Julian Morris •
March 25, 2025
Colorado’s state House just passed a bill to regulate various aspects of card transactions in the state. Proponents claim these regulations will save merchants millions of dollars . . .
Colorado’s state House just passed a bill to regulate various aspects of card transactions in the state. Proponents claim these regulations will save merchants millions of dollars to pass on to consumers. The evidence suggests the opposite is far more likely. The bill also likely violates federal law.
Read the full piece here.
Source: Colorado Politics
Last month, over 99% of the stockholders of Capital One and Discover formally approved the merger of the two firms. But rumors recently emerged from unnamed sources in the Department of Justice (DOJ) that...
Last month, over 99% of the stockholders of Capital One and Discover formally approved the merger of the two firms. But rumors recently emerged from unnamed sources in the Department of Justice (DOJ) that the merger might be considered anti-competitive due to the relatively large share of the so-called “sub-prime” credit card market held by the two companies. This would be a mistake, as the evidence shows the merger would be good for all consumers—especially those with lower credit scores.
Read the full piece here.
Source: RealClearMarkets
Eric Fruits •
March 16, 2025
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the Portland Clean Energy Fund has a current balance of more than $920 million (“Portland eyes using clean energy fund, again, . . .
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the Portland Clean Energy Fund has a current balance of more than $920 million (“Portland eyes using clean energy fund, again, as budget shortfall looms,” Mar. 13). Yet the city also claims it’s facing a budget shortfall of $150 million.
It’s time that the Portland City Council declared the PCEF experiment over. All it takes is seven councilors to vote to move all PCEF money into the city’s general fund. This would immediately solve Portland’s budget woes and provide a reserve for future years.
We elected a 12-member City Council to make the difficult decisions. Moving PCEF into the general fund is not one of them.
If councilors believe that so-called clean energy projects are a city priority, they should compete for general fund money along with other priorities, such as public safety, road maintenance and reducing homelessness.
Source: The Oregonian
No Brasil, formou-se aparentemente um consenso em torno da necessidade de uma regulação concorrencial rigorosa dos mercados digitais, impulsionado pelo crescente número de casos de . . .
No Brasil, formou-se aparentemente um consenso em torno da necessidade de uma regulação concorrencial rigorosa dos mercados digitais, impulsionado pelo crescente número de casos de supostas condutas anticompetitivas por parte de “megacorporações globais”, como o caso Mercado Livre/Apple e Meta/Apple no Cade.
Read the full piece here.
Source: JOTA
Brian Albrecht •
March 11, 2025
Americans are experiencing serious sticker shock when it comes to the price of eggs, which in some markets has more than tripled. That is, when they . . .
Americans are experiencing serious sticker shock when it comes to the price of eggs, which in some markets has more than tripled. That is, when they can get eggs at all. Empty shelves and store-imposed purchase limits have also left shoppers frustrated and looking for someone to blame.
Source: Barron's
Roger Bate •
March 6, 2025
On his first day back in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump wasted no time in reviving one of his most controversial foreign policy stances: initiating the withdrawal of the...
On his first day back in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump wasted no time in reviving one of his most controversial foreign policy stances: initiating the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). The executive order he signed cites the WHO’s flawed COVID-19 response, its failure to reform, its alleged political biases, and disproportionate demands on American taxpayers. The directive also pauses U.S. funding, calls for U.S. personnel to pull out of WHO programs, and proposes forming new partnerships to replace the WHO’s work.
While the WHO’s glaring failures warrant serious scrutiny, withdrawing the United States outright may do more harm than good, unless the administration undertakes a much-needed overhaul of global health governance. The withdrawal would take effect in January 2026, and Trump has hinted that the U.S. could remain in or rejoin the health agency if reforms are undertaken. The WHO has lost its way in recent decades. Originally formed in 1948 to battle scourges like smallpox and cholera, the organization initially delivered major successes in outbreak containment and disease eradication. Over time, however, it has shifted its ambitions beyond infectious diseases, seeking more funding through special programs that appeal to wealthy donors—such as initiatives around climate change, to fight obesity, and to study the radiation risks of cellphones, to name a few.
Source: The Dispatch
In recent months, we’ve been hearing about the European Commission’s call for simplification of regulations—an agenda championed by President Ursula von der Leyen. She rightly noted that businesses are overwhelmed...
In recent months, we’ve been hearing about the European Commission’s call for simplification of regulations—an agenda championed by President Ursula von der Leyen. She rightly noted that businesses are overwhelmed by regulations that are “too complex and costly to comply with.” She echoed the seminal Draghi report, which underscored that a lighter and clearer regulatory hand can spur innovation and growth that Europe desperately needs.
Read the full piece here.
Source: How EU Law Influences Tech
Ben Sperry •
February 27, 2025
The Federal Trade Commission is requesting public comments on “technology platform censorship,” a long-standing gripe for conservatives who believe social media companies have been censoring them and . . .
The Federal Trade Commission is requesting public comments on “technology platform censorship,” a long-standing gripe for conservatives who believe social media companies have been censoring them and their ideas. To date, courts have rejected cases alleging censorship by the so-called Big Tech platforms on grounds that the plaintiffs failed to show “state action” on the part of government agents.
But ever since the Twitter files were released in late 2022 and early 2023, Congress, the courts, and the executive branch have all been forced to grapple with how social media companies may have been pressured or cajoled by government officials to censor disfavored individuals and ideas. The FTC’s inquiry suggests that it is looking for legal ways to address this alleged censorship.
The FTC is, for now, just seeking to gather more information on the scope and scale of the alleged censorship. While it is good to know more about pressure campaigns from government officials in particular, the request also aims to know more about how technology platforms “censor” users on their own.
Source: Washington Examiner
Eric Fruits •
February 23, 2025
Your Feb. 10 editorial “Trump, CBS, and ‘News Distortion’” highlights the sclerotic nature of U.S. telecommunications law. As you note, it’s absurd that flipping the . . .
Your Feb. 10 editorial “Trump, CBS, and ‘News Distortion’” highlights the sclerotic nature of U.S. telecommunications law. As you note, it’s absurd that flipping the channels on one’s television can mean oscillating between regulated and unregulated content. This can often apply to the same substance: Americans could watch this year’s Super Bowl on heavily regulated broadcaster Fox or via lightly regulated streamers such as Tubi and Fubo.
Read the full piece here.
Source: Wall Street Journal
