Click to cancel subscription rule blocked in federal court
The law would have required businesses to obtain a consumer's consent before charging for memberships, auto-renewals and programs linked to free trial offers. Businesses would also have had to disclose when free trials or other promotional offers end and let customers cancel recurring subscriptions as easily as they started them.
Joe Biden 's administration incorporated the FTC's proposal under its 'Time Is Money' initiative that sought to improve protections for consumers. The court which struck down the law said the FTC had not followed the required process for rules whose annual impact on the US economy is more than $100 million.
The FTC claimed that it did not have to come up with the preliminary regulatory analysis because it initially determined that the rule's impact on the national economy would be less than $100 million. However, an administrative law judge decided that the economic impact would exceed the threshold.
'While we certainly do not endorse the use of unfair and deceptive practices in negative option marketing, the procedural deficiencies of the Commission's rule-making process are fatal here,' the court said. The FTC is currently moving forward with its preparations for a trial involving Amazon's Prime program over subscription issues.
The trial comes after the agency filed a lawsuit against Amazon accusing it of enrolling consumers in its Prime program without their consent and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. The trial is expected to take place next year.
The FTC is also taking on Mark Zuckerberg's Meta empire, accusing it of committing anti-trust violations when it bought up rivals as a way to preserve its power and increase its bottom line. If the judge rules against Zuckerberg, the 40-year-old could see his $1.3 trillion business empire broken into pieces.
In a frantic attempt to save his corporation, Zuckerberg has turned to the President, visiting the White House three times. The tech tycoon and his aides met with Trump, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and other administration officials as part of his lobbying campaign, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Direct train from LA to NYC to 'open next year' ahead of FIFA World Cup and will make journey faster than ever
A proposed high-speed rail line could soon connect Los Angeles to New York City in under 72 hours, with operations potentially launching in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup - and America's 250th anniversary. The proposal comes from AmeriStarRail, a Delaware-based transportation company, which submitted a detailed plan to Amtrak outlining the 'Transcontinental Chief' - a long-distance rail service that would repurpose existing Amtrak routes and infrastructure. The train would travel through major cities including Kansas City, Chicago, and Philadelphia, while also offering views of the Grand Canyon. Unlike traditional high-speed rail initiatives that require extensive new infrastructure, AmeriStarRail's groundbreaking proposal would utilize Amtrak's current fleet of coaches, sleepers, and dining cars, along with host railroads like BNSF, Norfolk Southern and New Jersey Transit. The high-speed rail line is not only designed to carry passengers, but also vehicles, buses, and even long-haul trucks. The proposed service plans to blend elements of Europe's truck transport trains with U.S. passenger rail operations, offering vehicle-boarding for truckers and travelers along with Amtrak-style accommodations and amenities. Different than other recently proposed plans to upgrade U.S. transit, the AmeriStarRail's proposal emphasizes that the 'Transcontinental Chief' project would be privately funded, requiring no new federal appropriations or legislation. 'The Transcontinental Chief will be a great opportunity for Amtrak to team up with the private sector to confront the challenges of its money-losing long-distance trains and create opportunities to usher in a profitable Golden Age of rail travel for passengers and truckers, with the ingenuity of free enterprise, as we celebrate our great nation's 250th birthday next year,' AmeriStarRail COO Scott Spencer said in the proposal submitted to Amtrak. A proposed high-speed rail line could soon connect Los Angeles to New York City in under 72 hours, with operations potentially launching in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup - and America's 250th anniversary. Pictured: Modern intercity passenger train Proposed route of the Transcontinental Chief train to Los Angeles to New York City in just in 72 hours File photo above of passengers on a sleep train AmeriStarRail COO Scott Spencer The company has also presented the proposal to President Donald Trump, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and members of Congress, Newsweek reported. 'AmeriStarRail's proposal to turn Amtrak's money-losing long-distance trains into profit makers has also been shared with President Trump, DOGE, USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy, the FRA and Members of Congress,' a spokesperson for AmeriStarRail said. According to the company, the service could begin by May 10, 2026 - just weeks before the U.S. co-hosts the World Cup and marks its semiquincentennial. 'Subject to operating agreements with the host railroads (BNSF, Norfolk Southern and New Jersey Transit) the Transcontinental Chief can start operations on National Train Day, Sunday, May 10, 2026 to begin serving tourists for America 250 celebrations and the 2026 FIFA World Cup,' the private rail company spokesperson added. AmeriStarRail argues the plan offers a path toward expanding high-speed rail in the U.S. without the delays and costs associated with entirely new infrastructure. However, the project hinges on Amtrak's cooperation and requires agreements with multiple host railroads. There are also operational challenges, including right-of-way access, scheduling, and safety protocols. Amtrak has yet to respond to the proposal. File photo of passengers waiting to board an Amtrak train According to the company, the service could begin by May 10, 2026 - just weeks before the U.S. co-hosts the World Cup and marks its semiquincentennial. Pictured: Donald Trump speaks with Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, during a meeting at the White House ahead of the 2026 World Cup The new route would link Los Angeles (pictured) to New York in under 72 hours Getting from LA to NYC (pictured) is set to be quicker than ever if you don't want to fly If approved, the Transcontinental Chief would effectively replace Amtrak's existing Southwest Chief and Pennsylvanian services. While the proposal is still in early stages, it adds to growing momentum for enhanced passenger rail in the U.S., including Brightline's West Coast expansion and ongoing developments in California's high-speed rail system. With the clock ticking toward 2026, AmeriStarRail hopes its transcontinental train can move from concept to track - delivering a new era of cross-country travel just in time for a historic year.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Questions the Secret Service still need to answer a year after the Trump assassination attempt in Butler
