CNBC investigates Walmart’s marketplace, Colbert backs Kimmel and more in Morning Squawk

This is CNBC’s Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox.

Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:

Walmart’s online marketplace has exploded in recent years. But a major investigation from CNBC published this morning shows that this growth has stemmed in part from lax requirements for third-party sellers.

CNBC’s Gabrielle Fonrouge and Paige Tortorelli found dozens of vendors on Walmart’s platform who have taken on the identities of other businesses when creating accounts, some of whom were selling counterfeit health and beauty products. Bob Barchiesi, the president of the non-profit International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, said Walmart’s digital platform looks “more like a flea market than a trusted marketplace.”

Through interviews with marketplace sellers and current and former employees, CNBC found that Walmart made its vetting process more lax in hopes of encouraging sellers to jump from Amazon to its own platform. In a statement, Walmart said it has a “zero-tolerance policy for prohibited or noncompliant products” and has invested in tools to ensure product authenticity. Weeks after CNBC shared its reporting with the company, Walmart also tightened vetting for certain sellers and products.

Experts warn that consumers face a higher risk of accidentally purchasing counterfeit products through online marketplaces than from traditional retailers. Along with its investigation into Walmart’s practices, CNBC also released a new guide today for how shoppers can ensure they aren’t buying fake products.

ABC’s indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show has become a cultural lightning rod.

President Donald Trump indicated yesterday that the federal government could revoke the licenses of broadcast TV networks that are “against” him. The president’s comments followed CNBC’s interview with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, during which he suggested that more changes to the media landscape are coming. “We’re not done yet,” Carr said.

Meanwhile, fellow late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert is coming to Kimmel’s defense. In his show last night, which was dedicated to free speech and Kimmel’s team, Colbert called ABC’s decision “blatant censorship” and Trump an “autocrat.”

The Federal Trade Commission is taking Ticketmaster and its parent Live Nation to court, alleging “illegal” ticket resale tactics.

The FTC said in its lawsuit that Live Nation and Ticketmaster “tacitly worked” with scalpers so they could “unlawfully purchase” tickets to increase profits. Seven states joined the lawsuit, which was filed in California federal court.

Ticketmaster and Live Nation both did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment. Investors didn’t seem to take the news well: Shares of Live Nation closed down more than 2% yesterday.

Sometimes, forgetting your password isn’t such a bad thing. Just ask NBA star Kevin Durant’s agent.

Durant cannot locate the password to his Coinbase account, which holds the bitcoin that he started buying in 2016, his agent Rich Kleiman told CNBC this week. That’s “only benefitted” the athlete, Kleiman said, given that the cryptocurrency is going “through the roof.” After CNBC reported on Durant’s predicament, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said on X that Durant’s account has been recovered.

See more from CNBC’s Game Plan conference in Los Angeles here.