Open Markets Files Amicus Brief Defending Congress’s Constitutional Authority to Limit Presidential Removal Power and Protect the Federal Trade Commission

The Open Markets Institute filed an amicus brief led by Policy Counsel Tara Pincock, Legal Director Sandeep Vaheesan, and Jamie Crooks of Fairmark Partners defending Congress’s authority under the Constitution to restrict the President’s ability to remove officials at executive agencies and departments. The brief argues that Congress, under the Necessary and Proper Clause of Article I, has broad powers to structure the federal government and ensure that the execution of the law remains independent from direct presidential control.

Washington Monthly - Trump Promised a Shipbuilding Boom. He’s Sinking It Instead

Transportation analyst Arnav Rao argues that Donald Trump’s promise to revive U.S. shipbuilding has unraveled amid leadership failures, bureaucratic dysfunction, and neglect of the nation’s maritime industrial base—leaving America’s shipyards weaker and less prepared for economic and national security challenges.

Washington Monthly - How Democrats Can Save Social Security—and Win Elections

Policy director Phil Longman gives a riveting argument about how America can save Social Security and strengthen retirement security by making the system fairer—taxing the wealthy more, expanding benefits for working- and middle-class Americans, and addressing decades of policy failures that fueled inequality.

ArticlesPhil LongmanNovember 1, 2025Phil Longman, November 2025, 2025, Politics, Secondary Feature

Tech Policy Press - Why Europe’s Resistance to Big Tech Matters for the Future of Democracy

CJL director Courtney Radsch argues that amid the failure to regulate its own tech firms, the U.S. must not be allowed to undermine European efforts to regain sovereignty over their information systems and resist domination by Big Tech.

Tech Policy Press - How Europe Can Expand Digital Trade to Challenge Big Tech’s Anti-Regulatory Push

Industrial policy program manager Audrey Stienon offers the analysis on Trump’s trade coercion amplifying Big Tech’s long-standing use of trade policy to erode national sovereignty and entrenches corporate power over global digital regulation.

Google Ad Tech: Remedies Phase Shows Divestitures Viable and Urgent for the Future of News and Advertising

Senior reporter Karina Montoya argues that U.S. courts must take strong structural action—not just behavioral fixes—to dismantle Google’s illegal monopoly over digital advertising. She contends that forcing divestitures of Google’s ad exchange (AdX) and ad server (DFP) is both technically feasible and necessary to restore competition, empower publishers, and prevent Google from continuing to manipulate the ad market through its control of key algorithms and data systems.

New Policy Brief Warns: U.S. “Free Speech” Attacks Threaten Europe’s Sovereignty and Democracy

CJL director Dr. Courtney Radsch and Europe director Max von Thun author a brief arguing that dominant U.S. platforms such as Google, Meta and X wield unprecedented power to manipulate political discourse, censor individuals and organizations, and shape the flow of information across Europe, the United States and beyond. At the same time, and in coordination with these corporations, the current U.S. administration has launched an “unprecedented assault” on Europe’s right to regulate these corporations in the public interest.

Washington Monthly - Trump Promised a Shipbuilding Boom. He’s Sinking It Instead

Open Markets Institute’s transportation analyst Arnav Rao published an article on Trump’s faltering shipbuilding agenda, arguing that the president has “gutted the very offices, funding streams, and foreign partnerships” needed to rebuild U.S.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsOctober 9, 2025Arnav Rao, October 2025, 2025, Politics, Democracy and Ideology, Secondary Feature

Pro Market - The EU Must Revise Its Merger Guidelines To Strengthen Innovation, Security, and Democracy

Max von Thun, Europe Director at the Open Markets Institute, co-authored a piece with fellow Claire Lavin urging the European Commission to revise its merger guidelines. They argue that competition policy must look beyond prices to safeguard innovation, security, and democracy—ensuring a stronger and more resilient European Union.

The Corner Newsletter: The Flaws in President Trump’s Industrial Strategy ( September 23rd, 2025)

In this issue, we explore how President Trump’s strategy of taking equity stakes in companies critical to national security is geared to fail. And we look forward to our October 15 and 16 conference on the US-Europe conflict over Free Speech and Democracy.

NewslettersOpen MarketsSeptember 23, 20252025, September 2025, Politics, Google, Big Tech, Secondary Feature

Successful Farming - How Immigration Crackdowns Are Impacting America’s Farmworkers

Claire Kelloway, food program manager at the Open Markets Institute, highlights how Walmart’s dominance has reshaped grocery competition, making it harder for independent grocers to survive. She argues that stronger enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act is essential to level the playing field, pointing to the FTC’s ongoing case against Southern Glazer’s as a sign of progress.

Op-EdsClaire KellowaySeptember 22, 20252025, September 2025, Food & Agriculture, Politics, Secondary Feature, Claire Kelloway

The American Prospect - Maine’s Populist Senate Candidate Thinks We Are in a New Gilded Age

Reporter Austin Ahlman writes on Maine Senate candidate David Platner, who is positioning himself as part of a new wave of populists.

Op-EdsAustin AhlmanAugust 26, 20252025, Austin Ahlman, Center for Journalism & Liberty, august 2025, Politics

Washington Monthly - Can America Build Ships Again?

Transportation analyst Arnav Rao argues that Trump’s push to revive U.S. shipbuilding has more substance than his usual policy swings, since the industry is vital to national security and enjoys rare bipartisan support. Still, Rao notes that America’s shipyards remain plagued by delays, high costs, and dependence on foreign-built vessels — meaning any true revival would require a coordinated, large-scale effort reminiscent of the Liberty ship program of World War II.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsAugust 20, 20252025, September 2025, Transportation, Politics, Arnav Rao

The Corner Newsletter: The End of Antimonopoly? And the Future of Non-Compete Bans ( August 19th, 2025)

In this issue, we discuss President Trump’s “revocation” of President Biden’s Executive Order on Competition. And we describe how the fight to defend FTC’s 2024 ban on non-compete clauses has moved to the states.

The Intercept - Amid DSCC Pressure, Democratic Populist J.D. Scholten Exits Iowa Senate Race

Reporter Aushin Ahlman wrote on Iowa state House representative J.D. Scholten’s ending of his campaign to represent Iowa in the U.S. Senate, which “follows a push from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, or DSCC, to recruit and clear the field for fellow state House member Josh Turek.”

Op-EdsAustin AhlmanAugust 18, 2025Center for Journalism & Liberty, Austin Ahlman, august 2025, 2025, Politics

TNR - The (Sort of) Win Over Google and Meta That Trump and Biden Agree On

Legal Director Sandeep Vaheesan asserts that while antitrust wins against Big Tech are a step forward, the real battle lies in dismantling their invasive surveillance advertising model, which exploits our privacy and fuels societal harms.

Washington Monthly - Railroad Merger: Why It Could Go Off the Rails

Transportation analyst Arnav Rao writes that Union Pacific’s proposed merger with Norfolk Southern would dangerously consolidate the U.S. freight rail industry—threatening service reliability, competition, and the nation’s economic resilience under the guise of efficiency.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsAugust 6, 2025Arnav Rao, Transportation, 2025, November 2025, Politics, Mergers & Acquisitions

Open Markets Demands a People’s AI Action Plan

As the White House announces its Big-Tech-first AI Action Plan, Open Markets contributes to call to prioritize a People’s AI Action Plan instead.

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