The empire strikes back: The Tipline for 6 April 2017

Today’s briefing includes stories about Qualcomm’s view of the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against the chipmaker as lacking any evidence of actual harm to competition; the agency’s third troubled retail divestiture; the latest from Congressional efforts to make merger challenges at the US antitrust agencies identical; and the newest head of the Department of Justice’s antitrust division. Is this a sign that the Trump Administration doesn’t expect a quick confirmation for its nominee even from a majority-Republican Senate?