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Amazon's one medical purchase won't be blocked by the FTC,

plus why layoff announcements don't always match up with actual job reductions,

and the office real estate industry faces a day of reckoning.

You have thousands and thousands of office buildings worth less than the amount of the debt,

and now landlords and banks and lenders have to reconcile themself with that.

It's Wednesday, February 22nd. I'm Luke Vargas with the Wall Street Journal,

and here's the AM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today.

Amazon's purchase of one medical health clinics will not be blocked by the US Federal Trade Commission.

That is according to an agency spokesman who said that while an FTC investigation of the 3.9

billion-dollar deal continues, it won't sue in time to block the merger.

Journal reporter Julie Steinberg has more.

Under this deal, Amazon would be able to substantially expand its healthcare offerings

and operate physical medical clinics. It would expand its business to sell healthcare services

to employers, which cover some of the cost of workers' health insurance as a benefit

and face ongoing pressure to control that spending.

And under federal law, the FTC can sue to block mergers that would substantially reduce

competition or lead to monopoly. And they're also continuing to look at whether Amazon would use data

about one medical's clients for any purposes other than what the patients permitted when they

signed out with the healthcare service. So yes, anti-trust enforcers are still investigating,

but it looks like they're not going to sue in time to stop the deal from closing.

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