Never had a problem with telephone service,that is until they broke up
At& It was't broke ,so they fixed it ! I am having all kinds of problems with
them now!
8
The 1% get to battle the 1% for what’s left of the country.
Lovely.
31
This 'administration' has no 'ideological leanings.' Fearless Leader has no idea what the law is, much less any idea how it might be applied in a properly functioning government. Our current 'President' is no more a president than he is a 'businessman.' Both are merely roles he plays on reality tv.
The self-described 'greatest nation on Earth' (a moniker which it scarcely deserves at this juncture) is currently led by the intellectual equivalent of Chauncey Gardner. The difference being that the fictional Mr. Gardner was an innocent, kindly and well meaning fool. The man now tending our national garden is a shallow, mean-spirited, vituperative, borderline sociopath who gleefully yanks the levers of power at whim, or as suggested by the last ill-chosen adviser who whispered in his ear, or as is more often the case, in response to something he saw on television or in a clandestine blog post.
Let's stop trying to superimpose an 'ideology' on the thousands of incoherent tweets and rambling, undiagrammable sentences that spew forth from Fearless Leader. The present titular head of the American government operates at the emotional and intellectual level of a seven year old boy; except that a seven year old who acted out the way Fearless Leader does would have been moved into a special ed program and intensive psychotherapy by now, rather than handed the nuclear codes.
58
As John D. Rockefeller and Nixon might well argue about advising Trump from their graves:
"Looks like Randy is headed for 'a good sweating' from the IRS, eh Dick?"
"Well, J.D.. 'that would be wrong' --- but if Trump wants to prove his bona fides not only as an Empire-builder, like you, but as America's first real Emperor/president, he's got to show he's got some".
4
Why is anyone surprised that Trump opposes a merger that includes CNN, a media critic? For Trump, everything is about him.
31
The conservative dream was a "business man" in the White House. We have so called business men all over this White House and the swamp water is rising to the second floor. And they can't get anything done. Nothing.
From now on let's settle on the kind of good management we got from the "community organizer" last time. If there is a from now on.
Tired of winning yet, rubes?
50
In 2014 Rupert Murdoch made a failed attempt to buy Time Warner for $84 billion and, more recently, Fox tried to sell certain assets to Disney indicating they are trying to raise cash for a big acquisition.
The Justice Department's block of this merger has nothing to do with looking out for the best interest of consumers, instead, it is Trump punishing AT&T for not agreeing to sell CNN. Trump wants to make sure that Rupert Murdoch gets his hands on CNN.
34
AT&T's CEO has been a faithful Republican donor. If Trump had let AT&T acquire CNN then perhaps its editorial slant would have become less virulently anti-Trump. But now Trump has ticked off Randall Stevenson. Trump can't even do autocracy right.
14
It's pretty clear by now that the only political motivations Trump has are to increase his own wealth and to undo everything Obama tried to do, all the while trying to knife anyone who has a bad word to say about him.
In fact, I would think Obama's comment at the White House Correspondent's Dinner (about Trump facing a serious decision ... whether to fire Gary Busey or Meatloaf) may be the biggest political motivation Trump has.
He is not a Republican, he is a Trumpican.
32
Could it be that this is another example of corporations being encouraged to consume other corporations, for the greedy to eat the greedy, and, possibly another example, for Republicans to eat Republicans? Oh... no, no, no, we can't let that latter happen. Save the Republicans from each other !!!
7
Trump sees himself as America's Putin and wants to rule with an iron fist to show how masculine he is confusing bully behavior with manly behavior. Insecure unable to take critique from anyone that ruptures his fragile ego thinks firing Comey threatening Sessions attacking black athletes shows how tough he is . Not so he displays as weak, ignorant and inept a small man in the highest office in the land. The GOP looks the other way as our buffoon president degrades the presidency daily with his childish tweets all to get tax cuts for the donor class and unburden their corporate supporters with regulations that protect consumers and save their health from pollution. CNN thrown to the ground and beaten by Trump is his idea of being a strong leader in the mold of Stalin.
