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Warning of higher grocery prices, Washington AG sues to stop Kroger-Albertsons merger

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Warning of higher grocery prices, Washington AG sues to stop Kroger-Albertsons merger

Washington’s attorney general has sued to stop Kroger from merging with Albertsons and creating a grocery-store colossus. Here, a Kroger in Flowood, Mississippi operates a gas station and a pharmacy.

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Rogelio V. Solis/AP


Washington’s attorney general has sued to stop Kroger from merging with Albertsons and creating a grocery-store colossus. Here, a Kroger in Flowood, Mississippi operates a gas station and a pharmacy.

Rogelio V. Solis/AP

The Washington attorney general sued Kroger and Albertsons on Monday to block the merger of the two largest supermarket chains in the U.S. He is asking the court to grant a permanent nationwide injunction.

The mega-deal, worth $24.6 billion, promised to shake up competition in the food aisles. Kroger, the biggest supermarket operator with 2,719 locations, owns Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, King Soopers and other chains. Albertsons is the second-biggest chain, with 2,272 stores, and owns Safeway and Vons. Together they employ about 720,000 people.

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Yet Kroger and Albertsons say they must unite to stand a chance against nontraditional rivals, including Amazon, Costco and especially Walmart. The grocers say the latter two companies sell more groceries than Kroger and Albertsons combined. And they emphasize that they offer union jobs, in contrast to some of their rivals. They had hoped to close the deal in August.

The lawsuit, filed in Washington state court, may throw a wrench in those plans. Attorney General Bob Ferguson argues that, because the two chains own more than half of all supermarkets in his state, their proposed union will eliminate a rivalry that helps keep food prices in check.

“Shoppers will have fewer choices and less competition, and, without a competitive marketplace, they will pay higher prices at the grocery store,” Ferguson said in a statement.

The lawsuit cites an Albertsons vice president writing, “you are basically creating a monopoly in grocery with the merger so [it] makes no sense” when the deal was merely rumored.

A legal challenge to the merger does not come as a surprise. The Federal Trade Commission has been reviewing the proposed deal for over a year. Multiple state officials and lawmakers have voiced concerns that the tie-up risks reducing options for shoppers, farmers, workers and food producers. As early as May 2023, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said the two grocery chains “committed to litigate in advance” if federal regulators or state attorneys general rejected the merger.

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Ohio-based Kroger and Idaho-based Albertsons overlap particularly in Western states. To pre-empt regulators’ concerns about diminishing grocery competition in those markets, the retailers found a buyer for up to 650 stores that they’d sell off as part of the merger: C&S Wholesale Grocers, a supplier company that also runs some Piggly Wiggly supermarkets.

Ferguson said that plan does not go far enough to protect supermarket employees and customers in his state. His office asserts the combined Kroger-Albertsons would still “enjoy a near-monopoly” in many parts of Washington. It also questioned whether C&S could run the markets successfully.

Albertsons’ merger with Safeway in 2015 serves as a warning in that regard. The FTC required it to sell off 168 stores as part of the deal. Within months, one of its buyers laid off workers and filed for bankruptcy protection. Albertsons repurchased 33 of those stores — some for as little as $1 at auction, Ferguson says.

Antitrust experts in the Biden administration had previously spoken skeptically about whether divestitures sufficiently safeguard competition, including on prices and terms struck with suppliers. The regulators have also pushed for tougher scrutiny of megadeals, making this merger a high-profile test.

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Paul Pelosi in hit-and-run in California, car left with major damage, authorities say

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Paul Pelosi in hit-and-run in California, car left with major damage, authorities say

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her husband Paul arrive at the funeral services for Clive Davis at Central Synagogue in New York, Monday, June 29, 2026.

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LOS ANGELES — The husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was involved in a hit-and-run in California that left a parked car with “major” damage authorities said Saturday, and he could face misdemeanor charges.

Paul Pelosi was driving his brown convertible Friday in Yountville, a town in the heart of wine country, when he struck a legally parked car on the side of the road, briefly stopped and then drove away, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. No injuries were reported.

A witness saw the collision and called 911. Shortly afterward sheriff’s deputies found Pelosi with damage to the front of his car on a road roughly a quarter of a mile away. He reportedly told officers he knew he hit something but was not sure when or what caused the damage.

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Pelosi, 86, did not have any alcohol in his system, according to the statement. The sheriff’s office referred him to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a process to determine whether he may continue to drive — something that officials say is common for older drivers.

Pelosi was not arrested, and because no one was injured, the sheriff’s office recommended a misdemeanor charge for fleeing the scene of an accident.

