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Tuesday, June 24, 2025

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7 hours ago
Politics

Lib State Breaks Ground on New Nuclear Power Plant.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Plans to build the first major U.S. nuclear power plant in over 15 years have been announced in New York.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and the New York Power Authority.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on Monday, June 23, 2025, by Hochul in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I’m going to lean into making sure that every company that wants to come to New York and everyone who wants to live here will never have to worry about reliability and affordability when it comes to their utility costs,” Gov. Hochul said in the interview.

🎯IMPACT: The new nuclear power plant will produce enough electricity to power one million homes as part of Gov. Hochul’s plan to add at least one gigawatt of electrical power generation to New York’s nuclear energy capacity.

IN FULL
New York has announced plans to build the first major U.S. nuclear power plant in more than a decade and a half. The plans for the plant’s construction were revealed by Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) during an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday.
“I’m going to lean into making sure that every company that wants to come to New York and everyone who wants to live here will never have to worry about reliability and affordability when it comes to their utility costs,” Gov. Hochul said, suggesting that she is pursuing assistance from the Trump White House and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to streamline and reduce regulatory hurdles at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“Why does it take a decade?” the New York Democrat asked regarding federal nuclear power regulations. “That’s why no one is doing it; the barriers are too high.”
Notably, the United States has not constructed a new nuclear power facility in over 15 years, and only a total of five new nuclear reactors have been built since 1991. The lack of new construction means that the rate of nuclear power plant retirements has far outpaced new construction.
The closure of nuclear power facilities across the United States has resulted in an increase in reliance on fossil fuels to meet increasing electrical power demands. This situation has been exacerbated in recent years by the explosion in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which requires the use of power-intensive data centers.

New nuclear power plant construction has faced opposition from far-left environmentalist groups who use fears surrounding incidents like the earthquake damage and meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant to generate public and political resistance. Notably, a number of these “green agenda” groups receive financial backing from China, Russia, and other energy industry interests opposed to nuclear power.

Image by Jiří Sedláček.

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5 hours ago
Immigration
News

Here’s How Much the L.A. Migrant Riots Cost.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Pro-illegal immigrant riots in Los Angeles, California, this month have resulted in significant taxpayer costs.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Protesters, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), and the Trump administration.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Los Angeles, during June 2025, and other Democrat-controlled cities.

💬KEY QUOTE: “$29.5 million or 92 percent relates to LAPD’s response to protests against ICE, including citywide tactical alert costs.” – Kenneth Mejia

🎯IMPACT: Over $30 million in taxpayer costs, deployment of the National Guard, and over 700 arrests nationwide.

IN FULL

Downtown Los Angeles became the epicenter of pro-illegal immigrant riots earlier this month, with similar protests taking place in other Democrat-controlled cities. These demonstrations were in response to the Trump administration’s increased immigration enforcement efforts in California.

Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia stated that the riots and protests cost taxpayers over $30 million. Mejia detailed the costs on X, writing, “$29.5 million or 92 percent relates to LAPD’s response to protests against ICE, including citywide tactical alert costs.” An additional $1.4 million went toward clean-up and public property damage.

During the weekend of June 8, rioters in downtown L.A. burned Waymo cars, assaulted police officers, and engaged in mass looting. The violence led the Trump administration to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles, a move that cost approximately $134 million, to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal personnel who were not being adequately protected by local and state officials while performing their duties.

Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the deployment and filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the decision. The lawsuit failed, however.

Similar anti-ICE riots occurred in cities like Seattle and Portland, some coinciding with anti-Trump “No Kings” protests. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that over 700 arrests were made nationwide in connection with the riots. On June 10 alone, more than 200 arrests took place in Los Angeles after Mayor Karen Bass issued an emergency curfew to curb the looting and vandalism.

President Donald J. Trump has vowed to keep going forward with his deportation policies alongside Border Czar Tom Homan. Trump’s strict immigration policies have significantly reduced illegal entries into the United States, which are down 99.99 percent compared to the Biden era, Homan said in April.

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6 hours ago
TECH

Zuckerberg is Losing the AI Race, So He’s Deploying MASSIVE Recruitment Cash…

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Mark Zuckerberg has launched an aggressive recruitment campaign to build a new AI “superintelligence” team at Meta, personally messaging top researchers and offering record-breaking financial packages.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI figures like Ilya Sutskever and John Schulman, Alexandr Wang, Sam Altman, and Meta’s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Spring and summer 2025, primarily in California and via Meta’s global communication networks.

