Federal Judge Declares Google a Monopolist, Setting the Stage for Major Industry Shakeup
On Monday, a pivotal ruling from a federal judge declared that Google had breached antitrust regulations in its quest to dominate the online search and advertising sectors. Judge Amit Mehta’s decision noted that Google had perpetuated its monopoly through specific strategies that violated section 2 of the Sherman Act.
We obtained a copy of the ruling for you here.
The lawsuit, which commenced in 2020, later expanded to include multiple states and territories, encapsulating the gravity and scale of the legal scrutiny Google faces. Early in the trial, government attorney Kenneth Dintzer articulated that the proceedings would significantly influence the future of internet governance.
The trial’s largely private proceedings sparked criticism from transparency advocates, who accused Google of trying to minimize public oversight and media exposure. Google had successfully argued that opening up the trial fully would risk exposing sensitive trade secrets.
In his detailed ruling, Judge Mehta highlighted that the evidence and testimonies reviewed throughout the trial led to the unequivocal conclusion that Google was engaging in monopolistic practices. “After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” he stated.
The case, marking one of the most significant antitrust judgments in recent decades, was the result of a major legal challenge initiated by the Justice Department. It reflects a broader governmental and international effort to regulate the expansive power of major tech entities.
The proceedings began in September of the previous year and featured a notable break, allowing Judge Mehta time to deliberate before concluding in early May.
Throughout the trial, federal prosecutors presented their case that Google maintained its search engine supremacy unlawfully, leveraging hefty financial agreements with companies like Apple and Samsung. This enabled Google to set itself as the default search engine across numerous devices, an advantage that Judge Mehta found to be unfairly limiting competition.
The financial scope of these agreements was substantial, with Google disbursing over $26 billion in 2021 to secure default status on various devices, a practice that the court criticized for lacking legitimate justification.
While the ruling stops short of detailing the potential penalties Google may face, it raises significant questions about the future operational landscape for Google’s search engine business. An appeal from Google is anticipated.
Defending its practices, Google asserted that its search services were superior to competitors like Microsoft’s Bing, arguing that its default engine agreements did not infringe antitrust laws.
Furthermore, Google’s legal team urged for a broader interpretation of the search market, suggesting that Google is one among many platforms that facilitate online searches, including tech giants like TikTok and Amazon.
Another significant aspect of the trial was the scrutiny of Google’s internal communication practices. The tech giant was criticized for not preserving chat records, which the government claimed could contain evidence detrimental to Google’s defense. Although Judge Mehta expressed disappointment over Google’s document retention practices, he opted not to sanction the company for these actions.
Looking ahead, Google is set to contend with another Justice Department lawsuit focused on its advertising techniques and alleged monopolistic behaviors in ad technology later this year.
Tommy Robinson: UK Govt Is Paying Provocateurs To Trigger Riots
Tommy Robinson has claimed that the Britsh government is paying provoateurs to trigger riots across the country. Appearing on the The Alex Jones Show on Monday, Robinson, who has been accused of stoking the riots, […]
The post Tommy Robinson: UK Govt Is Paying Provocateurs To Trigger Riots appeared first on The People’s Voice.
Economist Warns Warren Buffett Deliberately Triggered Stock Market Crash — Major Collapse Imminent
Dr. Kirk Elliot joins Alex Jones live to break down the latest in the ongoing stock market upheaval.
Economist Warns Warren Buffett Deliberately Triggered Stock Market Crash— Major Collapse Imminent@kirkelliottphd pic.twitter.com/gNJgCOHZUA
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) August 5, 2024
BREAKING: Tommy Robinson Gives Major Update Live — UK Government Paying Provocateurs To Trigger Riots
Tommy Robinson joins The Alex Jones Show on Monday to break down the UK government’s effort to foment civil war between citizens concerned for their safety and sovereignty and the state-sanctioned Muslim invaders.
BREAKING: Tommy Robinson Gives Major Update Live— UK Government Paying Provocateurs To Trigger Riots@TRobinsonNewEra pic.twitter.com/ps9oZADfR8
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) August 5, 2024
Rep. Raskin Announces Plan to Deny Trump Presidency Using 14th Amendment, Prep For ‘Civil War Conditions’
Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) announced plans to prevent former President Donald Trump from taking office on January 20, 2025 if reelected by invoking the 14th Amendment.