19
Why are we interested in discovering the extent of Russian interference in our last election? We have elected someone worse than Putin. Putin has a coherent foreign policy, other than that, what is the difference? We are being governed by a single party that lives in fear of their leader. Trump’s economic policy is a changeable mystery that works to enrich friends and family . He punishes his opposition with impunity, he encourages racism and class warfare, he preaches religious intolerance, he has denigrated the office of the president. Like Trump once said about Russia, ‘we aren’t so different’.
20
FAR TOO MUCH REASONING, Logical thinking, impulse control, problem solving and decision making capabilities to Donald Trump. The meaning of his tantrums can be about as decipherable as a toddler who will not deescalate from screaming. Yet does not have the language to explain what it wants from the adults. And, yes, I mean the comparison to be literal. Trump shows disorientation in the three spheres of reality--time, place and person. He shows severe deficits in language, memory and executive functions of the brain. An analysis of his comments via tweet, which are what is written by him, are at a level of writing of a not-very-bright middle school student, say 5th or 6th grade. They are also stereotyped. Trump identifies a problem, says that it is bad, very bad or very very bad, then accuses the wrongdoer of incurring his displeasure. The parting shot is usually two or three words that are only remotely connected to what is a very loosely, concretely constructed text message. Let's put it this way--if Trumps tweets were those of a bird trying to attract mates, I think very few if any females would be drawn to him, despite his orange plumage and facial markings. Meanwhile his ministers vie for power amongst themselves, out of public sight. Lurking behind and around all of this is Mueller's inquiry. The judgment day is quickly approaching. So people had better learn Russian fast or flip on Trump. Will Jared really flip like a pancake? Stay tuned for the answers!
15
The Obama DOJ was way, way too lenient on antitrust matters. In fact, if you took away the tax cuts you could argue that Trump has been something of a right-wing democrat during his time in office: against the heritage foundation's healthcare program (aka Obamacare), against free-trade with third world countries (no TPP), against illegal immigration (the wall), against European countries skirting their defense obligations (less NATO cooperation until other countries meet their spending targets), in favor of peace with Russia.
At long last, someone has decided to do something against the outrageous concentration of market power that has been happening over the past 25 years. Stephens frames this drive towards monopoly as some kind of aberration, but it's the ridiculous non-enforcement of the antitrust laws under presidents from both the democrats and the republicans alike over the past two decades that's the real aberration. Trump, the oligarch president, is not beholden to corporate money and so perhaps, warts and all, he might be the right person to finally start to do something about this problem.
5
Randal Stephenson, himself, does not believe in a benign capitalism. I was an AT & T subscriber for 20 years, and every other month I received a bill so outlandish that blew my mind. Once, I was charged $6.50 per minute for a 70 minute phone call to Europe from the Western U.S. And, of course, I paid for it. (not a cell phone call.)
Finally, I seriously started seeking an attorney to sue him, and his top management to stop harassing me for unearned monies which AT&T billing department demanding from me. To my delight I found out there is a a whole industry of lawyers out in the ether, who would bring a legal action against him and the AT & T for free to the plaintiff. I wrote and told him my intention in non-threatening, in a as-a-matter of fact fashion. Within a week, I got a bill showing I owed zero to his company. This is an old animal-feed salesman and he thinks and he invented, being a Robber Baron!
I agree with DOJ decision, they might have decided for the wrong reason, but Ma Bell should not be allowed to expand at the expense of its subscribers.
6
The timing and potential politics involved in this merger are interesting but what makes this merger more of a rarity is two things:
1. In most instances, companies generally end merger discussions after the government negotiations indicate that market power violations may result in a deal rejection but AT&T has chosen instead to go on the offensive which will be interesting to follow.
2. Other than brief comments, the Department of Justice has not made an effort yet to highlight exactly what issues exist and if there are remedies. This may be happening behind closed doors but it is still interesting that a public case has not been completely presented yet.
Companies such as AT&T would presumably have market power screens performed prior to submitting the information to the Department of Justice and while the results may differ slightly, those screens probably indicated that no market power issues existed at that time so it is interesting to see the government making its case now.
