The Justice Department filed a long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation on Thursday, seeking to break up what officials call an unlawful monopoly that’s squeezing artists, promoters and venues while jacking up prices for fans.

Two days before the suit was filed, one of the “architects” of President Joe Biden’s antitrust agenda made a concise and plainspoken case for why the administration should pursue it.

The Justice Department filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation Entertainment on Thursday, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly over live events in America — squelching competition and driving up prices for fans.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, was brought with 30 state and district attorneys general and seeks to break up the monopoly they say is squeezing out smaller promoters, hurting artists and drowning fans with endless fees.

The Justice Department sued Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation on Thursday, accusing the ticketing companies of blocking competition in the live entertainment industry. 

The DOJ, which filed the antitrust lawsuit alongside 30 state and district attorneys general, alleges that Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s anti-competitive behavior deprives U.S. music fans of ticketing innovation and forces them to pay more than fans in other countries. 

After a yearlong investigation, the Department of Justice announced it has filed a lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster for breaking antitrust laws.

The Justice Department sued Apple Inc. on Thursday for allegedly monopolizing the smartphone market.

Apple allegedly restricted developers of apps, products and services used on the iPhone that could otherwise lower costs for consumers, according to the lawsuit filed in New Jersey. The alleged monopoly allows Apple to extract more money from consumers, software developers, publishers and merchants, according to the lawsuit joined by 16 state and district attorneys general.

The Justice Department sued Apple on Thursday, alleging the company illegally maintained a monopoly over smartphones in a wide-ranging lawsuit. 

The DOJ was joined by 16 bipartisan state attorneys general in the lawsuit filed in New Jersey , which alleges that Apple limits competition and hurts consumers, developers and small businesses through its operation of the company’s App Store, limiting the functions of third-party smart watches and hurting the quality of cross-platform messaging. 

The Department of Justice is suing Apple over allegations of violating antitrust law.

Attorney General Merrick Garland and other top DOJ officials are set to make an announcement later Thursday. The lawsuit, which the department said was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, targets Apple's grip on the smartphone market, according to a press release from the DOJ.

The Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general today sued Amazon, claiming the online retail giant illegally maintains monopoly power.

The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states have filed a high-profile antitrust lawsuit against Amazon that could force major changes to the popular Amazon Prime service — which would be bad news for its 167 million American members.

Tuesday’s move is hardly surprising.

After all, FTC Chair Lina Khan rose to prominence by calling for antitrust enforcement against Amazon when she was still a Yale University law student and has been a vocal critic of the company ever since.