💬KEY QUOTE: “At least so far, none of our best people have decided to take them up on that.” – Sam Altman, OpenAI.

🎯IMPACT: Meta’s recruitment drive signals panic and ambition in the AI arms race, but its internal leadership contradictions and lack of technical trust may stall Zuckerberg’s superintelligence dreams.

IN FULL

Mark Zuckerberg has launched a desperate recruitment drive to salvage Meta’s lagging AI ambitions. The Facebook founder has personally contacted hundreds of top-tier engineers and researchers, including OpenAI co-founders, product leads, and infrastructure experts, promising them nine-figure packages and blank checks to build a new Superintelligence lab from scratch.

Some recipients of Zuckerberg’s messages thought they were being pranked. One ignored his outreach entirely, assuming it was spam. Others were intrigued—but hesitant. Despite the jaw-dropping offers, doubts loom large: Meta’s AI program has faced public embarrassment, delays in launching core models, and internal confusion over leadership roles. A recent scandal involved accusations that Meta gamed benchmarks to make its AI appear more powerful than it is.

To plug the credibility gap, Zuckerberg is throwing money and status around. He’s tried to lure away OpenAI figures like John Schulman and Bill Peebles. He made a $14 billion deal with AI startup Scale and its CEO Alexandr Wang, handing him control of the new Meta AI team. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg has also flirted with acquiring Perplexity and Ilya Sutskever’s new startup, Safe Superintelligence—Meta even floated buying out parts of Sutskever’s venture fund in a bid to win over ex-GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross.

But while Zuckerberg’s effort is high-touch—dining with recruits at his homes, personally assigning desks, and joining WhatsApp chats named “Recruiting Party”—not everyone is sold. Some recruits say the vision lacks clarity. Internally, Meta’s AI chief scientist Yann LeCun remains openly skeptical of the large language model (LLM) approach Zuckerberg is betting billions on, calling it a dead-end for achieving true superintelligence.

Zuckerberg believes his personal brand can do what Meta’s infrastructure cannot. He’s convinced that a message from him can override institutional hesitation. He’s telling recruits not to worry about money or computing power—Meta has both in spades. But rivals aren’t impressed. OpenAI’s Sam Altman, who’s running his own high-dollar offensive with designer Jony Ive, quipped publicly that none of his top staff have jumped ship.

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By Popular Demand.
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7 hours ago
War

BREAKING: Trump Announces Iran-Israel Ceasefire, Deal Terms…

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Trump announced a brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran, formally ending the 12-day war.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, the governments of Israel and Iran.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Announced on Truth Social, within six hours of ceasefire implementation across the Middle Eas

💬KEY QUOTE: “This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!” – Donald J. Trump

🎯IMPACT: The announcement signifies the formal end to hostilities and a de-escalation in one of the world’s most volatile regions.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump has declared a formal end to the 12-day war between Israel and Iran via a post on Truth Social, revealing that both sides agreed to a total and mutual ceasefire. The truce is set to begin within six hours and will unfold in two 12-hour phases—first initiated by Iran, followed by Israel.

The post outlines that both nations will respect peaceful terms during each other’s ceasefire window, culminating in what Trump called a global salute to the official end of “THE 12 DAY WAR.” He emphasized that the war, had it continued, “could have gone on for years” and would have “destroyed the entire Middle East.”

Trump took the opportunity to praise the “Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence” of both nations in bringing about the conclusion of hostilities. The agreement marks a dramatic de-escalation following rapid military escalations that had set the region on edge.

The President’s announcement underscores his central role in navigating high-stakes diplomacy. He touts that the ceasefire plan is not only effective but will hold. He closes his message with blessings for Israel, Iran, the Middle East, and the United States.

As international observers await confirmation of compliance from both governments, the announcement marks a major step toward restoring calm in one of the world’s most volatile flashpoints—and a major diplomatic flex from the President himself.

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By Popular Demand.
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7 hours ago
News
War

Ukrainian Security Thwarts Alleged Zelensky Assassination Plot.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was the target of an assassination plot allegedly orchestrated by a Polish military pensioner recruited by the Soviet Union decades ago, according to Ukraine’s internal security agency.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The plot involved a Polish military pensioner, Russia’s influence, and Ukraine’s SBU security service, with assistance from Poland’s ABW security service.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The plan targeted Zelensky at Poland’s Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport, with the plot exposed by Ukrainian authorities.

