GOP Debate, US Sues Amazon, and a Space Dumpling

GOP Debates Round Two

The second Republican presidential debate takes place tonight, with seven candidates set to face off at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The debate will air on Fox Business Network and Univision (9 pm ET).

Tonight's lineup features Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (SC), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. Doug Burgum (ND), and former Vice President Mike Pence. Candidates needed to meet stricter criteria set by the Republican National Committee, including support from 50,000 individual donors and at least 3% in two national polls or 3% in one national poll along with two early-voting state polls.

Notably absent are former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who didn't qualify, and former President Donald Trump, who leads Republican national polls with approximately 55% support. Instead, Trump will address the United Auto Workers union in Michigan.

The debate format includes one-minute responses to questions with 30 seconds for follow-ups and no opening or closing statements. Candidates will be competing for financial support before the end-of-September fundraising deadline. The threshold for the Nov. 8 Miami debate will rise to 4% in polls and 70,000 donors, which four candidates have reached so far.

Amazon Antitrust Suit

The US Federal Trade Commission, along with 17 state attorneys general, sued Amazon yesterday, alleging the $1.3T e-commerce giant violated antitrust laws by inflating prices, overcharging sellers, and stifling competition. 

The anticipated lawsuit against Amazon comes after a four-year probe and focuses on two business areas: Amazon's online marketplace and its fulfillment services, with the latter referring to a network of warehouses and delivery vans. The FTC claims (see overview) Amazon's marketplace restricts third-party sellers from offering cheaper prices than what is available on Amazon; otherwise, Amazon allegedly buries the seller in its search results. The regulator also claimed Amazon forces sellers to use its fulfillment services, limiting the market for independent providers. 

The FTC asked the federal court in Seattle to consider directing Amazon to make structural changes to its business but didn't specify a course of action. The FTC suit follows separate federal antitrust suits against Alphabet's Google and Meta's Facebook. 

Alabama Congressional Map

The US Supreme Court announced yesterday it would not reconsider Alabama's congressional map after upholding a lower court's decision to strike it down in June for likely violating the Voting Rights Act. The decision effectively greenlights the creation of new boundaries by a court-appointed special master, who released three proposed alternatives Monday, each of which includes a second likely Black-majority district.

State lawmakers redrew Alabama's seven districts following the 2020 census. Opponents of the map argued that while Black residents—who lean Democratic in the state—account for more than a quarter of the state population, they had been largely consolidated into a single district (see district boundaries). In 2022, Republican candidates won six of the seven districts, each by double-digit margins.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the court's three left-leaning justices—Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—in striking down Alabama's map in June; yesterday's decision contained no public dissents. See background on the case here. 

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