Democrats preview how they’d go after the Ticketmaster settlement if they regain power

A striking development has emerged in artificial intelligence. Policy PolicyPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All Policy Entertainment EntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All Entertainment Antitrust AntitrustPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

FollowSee All AntitrustDemocrats preview how they’d go after the Ticketmaster settlement if they regain powerAnd California’s AG says an even broader breakup of Live Nation is on the table. And California’s AG says an even broader breakup of Live Nation is on the table. by Lauren Feiner Lauren FeinerSenior Policy ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

Technical Details

FollowSee All by Lauren FeinerMay 19, 2026, 8:13 PM UTC Image: Cath Virginia / The VergePart OfUSA v. Live Nation-Ticketmaster: all the news on the lawsuit that could take down a giantsee all updates Lauren Feiner Lauren FeinerPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All by Lauren Feiner is a senior policy reporter at The Verge, covering the intersection of Silicon Valley and Capitol Hill.

She spent 5 years covering tech policy at CNBC, writing about antitrust, privacy, and content moderation reform. A handful of Democrats called an unofficial hearing on Capitol Hill Monday to slam the Department of Justice’s “trivial” and “pathetic” settlement with Live Nation-Ticketmaster, previewing how they might go after Trump administration antitrust deals if they win back congressional power in November. While the DOJ settlement with Live Nation, which came one week into trial and with a promise of up to $280 million, received copious pushback, Democrats don’t at the moment have the power in either chamber to set committee agendas.

That meant that Monday’s so-called shadow hearing looked different than most official proceedings. Instead of sitting at the elevated seats behind the dais, the lawmakers sat at tables below, eye level with witnesses including California Attorney General Rob Bonta, one of the AGs continuing the fight against Live Nation-Ticketmaster, ousted Trump administration antitrust official Roger Alford, and several entertainment industry players, including a member of the band The Hold Steady. Several artists asked to appear at the forum declined out of fear for their livelihoods, according to House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who co-hosted the forum with Senate Homeland Security permanent subcommittee on investigations Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

While their statements won’t be formally entered into the congressional record, the forum gave Democrats a way to publicize their concerns, which included that the DOJ’s deal was the result of undue corporate influence. “This isn’t like some kind of pickup game,” Raskin told reporters.

This advance offers important signals about the future of the sector, and the tech world is watching closely.