It's been a year since the first attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Yet, many questions still remain unanswered about the Secret Service's conduct both on that day, and since. Kentucky Republican Rand Paul who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee released on Sunday his final report on the Butler investigation. Paul's report is full of a 'disturbing pattern of denials, mismanagement, and missed warning signs' from the Senate investigation into assassination attempt. 'What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, was not just a tragedy—it was a scandal. The United States Secret Service failed to act on credible intelligence, failed to coordinate with local law enforcement, and failed to prevent an attack that nearly took the life of a then-former president,' said Chairman Paul. 'Despite those failures, no one has been fired,' Paul noted. 'This was not a single lapse in judgment. It was a complete breakdown of security at every level—fueled by bureaucratic indifference, a lack of clear protocols, and a shocking refusal to act on direct threats. We must hold individuals accountable and ensure reforms are fully implemented so this never happens again,' Paul added. The July 13, 2024 attempt on Trump's life came during a rally at the Farm Show Grounds in Butler, where 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks perched atop a building just beyond the perimeter gates. Crooks was able to fire off a series of bullets aimed at Trump's head - one of which grazed his ear - before officers took him down. Since the incident, it has become apparent that four counter-sniper teams were in place on the day, two of them being from the Secret Service, and two from local law enforcement. At the time of the incident, Secret Service blamed local police for failing to secure the rooftop from which Crooks attempted to assassinate then-former President Donald Trump, insisting it was outside the perimeter the federal agency was tasked with protecting. Carson Swick - a former Pennsylvania campaign reporter for the New York Post who now works at the Baltimore Sun - told the Daily Mail that he thought it was odd that the rooftop on which Crooks was perched that day was not occupied by a Secret Service sniper during the rally. 'I know on the day of the shooting they had some people on different roofs, but not obviously, on that one,' Swick noted. Swick also added that by the time of Trump's return rally in Butler just days before the 2024 election which he also covered, there were no rooftops vacant the second time around. However, during the July rally, securing and patrolling the factory grounds of AGR International Inc. — located about 150 yards from the stage where Trump was speaking on July 13 — was the responsibility of local Pennsylvania police, Secret Service representative Anthony Gugliemi said last year, according to the New York Times. The Secret Service was only tasked with covering the grounds where Trump's rally took place, with local police being recruited to assist with those efforts and secure the area outside the rally. The oversight during the first Trump rally in Butler was one that should not have happened, and ultimately 'the buck stops with the Secret Service,' former FBI Supervisory Special Agent John Nantz, also now a Townhall columnist, told the Daily Mail. 'It's not accurate to blame local law enforcement, because they're always going to give deference to the Secret Service or a federal agency that requests it,' Nantz also added. Swick noted to the Daily Mail that at the time, the Secret Service did not seem to have properly covered Trump during his exit from the rally venue, another apparent failure. The iconic 'fight fight fight' ushered by Trump as he exited the stage mere minutes after the bullet from Crooks grazed his ear was another moment that appeared to leave him exposed, Swick recalled. This week, it became known that six secret service agents were briefly suspended for security failures tied to last year's attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Deputy Director of the Secret Service Matt Quinn told CBS News this week that the suspended employees were given penalties ranging from 10 to 42 days of leave. When the suspended employees returned to work, he said, they were given restricted roles with less operational responsibility. 'We are laser focused on fixing the root cause of the problem,' Mr. Quinn said Wednesday, adding that disciplinary act was carried out according to a federally mandated process. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer told the Daily Mail in a statement that he was 'glad' to hear that more Secret Service employees are being held accountable. But he says the agency's 'failure' to protect Trump at the Butler campaign rally revealed the 'need for changes at the agency, starting with leadership at the top.' He noted that former Director Kimberly Cheatle was 'forced to resign' and that there should be more accountability to come. Then - Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024 Now-former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned last July shortly after the assassination attempt. Two days after the incident, Cheatle noted in a media release issued by the Secret Service that 'personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of [then] former president Donald Trump.' Per Senator Rand Paul's report released Sunday, it has become apparent that Cheatle's testimony regarding no Secret Service asset requests being denied for the Butler rally was false. A U.S. Secret Service report released just days before the 2024 election confirmed that 'multiple operational and communications gaps preceded the July 13 attempted assassination.' The Secret Service also described some of the gaps as 'deficiency of established command and control, lapses in communication, and a lack of diligence by agency personnel,' while also noting that 'the accountability process [was] underway.' Dan Bongino - who now serves as Deputy Director of the FBI and formerly spent 11 years as a Secret Service agent - said last year that Butler was a 'apocalyptic security failure' and called for a full house-cleaning of the upper leadership ranks in the Secret Services D.C. headquarters. Yet, the attempt on the now President's life last July was not the only near miss that came his way in 2024. Would-be assassin Ryan Routh managed to get close to Trump last September as he partook in a round of golf at his Trump International Golf Club property in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh was arrested after he was seen holding a rifle through a fence by a Secret Service agent. Yet, Nantz tells the Daily Mail Routh shouldn't have even gotten that close. 'I have heard that ... it wasn't a scheduled movement, okay. Well, I get that, but I'm not really sure I'm satisfied with that explanation,' Nantz noted. 'I think probably at that time, you're still talking about resource allocation problems,' Nantz added. Limited resources were also given as a cause for the lapse in Trump's July 13 Butler rally security as Trump was not the time yet the official GOP Presidential nominee. The July Butler Rally took place days before the Republican National Convention where Trump was formerly nominated for his re-election bid.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Jeffery Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is ready to reveal 'truth' of the pedophile client list, say insiders. So, why are Republicans blocking her?
Ghislaine Maxwell is willing to speak in front of Congress about The Epstein Files, sources tell Daily Mail. Maxwell, 63, is the only person behind bars - serving 20 years on child sex trafficking charges - despite the fact that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein allegedly controlled a web of underage girls.
