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INSIGHTS

The latest insights produced by Labyrinth Insights

10 NOVEMBER 2026

Trump’s corporate-friendly 'pharma diplomacy' warrants congressional scrutiny

Industry-backed UK pharmaceutical pricing deal shows how the Trump administration has weaponized trade policy at the expense of allies

8 NOVEMBER 2026

UAE chip rule reflects Big Tech’s privileged position in export policy

DOC export rules and Gulf AI partnerships stand to benefit both tech giants and autocratic regimes.

6 NOVEMBER 2026

Urban mobility bolstered through transit ballot victories

Voter-approved referenda will help preserve essential networks and improve access

2 NOVEMBER 2026

Shipbuilding deal underscores limits of defense subsidies as a jobs strategy

2025 study affirms civilian investment supports more jobs per dollar than defense spending

29 OCTOBER 2026

Local voters forced to save transit amid crisis lawmakers helped create

As lawmakers retreat on transit funding, local communities are forced to save local systems

26 OCTOBER 2026

Rahm Emanuel’s ‘LNG diplomacy’ underscores industry-friendly record on foreign policy

Emanuel's recent adoption of populist rhetoric is undermined by pro-corporate foreign policy record

16 OCTOBER 2026

FTC’s selective sports betting probe underscores fake populism of Trump’s regulators

A reported FTC probe on sports gambling that ignores prediction market platforms makes a mockery of the process

Pentagon building

14 OCTOBER 2026

Democrats must probe Hegseth — and dismantle the Pentagon’s contractor pipeline

Promised probes into Hegseth’s DOD must be followed in the next administration with lasting accountability, including for Pentagon contractors & industry leaders

Photo of the Facebook app

12 OCTOBER 2026

Meta’s Muse promises convenience while expanding corporate control over consumers

Marketed as a user-friendly shopping assistant, Muse could help Meta push consumers to pay more while making disfavored companies invisible.

9 OCTOBER 2026

Borrowers are financially burdened by servicers' mistakes as SAVE deadlines pass

The Education Dept. is moving 7.5 million borrowers onto repayment plans via a system that forces borrowers to find, dispute, and absorb the errors of servicers

7 OCTOBER 2026

Trump's OCC puts crypto interests and right-wing grievances over real financial oversight

Federal banking watchdog abandons oversight to boost crypto interests and push right-wing “debanking” claims

4 OCTOBER 2026

"Right to speak to a human" emerges as consumer protection hot topic

Proposals to give consumers the 'right-to-transfer" to a human representative mount in Congress, statehouses

1 OCTOBER 2026

Highway lobby wins in budget battle while transit users are left stranded

Congress prioritizes highway lobby's funding demands while stopgap strips transit & rail of critical funding

29 SEPTEMBER 2026

Hegseth reshuffle highlights Pentagon policy board's role as corporate influence pipeline

Appointment of pro-Trump tech and defense officials to the Defense Policy Board (DPB) highlights body's role as a vehicle for industry influence

24 SEPTEMBER 2026

Wes Moore just won’t answer where he stands on Lina Khan

Moore has sided with Lina Khan’s corporate antagonists in the past. He’s been asked – repeatedly – but still will not explain whether he stands by it.

17 SEPTEMBER 2026

State enforcers urged to clamp down on Zillow’s hidden tolls

State AGs urged to scrutinize listing platforms’ deceptive practices following Zillow’s slap-on-the-wrist FTC settlement

15 SEPTEMBER 2026

United CEO Kirby revives monopolization push after backtrack

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby implies passengers would benefit from combination with American Airlines

11 SEPTEMBER 2026

State action emerges as last check on Trump-backed prediction market gambling

As the Trump administration CFTC aligns itself with the prediction market lobby, state officials are emerging as a bulwark against the expansion of gambling

10 SEPTEMBER 2026

Jared Polis’s alignment with AI industry goals puts him at odds with majority of his party

Governor of Colorado’s weakening of state AI rules follows a broader record of deferring to industry goals, even as his party shifts in favor of regulation

9 SEPTEMBER 2026

McMahon-era ED’s student-loan fund risks rewarding contractor abuse amid retreat on borrower protections

As the Department of Education retreats from protecting student-loan borrowers, servicers stand to benefit from the fund’s lack of oversight

8 SEPTEMBER 2026

Private-fund lobbying to delay Form PF reporting shifts financial risk onto the public

SEC and CFTC delay of Form PF reporting rules amounts to 'repeal by delay', limiting regulators' ability to respond to financial instability

