Law

Monopoly Mayhem

The FTC is suing Amazon, accusing them of being an illegal monopoly. The U.S. Government and 17 states (including Minnesota) are suing the trillion-dollar company, making it one of the most prolific lawsuits regarding antitrust legislation.

The FTC and state attorneys said Amazon abused its power by punishing sellers if they offered lower prices on other platforms, which led to higher prices for consumers. No wonder why my Gorgeous Thanos One-Piece Swimsuit for Men and Boys was so expensive.

Why is this important?

If the FTC wins the case, the agency argues we will have more a competitive e-commerce industry which would spread out available options for consumers, potentially at lower prices.

An Amazon spokesperson refuted this, stating prices and shipping times would increase across the board, possibly even affecting Amazon Prime’s subscription service if the FTC gets its way.

JP Morgan Settles in Sex Trafficking Lawsuit

One of the world’s biggest banks will pay $75 million in sex trafficking lawsuit. JP Morgan agreed to pay rather than face a trial over allegations it facilitated and benefited from Jeffery Epstein’s sex trafficking empire.

The majority of the money ($55 million) will go towards Virgin Islands charities and their anti-trafficking efforts, with the remaining covering legal fees.

The Virgin Islands claimed JP Morgan repeatedly ignored red flags that Epstein was trafficking young women to his private island in order to keep the business of his powerful and wealthy associates.

In late August, a JP Morgan attorney told the U.S. Department of the Treasury that after Epstein died, they had found more than $1 billion in transactions concerning human trafficking by him from the past 16 years.

Other settlements made by JP Morgan

The bank also stated it reached a settlement regarding one of its former executives, Jes Staley, who had been friends with Epstein. Staley said he “deeply regrets” his association with the bank’s former client.

These deals come only months after JP Morgan had paid $290 million in a settlement concerning the victims of the now-dead predator.

Suspect Arrested for Tupac’s Murder

A longtime suspect was charged with the murder of Tupac Shakur. This marks the first arrest made in the case since the rap icon was killed 27 years ago.

For years, the public saw the lack of convictions in relation to the case as a sign of a broken justice system. But as the case gained more momentum this summer, many are gaining hope from this long-awaited breakthrough.

Who is the suspect?

The suspect arrested, Duane Davis, is the only living witness of the murder. In his 2019 memoir, Davis wrote that he rode in the passenger seat of the white Cadillac that pulled up alongside Shakur’s car at a red light and that he slipped a gun into the backseat that two men fired at Shakur’s car.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo said he believes Davis “ordered the death” of Shakur to get revenge for his nephew, who was a longtime rival of the rapper’s and had brawled with him at a casino earlier that night.

Hey everyone,

We recently put together a FREE E-book to help you navigate the complex media landscape. Step by step, we outline how you can take control of your consumption of information in an objective and rational manner.

If this sounds like something you may like, click the link below for no cost.

We also offer a 75-page full version of the E-book that offers an even more comprehensive look into how you can take advantage of the information around us, for only $2.50.

Grab Bag

Hey! Click Here For Free iPhone 15 Plus Max!

I hope you didn’t click the link. This classic online scam has duped old people since the internet was born… or has it? It turns out Gen Z is more likely to be scammed than boomers are, according to Deloitte.

In a new survey by Deloitte, they found that Gen Z, despite being born and raised in the era of the internet and iPad babies, are:

• Three times more likely than boomers to fall for an online scam (16% vs. 5%).

• Twice as likely as boomers to get hacked on social media (17% vs. 8%).

Surprised? I was too. However, we all know Gen Z is chronically online, spending an immense amount of time shopping and communicating via social media.

This makes them much more vulnerable to fall victim to a scam on a phony social media account promising to buy them a brand new Xbox if they only type in their social security number. I am not speaking from experience.

Why do they get scammed so much?

According to Common Sense Media’s research, half of kids aged 11 to 17 in the United States get anywhere from 237 to 5,000 cell phone notifications per day. Most of which are from social media.

59% of the same kids were online at some point between midnight to 5 a.m. increasing the chance they wouldn’t critically look over an e-commerce shoe retailer selling Yeezys for cheap. Common sense is expensive these days.

Forget Crypto, I’m Ramen Rich

Whos hungry? The demand for instant noodles jumped 2.6% globally to a record high of 121.2 billion servings last year, according to the World Instant Noodles Association (which is a real thing apparently).

While mostly popular in Asian countries, demand has soared overseas in response to rising food prices due to inflation. In Mexico alone, demand soared a whopping 17.2% in 2021.

In the U.S. their popularity dipped 1.4% in 2021 but rebounded by 3.4% last year. Despite less of a surge, the United States still remains the 6th largest instant noodle market in the world, sitting right behind Japan.

This is the seventh straight year instant noodle sales have risen, drawing interest from instant noodle producers as a sign to expand. Two major Japanese noodle companies are looking to set up factories in the U.S. by 2025 to appease the new noodle nibblers (say that five times fast).

Snippets

That’s Strange: Have a look at the world’s deepest fish, found over 27,000 feet below the surface.

Barbie Barrage: You thought Barbie was out of the headlines? Think again. Barbie is projected to be the third-most-popular costume among adults this Halloween, and top 10 among children.

Plastic People: Speaking of Barbie, check out the couple who spent millions to look (nothing?) like Barbie and Ken.

Mouse Money: Disney is looking to spend $60 billion on its global parks and cruise line in the next decade.

Blood Sucker: A man was arrested at a Boston airport by TSA for carrying a self-defense weapon called the “vampire straw”.

If you enjoyed our newsletter even a little bit, please don’t hesitate to share, it would mean a lot! 😄 Also, if you’d like more snippets and critical analysis of the media please follow our X (Twitter) down below!