6
This does appear to be the right decision for the wrong reason. Trump does behave like an autocrat and his minions not only don't have a problem with it they assist in every way they can for their own gain. What happened to patriotism?
10
In an unpresidented act of treason, patriotism, decency, dignity, intelligence, honesty, and science are currently being held incommunicado at an undisclosed location in New Jersey.
13
I am an AT&T customer. Every time I call their 611 number to report a problem (and there have been many) I get bombarded with a recorded assault about their Direct TV and other products while waiting many minutes to speak to a customer representative that calls me "Mr. John".
And everytime those reps also pounce on me to change to Direct TV.
I do not believe any of it.....is for my benefit.....not the CEO's version and most definitely not the Trump Justice Dept version.
8
Controlling education (a la Betsy DeVoss, for-profit schools & fake universities, etc.) and communication (promote propaganda, stifle criticism, intimidate/persecute journalists) coupled with an emotional, vindictive authoritarian leader who eschews diplomacy in favor of the military will
make America great—again.
a. True
b. False
c. Don’t know
11
There has been over a year of discussion about the pros and cons of this merger: https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/10/25/499185907/the-... .
I suspect the only way we would ever know long-term effects would be if the merger went through--but who knows.
As I watch the guy in the White House make--what appears to be--one vindictive move after another, I am drawn to the title of a recent essay in "Foreign Affairs": How to Waste a Congressional Majority, by Sarah Binder ( https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2017-11-22/how-was...
7
I'd agree, and suggest the fact that the "compromise," to get the deal seems to be, "sell CNN," is the tipoff.
Count on it: somebody like Sinclair will be first in line with a bid.
You know, this is starting to remind me of Putin selling off chunks of Russia to his cronies.
34
Two FACTS need to intrude on this fantasy.
First, there's the matter of Makam Delrahim's pre-election interview. He was acting as a kibbitzer. An expert on antitrust who has no specific knowledge about the confidential particulars of an ongoing investigation gives his five cents worth to the media. As a one-time kibbitzer on merger law myself, I know that the best way to handle such inquiries is to mouth what other experts would regard as verities on the applicable law and discuss only those facts that any informed reader of the newspaper business section would have in hand. That is precisely what Delrahim did. That in no way should have constrained his opportunity to reach a different conclusion when he had decisional responsibility and access to the information obtained in the investigation.
Second, Delrahim's purported rejection of behavioral remedies is hardly a shocker. The donnish contingent in the antitrust bar, "liberals" and "conservatives" alike, have been dumping on behavioral relief in merger cases for decades. The left dislikes them because they perceive them as ineffective; the right dislikes them because they are "regulatory". As for businessmen, the merger partners like them because they figure they can live with them; their competitors dislike them because they fear they will not get equal access to any merger efficiencies.
Let's see what happens in court. This former kibbitzer thinks its a tough case for DOJ on the merits.
Mr. Stephens suggests a pattern which a four year old can see. The president telegraphs his anger so transparently, that even primary school children can see the connection between his bias and what he tells the government to do. Connections between our president's attitude with regard to Comey, Sessions, CNN, Russia, intelligence apparatus, diplomacy and the state department and even his press conferences are perfectly concatenated to government actions made toward or against those institutions. Our boy is totally consistent. Where our president becomes inconsistent is when keeping promises he made in an effort to influence people to vote for him. Democrats had better decide to start voting, before there is nothing left of our republic.
21
All of this is just part of a larger pattern of behavior proving that, no matter how hard we strive to be a nation of laws, the laws are not enough when people, especially those in power, are not willing to be lawful, to respect the spirit of the laws, not just stick to the letter of the laws.
17
Oppose the AT&T Time Warner merger but push for the end of net neutrality?
Seems quite contradictory to me.
39
Not if you realize that Trump's whole point is, "Gimme, and shaddup with the complants about gimme."
