FTCWatch

  • June 24, 2026

    FTC chair leads with singular authority as he steers agency in new directions

    Andrew Ferguson doesn’t lack for confidence. The second person in a row under the age of 40 appointed to lead the Federal Trade Commission, Ferguson is a fast-talking, sharp-minded conservative who brings an air of self-assured command to the leadership of the 111-year-old antitrust and consumer protection agency.

  • June 24, 2026

    FTC issues report to Congress on private domestic adoptions

    In a congressionally mandated report on the Federal Trade Commission’s oversight of domestic private adoption practices, the agency said it has made “continuing efforts” in that area since a pair of related actions in 2024.

  • June 24, 2026

    Calendar

    Nov. 5 — The American Antitrust Institute is holding its 20th Annual Private Antitrust Enforcement Conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. For more information, go to: https://www.antitrustinstitute.org.

  • June 24, 2026

    Diversity Lab probe tests antitrust law against DEI

    The Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust probe of Diversity Lab, a consulting firm that helped law firms broaden candidate pools for hiring and promotion, opens a new front in the Trump administration’s campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 

  • June 24, 2026

    Aurobindo, Lannett to sell assets for merger nod

    Drugmaker Aurobindo Pharma must sell four products to complete its $250 million acquisition of generics drug company Lannett, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

  • June 24, 2026

    Paramount-Warner deal still faces state scrutiny after federal clearance

    State antitrust enforcers are still planning to challenge the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger despite a decision by the federal government to stand down, MLex has learned.

  • June 24, 2026

    Privacy Corner: Survey reveals LGBTQ community’s online risks

    Online spaces are often where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals feel the safest. Yet they’re concerned with their digital privacy and online censorship as more states try to restrict children’s use of social media and other websites, according to a survey from the think tank LGBT Tech.

  • June 24, 2026

    Lawmakers renew effort to strengthen digital platform rules

    Two of the Senate’s advocates for stronger antitrust enforcement are again pushing legislation aimed at taming the power of digital platforms, but doubts remain over the prospects for passage.

  • June 24, 2026

    Fox-Roku deal tees up antitrust review of streaming, connected-TV ads

    Fox’s proposed $22 billion acquisition of Roku is likely to receive significant antitrust review over vertical issues in streaming distribution, connected-TV advertising and the treatment of rival streaming services on Roku’s platform.

  • June 24, 2026

    Neil Averitt commentary: The complexities of surveillance pricing

    Surveillance pricing is widely considered unfair and anti-consumer, but action against it has been moving in only small steps for one simple reason. It has proven surprisingly difficult to define the precise conduct to be banned. But activity has been picking up in state legislatures.

  • June 24, 2026

    Ex-intelligence worker pleads guilty to role in procurement scheme

    David Duggin, a former intelligence community contractor, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit offenses against the US by soliciting and accepting kickbacks between June 2018 and April 2024, the Department of Justice said.

  • June 24, 2026

    People — Former FTC attorney Abbott moves to Venable

    A key member of the Federal Trade Commission’s trial team that blocked Sysco’s proposed merger with US Foods in 2015 is joining Venable after several years practicing law at another firm.

  • June 24, 2026

    Probe of Deferred Resignation Program completed by FTC IG office

    A Federal Trade Commission employee fabricated documentation to try to take part in the Deferred Resignation Program last year, according to a recent, congressionally mandated report from the agency's Office of Inspector General. 

  • June 09, 2026

    Calendar

    Nov. 5 — The American Antitrust Institute is holding its 20th Annual Private Antitrust Enforcement Conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. For more information, go to: https://www.antitrustinstitute.org.

  • June 09, 2026

    Privacy Corner: GOP’s Joyce takes lead on sweeping privacy bill

    John Joyce, a Pennsylvania Republican, was vice chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee when the GOP took the gavel in January 2025. Soon after, he was chosen to lead a major overhaul of privacy legislation.  

  • June 09, 2026

    Auto dealer practices draw regulatory concerns

    The Federal Trade Commission has signaled that the advertising and pricing practices of certain auto dealers might warrant further scrutiny.

  • June 09, 2026

    Competition and the media explored by American Antitrust Institute panels

    The president of the American Antitrust Institute began the organization’s 27th annual policy conference with the words of Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter: “A free press is indispensable to the workings of our democratic society.”

  • June 09, 2026

    State AGs seek FTC action on food delivery fees

    More than a dozen state attorneys general told the Federal Trade Commission they back a new regulation to address unfair and deceptive fees on online food delivery platforms, which the AGs said have experienced “explosive growth.”

  • June 09, 2026

    San Francisco DOJ takes on another complex cartel case: shipping containers

    When a federal court last month unsealed a superseding indictment in one of the Department of Justice’s most significant criminal antitrust cases in decades, attention focused on Washington, DC, where the DOJ made the announcement. But the investigation — and now the prosecution — is being led nearly 3,000 miles away in San Francisco. 

  • June 09, 2026

    X Corp. asks FTC to terminate 2022 privacy order

    X Corp. has asked the Federal Trade Commission to set aside or modify its 2022 settlement order against Elon Musk’s social media company.

  • June 09, 2026

    FTC Act created weak agency until lawmakers stepped in

    The contentious debate over how aggressive the Federal Trade Commission should be is far from surprising. Over the years, critics have pressed the agency to clamp down more on corporate wrongdoing — and often Congress has responded with major revisions to the FTC Act. 

  • June 09, 2026

    Neil Averitt commentary: Playing it safe with AI and mergers

    When a situation is perplexing and the stakes are high, caution makes sense. This means the antitrust agencies are likely to judge mergers in the artificial intelligence space a bit more vigorously than usual and keep these markets a bit less concentrated.

  • June 09, 2026

    Nevada man pleads guilty to military bid-rigging plot

    Scott G. Srodes, a former employee of a shelving and storage distributor, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to rig bids and defraud the Department of Defense.

  • June 09, 2026

    Ascension-AmSurg deal can proceed with divestitures

    The Federal Trade Commission has told Ascension Health Alliance to divest several surgery center facilities to complete its proposed $3.9 billion acquisition of AmSurg LLC.

  • June 09, 2026

    FTC’s appeal of Meta trial win won’t solve agency’s AMG problem

    The Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to overturn a major trial loss in antitrust litigation seeking a breakup of Meta Platforms is unlikely to fix a broader issue with the agency’s ability to police past harms to competition in the wake of a 2021 Supreme Court decision limiting its authority.