(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Democrats Must Expose the Trump Administration’s Antitrust Corruption [1] ['News Corpse', 'Greg Dworkin'] Date: 2026-10-07 The midterms are the Democrats’ to lose. Political analyst Charlie Cook said last week that flipping the House was a “done deal” and that the chances of a blue Senate looked “very realistic.” That means it’s time for Democrats to start planning their political priorities. From stopping the Pentagon’s illegal boat strikes in the Caribbean to ending ICE’s inhumane deportation and detention policies, a Democratic Congress will have its work cut out for it. Antitrust enforcement doesn’t make headlines in the way these other issues do, but Democrats must meet the moment and work to rein in corporate power. Perhaps the most egregious example of the Trump administration’s corruption on this issue is Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros.-Discovery. Way back in December, Senator Elizabeth Warren warned that Paramount was being treated as “a favored bidder among Trump administration officials” in a process “already tainted by the appearance of corruption” because of Paramount CEO David Ellison’s close ties with the Trump administration. CBS, a Paramount company, agreed to give $16 million to Trump’s presidential library to settle his bogus lawsuit against the network. Ellison also allegedly offered to run up to $20 million worth of “public service ads” to promote the president’s pet causes. Ellison even put right-wing darling Bari Weiss in charge of CBS News, where she promptly spiked a story critical of Trump’s deportation policies and packed 60 Minutes with conservatives. Once his acquisition of Warner Bros.-Discovery goes through, Ellison will also be the proud owner of Trump’s favorite bête noire, CNN. Expect it to get the CBS treatment. There were plenty of reasons to block the deal on antitrust grounds. Both Paramount and Warner Bros. own large streaming services (HBO Max and Paramount+), major news networks (CNN and CBS), and major film studios. Their merger would reduce competition across these industries, lowering wages for everyone from the screenwriter to the boom mic operator. Even though Paramount agreed to maintain its pace of theatrical releases for five years, it will almost certainly cut back once that term expires. This will put a huge dent in the already thin profit margins of movie theaters all across the country. But apparently none of those reasons outweighed Trump’s interest in hurting a network that reports the truth about him. So the Justice Department approved the deal to move forward. Paramount-Warner Bros. is the most obvious case of corruption but far from the only one. Fox Corporation is set to acquire Roku for $22 billion, and although Roku’s stock dipped slightly on Wednesday when the DOJ extended its antitrust review, investors still clearly expect the deal to sail through the approval process. There’s no need to explain why the Trump administration would be favorably disposed to Fox. Roku is in over 70 million American homes, a megaphone Fox could use to give its own content — including sports and scripted series but most importantly the right-wing propaganda organ Fox News — an unfair advantage over competitors. Less obvious is the role of Trump administration official Adam Candeub. On paper, he’s the general counsel at the FCC. In reality, he may already be working as the DOJ’s antitrust czar, a position for which he’s been nominated but not confirmed. This strange liminal status affords plenty of opportunities for foul play. What promises is he making to Fox and Roku before he officially takes his place in the DOJ’s chain of command and becomes subject to its ethics and disclosure rules? None, perhaps, but a trustworthy official would avoid even the appearance of corruption. Other antitrust cases raise serious questions. When the DOJ had a chance to win a major case against Ticketmaster, the ticket monopolist and scourge of music fans everywhere, they settled at the last minute. This was especially embarrassing because a coalition of state attorneys general stayed on the case and ultimately secured a historic judgment against Ticketmaster. Democrats need to look into why Trump’s Justice Department keeps letting badly behaved corporations off easy. This is a consistent pattern that’s proving destructive to competition and driving up prices. Antitrust enforcement isn’t as glamorous as crypto scams, drone strikes, or the abuse of prosecutorial power. It is, however, a perfect indicator of where an administration’s priorities lie: with billionaire monopolists looking to get even richer, or with workers and consumers. The Trump administration has made its choice. The new Democratic majorities should make sure the American people know it. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/10/7/800109065/community/democrats-must-expose-the-trump-administrations-antitrust-corruption/ Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/