💬KEY QUOTE: “A military pensioner, a Pole, who was recruited decades ago, firmly believed in the Soviet idea and harbored his intention through the years.” — Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, head of Ukraine’s SBU.

🎯IMPACT: The plot was foiled through a coordinated effort by Ukrainian and Polish security services, preventing Zelensky’s assassination.

IN FULL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was allegedly the target of an assassination plot, as revealed by Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, the head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). The alleged plan involved a Polish military pensioner who had been recruited by the Soviet Union decades ago.

During a closed briefing with Ukrainian media, Malyuk stated that Russia had activated the Polish man to execute the assassination at Poland‘s Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport. The plan reportedly involved the use of either a first-person-view drone or a sniper rifle, according to TSN.

“A military pensioner, a Pole, who was recruited decades ago, firmly believed in the Soviet idea and harbored his intention through the years. So, he—this ‘sleeper agent’—was activated,” Malyuk said. However, the plot was thwarted through a joint operation between Ukraine’s SBU and Poland’s internal security agency, the ABW. The Russian government and Poland’s ABW have yet to comment on the matter.

The alleged plot comes as Russia continues to slowly advance in Ukraine, recently launching several major missile strikes on the country’s capital, Kiev.

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By Popular Demand.
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8 hours ago
Christopher Tomlinson
Crime
World

Possible Mass Poisoning as Nearly 150 People Stabbed with Syringes, Illegals Arrested.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: At least 145 people, including young girls, were stabbed with syringes at a music festival in France.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: 145 victims, over a dozen alleged attackers, French police.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The attacks occurred at the Fête de la Musique festival on June 21.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Some victims were taken to the hospital for toxicological tests.” — French Interior Ministry.

🎯IMPACT: The attacks may have been linked to a call on social media and further increase the danger of rsape and sexual assault for young women and girls in France.

IN FULL

At least 12 people have been arrested for stabbing people with syringes in France, with as many as 145 people reporting being stabbed. The attacks took place at the Fête de la Musique festival on June 21, which takes place across France and draws millions of attendees annually.

According to the French Interior Ministry, the victims were targeted at outdoor music events, and at least 13 of those attacked were in Paris. French authorities refused to say if the stabbings were linked to any drugs commonly used to aid in the sexual assault or rape of victims. “Some victims were taken to the hospital for toxicological tests,” the Ministry said, however.

According to French media, some of those arrested in connection with the attacks were illegal immigrants, including a 28-year-old Bangladeshi man arrested in Montpellier who is also subject to a deportation order. In Metz, several of those stabbed were minors, with the youngest victim just 14 years old. Police arrested two men in connection with the attacks.

According to French media reports, the attacks may have been either called for or coordinated on social media, with one father claiming that his young daughter refused to attend the festival after seeing TikTok videos calling for people to stab young girls with needles at the festival.

Overall, 370 people were arrested across France during the music festival, 90 of them in the Paris area. At least 14 people were seriously injured. One man was found on the street with severe stab wounds to the abdomen, and 13 police officers were injured as well.

Image by ZaldyImg.

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By Popular Demand.
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9 hours ago
Politics

Biden’s White House Doctor to Testify in Mental Health Probe.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Dr. Kevin O’Connor, former White House physician to Joe Biden, will testify before the House Oversight Committee after being subpoenaed.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), Neera Tanden, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams, Annie Tomasini, and the House Oversight Committee.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Scheduled for July 9 before the House Oversight Committee.

🎯IMPACT: The investigation seeks to determine whether Biden’s cognitive decline influenced decision-making in his administration.

IN FULL

Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the former White House physician who treated then-President Joe Biden, is set to appear for a deposition before the House Oversight Committee on July 9. This was confirmed by a source familiar with the committee’s schedule. O’Connor agreed to testify following a subpoena issued by Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the committee’s chairman.

Comer is leading an investigation into allegations that Democrat staffers in the White House worked to cover up Biden’s cognitive decline while in office. The inquiry also focuses on Biden’s use of an autopen for official government business.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) previously ruled in 2005 that autopen use is legal, and a federal appeals court upheld this in 2024. However, questions have arisen as to whether Biden was aware of certain orders being signed via autopen in his name. Notably, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has publicly spoken about an incident where the octogenarian Democrat appeared unaware that he had issued an executive order halting liquid natural gas exports.

In addition to O’Connor, the Oversight Committee has scheduled interviews with former Biden White House aides Neera Tanden, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams, and Annie Tomasini. Unlike O’Connor, these aides agreed to interviews without being subpoenaed.

