FTCWatch
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December 10, 2025
Supreme Court considers FTC’s executive power, ‘for cause’ removal protections
The Supreme Court seemed poised Monday to give the president the power to remove members of independent agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission for any reason, a departure from the FTC Act’s removal protection.
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December 10, 2025
Proposed law targets junk fees on hotels, travel
Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representative Janelle Bynum announced legislation to eliminate excessive fees in the ticketing, hotel and entertainment industries and bring transparency to the marketplace.
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December 10, 2025
US agencies in early stages of mulling anti-scam strategies
After eliminating the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team at the Department of Justice this year, the DOJ announced in November the Scam Center Strike Force to address “cryptocurrency-related fraud and scams.”
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December 10, 2025
Calendar
Jan. 28 — The Federal Trade Commission is hosting a workshop on age-verification technologies. It will be held at the Constitution Center in Washington, DC. For more information, go to: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/12/ftc-announces-workshop-age-verification-technologies.
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December 10, 2025
AI-powered toys raise alarms this holiday season
A talking stuffed animal that has inappropriate conversations with children sounds like a script for a Hollywood comedy. But this holiday season, parents are being warned that artificial intelligence-powered toys could pose serious safety and privacy risks for their children.
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December 10, 2025
AI partnerships proliferate amid lax US antitrust scrutiny
Business partnerships between Big Tech and AI players of all shapes and sizes offer an easy target for federal antitrust enforcers who have revived a previously neglected tool for cracking down on anticompetitive corporate governance.
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December 10, 2025
Order against NextMed over deceptive ads gets final nod
The Federal Trade Commission announced the final approval of an order against telemedicine company NextMed. It requires the company to stop deceptive ads of weight-loss programs and end unfair billing and cancellation practices.
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December 10, 2025
People — Wait, veteran lawyer, joins Michael Best
Amanda Wait, a seasoned antitrust lawyer, is now heading the burgeoning competition practice at Michael Best.
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December 10, 2025
RealPage settles with DOJ, agrees to stop sharing pricing data
RealPage has agreed to stop using competitors’ sensitive data to decide rental prices as part of an antitrust settlement with the Department of Justice.
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December 10, 2025
Neil Averitt commentary: 2025 year in review
When a new administration takes office, the year is often marked by quick changes in general policy, which can be far more important than specific cases. This was especially true in the head-snapping transition from the Biden to Trump eras.
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December 10, 2025
Lawmakers press Amazon to display product origins
Amazon and other online retailers should prominently show where their products come from on every product listing, according to a letter to Amazon from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
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December 10, 2025
On the Shelf: Books to usher you into 2026
So many books, so little time. Here are some of the best works FTCWatch reviewed in 2025 that’ll take you into 2026.
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December 10, 2025
Rill, antitrust legend who took on elite schools, dies
James Rill, the Department of Justice’s top antitrust enforcer who successfully prosecuted the financial aid practices of elite colleges, died on Nov. 21. He was 92 and suffered from Parkinson’s disease.
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December 10, 2025
Democrats urge FTC to probe surveillance firm’s cybersecurity
A pair of Democratic lawmakers called for a Federal Trade Commission investigation into the cybersecurity practices of Atlanta-based Flock Group — the second congressional letter about the technology surveillance company in as many months.
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November 18, 2025
Holyoak steps down as she begins US Attorney job in Utah
Melissa Holyoak stepped down Monday from her role as a Federal Trade Commissioner and has already begun her new job as interim US Attorney for the District of Utah. In a farewell note, she told FTC staff that she was proud of the incredible work the agency has accomplished in fulfilling its mission.
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November 18, 2025
DOJ reorganizes to tackle consumer protection, affirmative litigation
The Department of Justice’s consumer protection docket has a new home alongside a highly specialized team of agency lawyers with their sights on anticompetitive regulations, immigration policies, gender-related healthcare services and local government practices that run afoul of federal law.
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November 18, 2025
People — Former DOJ economist Goldstein moves to Charles River Associates
A 23-year veteran economist from the Department of Justice joined Charles River Associates, the Boston-based consulting company announced.
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November 18, 2025
Farmers’ right-to-repair bill introduced in Congress
US Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Washington Democrat who once owned an auto repair shop with her husband, has sponsored a bill to make repairs of farm equipment more accessible.
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November 18, 2025
Senators urge high court to repeal baseball’s antitrust exemption
The chairman and top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee are asking the Supreme Court to revisit the antitrust exemption for Major League Baseball.
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November 18, 2025
Calendar
March 25-27, 2026 — The American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section is holding its 74th Annual Spring Meeting. It will take place at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC. For more information, go to: https://events.americanbar.org/event/9afe2e97-7d0a-45ff-9b18-061b3f357006/summary.
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November 18, 2025
ABA antitrust section honors four trailblazers
The American Bar Association has inducted four of the most distinguished practitioners into its Antitrust Section’s Hall of Fame-inism.
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November 18, 2025
Google-Wiz deal wins antitrust clearance
Google has received antitrust clearance for its $32 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Wiz, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s website.
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November 18, 2025
Trump asks DOJ to probe meatpackers over beef prices
President Donald Trump told the Department of Justice to initiate a price-fixing probe into meatpacking companies for allegedly inflating beef prices.
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November 18, 2025
Slaughter’s legal showdown has broad implications
The nature of the Federal Trade Commission and presidential power will be at issue on Dec. 8 as the Supreme Court hears the case in which former Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter challenges her firing by President Donald Trump.
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November 18, 2025
Neil Averitt commentary: FTC commissioners, their kids, and Internet policy
Sometimes the emotional temperature that the Federal Trade Commission brings to a topic will tell us as much about the agency's real intentions as any formal announcements. Nowhere is this more true than in protecting children on the Internet.