19
Thanks to Mr. Stephens for the analytical look at this merger proposal, and to the AT&T CEO for going on the record. But, to them and to all those making comments: when will we just admit that Trump is incoherent on all topics (c.f. Time Magazine "Person of the Year" nonsense this morning) and his so-called administration are trying to apply Trump's illogical ramblings as if they were the thoughts of Mao to every situation to keep him placated as dictator-in-training. The president has little else to do these days aside from making threats, telling lies and playing golf, leaving the rest of the day for watching TV and counting how many times his name is mentioned. He simply has no firm grounding in the real world, and US businesses should be just as worried as a majority of citizens already are.
68
We have handed over our democracy to oligarchs. Our sad, sick nation suffers under people who aren't even ashamed of their own self-serving ways, but hold greed and corruption up as inherent American values. The only difference between Communist Russia and the situation the US finds itself in today is that in the former, people were coerced, in the latter, they are seduced.
30
Without CNN the merger would sail through. Wasn't that one of the conditions set by the politicized Justice Department? We have a Government-by-Tweet and a Government-by-Pique led by an ignorant dotard enabled by fearful Republican toadies. Please, Mr. Mueller, save us!
53
These kinds of conflicts demonstrate why Trump is so ideologically inconsistent and inept. He can't see past his own emotional responses to criticisms and perceived slights to rationally analyze what is in his or the country's best interests.
Consequently, every situation becomes reality show drama. If the consequences for our well-being weren't so dire the Trump situation might be entertaining. But we're living through a real cliff-hanger not reality show make-believe and it doesn't convey the same escapist pleasure as fiction does.
31
The notion that AT&T or DirecTV don't have market power is silly. I don't care what percentage of cable or internet subscribers they have. The question is, of those they have, what alternatives are available?
16
Word...i assume Mr Stephens resides in a zip code where there are multiple broadband providers. Many buildings , new and old, only have one cable provider. They cut deals either explicitly or covertly and in effect, the comnsumer doesnt have choice and the provider DEIOS have market power. Satellite and direct TV are simply not comparable- my house doesn't have good access to Line of site to the satellite even on good weather days. Houses are orienteering din all sorts of ways trees and hills can easily interfere, and In any event the speeds are not competitive, esp with bandwidth needs rising rapidly even for basic home consumer.
5
When and if Randall Stephenson and Donald Trump ever publically and fully expose their personal and family income tax returns and business records then we would have some idea what is behind the looming fight with AT&T and our Justice Department. While Trump is encamped at the House of Trump Winter Palace playing golf and gorging and groping would be an ideal time.
Russia, Israel, Iran, China or North Korea if you are listening please help the American people out!
20
Corporate executives who believed they bought the U.S. government will be as surprised at their imminent impotence as the German industrialists who believed they could control Hitler.
Democracy in the U.S.A., such as it was, is on its deathbed, and even our reigning plutocracy may soon find itself to be an appendage of an entirely unprincipled police state.
Progressives, liberals, young people, and persons ineligible to vote do not deserve the miseries that are befalling America.
Republicans, who have been warring against democracy since FDR was president, have no right to complain about stewing in their own concoction of fire and brimstone.
The U.S.A. has devolved into a country of the damned.
44
Of course T/W has market power. In many areas it is the only provider and can do whatever it wants. It’s track record over time has been miserable in respect to its customers...do we think with ATT as it’s partner it will now get better? If
4
Time Warner cable and Time Warner, the media company, are not the same company. They split from each other many years ago.
12
Your argument is erroneous. You are confusing the old Time Warner Cable with Time Warner, the media conglomerate a content provider, not a cable TV and ISP provider. Time Warner Cable was divested years ago, then sold off over a year ago to Charter Communications and rebranded as Spectrum. There are multiple reasons to oppose this merger, but that ain't it!
4
I hope no one is shocked, shocked that the current administration governs by presidential pique. I don't have enough information to decide whether the proposed merger is good, bad or indifferent to consumers and others who have a stake in the outcome of this merger, but I know for certain that the merits of this proposed merger have nothing to do with the thinking of the current administration.
40
The seemingly arbitrary and capricious nature of Justice Department actions reveal undue influence somewhere.
