How Live Nation allegedly terrorized the concert industry
How Live Nation allegedly terrorized the concert industry

SeatGeek was close to a deal that would bring its ticketing business to the next level. The company was in negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys, aiming to take over first-party sales at its stadium. But there was one sticking point: “the concert issue.” The team feared that if it dropped SeatGeek’s rival Ticketmaster, Ticketmaster’s parent […]

The Trump administration says it can’t process tariff refunds because of computer problems
The Trump administration says it can’t process tariff refunds because of computer problems

The US Customs and Border Protection says it currently can’t comply with an order to process billions of dollars in refunds stemming from tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. In a filing on Friday, CBP executive director Brandon Lord says the agency’s digital import processing system is “not well suited to a task of this […]

Nintendo is suing the US government for a refund of Trump’s illegal tariffs
Nintendo is suing the US government for a refund of Trump’s illegal tariffs

Nintendo of America is suing the US government over President Trump’s tariffs and is demanding a “prompt refund, with interest” of any duties that it has paid, according to a complaint filed in the US Court of International Trade, as reported previously by Aftermath. The Supreme Court ruled last month that Trump’s use of the […]

The Trump phone was a no-show at the world’s biggest mobile show
The Trump phone was a no-show at the world’s biggest mobile show

Where’s the Trump phone? We’re going to keep talking about it every week. We’ve reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone’s whereabouts. This time, we tried, and failed, to find it at the world’s biggest mobile trade show. This week Barcelona was taken over by the tech industry as Mobile World Congress […]

This phone starts fires on purpose
This phone starts fires on purpose

Until now, most mobile phone companies have worked to ensure their phones won’t start fires. (Occasional Samsung devices excepted, of course.) But this week at Mobile World Congress, we found a company that dared to go in a different direction. Oukitel’s WP63 rugged smartphone includes a built-in fire starter, and this is what it looks […]

Lawmakers just advanced online safety laws that require age verification at the app store
Lawmakers just advanced online safety laws that require age verification at the app store

A package of child safety bills is headed to the House floor following an hours-long session that left Democrats and Republicans divided. On Thursday, lawmakers on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce voted to advance the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act; Sammy’s Law; and the App Store Accountability Act, which would require […]

The Pentagon formally labels Anthropic a supply-chain risk
The Pentagon formally labels Anthropic a supply-chain risk

After weeks of failed negotiations, public ultimatums, and lawsuit threats, the Defense Department has formally labeled Anthropic a “supply-chain risk,” escalating its fight with the AI company over their acceptable use policies and potentially bringing their fight to court. The decision, first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, citing one source familiar, will […]

Prediction markets in the news are a dangerous gamble
Prediction markets in the news are a dangerous gamble

Today on Decoder, let’s talk about prediction markets, which continue to insert themselves into the news cycle and the news itself in increasingly weird, unsettling, and potentially illegal ways.  My guest today is Liz Lopatto, senior reporter at The Verge, who owns what we cheerfully call the chaos beat. Liz has been writing a lot […]

Did Live Nation punish a venue by taking Billie Eilish away?
Did Live Nation punish a venue by taking Billie Eilish away?

John Abbamondi had orders to let the CEO of Ticketmaster down easy. In April 2021, Abbamondi was the CEO of BSE Global, the company that ran Brooklyn arena the Barclays Center. BSE Global’s existing Ticketmaster contract would expire at the end of September, and Abbamondi and his team had evaluated proposals from SeatGeek, AXS, and […]

A new video from the White House mixes Call of Duty footage with actual video of Iran strikes
A new video from the White House mixes Call of Duty footage with actual video of Iran strikes

On Wednesday, the White House posted a video of actual military strikes on Iran in the style usually seen in Call of Duty highlight videos, and started the video with a clip from Call of Duty. The real-life footage of missiles and other munitions hitting targets in Iran shows clips seen in other Trump administration […]