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NEW: Trump DOJ Launches Investigation into the National Football League

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NFL logo featuring a blue shield with bold red letters spelling "NFL" at the center, representing the National Football League.NFL logo featuring a blue shield with bold red letters spelling "NFL" at the center, representing the National Football League.Official logo of the National Football League Credit: NFL/Fair Use

The most popular sports league in America is now in the Justice Department’s crosshairs.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the DOJ has launched an investigation into the National Football League (NFL) over whether the league has engaged in anticompetitive practices that harm customers.

Per the Journal, this could seriously jeopardize the NFL’s antitrust exemption.

Professional sports leagues like the NFL are currently protected from antitrust action under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.

The New York Post notes that this law has allowed teams to pool their media rights together into large TV packages.

The NFL has, in recent years, shifted some games to streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Netflix, forcing customers to pay $1,000 to watch every professional football game.

This has turned into a massive windfall for the NFL and streaming companies.

More from the Post:

Media rights agreements between the NFL and streamers owned by Disney, Paramount, Fox Corporation, NBCUniversal, NFL Network, Amazon, Google, and Netflix are expected to rake in more than $100 billion in sports rights fees under their current contracts, according to the FCC’s filing in February.

Fox Corporation shares common ownership with The Post’s parent company, News Corp.

Pricey media rights deals have turned the NFL into a serious money-making business, with nearly all of the league’s 32 teams run by billionaires – including Walmart heir Rob Walton, who owns the Denver Broncos, and the Hunt family, which owns the Kansas City Chiefs.

FCC chairman Brendan Carr informed the Post last month that the NFL could lose its exemptions if it puts too many live games behind paywalls.

“For so long, Americans were used to just sitting down and grabbing the remote and just very quickly and easily finding the game,” Carr told The Post.

“Over the last couple of years, that experience has become much more frustrating and people have to sign up for multiple streaming services and they have to pay out of pocket for more of these and it’s difficult to find the game,” he added.

The Post reported in February that the FCC sought comments from sports fans on how streamers have affected them.

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), the Senate’s antitrust subcommittee chairman, sent a letter to the DOJ and the FTC in March requesting a review of the NFL’s antitrust protections.

The post NEW: Trump DOJ Launches Investigation into the National Football League appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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DOJ Leadership Quietly Dismantles Weaponization Working Group Despite Executive Mandate

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A blindfolded woman symbolizes justice alongside a man holding a shield with stars and stripes, representing patriotism and strength.

A blindfolded woman symbolizes justice alongside a man holding a shield with stars and stripes, representing patriotism and strength.

DOJ Leadership Quietly Dismantles Weaponization Working Group Despite Executive Mandate Guest Post from FreedomTalk Magazine Staff The U.S. Department of Justice under Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche effectively shut down the Weaponization … Read more

The post DOJ Leadership Quietly Dismantles Weaponization Working Group Despite Executive Mandate appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Under Mounting US Pressure, Cuba Sets Over 2,000 Prisoners Free

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Street art featuring a stylized face and the word "Libertad," set against a backdrop of classic cars and the iconic Capitol building in Havana, Cuba.

Street art featuring a stylized face and the word "Libertad," set against a backdrop of classic cars and the iconic Capitol building in Havana, Cuba.

Havana is moving.

As the US ramps up the pressure on the Caribbean island, the Cuban communist dictatorship announced that it has freed more than 2,000 ‌prisoners.

It’s the second prisoner amnesty this year alone, amid talks with the US administration of Donald J. Trump.

Reuters reported:

“Cuba’s state-run Granma newspaper called the measure a ‘humanitarian and sovereign gesture’.

The Cuban government has consistently rejected any suggestion it makes decisions under ​U.S. pressure. The timing of Thursday’s announcement, however, coincides with the most intense pressure campaign applied by Washington in ​decades.”

Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel smiles during an official meeting, showcasing his formal attire and a Cuban flag pin on his suit.Cuban dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

“The decision to free ⁠2,010 prisoners “stemmed from a careful analysis of the crimes committed by those convicted, their good conduct in prison, the fact ​that they had served a significant portion of their sentence, and their state of health’, state media said.”

Murderers, drug-related felons, and pedophiles were excluded from the release.

“It was unclear how many of the prisoners subject to release following Thursday’s announcement have been held on charges related to anti-government ​protests. Many high-profile dissidents, and some protesters from island-wide July 11 protests, have been freed in recent agreements and amnesties ​announced by the Cuban government.”

Associated Press reported:

“Cuba’s government denies holding political prisoners, but the activist group Prisoners Defended registered 1,214 people imprisoned for political reasons in Cuba as of February.

[…] The release comes as the Trump administration has placed extreme pressure on Cuba’s government.”

Last month, Cuba released 51 people from the island’s prisons in an unexpected move negotiated with the Vatican.

Read more:

US Blows Up Another Drug Boat in the Caribbean, Killing Three Narco-Terrorists (VIDEO)

The post Under Mounting US Pressure, Cuba Sets Over 2,000 Prisoners Free appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Alito Taken to Hospital After Falling Ill at Federalist Society Dinner Last Month

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Man in a suit speaking thoughtfully, with a blurred background, conveying a serious discussion or interview setting.

Man in a suit speaking thoughtfully, with a blurred background, conveying a serious discussion or interview setting.

Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was rushed to a hospital last month after a Federalist Society dinner in Philadelphia, CNN reported.

Alito, who just turned 76, was treated for dehydration after he fell ill (food poisoning?).

Details about the medical emergency were not disclosed.

In the two weeks since the medical incident, Samuel Alito has been on the bench and has attended oral arguments.

“Out of an abundance of caution, he agreed with his security detail’s recommendation to see a physician before the three-hour drive home,” the Supreme Court said in a statement, The Hill reported.

“After that examination and the administration of fluids for dehydration, he returned home that night, as previously planned,” the high court said.

CNN reported:

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was taken to a hospital after becoming ill last month at a Federalist Society dinner in Philadelphia, according to people with knowledge of the March 20 incident.

The justice was evaluated and administered fluids for dehydration. He returned to his home in Virginia that night with his security team.

Alito and Supreme Court public information officials declined to comment for the record about the episode, which has not been previously reported.

In the two weeks since the incident, Alito has attended oral arguments and appeared healthy during the usual give-and-take with lawyers at the lectern.

Alito, who turned 76 on Wednesday and has served as a justice for 20 years, has become the subject of widespread speculation from commentators across the ideological spectrum and the news media over whether he might retire. (He has refused to answer journalists’ questions on the subject.)

Fox News also confirmed the Alito report.

Fox News reported:

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was treated for dehydration at a hospital after a previously undisclosed March 20 incident in Philadelphia, sources told Fox News.

He was not admitted and returned home the same night without complications.

Alito, 76, attended a Federalist Society dinner that evening and reported feeling lightheaded, prompting his security detail to recommend a precautionary hospital visit. Sources said the justice has had no issues since.

The post Alito Taken to Hospital After Falling Ill at Federalist Society Dinner Last Month appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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