It’s not ATT and Time Warner merging that concerns. It’s the Facebook/Google/Apple/Amazon market shares that Justice should turn its attention to.
The definition of monopoly has changed. So should the antitrust attentions of the Justice Department.
26
"a feeling of irritation or resentment resulting from a slight, especially to one's pride."
Nothing 'slight' about Trump's severe pique.
9
Several pieces of evidence point to the Trump administration's employment of the national government as a cash generator for him and his family. The AT&T-Time-Warner merger dispute is but one. Others include family-friendly tax "reform" goodies and the use of Trump properties to curry favor-for-profit arrangements with foreign entities.
35
The government claims that the merged company could jack up prices on other distributors for must-watch content like H.B.O.’s “Game of Thrones,” and that it would also “slow the industry’s transition to new and exciting video distribution models.” But scrapping the net neutrality rules that will jack up everyone's prices and keep millions from getting online is ok. The stupidity of the Executive branch has no bounds.
98
"The stupidity of the Executive branch has no bounds."
As in a banana republic, they are rewarding friends and punishing enemies. The stupidity is on the part of those who believe their lies about what they are up to.
22
Troubling but no surprise. Deal blocked or not, it won't choke off CNN. What will strangle it is Trump's killing of net neutrality: his FCC flunkies will then pressure the cable companies to price all non-Fox news providers out of operation. (Granted, referring to Fox as 'news' is a non-sequitur)
47
"A Sanders presidency would have opposed the deal"
Um...Bret, Sanders wasn't on the ballot for president. In 2016 or any other election. What are you talking about?
Is this the new conservative tact? Learning from the Russians and the alt-right are you?
Please Sanders supports - don't fall for this. This is classic divide and conquer.
16
Should have voted for Hillary, Bret.
17
Sanders was very much on a whole buncha primary ballots, it's "tack," and Stephens' point was simply that a Sanders administration would have also opposed the merger, but at least done so honestly, out of intellectual conviction, rather than as an act of political revenge.
3
So, regardless of the pro's or con's of the merger, we are obviously being 'ruled' by a vindictive, petty despot. DOJ is his hand maiden, except for Muller and team.
Boiling this down to the broader effect of Trump's 'rule', i.e. Tillerson's decimation of the State Dept, we have a not so gradual move to a dictatorship. The GOP is directly complicit.
And, please recall my prediction that Putin and Tillerson have not forgotten their $500 billion dollar oil deal. Trump is helping his friend. At the same time, we can look at Putin's active role in OPEC. Oil and gas prices will be subject to their whims and we will be paying $4 a gallon soon.
Anti-trust? Out the window.
30
Mr. Stephens, there is also this; if Obama did it he'll do the opposite. This seems to be s.o.p in the Trump world. As you said the Obama administration approve a similar vertical merger therefore... You can connect the dots.
17
A great example of running a country like a business. Unfortunately, Donald runs it like a family business, with all the peculiarities of The Boss, and all the petty anger and animosity many of us just experienced around the Thanksgivng Day table.
This current Reality Show now running our country shows that the ire and demeaning acts of their star carries over from Apprentice to Journeyman.
22
If Trump is against something then 99.9% of the time I'd be for it. When in doubt about an issue it is best to stick to that reasoning.
15
Your strategy is much the same as Trump's approach to Obama policies.
Surely, you can think better than Donald Trump?
2
You have a point
1
The rich thing about this, and those execs in other industries now alarmed about the future of NAFTA, is the fact I'd wager that they voted mostly for Trump. There is an old Testament verse about, paraphrased, it is all about whose ox is being gored. Enjoy your democracy, industry leaders.
14
For the first time in decades we have a President who is willing to enforce the nation's anti-trust laws. Laws that were designed to increase completion and decrease monopoly in the United States. Laws that did a wonderful job of keeping our marketplace vibrant.
Trump campaigned on this and now he's doing it. Wonderful!
2
What about net neutrality?
