Author: Ethan Johnson
The Justice Department has used a trove of internal communications that offer a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the industry in its lawsuit accusing Live Nation Entertainment, the concert industry giant that owns Ticketmaster, of operating an illegal monopoly.In a wide-ranging complaint filed Thursday, the Justice Department sought to break up the companies, arguing that the 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster stifled competition, stifled innovation and led to higher ticket prices and consumer fees.Live Nation, the world's largest concert promoter, responded by denying that it is a monopoly and does not have the power to unilaterally raise prices. Despite…
According to a Washington Post investigation, dozens of cities in Guangdong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, Shaanxi, Shandong and Jiangsu provinces, as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, have announced plans so far this year to cut back on government websites, social media accounts and smartphone applications.One recent example is the southern metropolis of Shenzhen's Longgang district, which announced in the first week of May that it would shut down web services for its land supervision bureau and state-owned assets bureau after the two agencies were merged into other agencies.The same week, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region shut down the website and social…
Victorville, California (VVNG.com) — Want to learn more about how Victorville city government works? Want to learn about the strategic plan for the High Desert's largest city? Sign up now for the City of Victorville's VV101 Bus Tour. The free, four-hour guided tours will be held June 11, 24 and 27, giving local residents a behind-the-scenes look at Victorville’s operations, services and strategic priorities. Participants will be among a very limited number of people who will be able to drive on the tarmac at Southern California Logistics Airport and walk the campus of the new Victorville Wellness Center. “In contrast…
You can listen to this episode in the player below or subscribe for free on YouTube or your favorite podcast app (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audacy, Audible).Report cards are hard to receive. Good grades provide praise and cause for pride, while bad grades provide a harsh reminder of how things really are. A new open-source platform called ScanGov, which calls itself the Digital Government Experience Monitor, has both.ScanGov is the brainchild of tech entrepreneur Luke Fretwell and his son Elias. It's the father-son civic hacker duo's most ambitious project to date. (We profiled Elias in a previous episode of TFIC, when…
America seems to be electing its top government officials from nursing homes: In fact, the two presidential candidates this fall are 77 and 81 years old. Similarly, our current elected officials have served in their offices for decades, excluding other perspectives from our political system. Age and term limits are key to ensuring our country continues to progress over time. “Voters and Congress: An Age Analysis” shows the disparity in age demographics of voters and legislators. Information collected from KFF.org and FiscalNote.com. (Infographic by Cynthia Cunningham.) Photo by Cynthia Cunningham Are age restrictions discriminatory? Emphatically, no. Just as there is…
Voters in Bozeman's June primary election will have the option to choose whether to launch an overhaul of the city's government structure.The same question will be asked of voters in Gallatin County about their form of government, as well as other municipalities across the state, as part of a once-a-decade mandate contained in the state constitution.But in Bozeman, it's the recent reforms and controversies in city government that are of most concern to some voters.”We have enough controversial events happening in the city, and I feel like it's happening in a way that's different than it has in the past,”…
We have been abandoned by our governments and are being left to bear the cost of toxic radiation exposure alone.(AP file photo) This July 16, 1945, photo is an aerial view of the aftermath of the first atomic explosion at Trinity Test Site in New Mexico.Mary Dixon | The Salt Lake Tribune | May 24, 2024 7:19 pm | Updated: 7:25 p.m.A few years ago, before filmmaker Mark Shapiro came to interview me for his film Downwind, about the long shadow of Nevada nuclear testing, I was sitting on the floor of my office, surrounded by piles of articles (some…
The U.S. government and dozens of states filed an antitrust lawsuit against multinational entertainment company Live Nation Entertainment on Thursday, alleging that the company has monopolized the live entertainment sector to the detriment of artists, venues and concert-goers.The US government alleges that Live Nation violated Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. The Sherman Act is a US antitrust law enacted in 1890 that sets out the rules of free competition and prohibits unfair monopolies. Section 1 of the Sherman Act states that agreements in restraint of trade are illegal, while Section 2 states that anyone who attempts to…
Every now and then, something happens that serves as a lasting reminder that while the vast majority of us have good intentions, a small percentage of us are prone to corruption. A good example is Earl E. Devaney’s 2008 memo to the Secretary of the Interior about the so-called “royalties in kind” scandal. Devaney was the inspector general investigating allegations of corruption within a subagency then called the Minerals Management Service (MMS), and his memos outlined a two-year investigation that interviewed 233 witnesses, reviewed 470,000 pages of documents, and cost taxpayers $5.3 million to complete. The investigation found that senior…
It's a simple question, and it will be at the heart of the general election campaign. After 14 years of Conservative rule, people are asking: “Am I better off now?”incomeFor most people, the answer is no, not better. Wages have fallen in real terms – that is, after taking into account inflation, including housing costs. From 2010 to 2019, wages across the UK fell by 0.1% per year. Since the pandemic began, the situation has improved, but workers are still earning thousands of pounds less than they would have if their incomes had risen in line with inflation.The living wage…