{"id":577552,"date":"2021-06-30T15:06:07","date_gmt":"2021-06-30T19:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=577552"},"modified":"2021-06-30T15:06:08","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T19:06:08","slug":"six-politicians-speaking-out-against-amazon-mgm-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/six-politicians-speaking-out-against-amazon-mgm-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Politicians Speaking Out Against Amazon-MGM Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsix-politicians-speaking-out-against-amazon-mgm-deal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=577552&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Amazon-MGM.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Since Amazon announced last month that it has entered into an agreement to buy venerable Hollywood studio MGM for $8.45 billion, a handful of legislators are sounding the alarm against the deal.<\/p>\n<p>The merger is now under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/federal-trade-commission-review-could-throw-wrench-in-amazon-mgm-merger\">review<\/a> by the FTC. If the agency allows it to proceed, it will mark the second-biggest acquisition in the tech giant\u2019s history, after Whole Foods, which it acquired in 2017 for $13.7 billion.<\/p>\n<p>It will also give the company control of a massive library of more than 4,000 films and 7,000 television shows, including several properties like \u201cSilence of the Lambs\u201d and older films in the James Bond franchise that have come<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/uk-news\/james-bond-sexist-racist-rapist-11921620\"> under<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/culture\/22281548\/silence-of-the-lambs-cultural-impact-legacy-feminist-transphobia\"> fire<\/a> from feminists and LGBTQ activists. Given the tech giant\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/the-end-of-conservative-books-amazon-quietly-bans-books-they-deem-offensive-hate-speech\"> poor record<\/a> of providing content to the public once special interests complain, there\u2019s reason to worry the company won\u2019t balk at censoring classic films.<\/p>\n<p>Just this week, the Daily Wire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/amazon-releases-inclusion-playbook-includes-rules-for-writing-humor-and-satire\">reported<\/a> that Amazon has released a new \u201cinclusion policy\u201d that will shape films and series by new woke standards. Along with discouraging classic \u201crescue\u201d and \u201cchivalry\u201d storylines, it also requires comedians to refrain from satirizing groups they aren\u2019t members of. The playbook also insists that \u201cmovies and series showcase LGBTQ+ and underrepresented romantic partners in stories.\u201d These characters must not exhibit \u201cstereotypes\u201d of the LGBTQ community (a classic 90s sitcom like \u201cWill and Grace\u201d would therefore likely be unacceptable.)<\/p>\n<p>The new policy also says that \u201ceach film or series with a creative team of three or more people in above-the-line roles (Directors, Writers, Producers) should ideally include a minimum 30% women and 30% members of an underrepresented racial\/ethnic group.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, Democrats are unlikely to object to Amazon\u2019s desire to engineer storytelling in inauthentically liberal ways. They have their own reasons for objecting to the deal. But their opposition offers one of the few remaining issues in Washington that\u2019s finding true bipartisan support.<\/p>\n<p>Here are six politicians who are trying to throw roadblocks in Amazon\u2019s way:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO):<\/strong> Hawley has been leading the charge against Big Tech\u2019s power, introducing the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawley.senate.gov\/senator-hawley-introduces-trust-busting-twenty-first-century-act-plan-bust-anti-competitive-big\">Trust-Busting for the Twenty-First Century Act<\/a>,\u201d and the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawley.senate.gov\/senator-hawley-introduces-bust-big-tech-act\">Bust Up Big Tech Act<\/a>.\u201d Immediately after news of the deal broke, he<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HawleyMO\/status\/1397542482720735235?s=20\"> tweeted<\/a>, \u201cThis sale should not go through. Amazon is already a monopoly platform that owns e-commerce, shipping, groceries &amp; the cloud. They shouldn\u2019t be permitted to buy anything else. Period.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He later gave an interview to broadcaster<a href=\"https:\/\/wgntv.com\/news\/washington-dc-bureau\/concerns-of-a-monopoly-grow-as-amazon-plans-to-buy-mgm\/\"> Nexstar<\/a> in which he said, \u201cI think Amazon shouldn\u2019t be able to buy anything more. The idea that they would buy a major entertainment company and further expand their monopoly power into entertainment and news and information, I think that\u2019s particularly dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): <\/strong>In a June 28 <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/22689724\/Letter_to_FTC_re_Amazon_MGM_Deal.pdf\">letter<\/a> to FTC Chair Lina Kahn, Warren wrote that she is concerned the deal \u201ccould harm consumers and workers and reduce innovation by inhibiting competition