Ilana Kowarski

Washington, D.C.

Senior Mergers and Acquisitions Reporter at MLex Market Insight

New @mlexclusive senior mergers and acquisitions reporter, former @usnews journalist. Proud alum of @columbiajourn and @uchicago.

Articles

Keysight divestiture for US DOJ mirrors FTC's remedy for Synopsys

4 days ago | mlex.com | Ilana Kowarski

By Ilana Kowarski ( June 3, 2025, 00:55 GMT | Comment) -- Keysight Technologies, a network testing hardware and software provider, and acquisition target Spirent Communications reached a divestiture settlement with the US Department of Justice regarding their $1.5 billion horizontal deal – an agreement the government announced today.Keysight Technologies, a network testing hardware and software provider, and acquisition target Spirent Communications reached a divestiture settlement with the...
US FTC aims to prevent censorship ‘catastrophe,’ Chairman Ferguson says

1 week ago | mlex.com | Ilana Kowarski

By Ilana Kowarski ( May 29, 2025, 23:25 GMT | Insight) -- US Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson warned that if government officials don't intervene, an ongoing “censorship crisis” on social media platforms might continue or worsen, and he outlined aggressive steps the agency is taking to prevent a repeat of what he described as the speech suppression “catastrophe of 2020.”US Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson warned that if government officials don't intervene,...
Synopsys, Ansys settle with US FTC; deal review pending in China

1 week ago | mlex.com | Ilana Kowarski

By Ilana Kowarski ( May 29, 2025, 01:12 GMT | Insight) -- Semiconductor technology developer Synopsys’ proposed $35 billion acquisition of software creator Ansys has been conditionally cleared by the US Federal Trade Commission, which imposed a divestiture remedy to resolve antitrust concerns about the transaction.
Constellation-Calpine deal queries from US DOJ, FERC focus on data, math

2 weeks ago | mlex.com | Ilana Kowarski

By Ilana Kowarski ( May 21, 2025, 22:36 GMT | Comment) -- US federal subpoenas about Constellation Energy’s plan to buy rival power producer Calpine Corp. have included numerous detailed questions about pricing statistics and economic forecasts.
Verizon US FCC clearance shows how culture war shapes Trump merger reviews

3 weeks ago | mlex.com | Ilana Kowarski

By Ilana Kowarski ( May 16, 2025, 23:34 GMT | Comment) -- Telecom giant Verizon Communications’ proposed $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications was cleared today by the US Federal Communications Commission after a lengthy review.
US FTC's Meador advocates 'down the middle' antitrust enforcement

3 weeks ago | mlex.com | Ilana Kowarski

By Ilana Kowarski ( May 14, 2025, 22:37 GMT | Comment) -- US Federal Trade Commissioner Mark Meador described his competition law enforcement philosophy as “neutral and fair,” meaning neither hostile nor obsequious toward business.
A hundred days into FTC under new chairman, don’t call leadership regulators

3 weeks ago | mlexwatch.com | Mike Swift |Ilana Kowarski

About Us Help Contact By Mike Swift and Ilana Kowarski ( May 13, 2025) -- Just over 100 days into his leadership of a mono-party Federal Trade Commission, Chairman Andrew Ferguson’s priorities on antitrust and consumer protection enforcement are starting to come into focus....
A hundred days into US FTC under new chairman, don't call leadership regulators

4 weeks ago | mlex.com | Mike Swift |Ilana Kowarski

By Mike Swift and Ilana Kowarski ( May 9, 2025, 23:08 GMT | Comment) -- Last week marked 100 days since the start of Andrew Ferguson’s leadership of the US Federal Trade Commission, and while the new chairman has frequently talked the talk of a full-throated Trump populist, the walk the commission is walking in some ways isn’t all that different from from the FTC under the GOP-reviled populist Lina Khan.@font-face (font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0;...
Constellation received second request from US DOJ on Calpine buy

1 month ago | mlex.com | Ilana Kowarski

By Ilana Kowarski ( May 6, 2025, 15:44 GMT | Insight) -- Power company Constellation Energy’s proposed acquisition of rival Calpine Corp. has elicited a second request from the US Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, Constellation’s CEO announced today.Power company Constellation Energy’s proposed acquisition of rival Calpine Corp. has elicited a second request from the US Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, Constellation’s CEO announced today....
Common antitrust defenses by top US firms merit scrutiny, US FTC’s Meador says

1 month ago | mlex.com | Ilana Kowarski

By Ilana Kowarski ( May 5, 2025, 22:15 GMT | Insight) -- US Federal Trade Commissioner Mark Meador today urged skepticism toward antitrust defenses frequently presented by major American companies, such as vertical deal efficiencies arguments, innovation claims and national champion theories.US Federal Trade Commissioner Mark Meador is urging skepticism toward antitrust defenses frequently presented by major American companies, such as vertical deal efficiencies arguments, innovation claims...