February, 18 2016, 09:15am EDT

More Than 300,000 and Counting
Public interest groups deliver comments to the FCC in outpouring of opposition to Charter’s proposed takeover of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks
WASHINGTON
On Thursday, a coalition of media justice, Internet rights and public interest groups delivered more than 300,000 comments to the Federal Communications Commission in opposition to Charter Communications' proposed $80 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.
The groups that helped collect and deliver the public comments include ColorOfChange.org, Common Cause, Courage Campaign, Daily Kos, Demand Progress, Free Press, Future of Music Coalition, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Open Media, Public Knowledge and Presente.org.
The FCC, which convened its monthly open meeting today, is charged with determining whether the proposed merger serves the public interest. The Justice Department is also vetting the deal, which, if approved, would combine the nation's second-, third- and sixth-largest cable Internet providers.
If the merger goes through, just two Internet service providers, Charter and Comcast, would control nearly two out of three of the nation's high-speed Internet subscriptions. The comments urge FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to use his power to stop the deal. "Higher prices would leave even more people on the wrong side of the digital divide -- hitting low-income communities of color the hardest," the Free Press petition reads.
The following statements can be attributed to spokespeople for the groups opposing the merger:
"If you need access to a fast Internet connection, chances are you're stuck with one option, your local cable company. This mega-merger would mean that for more than 30 percent of the country that 'choice' would only be Charter," said Center for Media Justice Senior Campaign Manager Steven Renderos. "The Internet has been a space for unique and diverse voices to be heard. Allowing a corporation like Charter to become one of the few gatekeepers to the Internet will undoubtedly harm how those voices are heard, if they're heard at all."
"It's the same old story of Big Cable wanting to get bigger at the expense of consumers, content creators and innovators. We need regulators to see this for what it is and reject the merger as inimical to the public interest," said former FCC Commissioner and Common Cause Special Adviser Michael Copps.
"The Charter-Time Warner Cable merger would be one of the most damaging corporate takeovers in our nation's history -- leaving millions of consumers across the country with skyrocketing rates, fewer options and even worse service," said Courage Campaign Executive Director Eddie Kurtz. "Courage Campaign and our over 1.2 million members strongly urge the FCC to have the courage to stand up for consumers and freedom of choice, and reject this merger without conditions."
"The proposed Charter-Time Warner Cable merger represents the kind of noxious corporate takeover Demand Progress members and the public have continually spoken out against. It's a deal between powerful, entrenched interests that would lead to bigger profits for 'New Charter' and higher prices for customers while diminishing competition and consumer choice," said Demand Progress Executive Director David Segal. "The outpouring of public opposition should make it clear for Chairman Tom Wheeler and the FCC: When it comes to the Big Cable industry and its sordid track record, consumers want greater competition in the marketplace, not more mergers."
"The deal would create a virtual cable duopoly over broadband access and pay-video services, saddling the company with outrageous debt and customers with higher bills," said Free Press Field Director Mary Alice Crim. "The cost of broadband for struggling American families is too high as it is. The Charter-Time Warner Cable merger would only make it more difficult for them to connect and communicate."
"A merger between Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable is a bad deal for diverse communities in America," said National Hispanic Media Coalition Vice President of Policy Michael Scurato. "Charter has not demonstrated that it is committed to hiring a workforce that reflects the communities they seek to serve, carrying culturally relevant programming for their diverse audience or fully participating in existing programs, like Lifeline, that could soon help bring communities of color online. This merger should be rejected -- we need more options for affordable and open access to communications, not fewer."
"Our members -- Latinos and our allies across the country -- strongly oppose the Charter-Time Warner Cable merger because it would give one company unprecedented power to restrict Latino programming, raise our prices and reduce our services," said Presente.org Managing Director Matt Nelson. "Charter Communications is one of the most hated companies in the U.S., in part because of its bad reputation with and practices in Latino communities."
Free Press was created to give people a voice in the crucial decisions that shape our media. We believe that positive social change, racial justice and meaningful engagement in public life require equitable access to technology, diverse and independent ownership of media platforms, and journalism that holds leaders accountable and tells people what's actually happening in their communities.
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Warren to Trump Treasury Chief: Did You Give Wall Street Execs Insider Info on Trade Talks?
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Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is pressing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for answers following reports that officials inside President Donald Trump's White House have been providing Wall Street executives with advance notice about potentially market-moving trade talks with other nations, including China and India.
In a letter to Bessent dated April 25, Warren points to a Bloombergstory noting that Bessent "told a closed-door investor summit" that the "tariff standoff with China cannot be sustained by both sides and that the world's two largest economies will have to find ways to de-escalate."
The summit, which took place last Tuesday, was hosted by the Wall Street behemoth JPMorgan Chase in Washington, D.C. Bloomberg observed that the S&P 500 rose nearly 3% after Bessent's comments were leaked.
CNN additionally reported that Bessent's private assessment of the U.S.-China standoff "gave a boost to a Wall Street rally that had taken shape earlier on Tuesday, with all three major U.S. stock indexes hitting their highest levels of the day after Bessent's remarks were made public."
