India rejects bids by Amazon & Flipkart to quash antitrust probe

An Indian court has turned down appeals by Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart to call off an antitrust investigation into their business practices in the country.

“By no stretch of the imagination can an inquiry be quashed at this stage. …The appeals are devoid of merit, and deserve to be dismissed,” the High Court in the southern Karnataka state said on Friday, adding that it saw the appeals as mere attempts to stall the court’s decision.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) launched an official inquiry last year into the practices of both US firms, following allegations from brick-and-mortar retailers that they promoted only certain sellers on their platforms and staved off competition.

The probe was put on hold after both companies challenged it, arguing that the regulator lacked evidence, but the court reopened it last month.

The two firms may still appeal the decision in India’s Supreme Court, Reuters reported, citing insiders.

Flipkart said in a statement that it would review the court’s order, maintaining that all its practices were in accord with Indian laws.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment. It is currently facing another CCI probe for allegedly concealing facts and making false submissions when it wanted the regulator to sanction a 2019 deal with an Indian company.

https://www.rt.com/business/530015-india-rejects-bids-walmart-amazon/

Valerie Jarrett: I’m All for Vaccine Mandates — ‘Time for Us to Take Firm Measures’

Former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett said Friday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that she supported coronavirus vaccine mandates.

Jarrett said, “I’m all for mandating it. I know in this country, it’s hard to mandate things. I think what we can do is say, look, if you want them to make their own decision, fine, but we’re not going to let you come to sporting events or schools.”

Mitchell asked, “What about mandating it for healthcare workers?”

Jarrett said, “Absolutely. I am all for mandates, particularly for people who are interfacing with the public. The only way we can contain this disease, we know, is with vaccinations. So for public health workers, of course, they should be vaccinated, and for people working in our restaurant, of course, they should be vaccinated. I take a pretty hard line in terms of the mandates.”

She added, “We’re saying if you want to be a part of this society, our responsibility is to keep it as healthy as possible, take the vaccine.”

Mitchell asked, “What do you think about what the NFL is doing?”

Jarrett said, “I’m all for it. I agree with the doctor, mandate it, but short of that, you have to create both carrots and sticks.”

She concluded, “I think it is now time for us to take firm measures and try to get as many people vaccinated as possible, and where appropriate, there should be a mandate.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/07/23/valerie-jarrett-im-all-for-vaccine-mandates-time-for-us-to-take-firm-measures/

The Swamp: Ken Buck’s Chief of Staff Unsuccessfully Sought Google Money Before Turning Anti-Google

Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) is attempting to position himself as the voice of bipartisan action against the tech giants, working with the Democrats on a range of bills sold to the public as efforts to rein in Silicon Valley. But just two years ago, his chief of staff, Garrett Ventry, was reportedly pitching his D.C. lobbying skills to Google.

Rep. Buck has been a leading voice in support of Democrat-led efforts to regulate Big Tech, including the widely condemned Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, which would make it easier for Big Media companies like CNN and News Corp to demand special favors from the tech giants.

Joining forces with the Democrats on the House Antitrust subcommittee, Rep. Buck presents himself as a champion against the power of the tech companies. His willingness to work with congressional Democrats (none of whom have ever suggested they will address the top conservative concern regarding big tech, censorship) has won him plaudits from the liberal media.

The Verge, a Vox Media-owned tech news site, recently called him the “new face of Republican antitrust.” But, according to a report in Politico, the current chief of staff to the so-called “face of Republican antitrust,” Garrett Ventry, was hoping to lobby for Google.

Together with the current head of the Internet Accountability Project, Mike Davis, Ventry pitched his services to Google in 2019.

Via Politico:

Davis and Ventry offered to act as Google’s GOP communicators in a meeting with the company’s outside lawyers in May 2019, offering to help mend its relationship with conservatives, according to the three people, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.

At the time, Google was under increasing fire from the GOP, as then-President Donald Trump hammered the big tech companies for allegedly censoring conservatives and as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) used his new perch in the upper chamber to offer bills that would crack down on the search company’s conduct. The Justice Department was also laying the groundwork for a major antitrust investigation of Google, a fact that would become publicly known at the end of that month.

The two men, who were at the beginning stages of forming a PR shop after they left the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Google’s outside lawyers Susan Creighton and Josh Soven that they could help with press relations and relationship-building within the GOP. The meeting was arranged by former Federal Trade Commission member Josh Wright, who worked with Creighton and Soven at the law firm Wilson Sonsini at the time.

After the meeting, Davis sent a follow-up email to Creighton leaving open the possibility of next steps. Ultimately, Google did not retain their services.

While Ventry declined to comment to Politico, Davis said he “dodged a bullet” by not working for Google, and claimed, “that was back before we knew how bad Google really was.”

Google’s wrongdoing was, however, widely known in the conservative movement by 2019.

In addition to high-profile criticism of the company from President Trump, the previous two years had seen a slew of major stories in the conservative media highlighting Google’s lurch towards leftist bias, including:

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2021/07/23/the-swamp-ken-bucks-chief-of-staff-sought-google-money-before-becoming-supposed-crusader-against-big-tech/

Marjorie Taylor Greene Knows Why FOX News, Republicans Suddenly Pushing Shots

https://rumble.com/vk8jku-marjorie-taylor-greene-knows-why-fox-news-republicans-suddenly-pushing-shot.html

CDC, Universities are Paying Students to be Vaccine Influencers

Students can become paid COVID vaccine influencers through a new Student Social Media Engagement Campaign program.

The campaign recruits students to ‘combat vaccine misinformation and build vaccine confidence within their campus communities’ through TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms.

In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American College Health Association (ACHA), and Youth Marketing Connection (YMC), universities are promoting paid internships for students who push COVID vaccines.

Students chosen for the Student Social Media Engagement Campaign program will act as influencers who “combat vaccine misinformation and build vaccine confidence within their campus communities.”

The program launched in June 2021 and will continue through the fall semester. Each student influencer will receive a cash stipend, according to a July 8 announcement put out by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

Job requirements include promoting the vaccine by sharing information on Instagram and TikTok, advocating for the ACHA’s CoVAC initiative, and leading “digital outreach efforts to increase vaccine confidence among peers.” Students are also expected to provide updates on campus COVID-19 vaccine attitudes.

The Student Social Media Engagement Campaign is part of the ACHA’s broader CoVAC initiative, which is designed to increase campus vaccinations and includes $3,000 mini-grants for colleges that want to implement marketing for the vaccine. Many campuses across the country have already mandated the vaccine for the Fall semester.

The ACHA did not respond to Campus Reform’s request for information on how internships are funded or on what other schools are participating.

Aside from UNLV, UC Cincinnati also announced its participation in the program when it highlighted a student ambassador on its website.

https://www.activistpost.com/2021/07/cdc-universities-are-paying-students-to-be-vaccine-influencers.html

The French won’t be allowed to vote unless they’re injected

The list of confirmed zones that will be unavailable to the unvaccinated in France grows by the hour.

Polling stations: no vaccination, no entry

The list of confirmed zones that will be unavailable to the unvaccinated in France grows by the hour.

Polling stations: no vaccination, no entry. t.co/xovcZjfMGb

— Richard Ings (@richardcings) July 22, 2021

French doctors and nurses throw their medical gowns on the ground in protest of vax mandates

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/the-french-wont-be-allowed-to-vote-unless-theyre-injected/