A former Biden official, speaking anonymously with the media, denied allegations that decisions were made without Biden’s involvement, stating: “Any accusation that President Biden was not making decisions is false. President Biden made the decisions about the pardons and the executive orders he issued, and the legislation he signed into law.”

The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee has also shown interest in Biden’s mental fitness. Its first public hearing on the matter did not include witnesses with direct knowledge of Biden’s decision-making process.

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By Popular Demand.
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9 hours ago
William Upton
Economy
Health

ICYMI: Trump DOJ Scores Historic Win for Workers in Antitrust Case.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump’s Justice Department secured a landmark criminal antitrust conviction against a home healthcare staffing executive for orchestrating a wage-fixing scheme aimed at suppressing the wages of home healthcare nurses in the Las Vegas area.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division, Assistant Attorney General Abigail A. Slater, federal prosecutors, defendant Eduardo “Eddie” Lopez, Las Vegas area home healthcare companies, and home healthcare nurses.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The criminal conviction was issued in April 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Wage-fixing agreements are nakedly unlawful attempts at unjustly profiting off American workers.” — Assistant Attorney General Abigail A. Slater.

🎯IMPACT: The jury verdict marks the first successful criminal conviction against individuals accused of wage-fixing and labor market collusion.

IN FULL
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) secured a historic antitrust jury verdict against a home healthcare executive over a wage-fixing scheme in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. In April this year, federal prosecutors secured the criminal conviction of Eduardo “Eddie” Lopez—a home healthcare staffing executive who served with three separate home healthcare agencies—for conspiring with a number of healthcare staffing agencies to suppress the wages of home health nurses in the Las Vegas area and defrauding buyers of his staffing services by concealing the ongoing federal antitrust investigation against him.
Notably, the case marks a significant legal landmark for the DOJ, affirming its legal authority to pursue criminal charges against individuals accused of wage-fixing and labor market collusion. Prior attempts at criminal prosecution on similar charges had failed to secure a conviction.
At trial, DOJ prosecutors revealed that Lopez had orchestrated, between 2016 and 2019, a wage-fixing conspiracy aimed at artificially suppressing the wages of home health nurses in the Las Vegas area. The scheme saw Lopez and several other home healthcare executives enter into a covert agreement to set the hourly wages for nurses, insulating their companies from labor market forces. Federal prosecutors successfully argued that the wage-fixing scheme was akin to price-fixing in labor markets and that each incidence of wage suppression should be treated as per se violations of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Lopez’s communications with the executives of other area home healthcare agencies proved pivotal. In one message shown to jurors, Lopez wrote to an executive at an ostensibly competing agency, “We all have a mutual agreement that with the pay increase, all 3 companies will stay within the same hourly rate.” The April verdict saw Lopez convicted on five criminal counts, including one antitrust charge and four wire fraud charges.
Assistant Attorney General Abigail A. Slater, who leads the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, praised the conviction: “Wage-fixing agreements are nakedly unlawful attempts at unjustly profiting off American workers.” She added that the “verdict highlights what should be a clear message with antitrust crimes: the agreement is the crime. The Antitrust Division will zealously prosecute those who seek to unjustly profit off their employees. The nurses here deserved better and, under President Trump’s leadership, they will be protected.”
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By Popular Demand.
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10 hours ago
News
UK

UK Bans Top Palestine Group Under Terror Laws.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Britain’s Home Secretary, roughly equivalent to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, announced plans to proscribe the group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Palestine Action, and its members.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement followed an incident on June 20 at the Royal Air Force’s Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The disgraceful attack on Brize Norton in the early hours of the morning on Friday 20 June is the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action.” – Yvette Cooper

🎯IMPACT: Membership and support for Palestine Action will be made illegal under the Terrorism Act 2000.

IN FULL

Britain’s Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has announced plans to proscribe the far-left extremist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. This decision follows an incident on June 20, where members of the group broke into the Royal Air Force (RAF) base RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to sabotage two RAF Voyager aircraft.

In a written statement, Cooper said, “The disgraceful attack on Brize Norton in the early hours of the morning on Friday 20 June is the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action.” She added, “The UK’s defence enterprise is vital to the nation’s national security and this Government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk.”

The Home Secretary plans to lay an order before Parliament next week that will make membership and support for the group illegal under the Terrorism Act of 2000. Cooper emphasized that this decision is specific to Palestine Action and does not affect lawful protest groups or other organizations campaigning on Palestinian-related issues.

Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for the incident, stating that they used red paint to symbolize Palestinian blood and caused additional damage with crowbars. The group alleges that the planes are used to “collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets, and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the incident, stating, “The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful. Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.”

Palestine Action has previously engaged in other acts of sabotage, targeting a defence firm facility in August of last year and smashing it up with sledgehammers. The group also violently attacked security staff on site, as well as two police officers, with their sledgehammers.

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11 hours ago
William Upton
News

The Senate Parliamentarian Is Gutting Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Senate Parliamentarian blocked several Republican provisions in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” including the removal of SNAP eligibility for immigrants, a mandate that states with high SNAP payment error rates cover a larger portion of the costs, and granting President Donald J. Trump greater authority over the hiring and firing of federal workers.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Senate Republicans, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, and Senate Democrats, including Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was announced late Sunday in Washington, D.C.

🎯IMPACT: Key provisions of the GOP bill, including changes to federal hiring and firing, face significant procedural hurdles in the Senate.

IN FULL

The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled against Republican efforts to include provisions on federal hiring and firing in their budget reconciliation bill, championed by President Donald J. Trump and popularly known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The decision, announced late Sunday, is the latest in a series of rulings dismantling key provisions of the GOP’s sweeping domestic policy plan.

The blocked provisions included a proposal to require new federal workers to pay higher retirement contributions unless they agreed to be “at-will” employees, effectively waiving traditional civil service protections. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that most workers would likely forgo protections rather than pay the increased contributions.

Other provisions being blocked by the Parliamentarian include the ending of SNAP benefits for immigrants, a requirement that states with high SNAP payment error rates cover a greater share of the program’s cost, a requirement for unions to pay for the use of government resources, and expanded authority for the President to implement federal reorganization plans without congressional approval. The Parliamentarian also blocked a proposal to give Congress greater oversight of agency regulations.

Democrats, predictably, are praising these moves by the Parliamentarian—though Senate Republicans have remained silent on whether they will seek to rework the provisions, drop them altogether, or move to overrule the Parliamentarian. Without changes, provisions deemed ineligible under the Byrd Rule would require a 60-vote threshold to pass, making bipartisan support necessary.

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11 hours ago
Media

Trump Strikes Major FTC Deal. Here’s What It Means…

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved a $13.5 billion merger between Omnicom and IPG, two major advertising firms, with conditions to prevent viewpoint discrimination and political bias.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Federal Trade Commission, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Omnicom, IPG, and the now-disbanded Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The decision was announced on Monday, during the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, where industry leaders were gathered.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This consent agreement will help mitigate the dangers inherent in a consolidated national advertising market.” – FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson

🎯IMPACT: The merger, along with the imposed conditions, aims to curb political bias and collusion in the advertising industry, potentially setting a precedent for other firms.

IN FULL

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a $13.5 billion merger between Omnicom and IPG, two of the world’s largest advertising firms. The decision comes with strict conditions aimed at curbing political bias and preventing future coordination against publishers based on political viewpoints.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson announced that the firms have agreed to cease all coordination that steers ad dollars away from publishers based on political views. They will also cooperate with the FTC’s investigation into past collusion and submit to compliance reviews. “This consent agreement will help mitigate the dangers inherent in a consolidated national advertising market,” Ferguson said.

“Today, Omnicom and IPG have committed themselves to help stop that sort of coordination in their industry,” Ferguson continues, stating: “This consent agreement will help mitigate the dangers inherent in a consolidated national advertising market.”

The FTC had considered blocking the merger due to evidence of past coordination against conservative news outlets. Ferguson highlighted the role of the now-disbanded Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), which was accused of directing ad dollars away from right-of-center publishers. “GARM was neither the beginning nor the end of harmful and potentially unlawful collusion in this industry,” Ferguson stated, adding: “Numerous other industry groups and private organizations have publicly sought to use the chokepoint of the advertising industry to effect political or ideological goals.”

GARM faced scrutiny after a congressional investigation revealed it had blacklisted conservative outlets, labeling them as “High Risk” or “Conspiracy Theories.” Internal emails showed disdain for freedom of speech advocates and the Constitution.

Under the FTC’s consent decree, Omnicom and IPG will submit annual compliance reports for five years and cooperate fully with investigations into past collusion. The agreement is seen as a significant shift in the advertising industry, which has long relied on coordinated exclusion lists to target disfavored publishers. Whether other major firms like Publicis and WPP will follow suit remains to be seen. The public has 30 days to submit comments on the merger decision to the FTC.

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By Popular Demand.
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