Brian Fung | @[email protected]

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Smith says that the limitations on collective negotiation are an "unintended consequence" of antitrust laws that make such coordination illegal. IMO the unintended consequence was the tech platforms' impact on news, not laws meant to bar anticompetitive collusion generally. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Theater aside, this hearing raises really difficult questions about whether an antitrust exemption for news publishers will be a key protection for journalism, or if it'll be a band-aid solution papering over deeper problems. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

News Media Alliance's David Chavern notes that antitrust lawsuits take years to play out. "We have an immediate problem" in news. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Rep. Gaetz uses his question time to tell Glenn Greenwald that he reads him frequently on Substack. What is even happening — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

@matthewstoller @birnbaum_e @nancyscola This is amazing. Y'all have some sharp eyes! — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Schleuss also targets hedge funds for gobbling up struggling papers and cutting Americans off from the news they need. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @viaCristiano: Microsoft president Brad Smith's written testimony before House Judiciary today mentions Google 7⃣5⃣ times ‼️ By contra… — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Jonathan Schleuss, who represents unionized journalists, says the local news industry is facing "an extinction-level event." — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Smith tells lawmakers: "I think you all are on the right path. That's why Microsoft is endorsing the Journalism Competition and Protection Act, to give news organizations the ability to negotiate collectively -- including with Microsoft." — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

In his written testimony, Smith says: "The problems that beset journalism today are caused in part by a fundamental lack of competition in the search and ad tech markets that are controlled by Google." — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Microsoft's Brad Smith testifying now before the House: "The news in America today is not alive and well." — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @kerrymflynn: "We cannot have a democracy without a free and diverse press." - @RepCicilline, chair of the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Co… — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

It's not clear what, if any, specific workplace policies Rubio has in mind when he refers to Amazon as an "enthusiastic culture warrior." If anything, the trend in Silicon Valley has been workers agitating for *employers* to be more progressive, rather than vice versa. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Sen. Rubio sides with Amazon workers pushing for unionization in Alabama, saying a union would serve as a defense against "'woke' human resources" policies https://t.co/jwYwfp8zo9 — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Google is trying to blunt Microsoft's line of attack in today's upcoming House antitrust hearing on Big Tech's impact on news publishing — accusing Microsoft of "self-serving claims" and trying to deflect from cybersecurity woes: https://t.co/98uMbLgYGH — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @ryanobles: NEW: Senate Budget Committee Chairman @BernieSanders has invited Amazon founder @JeffBezos to testify before his committee n… — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Sleepy nugget forcing me to put the “stand” in “standing desk” today https://t.co/Uhk1vALnuQ — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @Phil_Mattingly: NEW: President Biden will sign the $1.9 trillion Covid Relief Plan this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. in the Oval Office — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

(The hearing has wrapped.) — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

... he tries to make the nuanced point that while there's technically nothing in the law preventing agencies from trying to bring such a case, he stops short of saying that the case would actually succeed. Lee chooses to read that as an endorsement of his interpretation. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Sen. Lee is again trying to get support for the idea that claims of tech partisan bias could be grounds for antitrust action. He turns to antitrust attorney Jan Rybnicek for help. Rybnicek says he's "sympathetic" but.... — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

So close. Just $73,750 off from the perfect number. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @kellymakena: @HawleyMO's line of questioning seems to be moving in favor of what the House Democrats have proposed; a Glass-Steagall fo… — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Sen. Hawley seems interested in a flat ban on mega-mergers by dominant companies, generally. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Reading between the lines, I think this raises the risk of government scrutiny for companies like Expedia and https://t.co/gkmzVhkQWi, as well as Ticketmaster-Live Nation, which Klobuchar has previously scrutinized. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

@wash_williams Yes, probably. As you may recall, in 2019 she and Sen. Blumenthal sent a letter to DOJ asking for an investigation into Ticketmaster-Live Nation over high ticketing fees. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

RT @ceciliakang: The hearing has begun and Consumer Reports senior policy counsel, notes that they - the org for consumers - care a lot abo… — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

@dibartz To be fair, duct tape and band-aids are incredibly useful — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

Klobuchar signals she'll also look into online travel booking and the live-event industry. — PolitiTweet.org

Brian Fung | @[email protected] @b_fung

The Senate antitrust panel's hearing on "the case for antitrust reform" is getting underway. Watch live here: https://t.co/HHzkWzPAV4 — PolitiTweet.org