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US Sues To Block AT&T Purchase of Time Warner (reuters.com)
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing AT&T to block its $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner. "The legal challenge was expected after AT&T rejected a demand by the Justice Department earlier this month to divest its DirecTV unit or Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting -- which contains news network CNN -- in order to win antitrust approval," reports Reuters. From the report: AT&T's chief executive said then that he would defend the deal in court to win approval, and the company criticized the Justice Department's case on Monday. The lawsuit is "a radical and inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent," said AT&T lawyer David McAtee, arguing that so-called vertical mergers, between companies that are not direct competitors, are routinely approved. "We see no legitimate reason for our merger to be treated differently," he said, adding that AT&T is confident a judge will reject the Justice Department's case.
> but this looks like payback for CNN reporting
People are really going to get upset about the government enforcing anti-monopoly rules now, because it is Trump who is enforcing them?
Gimme a break.
People are really going to get upset about the government enforcing anti-monopoly rules now, because it is Trump who is enforcing them?
This is the most infuriating part about his administration. His ego gets put in every conversation or topic and that gets us a magnified topic a million fold within two seconds. His bigger than life showmanship basically ensures that rationale debate just never happens. Pair that with his hyper thin skin, where anyone who says anything is instantly brought center stage. This combo basically takes anything he sets his eyes on, big or small, and immediately explodes it to a level where people are instantly taking sides with rabid fervor. So when he actually wants to uphold the law, everyone is confused as to what the intent is, or if there is an intent, or if his playing some game, or if he's too stupid to be playing a game. You could not ask for a more opaque administration on what their direction is, and this is an office where transparency is really needed. He did not get into office on the best of terms possible and that's a point that's bugged him visibly. No one has forgotten that part. His legitimacy is technical and that hasn't led to good first starts in any administration. Finally, he's constantly talking about things that aren't national level things. The national level things he does talk about, he's got no clue. And the only plan I've heard from him so far is that whatever it is, it's going to be great. GREAT! Any details on that plan is an instant deferment to Congress. So basically, not his plan if it fails, we've figured out the MO here.
Trump is quite literally his own worse enemy because even if his actions are genuine, you can't tell because of how bombastic and ostentatious he treats literally every other topic that crosses his desk. That's a super problem. Because the whole Time Warner thing shouldn't happen, but because the President has basically said, "I have a vendetta on CNN." He's given tank loads of ammo to an army of lawyers on AT&Ts side who will drag that very point through three dozen courts, leaving a trail of legal blood and fury if need be. Which then Trumpster's army will start hurling stones at them for being the corrupt media. All the while, the by-standards, people who actually report honest news and those who honestly just want to uphold the freaking law, will be in the crossfire. And this is all because Cheeto just couldn't check his damn ego when he turned on the TV. He just could not move past the things that everyone hurls at him, his is a position of power, yeah, there's going to be a group "somewhere" that doesn't like you and has a vendetta, everyone other person who held the position in the last 50ish years just basically blows it off, except maybe Nixon, and moves on with their damn life.
That's what kills me the most about this topic. This is honestly upholding the law, but the Spary-On Commander has basically burned any legitimacy going for him right now. And really fucking powerful folks with more lawyers than Arby's has roast beef, is quite literally the last group of folks you want to tangle with when your legitimacy is not at its most healthiest point.