The fight over AI-generated art and copyright is not just about statutory interpretation, argues Laurel Kilgour. The Founders understood that republican government relies on public knowledge—and on a critical mass of citizens who write, create, invent, and exercise creative judgment.

Today, Senate Democrats will force votes to reverse Donald Trump’s roll back of rules that save you money. Republicans will have to choose: their constituents or the giant corporations and big banks ripping off Americans.

NEWS: Lawmakers are introducing legislation to ban private equity in youth sports! "The defining question in youth sports should be what's best for the kids, what's best for the family? Instead, private equity owners ask, 'what can make me the most money?'" says @chrismurphyct.bsky.social

NEW: Focus group research finds Americans overwhelmingly oppose surveillance pricing. Participants describe the practice as discriminatory and manipulative, tying it to rising costs and growing corporate power. Here's some of the key findings👇

"It was shareholders of Spirit who indicated 'no, we'd rather take our chances with JetBlue,' even though many right away said there's no way that gets passed... If they had allowed the Frontier deal and embraced it perhaps among Spirit shareholders, maybe the airline would still be around today."

"Everyone is being put on notice. This Trump season will come to an end, and every one of your mergers is going to be reexamined on the law... and we will unravel mergers that work against the public interest." WATCH: @booker.senate.gov on @morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social on the CLEAN Mergers Act📺👇

Banning surveillance-based pricing and wage-setting is massively popular among Colorado voters, with more than 3/4ths in support of banning the practice. The state Senate must advance this legislation and @colorado.gov should sign it into law.

The Met Gala, Kentucky Derby, and Miami Grand Prix are all this coming weekend — with hundreds to thousands of private jets expected to fly in. In a must-read paper, @wjm-air.bsky.social & @ashleynowicki.bsky.social explain how the ultra-wealthy flying private further congests airports👇

Now, over 4,000 actors, directors, and writers — including Robert De Niro, Sofia Coppola, and more — are opposing the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. The coalition warns the merger will lead to less jobs, higher costs for consumers, and fewer TV shows and movies.

Over a THOUSAND actors, writers, and directors are speaking out against Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. In a new letter from the Block the Merger coalition, major figures in the movie industry are calling out the layoffs, high costs for consumers, & more that this merger will bring.

NEWS: NYC is getting click-to-cancel — a rule that will ensure subscriptions are as easy to cancel as they are to sign up for.

Private equity is taking over the $40 billion youth sports industry and turning it into a profit-extraction machine. Now, everyday families are being priced out.

"The Trump admin's DOJ & FTC have largely stepped away from enforcing the antitrust laws at the federal level," says Phillip Berenbroick. "Here [with Paramount/Warner] you have a transaction the Trump admin has all but signaled it is willing to waive through in order to benefit [Trump's] friends."

K-shaped economy? Think airlines. "Delta leads the airline industry in profits thanks largely to its strong focus on premium seats." As small airlines struggle, majors reap profits--despite war, fuel, TSA. @econliberties is preparing analysis on this. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/b...

Donald Trump may claim his admin has led to “the greatest economy in the history of our country,” but as @helaineolen.bsky.social lays out for @ms.now, that's far from true. "It wasn’t true before he started his unnecessary – and illegal – war with Iran, and it’s even less true now."

TOMORROW: On April 7 at 12:30PM ET, join @wallachlori.bsky.social, @delauro.house.gov, @deluzio.house.gov, @debbiedingell.house.gov, and @khetti.bsky.social for a virtual briefing on the outcomes and necessary improvements to Trump’s USMCA. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

"[Sean Duffy] lobbied for... American, Delta and United, the three largest airlines in the country," says @wjm-air.bsky.social on @levernews.com. "Sean Duffy, the guy who is in charge of all of this, was a lobbyist for the industry that does not want to be regulated," adds David Sirota.

TUESDAY: On April 7 at 12:30PM ET, join @wallachlori.bsky.social, @delauro.house.gov, @deluzio.house.gov, @debbiedingell.house.gov, and @khetti.bsky.social for a virtual event on the outcomes and necessary improvements to Trump’s USMCA. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

ICYMI: @replsimon.bsky.social, @sanders.senate.gov, & @repcasar.bsky.social have introduced the Home Team Act! "If a team is going to be sold, the people who actually built its value, the community, the fans, the local economy, should have a real chance to keep it."

As data centers are being built across the country, Big Tech is requiring elected officials to sign NDAs that prevent them from sharing information about these projects with their communities. “The actual goal is to prevent public input into what are often very contentious negotiations."

NEW: @chrismurphyct.bsky.social & @scanlon.house.gov are introducing legislation that would effectively prohibit PE firms from owning hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. “PE ownership of healthcare facilities drives up prices, lowers wages, reduces access, and degrades patient care."

"The DOJ settlement is an embarrassment... The level of cynicism we have right now... is high because people believe that government is essentially all too willing to cut deals with the powerful and... [not] fight for people." @philweiser.bsky.social calls out DOJ for settling with Live Nation👇

HAPPENING NOW: We are live in Washington D.C. for "Bending the Knee: How the Legal Establishment and Corporate America Embraced Corruption in the Trump Era." Tune in now: www.youtube.com/live/JqJNCqM...

"The three largest PBMs are on the Fortune 10... They are the largest companies in the country, short of Amazon and Walmart." AELP Sr. Fellow Benjamin Jolley spoke to @aftynbehn.bsky.social about how corporate middlemen are driving independent pharmacies out of business👇

"The news does not belong to the oligarchs. It belongs to us." WATCH: At a hearing held by @schiff.senate.gov , @jimacosta.bsky.social testified on the threat a merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. would pose to free speech👇

CVS is big mad about a bill that would break up their vertically integrated business model. Spoke with @benjaminjolley.bsky.social at @econliberties.bsky.social about the efforts to break up #BigMedicine. open.substack.com/pub/aftynbeh...

