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As Oasis reunites, U.K. government blasts Ticketmaster for 'vastly inflated' prices

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As Oasis reunites, U.K. government blasts Ticketmaster for 'vastly inflated' prices

Oasis fans are looking back in anger at their experience trying to purchase tickets for the act’s highly anticipated reunion tour, and the U.K. government is preparing to take action.

The U.K. government has vowed to investigate live event companies’ use of “dynamic pricing” after concertgoers accused Beverly Hills-based Ticketmaster of gouging them to see the recently revived band perform.

In a statement provided Tuesday to The Times, U.K. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy promised to “include issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queuing systems which incentivise it” in parliament’s forthcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket resales.

“After the incredible news of Oasis’ return, it’s depressing to see vastly inflated prices excluding ordinary fans from having a chance of enjoying their favourite band live,” Nandy said in her statement.

Last month, feuding brothers and musicians Noel and Liam Gallagher announced that they would be reuniting as Oasis after 15 years apart. The “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” hitmakers are set to play 17 shows next summer at a variety of venues spanning Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin.

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When tickets for the British rock band’s comeback tour went on sale over the weekend, customers complained on social media about waiting in Ticketmaster’s crowded online queue for hours — only to be denied entry or encounter unreasonably high prices.

Some fans accused the Live Nation-owned company of actively hiking ticket prices during the sale based on consumer demand. X users posted screenshots of their struggles and alleged that standing ticket prices increased from £149 (about $195) to £355 (about $465) before the events sold out.

Representatives for Ticketmaster and Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Some screenshots of the Ticketmaster website shared on social media depict an infobox justifying the controversial cost of a so-called “In Demand Standing Ticket.”

“The Event Organiser has priced these tickets according to their market value,” the description reads, noting that “availability and pricing are subject to change.”

A parliamentary consultation on secondary ticketing and dynamic pricing in the live events business is slated to commence this fall. The consultation will consider a range of approaches to regulating ticket prices, including limiting the price of resold tickets to a standardized percentage of the original cost or restricting the amount of tickets that a single party can resell.

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In the U.S., Live Nation and Ticketmaster are now under escalating antitrust scrutiny. The Justice Department earlier this year sued the company with the goal of breaking up the dominant concert promoter and ticket seller, accusing the combined firm of monopolistic practices.

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Politics

'Loud and clear': Border state's legislature moves to back Trump's ICE on deportations

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'Loud and clear': Border state's legislature moves to back Trump's ICE on deportations

FIRST ON FOX: Arizona’s legislature is considering significant legislation to ensure the key border state cooperates with the mass deportation push by the new Trump administration amid questions about the extent to which states will aid the government.

Senate President Warren Petersen, a Republican, is introducing the “AZ ICE Act,” which would require sheriff’s departments and the Arizona Department of Corrections to enter into co-operative agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The agreements are based on 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows ICE to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers certain immigration functions, including identifying and detaining suspected illegal immigrants.

TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS, ORDERS PAROLE REVIEW

Immigrants wait to be processed by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the border from Mexico on Dec. 30, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

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“The 287(g) program allows ICE — through the delegation of specified immigration officer duties — to enhance collaboration with state and local law enforcement partners to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of noncitizens who undermine the safety of our nation’s communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws,” ICE’s website says.

Petersen’s bill would also require law enforcement to comply with ICE detainers — which are requests that ICE be notified when an illegal immigrant is being released from state or local custody. “Sanctuary” jurisdictions do not comply with detainers.

‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’: TRUMP DECLARES AMBITIOUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

The bill would also direct additional funding to local law enforcement.

“Ending the border crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. This commonsense legislation will not only allow federal and local law enforcement to work together to protect our citizens, but it will also prevent government obstruction,” Petersen said in a statement. 

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President Donald Trump takes the oath of office during his inauguration

President Donald Trump takes the oath of office from U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts during inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Lamarque/AFP via Getty Images)

“Arizona voters spoke loud and clear last November. They overwhelmingly approved the ‘Secure the Border Act’ that Republicans referred to the ballot because they want the law enforced, and they want safe communities,” he said. “I look forward to the AZ ICE Act passing the Legislature, and I’m hopeful the Governor will listen to our citizens by signing the bill when it hits her desk.” 

President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Monday and immediately signed a slew of executive orders to tackle border security and illegal immigration. His administration is planning to launch a mass deportation operation and is already taking steps to make that happen.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Some local jurisdictions have pledged their support for the measures, but other officials have promised to either resist or not comply with the upcoming deportation operation.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, told ABC News in November that she was hopeful that ongoing partnerships with the federal government can continue, but she said the state would not be complying with what she called a “misguided” deportation operation.

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“I am very hopeful that that partnership can continue, and that the incoming administration will listen to, not only my administration, but the experts here on the ground, the people that are doing the work about what is most needed, and what we can continue to do that will be most helpful in securing our border,” she said.

She then added, “What I will unequivocally say is that, as governor, I will not tolerate efforts that are part of misguided policies that harm our communities, that threaten our communities, that terrorize our communities, and Arizona will not take part in those.”

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she used her access to nudge Trump on L.A. wildfire recovery

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she used her access to nudge Trump on L.A. wildfire recovery

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the chief of the inaugural transition, acknowledged the difficulty of overseeing the handoff of power to President Trump in the site where his followers sought to overthrow election results but also said it was important for herself and other Democrats to acknowledge Trump’s 2024 victory.

“We had a job to do,” said Klobuchar, the chairwoman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which worked for two years on planning the transition, in an interview Monday night. “And that’s why President Obama came and President Clinton, they were well aware of what had happened in that request. But that was our job.”

Asked whether it was difficult to speak at the inauguration of Trump, whom Klobuchar did not vote for, she replied, “Well, everything about this can be a little hard.”

But she added that she sought to use the opportunity to impress upon Trump the need to support Los Angeles’ recovery from the wildfires as well as the importance of the 2028 Olympic Games in Southern California. “That’s important,” Klobuchar said.

In the introduction of Monday’s inauguration ceremony in the historic Capitol Rotunda, Klobuchar coyly touched upon the dichotomy of the formal swearing-in taking place in the same place Trump’s supporters stormed as they tried to stop the certification of his 2020 loss.

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“Today President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance will take their oath of office and we will witness the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democracy,” said Klobuchar, who ran for president in 2020 before dropping out and endorsing Biden. “Our theme this year is our enduring democracy. The presence of so many presidents and vice presidents here today is truly a testament to that endurance.”

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Video: Trump Pardons Nearly All Involved in Jan. 6 Attack

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Video: Trump Pardons Nearly All Involved in Jan. 6 Attack

On his first day back in office, President Trump pardoned all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Maggie Haberman, White House correspondent for The New York Times, describes what’s behind those pardons.

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