Reuter's reports that, "[a]s part of its review of Amazon's agreement to buy Whole Foods, the Federal Trade Commission is looking into allegations that Amazon misleads customers about its pricing discounts, according to a source close to the probe. The FTC is probing a complaint brought by the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, which looked at […]
Discussing a resolution introduced by two Republican Congressmen to kill the CFPB's arbitration rule, Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell observes: "For some reason, though, the idea of giving consumers the choice to participate in a court of law — a right enshrined in the Seventh Amendment — leaves some GOP legislators quaking in their loafers." […]
by Paul Alan Levy Two decisions were issued late yesterday in cases involving the procedures for adjudicating subpoenas seeking to identify anonymous Internet speakers who are accused of actionable speech. An appeals court in California embraced most elements of the Dendrite / Cahill test for deciding whether the plaintiff in such a case should be […]
The White House has withdrawn or removed from active consideration more than 800 regulations proposed during the Obama administration. Among the regulations are auto safety protections, environmental protections, worker protections, and a range of others. A New York Times article is here. Public Citizen's reaction is here. The list of remaining rules under consideration and […]
Here, for example, is a press release from the Senate Banking Committee. And here is one from the House Financial Services Committee
Here, in The Intercept. Excerpt: Trump has sent out his lead attack dog to overturn the arbitration rule — a former bank lawyer who has used the very tactic the CFPB wants to prevent. [Dayen describes how Wells Fargo attempted to use arbitration to deflect a class action in Gutierrez v. Wells Fargo.] * * * […]
Peter Lurie — the current FDA associate commissioner for public health strategy and analysis and former deputy director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group — will become the President of the Center for Science in the Public Interest in September. Peter will succeed Mike Jacobson, who co-founded CSPI in 1971. Peter is terrific.
No doubt our readers have heard about the Congressional Budget Office's report on the repeal-only version of Trumpcare (sometimes pushed by Trump and often times pushed by ACA-hater purists). But if you want to actually read it, go here. The two key take-aways on number of people covered and premiums: The number of people who are […]
Here. It will appear in 12 CFR 1040. The rule formally takes effect September 18, 2017, and covered entities have until March 19, 2018 to comply.
by Paul Alan Levy The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has issued an order signed only by the Clerk declaring that a significant free speech issue bearing on the rights of anonymous Internet users will be decided in a totally secret proceeding, involving sealed briefs, a sealed record, and without any […]