For the third time in only five years, Delmarva is again asking for a base rate increase — a move that will raise some Delawareans' bills by an extra $16 a month. Now, with @sierraclubde.bsky.social, Economic Liberties is urging the Delaware Public Service Commission to dismiss the rate increase.

"The reason they go to these gigantic broad all-inclusive, we can't say the name, we can't even say it's going to be a data center versus something else is because they know these projects are unpopular."

A Florida bill aimed at reining in data centers had key protections stripped from it — including one protecting the public's right to know about these projects. “One of the ways in which the tech industry has managed to foist so many data centers onto so many communities is that they use NDAs."

REMINDER: On Monday, the Trump DOJ announced a settlement with Live Nation-Ticketmaster — failing to break up their monopoly that gives them the power to continue hiking costs.

"When so much market power is concentrated within so few corporations, Americans at the grocery store see prices go up, while farmers see their profits go down and corporate players have free rein to rig the system." @schumer.senate.gov unveiled new legislation to break up the Big Four meatpackers👇

This settlement falls short of what fans deserve. Breaking up Live Nation-Ticketmaster is the only way to loosen its grip on venues, artists, and fans. I'm introducing a bill to stop corrupt antitrust settlements and I'm glad states plan to continue the case to protect consumers.

WATCH: @schumer.senate.gov is leading colleagues in introducing legislation to break up the dominant meatpackers that are squeezing producers and gouging Americans. "To create more competition, we have to break the stranglehold of these monopolistic corporations."

NEW: @balancecraft.bsky.social explainer on @warren.senate.gov's American Homeownership Act, as well as complementary, bipartisan housing affordability bills. "Warren and other Senators have now done [the] work. Congress and Trump should follow their lead."

"But the risks are especially acute when we're talking about news and media because it's about concentrating power over who gets heard, who gets seen..." @linamkhan.bsky.social with @briantylercohen.bsky.social discusses the dangers of a merger between Paramount and Warner Bros.

"If you want to understand why we have an affordability crisis, focus on concentrated markets and the sophisticated tools large corporations are using to replace beneficial competition with consumer deception."

"Americans are producing more, but corporations are capturing an increasing portion of the gains. People are being squeezed." ICYMI: @leehepner.bsky.social joined Senate Democrats to discuss how corporations are raising food prices and everyday household costs for Americans.

Thanks to @washingtonpost.com: "'To me, it's ridiculous we're still talking about this a decade later,' said William McGee, senior fellow for aviation & travel @econliberties.bsky.social, who has advocated for fee-free family seating for more than 10 years." www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2026/...

Last night, Trump claimed he "took prescription drugs... from the highest price in the entire world to the lowest." But AELP senior fellow, Ben Jolley, tells ABC "pharmacists have not seen sweeping day-to-day reductions at the counter clearly tied to executive actions during Trump's second term."

A merger between Getty and Shutterstock means two things: lower royalties and fewer choices photographers and videographers. Yet, the DOJ still decided to greenlight this merger. "The Antitrust Division is not enforcing the law. It is managing the paperwork for a merger wave.”

"Even during the recent government shutdown, when FAA was forced to restrict airline flights nationwide at 40 busy airports, the agency still allowed private jets to operate at 28 of them." ICYMI: Must-read on how private jets lead to more delays and higher fares for the rest of us⬇️

NEW: Alongside 16 other Democrats, @warren.senate.gov is introducing the American Homeownership Act of 2026. This bill takes private equity's chokehold on housing head on — ending major federal tax deductions & other unfair benefits for Wall Street landlords, while reinvesting in families.

"We’re not going to see a huge difference in tariff rates because they can use other authorities, but this could constrain Trump’s Zeus-like use of tariffs as punishment on non-trade matters." @rethinktrade.bsky.social Director Lori Wallach on the impact of the SCOTUS tariff decision👇

NEW: Alongside 16 other Democrats, @warren.senate.gov is introducing the American Homeownership Act of 2026. This bill takes private equity's chokehold on housing head on — ending major federal tax deductions & other unfair benefits for Wall Street landlords, while reinvesting in families.

“For billionaires, flying into the busiest airports means cutting minutes off their limo rides. For the rest of us, it means they're contributing to more delays and... higher fares." In @frommers.com, @wjm-air.bsky.social breaks down how the ultra-rich flying private impacts everyone else.

“Ticketmaster and Live Nation are this dominant intermediary that artists, venues, and fans cannot escape." Ahead of next month's trial against Live Nation-Ticketmaster, here's @dohamekki.bsky.social breaking down how the ticketing & venue giant traps fans, artists, and venues.

"The tariff rates aren't likely to change." Trade expert @wallachlori.bsky.social from @econliberties.bsky.social says Friday's Supreme Court ruling that struck President Trump's "emergency" tariffs still leaves him with broad authority to set levies under different laws.

"A Supreme Court otherwise inclined to endlessly expand Trump’s authority just restricted his go-to tool, ruling that U.S. presidents do not have the power to unilaterally deploy tariffs and dole out punishment and favor..." NEW: Our statement on today's SCOTUS ruling⬇️

Two weeks ago, Paramount CEO David Ellison refused to appear at a hearing on the takeover of Warner Bros. Now, Senators are calling out Ellison's "pattern of evasion" — and calling for the CEO to preserve his communications with Trump, his family, lobbyists and DOJ staff.

"Kennedy’s actions underscore the need for structural legislative reforms that rein in Big Medicine, regardless of who sits in the White House or HHS headquarters." For The Economic Populist, Emma Freer looks back on one year of RFK Jr. at HHS. economicpopulist.substack.com/p/maha-turns-one