BREAKING: The Department of Justice has officially filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and will seek to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
“We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States at the cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “The result is that fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters get squeezed out, and venues have fewer real choices for ticketing services. It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster.”
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The next installment of "Twits" is here, and this time, they're IN PERIL! Gather 'round for the latest steampunk distraction feat. Christian Borle, @MichaelUrie, @LilliCooper, @Fergsters95 and more!
"Twits in Peril" 🎧 https://t.co/mrClyTbehM
In a true underdog story, a group of subpostmasters must figure out how to defend themselves against the government-owned Post Office and save their careers, families, and reputations. The premiere of #MrBatesPBS is streaming now! https://t.co/VJTGBCy5Kf
Okay, this story is being widely misreported, and it's annoying.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is not supporting Trump and he did not say he wouldn't vote for Pres. Biden and he did not say Pres. Biden shouldn't be reelected.
He said he's not going to publicly endorse Pres. Biden because he regrets the criticism he got for his 2020 endorsement. He said he's keeping his political views private.
Of course, that rings a bit ridiculous. Doing an interview on Fox News and lamenting "cancel culture" and "woke culture" and blaming our current division on Pres. Biden is very much a choice.
It's also quite wrong. Trump is the most divisive public figure in modern American history. Divisiveness is his brand. Pres. Biden, meanwhile, has worked overtime to do outreach to Republican voters.
And Mr. Johnson knows this. The Rock is a very smart man. It turns out he's also very cynical.
He's hedging his bets. In a moment when democracy is under attack and it's all hands on deck, The Rock is choosing The Rock. He's choosing his bottom line. He's choosing his money.
So, in exchange for flat-out declining to support Trump, he's throwing the Fox News crowd a bone with a slam on Pres. Biden. Offering this equivocation on Fox News gains cultural permission from many Republicans.
He's hedging his bets, y'all. That's what this is. It's cowardly and sad for a man who should know better.