10
Arthur, perhaps you, like so many other Trumpies, have been practicing selective delusion, and therefore missed the part about the disappearance of Net Neutrality. This President and his administration are absolutely NOT concerned about the rule of law, except where it can be used as a cudgel for the kleptocracy's advantage.
17
Vertical mergers between two companies with minority market shares have nothing to do with the Sherman Act.
This is Trumpelstiltskin stamping his tiny feet. Perhaps he will just disappear in a puff of smoke.
12
You can't argue against industry consolidation in this deal AND encourage more such deals elsewhere in the government by repealing Net Neutrality, which the FCC wants to do.
The combination of both positions isn't logical. Which leads me to assume this is Trump meddling.
27
Mr. Stephens' "shocking" revelation that Trump's behavior resembles the dictators and tyrants he so admires is very old news to us"liberals"who have seen this coming for a long time. That this administration is a very real threat to democracy shouldn't be hinted at but should be actively fought by every citizen of this country regardless of political philosophy.
168
If the corruption by presidential whim of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice were our biggest problem, we'd be in great shape.
16
You greatly underestimate the damage that monopolists and oligopolists have done to American democracy over the past 135 years.
"The 100%" have converted their raw economic power into political power, which they employed to further increase their economic power, then again their political power.
Today, the U.S.A. is a plutocracy on the verge of descending into a tyranny.
Never underestimate the political importance of economic matters in a purportedly "capitalist" society (or any society).
9
There is reason to believe that CNN helped elect Trump President by providing him with wall to wall coverage. Several commentators pointed out during and after the election of 2016 that the free publicity provided to Trump by CNN and other media outlets was potentially worth more than two billion dollars. I feel CNN needs to savor the consequences of its action. This antitrust controversy has already done damage to CNN's asset value. Any organization wanting to buy CNN will have to consider the risk of becoming a target for Trump. No bad deed goes unpunished!
41
Of course Donald Trump doesn't get involved with the Justice Department. He's built his entire life around his reputation as a straight shooter with a solid moral character who strictly adheres to law, custom and the rituals of human decency. Why would such a man risk his reputation in this manner? Oh wait...never mind.
35
This phony ( aka Tic Tacs ) has had so many fake feuds with people, it's impossible to say whether or not he's just pretending to be at war with AT&T or CNN.
This is a dude with a professional wrestling background who literally has the head of the WWE on his payroll.
A guy who pretended that CNN was giving him bad press, when in reality they gave him at least 5 times as much free air as his opponent, and gave people like Jeffrey Lord hours on end, day after day, to legitimize and normalize him.
So if this is all another ruse, and it ends up with CNN and Fox merging, I wouldn't be surprised for a minute.
And MSNBC is no better, and now we find out that Comcast and Fox just happen to be in bed with each other.
The myth of the "liberal" media should be apparent to everyone by now.
If it isn't, look up the name "Bret Stephens" to get a feel for who the "left wing" NY Times gives it's bandwidth to these days.
31
An impetuous kleptocrat and chronic narcissist placing a thumb on the scale... acting more like children—than children.
17
"A Sanders presidency would also have opposed the merger, though at least it would have done so honestly."
Haven't we had enough of the Trump Administration's open dishonesty, open determination to destroy all traces of the Obama administration, open sell-out to Putin's Russia....
One year of Trump is more than enough.
16
Either Trump fears another CNN story or he thinks he can pick off news organizations one at a time. Regarding the former: does Trump think CNN is the only news outlet capable and interested in looking into his activities? Regarding the latter: does Trump think he can wipe out the news industry, that no one will care if he does, and these organizations won't fight back? There is a little matter of the constitution that might just get in the way of what he is trying to do. Unless of course he doesn't feel the need to follow the constitution. In which case he is clearly trying to end the democratic form of government. King George would have been proud. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, etc would have raised a call to arms. And to his supporters: "drain"the swamp all you want. But if you are willing to ignore the constitution to get what you want, you are no longer behaving like Americans.
46
"For conservatives, it’s a fresh reminder that the administration’s pro-business convictions go only as far as the president’s convenience.....What we have instead is economic policy conducted as an extension of presidential pique."