"Chaos, confusion, economic damage, and opportunities for corruption have become the hallmark of President Trump's rollout of his tariff policies."
Warren wrote in her letter that the JPMorgan event "was not open to the public or media" and expressed concern that Bessent "provided a room full of wealthy investors and Wall Street executives exclusive, advance tips about the administration's trade policy, potentially creating the opportunity for insider trading or other financial profiteering by well-connected friends of the administration."
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Warren sent the letter a day after Fox Business correspondent Charles Gasparino reported that unnamed officials inside the Trump White House have been "alerting Wall Street execs they are nearing an agreement in principle on trade with India," heightening concerns that the administration is effectively encouraging insider trading.
Trump told reporters Friday that he "can't imagine" anyone in his administration tipping off Wall Street executives about nonpublic trade developments.
"I have very honorable people, that I can say," the president said. "So I can't even imagine it."
On Monday, a group of congressional Democrats warned the White House of "potential violations of federal ethics and insider trading laws by individuals close to the president with access to nonpublic information."
The Democratic lawmakers pointed specifically to a spike in the volume of call options—essentially bets that a stock price will rise—shortly before Trump announced a partial tariff pause earlier this month.
"We therefore urgently request a full accounting of the periodic transaction reports for all senior White House and executive branch employees since the start of the administration, and we ask for your commitment to transmit all reports to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) to be made public, as was done during the first Trump administration," the lawmakers wrote Monday. "By failing to take these steps, the administration would be withholding critical information from the American people regarding potential violations of federal ethics and insider trading laws."
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A whopping 72% of respondents said that they believe it is "likely" that Trump's policies will cause an economic recession in the short term.
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As U.S. President Donald Trump nears the 100-day mark of his second term, a recent ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll shows that his approval rating now sits at a historic low of 39%, a nadir that prompted one prominent progressive to remark that the negative public sentiment comes as "the resistance is just beginning."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has mounted a highly successful "Fighting Oligarchy" tour across America in recent months, highlighted the findings of the poll on Sunday and wrote: "The American people do not want oligarchy, authoritarianism, or attacks on Social Security, Medicaid, or the VA," speaking of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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A whopping 72% of respondents said that they believe it is "likely" that Trump's policies—such as sweeping tariffs—will cause an economic recession in the short term.
What's more, 53% say the economy is worse since Trump took office and 62% said that the prices for things they rely on have gone up.
Trump's overall approval on immigration policy, one of his core campaign issues, is also less than 50%. When it comes to his handling of immigration—an area where Trump has moved to roll back birthright citizenship, deported U.S. citizens, and invoked a rarely used wartime authority to deport Venezuelan nationals to a megaprison in El Salvador, among other measures—his approval rating sits at 46%, according to the ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.
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Overall, his approval among Americans has dipped from 45% positive in February to 39% positive on the eve of the 100-day mark, which is on Tuesday.
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In reporting piece published Monday, the Post noted that Roosevelt's push in the first 100 days led to major new laws, while Trump largely relies on executive order.
"Roosevelt spent an awful lot of time trying to craft constitutional justifications in legislation, and draft it in such a way that the courts might accept it," Anthony Badger, a historian and author of FDR: The First Hundred Days, told the Post. "He wasn't trying to do it by executive order."
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The Friday memo notes that "support for impeachment is now on par with the levels seen during the two most recent impeachment proceedings—even before a full public case has been presented. This moment offers an opportunity to build that case for the American public and demonstrate that elected leaders are committed to upholding their oaths and are willing to act boldly to protect our freedoms, our families, and our futures."
In response to the polling, Free Speech for People campaign director Alexandra Flores-Quilty declared that "Americans across the country refuse to let Trump and his allies destroy our democracy."
Free Speech for People is leading a nonpartisan Impeach Trump Again campaign, which includes a petition that has now been signed by over 370,000 people nationwide. The group's constitutional lawyers have documented abuses of power by Trump and his billionaire allies since Inauguration Day, from illegal actions targeting immigrants and seeking retribution against perceived adversaries to attacking voting rights and having criminal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams dismissed.
According to Flores-Quilty, "It's up to Congress to do their job, defend the Constitution, and impeach and remove Donald Trump from office for his grave abuses of power."
Although the GOP now narrowly holds both chambers of Congress, articles of impeachment against the president could still be coming soon from Rep. Al Green (D-Texas).
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New NYT/Siena Poll: —Trump's approval rating is 42% vs. 54% disapprove —59% of voters think Trump's 2nd term in office is "scary" —54% say Trump is "exceeding the powers available to him" —Trump has negative approval in all policy areas www.nytimes.com/2025/04/25/u...
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— Yonah Freemark (@yonahfreemark.com) April 25, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Other recent surveys have also found that voters are alarmed by or unhappy with the president. For example, a New York Times/Siena College poll conducted from April 21-24 shows that 66% of voters describe his second term as "chaotic," 59% think it's "scary," 54% disapprove of how Trump is handling his job, and 53% believe that the United States is "headed in the wrong direction."
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