3 SEPTEMBER 2026

Defanged California COMPETE Act provides political cover while leaving monopoly power intact

Industry opposition to state antitrust bill neuters legislation before final passage

13 AUGUST 2026

Data brokers’ noncompliance with California’s Delete Act reflects exploitative business model

Brokers' obstruction of law giving Californians control of their personal data reflects an exploitative business model

11 AUGUST 2026

Taylor Farms food safety crisis follows industry's undermining of safety standards

Dual outbreaks tied to produce supplier underscores impact of corporate lobbying against safety rules alongside anti-science federal policies

8 AUGUST 2026

American Airlines' refund rollback reflects anti-consumer shift amid DOT policy retreat

AA's retreat to the federal minimum on refunds illustrates broader erosion of passenger protections under a DOT led by a former airline lobbyist

7 AUGUST 2026

Bipartisan momentum on surveillance pricing must yield substantive legislation

Lawmakers must approach issue with both urgency and substance following historic Senate hearing

3 AUGUST 2026

Weak FCC oversight and industry negligence underpin robocall epidemic

The FCC's insufficient safeguards against robocalls and deference to lobbying by carriers comes in focus as state AGs call for strong rulemaking

30 JULY 2026

CLARITY Act's impasse shows limits of crypto's lobbying efforts as corruption concerns mount

Crypto industry’s goal of light-touch regulation faces derailment in Congress over White House corruption concerns

28 JULY 2026

FAIR Labels Act push reflects agribusiness’ capture of food policy, not consumers' interests

Far from ensuring ‘fairness in labeling,’ the bill serves to undercut competition in the food industry, not promote transparency

24 JULY 2026

Heatwaves highlight decades of federal inaction of preventing workplace deaths

Record-breaking heat calls attention to failure of voluntary compliance standards for preventing workplace heat deaths

22 JULY 2026

New York proposal shows how states can lead on open banking amid federal rollback

Proposed New York legislation shows how state governments can lead on putting consumers in control of their financial data

20 JULY 2026

Paramount's reported threat to exit California over lawsuit is a monopolist's tell

The company's reported threat to leave the state in response to merger suit proves the market power and leverage concerns behind the suit

13 JULY 2026

FTC's Deere right-to-repair settlement is undermined by structural limitations

Loopholes in consent decree undermine the FTC’s new right to repair settlement with John Deere

7 JULY 2026

Advocates call for antitrust probe of Netflix over pricing power, impact on creators

Newly-launched mobile billboard campaign urges probe of Netflix's anti-competitive conduct by the DOJ & FTC

2 JULY 2026

Gina Raimondo's 'RAISE US' initiative reflects long history of tech-sector alignment

The Raimondo-led AI workforce initiative follows a tenure as Secretary of Commerce in close alignment with tech sector interests

25 JUNE 2026

Anti-competitive conduct of Zillow, Compass come into focus amid listing data battle

Zillow and Compass's dispute over listing access underscores both platforms' roles in limiting data availability at homebuyers' expense

23 JUNE 2026

Political salience of media consolidation rises amid press-freedom, labor market concerns

Concerns over media mergers rise in prominence amid concerns over control of information and impact on workers in creative fields

12 JUNE 2026

In the AI age, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act is more relevant than ever

AI development since 2022 has only reinforced the relevance of self-preferencing legislation

10 JUNE 2026

Maryland surveillance pricing ‘ban’ shows importance of substance over style in policy

Loopholes in legislation signed by Gov. Wes Moore render bill to rein in dynamic pricing ineffectual

8 JUNE 2026

United O’Hare controversy brings gate access into focus for airline competition policy

Concerns over United Airlines' deliberate overscheduling at Chicago O'Hare brings attention to the role of gate access in airline competition

3 JUNE 2026

Smart glasses emerge as latest frontier for digital privacy efforts

Amid rapid market growth, state officials and advocates are beginning to push for stronger privacy rules governing smart glasses

29 MAY 2026

Live Nation verdict stands to embolden both ticketing regulation and antitrust reform

State AG triumph over Live Nation in a jury trial is likely to embolden ticketing regulation and the movement for stronger antitrust rules

26 MAY 2026

CFTC docket response indicates growing political salience of prediction markets

Public response to rulemaking docket, alongside congressional efforts, suggest rising political salience for prediction market regulation

21 MAY 2026

Netflix's anti-competitive behavior draws bipartisan ire among lawmakers, advocates

Despite the collapse of WBD, Netflix's anticompetitive practices faces an onslaught from lawmakers and advocacy groups

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