Raskin on Feb. 17 said Democrats must prepare for civil war and station bodyguards for all of them ahead of invoking the 14th Amendment to deny Trump the presidency, and blamed the Supreme Court for refusing to rule on whether the former president committed an “insurrection” on Jan. 6, 2021.
“They want to kick it to Congress, so it’s going to be up to us on January 6, 2025 to tell the rampaging Trump mobs that he’s disqualified and then we need bodyguards for everybody and civil war conditions,” Raskin said at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.
Jamie Raskin the rascal states they plan on using the 14th amendment on January 6, 2025, to keep Trump out of office if he wins the election. pic.twitter.com/1BAH6gJUpN
— Merissa Hansen (@merissahansen17) August 5, 2024
“All because the nine Justices…who have not many cases to look at every year, not that much work to do, a huge staff, great protection, simply do not want to do their job and interpret what the great 14th Amendment means,” he said in the resurfaced clip.
The Supreme Court in March unanimously ruled that states don’t have the constitutional authority to remove Trump from the 2024 election ballot after the Colorado Supreme Court and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows unilaterally removed him from their respective state ballots citing the 14th Amendment.
Joe Biden at the time even praised their unconstitutional actions before the Supreme Court overturned them.
The Supreme Court ruled the Constitution “makes Congress, rather than the States, responsible for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates.”
“States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency,” the court concluded.
By the way, the Supreme Court’s UNANIMOUS ruling that states cannot kick Trump off the ballot is also a stunning rebuke to this very embarrassing column from a supposed constitutional expert.https://t.co/PD1EfZQhk3 pic.twitter.com/CKV8pwqeJz
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) March 4, 2024
Now Raskin is proposing Congress exercise its constitutional authority to pass legislation declaring that Trump committed an “insurrection” on January 6, therefore disqualifying him from taking office under the 14th Amendment.
But even CNN following the Supreme Court’s ruling admitted that such a legislative effort would be “highly unlikely” to succeed.
But that constitutional technicality doesn’t appear to stop Democrats like Raskin from trying to deny Trump the presidency.
Notably, in the weeks prior to the SCOTUS ruling, The Atlantic asserted that Democrats should refuse to certify the 2024 election in the case of a Trump victory should the Supreme Court allow him to remain on the ballot.
Alex Jones sounded the alarm about Raskin’s extreme rhetoric during his Monday show:
BREAKING VIDEO: Congressman Raskin Publicly Announces Plan To Overthrow Supreme Court And Trigger “Civil War” pic.twitter.com/OYjvHM5vjT
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) August 5, 2024
Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller also weighed in on X, claiming, “I believe this is called a criminal conspiracy to commit election interference,”
That’s a crazy thing for him to say
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2024
“That’s a crazy thing for him to say,” agreed tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Raskin’s unhinged remarks also signal a tacit acknowledgement that Trump has the electoral edge and is more likely to win the 2024 election than Joe Biden — or in this case, presumptive Democrat nominee Kamala Harris.
Importantly, even though hundreds of individuals have been arrested and jailed for their actions on January 6, not a single person, including Trump, has been charged with inciting an “insurrection” on January 6.
Watch Raskin’s full remarks:
Rockets Hit Airbase in Iraq Housing US Troops
Rockets fired into Iraq struck a US airbase housing American troops, reports Monday claimed.
According to media sources, several US personnel were injured when two rockets hit the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq.
Fox News reports:
A U.S. defense official confirmed the suspected rocket attack to Fox News on Monday afternoon. According to Reuters, at least two Katyusha rockets were fired towards the base.
Speaking to Fox News, the official said that “several” U.S. personnel were injured during the incident.
“Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment,” the official added. “We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
It’s unclear how many soldiers were injured in the attack, or who exactly was responsible.
While a source told Reuters the rockets fell inside the base, another source told Iraqi media outlet Rudaw English “that the target appeared to be Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase, but the initial rockets failed to hit the site.”
The source also told Rudaw the rockets had been “launched from the industrial subdistrict of al-Haqlaniyah in Haditha district,” and that police had located “an abandoned vehicle suspected to be used to launch the attack.”
The attack comes as the Israel-Gaza conflict has continued to escalate, as Iran has vowed to retaliate for the assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Tehran, which it blames on Israel, raising fears of an impending World War III.