Why Amy Klobuchar just wrote 600 pages on antitrust

“Monopolies tend to have a lot of control, not just over consumers, but also over politics.”

A woman gestures during a presentation.

Enlarge / Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) (credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

To promote her new book, Antitrust: Taking on Monopoly Power from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota gave a series of interviews this week, one of which was with me. She told me outright that our session was not her favorite of the tour—that honor went to her comedic exchange with Stephen Colbert a few days earlier, which she recounted to me line by line.

Nonetheless, I welcomed the chance to speak with her. Klobuchar has enjoyed a heightened profile since her presidential run and quick pivot to the eventual winner, Joe Biden, so she had her choice of book subjects to focus on. Ultimately, she produced 600 pages on the relatively arcane topic of antitrust law, a telling choice. Her goal is to make the subject less arcane, in hopes that a grassroots movement will support her effort to fortify and enforce the laws more vigorously. In the book, Klobuchar attempts to inspire readers with a history of the field, which in her rendering sprang from a spirited populist movement that included her own coal-mining ancestors. That’s why her book is stuffed with vintage political cartoons, typically portraying Gilded Age barons as bloated giants, hovering over workers like top-hatted Macy’s balloons. (Obviously those were the days before billionaires had Peloton.)

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E-Mobilität ist kein Jobmotor

Ifo-Studie:Automobilzulieferer haben ihre besten Zeiten hinter sich. Die IG Metall fordert eine aktive Industriepolitik, um neue Perspektiven für die Beschäftigten zu schaffen

Ifo-Studie:Automobilzulieferer haben ihre besten Zeiten hinter sich. Die IG Metall fordert eine aktive Industriepolitik, um neue Perspektiven für die Beschäftigten zu schaffen

Fotosammlung einscannen: Buenos Dias aus dem Homeoffice

Anstatt in Corona-Zeiten zu reisen, lässt sich die Zeit für die Digitalisierung seiner Reise-Dias nutzen. Das kann eine sehr laute Angelegenheit werden. Von Friedhelm Greis (Werkzeugkasten, Bildbearbeitung)

Anstatt in Corona-Zeiten zu reisen, lässt sich die Zeit für die Digitalisierung seiner Reise-Dias nutzen. Das kann eine sehr laute Angelegenheit werden. Von Friedhelm Greis (Werkzeugkasten, Bildbearbeitung)

Alte und neue Gentechnik: Profiteure und Risiken

Die Versprechungen der alten Gentechnik wurden nicht eingelöst. Nun ruhen alle Hoffnungen auf den neuen Verfahren. Während die EU mit deren Zulassung liebäugelt, erteilt man auf anderen Kontinenten der Gentechnik eine Absage

Die Versprechungen der alten Gentechnik wurden nicht eingelöst. Nun ruhen alle Hoffnungen auf den neuen Verfahren. Während die EU mit deren Zulassung liebäugelt, erteilt man auf anderen Kontinenten der Gentechnik eine Absage

Das Menschenbild, eine sich selbst erfüllende Prophezeiung

Gesellschaft, Wirtschaft und Politik sind mehr vom Menschenbild bestimmt, als es auf den ersten Blick zu sein scheint. Mit grundlegenden Folgen. Eine Spurensuche (Teil 2 und Schluss)

Gesellschaft, Wirtschaft und Politik sind mehr vom Menschenbild bestimmt, als es auf den ersten Blick zu sein scheint. Mit grundlegenden Folgen. Eine Spurensuche (Teil 2 und Schluss)

Review: The role-playing game’s afoot in charming black comedy Murder Bury Win

It’s not an instant classic like Clue, but it’s fun, very solid indie fare.

Three friends trying to create their own RPG game about getting away with murder get more than they bargained for in the new black comedy, Murder Bury Win.

Three friends get more than they bargained for when they think they are about to hit the gaming big-time in Murder Bury Win, a charming black comedy that proved to be a fan favorite at last year's Austin Film Festival. It certainly won't dislodge 1985's cult classic, Clue, as the best movie yet made about a board game ("Flames... on the side of my face!"), but it's very solid indie fare, and a lot of fun.

(Some spoilers below, but no major reveals.)

Per the official synopsis:

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Rivian’s electric truck features include air compressor and AC outlets

It’s got storage compartments galore, plus an extending truck bed.

Electric vehicle startup Rivian is moving closer to production of its innovative-looking trucks and SUVs. The first launch edition R1T pickup trucks are expected in June, with series production models arriving at the start of 2022. And even though I'm not really a truck person, I remain as fascinated now by this new entrant into the most quintessentially American part of the vehicle market as I was after first seeing one in 2019.

Ahead of those initial deliveries, the company reached out to share some of info about the R1T, which looks like it will offer Swiss Army knife-levels of versatility to its owners. It's about the size you'd expect of a full-size pickup truck: 217.1 inches (5.51 m) long, 81.8 inches (2.08 m) wide, and between 72.1-78.3 inches (1.83-1.99 m) tall depending on whether it's in kneel mode (ground clearance: 8.7 inches/0.22 m) or off-road mode (ground clearance: 14.9 inches/0.38 m).

The big lockable cargo area under the hood (also known as a frunk) can stash 11 cubic feet (311 L) of stuff. And at the rear, you'll find a tow hook capable of pulling up to 11,000 lbs (4,989 kg). It lives beneath an aerodynamic cover when not in use.

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