EXCLUSIVE: Outgoing DoJ antitrust chief tells me a return to “lax” antitrust enforcement under Trump is unlikely - “public demand will make that temporary”. Jonathan Kanter adds: “What we’ve done is now left to history, but it will outlast us” ft.com/content/6cf664… Financial Times

“the perception that judges are political in nature  degrades faith in the impartiality of the courts and undermines the rule of law”. ⁦Stefania Palma⁩ and I preview the fight over ‘forum shopping’ via Financial Times on.ft.com/4fEhpYI

Scoop: CFTC chair warns of regulatory “gap” for crypto & calls for more scrutiny of political betting markets. Tells me he is stepping down on Jan 20 ft.com/content/25d078… Financial Times

Big (if expected) moment in Trump case saga. Special counsel Jack Smith, who’s led some of the most serious cases against the president-elect, resigns from DoJ ft.com/content/2ca9dc… Financial Times

Jack Smith does not hold back in final report on DoJ elections case. Says there was “sufficient” evidence to convict at trial & calls Trump out for “resort  to threats and encouragement of violence against his perceived opponents” ft.com/content/c381fb… Financial Times

Latest chapter in SEC/Musk legal saga: US securities watchdog sues Musk over allegedly late disclosure on 2022 purchases of Twitter shares ft.com/content/e48780… via Financial Times

SCOOP @linakhanFTC warns lax scrutiny of PE healthcare deals could have “catastrophic consequences” She adds: In US democracy there is an “open question” on whether “monopolists in extraordinarily powerful firms” can “corrupt the political process” ft.com/content/ed2ad3… @ft

Who is Denise Cheung, US prosecutor who quit after refusing to launch a probe for “lack of evidence”? Ex-coworker: “If you asked me to list 100 prosecutors that [one] might criticise for political bias, she wouldn’t even be close to being on that list” ft.com/content/356d4e… @ft

Trump never once hid this from the public. He said it at the rallies. His VP talked about it on television. There was a lot of magical thinking going on in finance. Credit to FT writers James Fontanella-Khan and Stefania Palma for paying attention and have been saying this for months.

Trump’s antitrust DoJ nominee is unlike many other picks - progressives & Maga populists are both fans. She’s also expected to maintain Biden-era scrutiny - much to Wall Street’s chagrin (& as we’ve reported for months) ft.com/content/769709… Financial Times James Fontanella-Khan

Transatlantic antitrust ties are shifting, with exchanges going from hand-made gifts to biting criticism of EU regulation & competitiveness. Financial Times at its best from US, UK, Brussels w/Suzi Ring Barbara Moens James Fontanella-Khan ft.com/content/43491c…

Scott Bessent warns if “you don’t want to negotiate then it will spring back to the April 2nd level” - Stefania Palma ft.com/content/1a69df… via @ft

European leaders are to speak to Donald Trump on Monday to help the US president “prepare” for his planned call with Vladimir Putin in what could be a pivotal week for stalled Ukraine peace talks. w/ Stefania Palma Amy Kazmin. ft.com/content/7e8010…

SCOOP: Top US state Republicans urge SEC to consider delisting Chinese companies ft.com/content/fc2a9b… with Demetri Stephen Foley @ft

SCOOP: Damian Williams, ex-US attorney for SDNY, leaves Paul Weiss to join Jenner & Block ft.com/content/a8f517… via Financial Times

The star lawyer who defended Jared Kushner and Bill Clinton told the Financial Times he had ‘never been as concerned’. on.ft.com/403vuKt

Pam Bondi, the Trump loyalist swallowed up by the Epstein affair - profile by Stefania Palma on.ft.com/4kJiAJ2