A staffer for Nancy Pelosi did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Paul Pelosi pleaded guilty in 2022 to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence in Napa County and was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation. However, he served only two days in jail and received good conduct credit for two other days, leaving just one day to serve in a work program at the courthouse.

As part of his probation, Pelosi was required to attend a three-month drinking driver class and install an ignition interlock device, which forces drivers to provide a breath sample to prove sobriety before the engine will start. He also was ordered to pay about $5,000 in victim restitution for medical bills and lost wages, along with nearly $2,000 in fines.

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Crowds ordered to evacuate National Mall area as stormy weather slams DC

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Crowds ordered to evacuate National Mall area as stormy weather slams DC

The thousands of people attending the Great American State Fair and other areas around the National Mall are being ordered to evacuate as stormy weather approaches.

The National Weather Service previously announced a Severe Thunderstorm Warning in the District. Officials are asking attendees to seek shelter.

SEE ALSO: Historic Fourth of July fireworks to light up National Mall: How to watch live

The DC Homeland Security & Emergency Management released a list of places where the crowds can go to get out of the weather:

Federal Buildings:

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  • Ronald Reagan Building – 100 Pennsylvania Ave NW
  • Dept. of Commerce – 1401 Constitution Ave NW
  • Dept. of Agriculture – 1400 Independence Dr SW
  • Dept. of Education – 400 Maryland Ave SW
  • Internal Revenue Service – 1111 Constitution Ave NW
  • Voice of America – 330 Independence Ave SW
  • Thomas Jefferson Memorial – 16 E Basin Dr SW

Museums:

  • National Museum of American History – 1300 Constitution Ave NW
  • National Museum of Natural History – 1000 Constitution Ave NW
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture – 1400 Constitution Ave NW

Freedom 250 organizers released this statement:

“The safety of our guests, performers, and staff is our top priority. Due to approaching severe storms, Freedom 250, United States Secret Service, United States Park Police, National Park Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and all public safety partners are asking all guests to evacuate event grounds and seek temporary shelter in a nearby building. Available shelter locations include the Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, Internal Revenue Service, VOA Building, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, the African American Museum, and the Ronald Reagan Building. Please remain calm, follow the directions of law enforcement and event staff, and stay tuned to Freedom 250’s official channels for updates. Freedom 250 will share updates on programming and doors reopening — please stay close to our official channels for updates.”

The Secret Service said they have suspended screening on the National Mall.

“Security screening on the National Mall has been suspended due to dangerous storms,” the Secret Service said. “If you are already on the grounds, follow directions from officers and event staff and move to shelter immediately. Do not shelter under trees.”

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Metro riders are also asked to seek shelter. Commuters should expect heavy crowds at stations near the National Mall and are asked to consider using L’Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, Archives, Federal Triangle or Federal Center SW stations to avoid congestion.

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Reflections on America’s 250th birthday

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Reflections on America’s 250th birthday

The nation’s capital may be the focal point of the 250th Independence Day celebration, but people all across America have plans to mark the occasion, from boisterous public parades to quiet personal reflections on history.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP


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Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

As the United States turns 250 years old, Americans across the country are spending the holiday thinking about what the big birthday means to them, with reflections and celebrations as diverse as the nation itself.

NPR’s member station reporters fanned out to collect snapshots of the occasion from sea to shining sea.

In one ‘City of Presidents,’ Main Street is decorated for a party

At least two cities in the U.S.call themselves the “City of Presidents” and Cuba City, in Wisconsin, is one of them, largely due to its patriotic Main Street decorations. Every year from Memorial Day through Veteran’s Day, red, white, and blue shields, one for each U.S. president, are prominently displayed high up on the light poles lining Main Street.

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It’s a tradition that began in 1976 to commemorate the country’s bicentennial, says Donna Rogers, who is president of the ongoing project but admitted that when it first started, she wasn’t particularly tuned-in to the display.

“I was raising three little boys and working at John Deere, so I didn’t really pay too much attention to community service at that time,” she said.

Donna Rogers shows off one of Cuba City's presidential lampposts.

Donna Rogers shows off one of Cuba City’s presidential lampposts.

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A few years later, she was tapped to help keep the initiative alive.

When she thinks of the country’s history, she says the signing of the Declaration of Independence and abolition of slavery top her list, plus a current event–

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“Of course, now, our nation’s 250th birthday. I think those three would be the three most important things in history to me,” she said, quickly adding “[the] right for women to vote, don’t forget that, right?”

Rogers and Cuba City are pulling out all the stops for the 250th, with a parade and a mac-and-cheese festival, because “that was some of our founding fathers favorite foods, along with turkey and cranberries and other items.”

She laughed and admitted she googled that. True or not, Rogers says they’ll go all-out to celebrate the 250th in her “City of Presidents”.

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