New matrix, meet the old matrix.

Cheating as a business model exists because Americans can no longer sue big business. A Democratic Congress could fix this problem with one simple law. Plus, a defeat for Paramount-Warner, and more...

Executives and big law lawyers in the Nexstar-TEGNA case are openly showing contempt for a judge. And the ABA Antitrust bar is silent on the corruption of the Paramount-Warner merger.

A California judge granted a temporary restraining order as part of the lawsuit brought by state attorneys general due to antitrust concerns.

The Stringer Bell rule is obsolete, as Trump and state attorneys general let the egg producers off the hook for a brazen conspiracy. Still, egg prices did drop as a result of the investigation.

In the 1970s, governments prepared for oil shocks. It turns out, stockpiling and diversification works, which is probably why economists hate doing it.

Last month, the veteran journalist Julia Angwin wrote an op-ed, “Meta Is Dying. It’s About Time,” which details the ways in which Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp have become a kind of zombie…

Tech zombies trap users and vendors then scam for cash to the bitter end.

Department staffers investigating the Warner acquisition were leaning toward recommending a challenge to the merger, people familiar with the matter say.

Controversy erupted in a Maine Senate race, causing Democrats nationwide to go at each others' throat. Fights over oligarchy are becoming unavoidable.

Controversy erupted in a Maine Senate race, causing Democrats nationwide to go at each others' throat. Fights over oligarchy are becoming unavoidable.

Utility costs are soaring to record levels, and Americans are right to ask, Where's all the money going? Antitrust analyst Matt Stoller blames a broken system that guarantees utility monopolies a profit on everything they spend, rewarding waste while the grid gets worse, and Wall Street gets richer. But the tide is starting to turn, Stoller says, driven by a broader revolt against the affordability crisis. As he puts it: "Everybody is mad at utilities."

Elon Musk's SpaceX IPO is a very scary moment for the stock market. And AI is getting repriced in an ugly way as corporate America finally has to start paying for the tools.

On Truth Social, Trump has repeatedly promoted Stake, an unregulated online casino that, according to state gambling regulators, is operating illegally.

NextEra's $67 billion takeover of Dominion shows the problem with utilities. We spend a lot, and get little in return. Why? Utility monopolies profit from gold-plating, waste and inefficiency.

Lots of monopoly news, as usual.

The city’s wealthy property owners say they are sick of being vilified

The inequality of the legal system is on full display. If you're big, you have rights. If you're small, you don't. And the Cintas-Unifirst merger reveals how this system enables bad behavior.

The inequality of the legal system is on full display. If you're big, you have rights. If you're small, you don't. And the Cintas-Unifirst merger reveals how this system enables bad behavior.

It wasn't Biden antitrust enforcers. It was Donald Trump's Iran War, JetBlue, the big four trunk airlines, and behind all of that, deregulation. And this story has happened hundreds of times.

File your Google Ads arbitration claim today. Businesses may qualify to recover up to 30% of their ad spend. See if you're eligible for the Google Ads lawsuit.

Paramount pulled its advertising from The Ankler after its editorial director and chief columnist, Richard Rushfield, was seen at CinemaCon with “Block the Merger” buttons.

J.J. Abrams, David Fincher, Denis Villeneuve, Kristen Stewart and more signed an open letter opposing the Warner Bros.-Paramount merger.

Emergency service costs have been going up for years, frustrating city officials. One reason seems to be private equity, which bought up ambulance makers and raised prices.

Occasional reflections, mostly personal. Click to read Rickipedia, by Rick Perlstein, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.