Feds and Penguin Random House set to square off over Simon & Schuster deal
CBSN
The government and publishing titan Penguin Random House are set to exchange opening salvos in a federal antitrust trial Monday as the Department of Justice seeks to block the biggest U.S. book publisher from absorbing rival Simon & Schuster.
At a time of mega-mergers and flashy high-tech corporate hookups, the biggest U.S. book publisher's plan to buy the fourth-largest for a mere $2.2 billion may seem somewhat quaint. But the deal represents such a key test for the Biden administration's antitrust policy that the Justice Department is calling an out-of-the-ordinary witness to "The Stand": horror master Stephen King.
The renowned author whose genre-transcending works are published by Simon & Schuster is expected to testify during the weekslong trial in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., and is likely to draw wide attention.

Washington — President Trump said early Monday that he is postponing airstrikes on Iran's power plants after "very good and productive conversations" over the last two days about reopening the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iran's foreign ministry denied any such talks. Claire Day contributed to this report. In:












