Numlock News: May 29, 2024 • Junk Fees, Big Tech, Ticketmaster
By Pat GarofaloToday’s guest writer is Pat Garofalo, author of the incisive and insightful newsletter Boondoggle, which covers the various ways corporations and monopolies rip off states, cities and communities, and what we can all do about it. Junk Fees, TrashedMinnesota recently became the second state, after California, to pass into law an economy-wide ban on so-called “junk fees” — those ubiquitous “service” and “convenience” fees that have cropped up on everything from live event tickets to food delivery to hotel rooms to self-storage units to carpet cleaning to rent, and on and on. Thirteen states this year considered bills to ban all or most junk fees (and a few of those bills are still alive in the legislative process!). This is, unsurprisingly, a very popular policy position: More than 8 in 10 voters say they are more likely to support a state legislator who backed such legislation. Ticketmaster ExclusiveThe Department of Justice and 30 state attorneys general last week sued to break up the Live Nation/Ticketmaster monopoly, to the resounding approval of musicians and Swifties everywhere. A key part of the case revolves around what are known as “exclusivity clauses”; these are the contracts Ticketmaster bullies venues into signing that prevent them from working with other ticket sellers, thereby removing Ticketmaster’s need to compete for customers. According to the DoJ complaint, Ticketmaster’s exclusivity clauses last as long as 14 years and currently cover more than 75 percent of ticket sales at major concert venues. Secret Deal FeesThe economic development system of New York state is a wretched hive of scum and villainy that transfers billions of dollars every year from the public to individual corporations. A new report by Reinvent Albany and Good Jobs First shows how New York law firms funnel campaign contributions into regions where they’re hired to facilitate, and therefore receive a cut of, these corporate subsidy deals. From 2017 to 2022, just two upstate law firms received $29 million to $39 million in undisclosed deal-closing fees — giving them millions of reasons to continue backing policymakers who will keep the deal dollars flowing. Reinvent Albany/Good Jobs First Big Tech, Big LobbyingA group of Big Tech firms led by Meta and Google has spent $823,235 lobbying against a pair of bills in New York state that would prevent social media platforms from selling the data of children to advertisers without parental consent and from using algorithms to suggest new content to minors. That’s a lot of spending at the state level, and it’s expected to go even higher, surpassing $1 million before the New York legislative session ends next month. Bears Stadium Deal HibernatesIllinois lawmakers don’t intend to advance a plan to spend an estimated $2 billion in public money on a new stadium for the NFL’s Chicago Bears this spring, according to several high profile state legislators. This is great news for taxpayers, as stadium subsidy deals consistently fail to provide benefits to the public. But it may also be a temporary reprieve, as the plan seems likely to wake up and lumber back onto the legislative to-do list in the fall. Dan Petrella and Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune Perhaps Hospital Monopolies Are BadBallad Health, a 20-hospital health care monopoly that serves more than 1 million residents across Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina, consistently receives approval to keep operating from the Tennessee Department of Health, even though it fails to meet most of its regulatory targets when it comes to providing actual health care. Ballad has missed 75 percent of its quality goals, in areas “including surgery complications, emergency room speed and patient satisfaction.” The Federal Trade Commission has been warning states against using the regulatory framework that allows Ballad to exist when a hospital of its size would normally run afoul of antitrust law. Here Comes the Sun — Wait, Never MindDozens of solar power projects have been downsized or halted across Virginia due to the state’s dominant monopoly utility, Dominion Energy, changing the rules midstream and requiring much more expensive grid connection equipment. These new costs can increase project budgets by 20 percent to 40 percent, putting them out of reach of many of the low-income communities and schools that had solar plans in the pipeline. The State Corporation Commission, which regulates Dominion, has waffled on whether it will allow Dominion to continue making these demands. Follow Pat’s work here: Thanks to the paid subscribers to Numlock News who make this possible. Subscribers guarantee this stays ad-free, and get a special Sunday edition. Consider becoming a full subscriber today. Send links to me on Twitter at @WaltHickey or email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news. Send corrections or typos to the copy desk at copy@numlock.news. Check out the Numlock Book Club and Numlock award season supplement. Previous Sunday subscriber editions: The Internationalists · Video Game Funding · BYD · Disney Channel Original Movie · Talon Mine · Our Moon · Rock Salt · Wind Techs · Yeezys · Armed Forces · Christmas Music · The Golden Screen · New York Hotels · A City on Mars · Personality Change · Graphics · You Are What You Watch ·Comics Data · Extremely Online · Kevin Perjurer · Kia Theft Spree · Right to Repair · Chicken Sandwich WarsSunday Edition Archives: 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019 · 2018You're currently a free subscriber to Numlock News. 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Numlock News: May 30, 2024 • Elections, Marathons, Boyfriends
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By Grace Panetta Today's guest writer is Grace Panetta, an outstanding reporter who works for The 19th. Abortion in the House House Majority PAC, the preeminent super PAC supporting Democratic US
Numlock News: May 31, 2024 • Niners, Boston, The Stanley Cup
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By Neil Paine Our last guest writer is the brilliant sportswriter Neil Paine, who writes Neil's Substack and co-hosts Podracing. Hello! My name is Neil Paine, and I will be your Numlock emcee today
Numlock News: May 23, 2024 • Light, Rhythm, Melatonin
Thursday, May 23, 2024
By Olivia Walch Today's guest writer is Olivia Walch. She's the founder of Arcascope and the author of the forthcoming book The Sleep Groove, which is available for preorder. Long, Long Sleeps
Numlock News: May 22, 2024 • Seltzer, Canada, The Long Drink
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By Dave Infante Today's guest writer is Dave Infante, who writes the rambunctious and insightful newsletter Fingers all about drinking in America. That's right, baby: Today's Numlock News
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Tuesday, May 21, 2024
By Dave Levinthal Today's guest writer is my friend Dave Levinthal. He is the editor-in-chief of Raw Story, an excellent publication you should check in on and one of Editor & Publisher's “
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