Companies thought they could get away with anything while Donald Trump was in office. But today they have a new problem: state attorneys general, and juries full of ordinary Americans.
mergers
Organized Money: California Attorney General Rob Bonta Is Not Done With Ticketmaster
The system is not completely broken, and it shows when states pick up the shattered pieces of our federal system.
Democratic States Seek to Block Massive TV Station Merger
The team-up of Nexstar and Tegna would cover 80 percent of U.S. households. It’s the first of several cases where states are at odds with pay-to-play federal antitrust enforcement.
States Substitute for Corrupt Feds on Antitrust
On Live Nation, Paramount–Warner Bros., and more, state attorneys general are becoming the chief antitrust enforcer. Do they have the capacity to keep going?
Organized Money: The Paramount Takeover
The Ellisons moved closer to capturing Warner Bros., and control of a massive news, sports, and entertainment content stream.
Paramount-Warner Would Create a Hollywood Jobs Apocalypse
The deal comes complete with so much debt that it would almost certainly lead to mass job loss. That could prove to be an argument against the deal in court, too.
States Can Block the Paramount-Warner Deal
But thanks to some clever maneuvering, they are already running out of time.
The Wild Card in Trump’s Attempt to Control the News
State attorneys general will have a say in whether Paramount ultimately succeeds in taking over CNN, HBO, and the rest of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Real Talk About Lobbyists Buying the Justice Department
There’s a simple narrative about the ouster of Antitrust Division chief Gail Slater. Big money wanted her out, and she’s out.
Trump Justice Department Poised to Preserve Ticketmaster Monopoly
Settlement talks on a monopolization case against Live Nation are under way, with Kellyanne Conway and other MAGA lobbyists seeking a sweetheart deal.

