When politicians talk about affordability, it can sometimes feel like they're describing

something vague and amorphous. They promise to address affordability without coming up with

concrete solutions, leaving you with the impression that the crisis your feeling is driven

by some mysterious economic force beyond anyone's control.

In President Trump's case, it's a little different. He wants you to believe you're simply imagining higher prices.

His real concern seems to be that you will start connecting the dots and realize the affordability crisis is a very real thing that's not just real, but perhaps by design. Two recent stories that

largely flew under the radar, mostly because the Trump administration wanted them to,

make that connection clear. In inflation is not some accident. In at least one of these cases,

administration officials appear to have taken steps to keep details hidden from the American

public. Their hope was that you wouldn't notice. The first story centers on alleged price

fixing scheme involving PepsiCo and Walmart. Newly unsealed court documents reveal that Trump's

Federal Trade Commission, the FTC, may have quietly buried a case alleging that Pepsi and

Walmart may have colluded to rig grocery prices, artificially inflating costs for Walmart's

competitors, while ensuring that Walmart's dominance in the grocery field perpetuates.

According to the FTC complaint, Pepsi actively policed and punished grocery chains

that tried to compete with Walmart on Pepsi products. This matters because PepsiCo is a giant. It took

in $92 billion last year, not just selling soft drinks, but Lays, Doritos, Quaker, and other iconic

food brands. And Walmart is far and away

one of Pepsi's biggest customers, according to market analysis. Pepsi has an interest in keeping

Walmart happy because it controls more than 20% of the U.S. grocery market and ranks among the

top three grocers in nearly every major population center, according to Numerator, which is a retail market data firm.

According to the complaint, their relationship allegedly cuts both ways. Pepsi helps Walmart

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