in numerous markets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Warren went on, \u201cI urge you to use the FTC\u2019s broad authority under this law to assess the possible anticompetitive effects this deal will have on streaming services and entertainment products in addition to the broader impacts that this transaction may have on workers, small businesses, and competition overall as Amazon \u2014 which is already the dominant e-commerce firm \u2014 accelerates its aggressive monopolistic behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If Amazon has its way, Warren will have sent her letter to the wrong person, however. The company is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/amazon-ftc-chair-lina-khan-mgm-deal-antitrust-comments\/\">demanding<\/a> Kahn, who has been outspoken about Big Tech power in the past, recuse herself from the review, saying, \u201cGiven her long track record of detailed pronouncements about Amazon, and her repeated proclamations that Amazon has violated the antitrust laws, a reasonable observer would conclude that she no longer can consider the company\u2019s antitrust defenses with an open mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)<\/strong>: Along with Hawley, Klobuchar is one of the Senate leaders cautioning against the merger at this stage, saying in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.klobuchar.senate.gov\/public\/index.cfm\/news-releases?ID=C16BB3BA-9729-40BF-AB27-D1E89F66DA3E\">statement<\/a>, \u201cThis is a major acquisition that has the potential to impact millions of consumers. The Department of Justice must conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that this deal won\u2019t risk harming competition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Klobuchar went on to say the deal makes the argument for funding antitrust agencies that investigate multi-billion dollar deals: \u201cThis is also a reminder of why we need to fund our antitrust agencies,\u201d she said, \u201cso they can take on investigations of multi-billion dollar deals. Our government cannot ensure major corporations are playing by the rules if enforcement agencies are chronically underfunded. My bipartisan legislation, which recently passed through the Judiciary Committee, would give the antitrust agencies additional resources to conduct rigorous reviews of large mergers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT):<\/strong> Immediately following news of the deal, Lee left his feelings a bit up for interpretation,<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenMikeLee\/status\/1397556877207166982?s=20\"> tweeting<\/a> only, \u201cBezos. Jeff Bezos,\u201d a joking reference to MGM giving the billionaire the rights to James Bond. But given that Lee has<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2021-05-10\/left-right-odd-couple-in-senate-paints-a-bull-s-eye-on-big-tech\"> partnered<\/a> with Klobuchar in efforts to curb Big Tech\u2019s power through anti-trust legislation, there\u2019s every reason to think he won\u2019t make this merger easy on Amazon.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO):<\/strong> Reacting to Amazon\u2019s news, Buck told<a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/6052162\/amazon-mgm-sale\/\"> Time<\/a> magazine in a statement he plans to introduce legislation that \u201cbrings stricter scrutiny on mergers from monopoly companies\u201d to the House floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBig Tech companies with extensive monopoly power, such as Amazon, have continued to expand through acquisitions of smaller competitors, such as MGM,\u201d he said. \u201cThe FTC has failed to strongly enforce antitrust laws or hold offenders accountable for the past decade. This hurts competition and consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rep. <\/strong><strong>David Cicilline<\/strong><strong> (D-RI):<\/strong> As the House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman, Cicilline has been leading a wide-ranging investigation of multiple Silicon Valley interests, including Amazon, Facebook, Alphabet, and Apple.&nbsp; Immediately following the MGM news, he<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidcicilline\/status\/1397589036668174341?s=20\"> posted<\/a> this comment to Twitter: \u201cAnother day. Another mega-merger. Amazon\u2019s proposed purchase of MGM reinforces what we already know \u2014 they are laser-focused on expanding and entrenching their monopoly power. That\u2019s bad for workers, consumers, and small businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since Amazon announced last month that it has entered into an agreement to buy venerable Hollywood studio MGM for $8.45 billion, a handful of legislators are sounding the alarm against &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2313756,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Amazon-MGM.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Six Politicians Speaking Out Against Amazon-MGM Deal","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-577552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Amazon-MGM.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Six Politicians Speaking Out Against Amazon-MGM Deal","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2313756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}