USA Tipline

GCR USA - 30 May 2023

Everything is bigger in Texas – including articles of impeachment. The state’s attorney general got impeached on 20 different counts on Saturday thanks to an overwhelming majority in the Texas House of Representatives. While best known in the competition world for his role in the Google Digital Advertising antitrust litigation, Ken Paxton also allegedly accepted bribes, attempted a conspiracy and abused the judicial process. Also in Tipline, Cox Media Group, CBS and Fox settle up with local television advertisers.

GCR USA - 26 May 2023

The Republican-led House majority has antitrust reform in mind. Some GOP lawmakers are upset that the Los Angeles Dodgers are giving an award to an LGBTQ group known for mixing drag with clothing donned by Catholic nuns. In response to the recognition, the House Judiciary Committee sent a tweet querying if it was “time to reconsider” Major League Baseball’s antitrust exemption. The Supreme Court’s ruling that exhibitions of baseball do not qualify as interstate commerce turns 101 on Monday. Tipline will be back in your inboxes on Tuesday.

GCR USA - 25 May 2023

The lawmaker repping the smallest district in the smallest state took on four of the largest US companies with nothing but a slingshot. Representative David Cicilline may not have delivered the decisive legislative blow to today’s tech giants, but he helped put the battle in the national spotlight. Delivering his final speech Tuesday evening before he leaves Congress at the end of the month, Cicilline hinted that maybe there was still some hope for bipartisan reform. The seven-term lawmaker said his relationship with former antitrust subcommittee chair Jim Sensenbrenner showed him “that Washington wasn’t completely broken” and “that you could get things done by developing productive working relationships, and even friendships, with colleagues on the other side of the aisle.”

GCR USA - 24 May 2023

President Biden fancies himself as more of a train guy, but that’s not stopping him taking a victory lap from 30,000 feet up. On Tuesday, the president retweeted an article about the Department of Justice’s trial victory over JetBlue and American Airlines. The DOJ “is protecting consumers from higher fares and less choices by blocking consolidation between two airlines,” he wrote. Meanwhile, Tim Wu celebrated the announcement itself. “Someone convinced WH Counsel’s' office to allow us to announce our Administration's antitrust legal victories!” the former White House special advisor tweeted.

GCR USA - 23 May 2023

Sunday’s biggest US antitrust news came from across the pond as London-based Allen & Overy revealed plans to merge with Shearman & Sterling. The latter has already exited the London Silver Fixing antitrust litigation – which wrapped up yesterday thanks, in part, to the alleged cartel being “impermissibly extraterritorial”.

GCR USA - 22 May 2023

The Celtics lost a pair of playoff games by a combined 32 points, yet that was hardly the most lopsided result out of Boston this weekend. On Friday, the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down American Airlines and JetBlue’s joint venture in such a blistering fashion that it raises questions about why the arrangement was allowed to take off to begin with.

GCR USA - 19 May 2023

That’s not the worst comeback Mylan Pharmaceuticals could’ve used after being called a monopolist. Less than a year after beating back Sanofi-Aventis’ illegal monopolisation claims about EpiPens, Mylan is going further than playground taunts and accusing the company of nearly identical conduct related to insulin. Also in Tipline, the US Department of Agriculture wants to beef up its toolkit against anticompetitive conduct in the meatpacking industry – but might not get the budget to do so.

GCR USA - 18 May 2023

The last time the Federal Trade Commission named a director for its office of international affairs, Bob Barker still hosted The Price is Right, The Sopranos still aired through cable cords and Google and DoubleClick still operated as separate companies. Earlier this week, FTC chair Lina Khan made Maria Coppola the office’s director after she served in the role in an acting capacity since June. “Our agency has long valued and deeply invested in its international partnerships, and Maria's commitment to that tradition is second to none,” Khan said in an email to staff. Also in Tipline, the FTC doubles down on its scrutiny of pharmaceutical benefit managers and another slaughterhouse settles with the Department of Justice.

GCR USA - 17 May 2023

The International Competition Network is gaining a new non-governmental advisor in Maurice Stucke as the University of Tennessee law school professor leaves his position as a senior policy advisor at the Federal Trade Commission. While he had a great time at the FTC, Stucke said he’s looking forward to contributing to the international antitrust policy debate from a new perspective. Also in Tipline, a class of consumers claim Google is trying to game the system and all eyes are on the Federal Communications Commission.

GCR USA - 16 May 2023

Gone are the days of rebuking divestitures to manufacturers of KitKats and TidyCats. The Biden Administration set out in search of new theories of harm for challenging pharmaceutical mergers beyond requiring divestitures for overlapping medicines. Now, it appears the Federal Trade Commission believes it found a strong match. Bloomberg reports the commission will sue to block Amgen’s $27.8 billion purchase of Horizon Therapeutics later today, focused on broader harms to the development of new treatments. Divestiture buyers need not apply.