I'm surprised AT&T's Stephenson actually admitted one would have to be naive not to ask questions about this merger and its last-minute blockage.
He'd better be careful: he is serving a mercurial boss. I'm not for or against mergers of this type, unless one considers cost, and since market share of each player is as low as it is, it might not jack up prices.
What I am decidedly against is an administration that seems to be serving the needs of an emotional demagogue, who ran on a pro-business agenda but seems to be using CNN as a pawn.
His earlier try to make the merger contingent on divestiture of his arch enemy CNN is chilling--and could be the first step in an ongoing battle to restrict a free press.
I believe more will come out in ATT&T 's lawsuit but the bottom line is this: adding the "Trump" factor to the normal course of capitalism--or any other agency initiative, such as gutting of the state department of diplomats or preparing to kill the Consumer Protection Agency--seems less about protecting the country or the public, but more about satisfying the vengeful needs of this president.
143
If net neutrality is abolished, Internet companies owning content can give preferential treatment to their properties. However, Trump's real concern seems to be ensuring that all media is owned by his friends. Notice how conservative and Trump-friendly Sinclair Broadcasting was allowed to expand? Selling CNN to somebody who would suppress any Trump-opposed views would probably green-light the merger, but political party control of the media would be a flashing red danger light for our democracy.
135
Bret, this decision is not consistent the antitrust law/merger control free market philosophies of the people at the top of the Antitrust Division of the DOJ. It is consistent, however, with Trump's prior comments about disliking mammoth mergers, which is what he thinks his populist base wants, and his hatred of CNN.
Could Trump or someone else in his inner circle have spoken to Sessions or even Delrahim, who heads the Antitrust Division of the DOJ, to tell them to oppose the deal due to either or both of these reasons? Sure, it's possible. But I would suggest a more plausible scenario is that Sessions doesn't want to see any more nasty tweets about himself or the Justice Department, so he simply had Delrahim do what he thinks Trump wants, with the knowledge that if the court rules against the DOJ they can always shrug their shoulders and tell Trump they tried but it was the court's fault. Then Trump can take to Twitter and rail against bad judges. And maybe one of them will have a Hispanic or Arabic surname--a double bonus for Trump!
23
On the campaign trail, Trump railed against media mergers, not mergers in general. In addition to the AT&T deal, he hinted that he wanted to undo Comcast's 2011 acquisition of NBCUniversal, which was home to "The Apprentice." Not coincidentally, a unit of NBC unearthed the "Access Hollywood" tape of Trump making vulgar comments about women. That tape was leaked to the Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. As a candidate, Trump was critical of Amazon for not paying more in taxes.
Now he's in a position to do something about all of the above in order to satisfy grudges, regardless of the propriety of a president's involving himself in such matters.
Making America great again, one personal vendetta at a time.
87
I object to the designation of the NBC/Universal- Comcast merger as a vertical merger They were both involved in the same industry - the television broadcast industry. It wasn't a vertical merger at all, and it never should have been allowed to go forward.
I opposed that merger and I oppose this one. The industries that these two companies are part of are linked in many ways; allowing this merger will certainly be a step in the direction of monopoly, less competition, and less independence.
This nonsensical obsession that conservatives have with allowing mega-corporate greed to run wild is what is hurting small businesses and the working class, not federal taxes and regulation.
And the consolidation of power in media and communications is not just a direct threat to competition, it is a threat to democracy.
I oppose the merger, but, as usual, Mr. Trump has sullied the entire process by inserting his personal animosities and agenda into it. His reckless disregard for the ingtegrity of all concerned, institutions and people alike, including himself, calls the entire action by the Justice Department into question.
Even when Trump does the right thing, he does it for the wrong reasons and in a corrupt and destructive manner. He has so tainted the process that doing what's right may be wrong. What a terrible mess he has made of the Executive Branch of our government!
209
It seems to me that the decision to bar the merger is in direct conflict w/ the administration's stance on net neutrality & both are due to presidential (sic) pique.
93