Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A federal judge gave the Federal Trade Commission the green light to pursue antitrust claims against Amazon, a newly unsealed order reveals, though some claims under state laws won't move forward.Amazon filed a motion to dismiss the 2023 lawsuit, which alleges the company illegally maintains a monopoly by punishing sellers who discount products outside of Amazon and effectively requires" them to use its own fulfillment services for coveted positioning on the site. Judge John Chun denied Amazon's attempts to dismiss several federal claims that were based on the FTC Act and the Sherman Act. Chun did deny some claims that Amazon violated state law, the result of state-level attorneys general signing on to the suit. But he gave them a... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Two days after Google cut a world's first" deal to purchase electricity from advanced nuclear reactors, Amazon announced three new agreements of its own today.Each deal supports the development of small modular reactors (SMRs), which can be one-tenth to one-quarter the size of a traditional nuclear power plant. If these projects make it to the finish line, SMRs would be a source of carbon pollution-free energy for big tech companies trying to salvage their climate goals by turning to nuclear energy.Each deal supports the development of small modular reactorsAmazon signed an agreement with Energy Northwest, a consortium of public utilities in Washington state, to enable the development" of four SMRs by the early 2030s. Energy... Continue reading...

Amazon is sweetening the Prime deal. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon Prime members are getting a new perk: extra savings at the pump. By linking your Amazon account with BP's loyalty program, you'll be able to save 10 cents a gallon whenever you fuel up at a participating BP or Amoco station. Incidentally, it's a discount much like the one Walmart offers at Exxon stations through its Prime competitor program, Walmart Plus.Naturally, you need to agree to let BP collect information about you to get your discount. But what's the harm in joining just one more loyalty program? And so what if BP is walking back its carbon emission goals to maximize profits while the planet burns? Because there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, and also because everything is so god damn expensive lately, I went... Continue reading...