization previously chaired by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Nominally, the DOJ’s statement can be ... Antitrust and Collusion on Regulating Misinformation: Thoughts on the DOJ’s Statement of Interest
Mi CASA es Mi CASA
A little bird (ok, a normal-size adult human being) has asked me a question about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Trump v. CASA. It might not be the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue, although it’s a natural one for those interested in competition policy, administrative law, or all things (or at ... Mi CASA es Mi CASA
Some Ups and Downs in the Realm of Consumer Protection
Consumer protection authority has long been a staple of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) enforcement of the FTC Act, beginning with the 1938 Wheeler-Lea amendments to the agency’s establishing statute. And Congress drew an express connection between the FTC’s competition and consumer protection authorities with the introduction of Section 5(n) of the FTC Act, which ... Some Ups and Downs in the Realm of Consumer Protection
RIP RPA?
No, not quite. Frequent readers of my Truth on the Market posts (and I hope that the plural form is not self-delusion) may recall my March musings about “What Changes Might, and Should, a New FTC Majority Bring?” I wondered whether a new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) majority might drop, among other things, the rushed ... RIP RPA?
Back to the Future (of Competition Research and Advocacy)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced April 14 that it has “launched a public inquiry into the impact of federal regulations on competition, with the goal of identifying and reducing anticompetitive regulatory barriers.” A request for public comment (RPC) on the inquiry has also been published in the Federal Register. Bravo. The inquiry will not ... Back to the Future (of Competition Research and Advocacy)
The FTC’s Zombie Antitrust Action Against Meta Continues to Lurch Forward
FTC v. Meta Platforms Inc. has gone to court, and trial is just underway in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges that Meta is currently, in 2025, engaged in monopolization in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act by dint of having acquired Instagram ... The FTC’s Zombie Antitrust Action Against Meta Continues to Lurch Forward
Termination Tuesday: A Quasi-Comprehensive, Quasi-Definitive Discussion of the FTC and Humphrey’s Executor
Author’s Note: Sometimes “quasi” means “sort of” or, as Merriam-Webster’s would have it, “having some resemblance usually by possession of certain attributes.” And sometimes, “some resemblance” means “not very much.” On March 18, President Donald Trump fired—or purported to fire—the two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter. Bedoya ... Termination Tuesday: A Quasi-Comprehensive, Quasi-Definitive Discussion of the FTC and Humphrey’s Executor
