Google is starting to have a monopoly on getting called out for having a monopoly. For the second time in under one year, the tech giant has been deemed to be operating an illegal monopoly, this time for its online advertising technology. Judge Leonie Brinkema of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued a 115-page ruling on Thursday that found Google violated antitrust laws to establish a firm hold over the online advertising space, allowing the company to charge higher prices and keep a larger portion of ad sales. In his ruling, Judge Brinkema said that Google was "willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power" over parts of the web advertising business by connecting its ad server business, DoubleClick, used by publishers to sell ads on their platforms, to its ad exchange operations, Google AdX, which sells ad space off auction-style to the highest bidder.
A researcher attributed the increase to awareness and improvements in detecting the developmental disorder. read more
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser has ordered what she called "extraordinary measures," including an immediate hiring freeze and a plan to furlough city employees and close government facilities, after House lawmakers failed to take up legislation that would fix a $1.1 billion hole in the District's budget before leaving on a two-week recess. The stunning circumstances " a slate of cost-cutting measures because of a budget crisis for D.C. caused by Congress " could lead to financial turmoil for an untold number of District residents who could be furloughed from city government jobs and, depending on which facilities city officials close, create gaps in services citywide for an unknown amount of time. read more
The man suspected of raping and killing Rachel Morin on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in August 2023 was found guilty after a nine day jury trial ended Monday. The jury deliberated for a little more than an hour before finding that Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was guilty of charges including pre-meditated murder and rape. Martinez-Hernandez, a Salvadoran native who illegally entered the United States in 2023, was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June 2024, after investigators used DNA found on Morin's body to identify his family members, who provided police with information about him. He was charged with first-degree rape, first-degree murder and other charges relating to the death of the 37-year-old Bel Air mother of five who was reported missing by her boyfriend on Aug. 5, 2023, hours after she went for a walk on the trail in Bel Air.
Arizona is set to begin a significant cleanup of its voter rolls, targeting as many as 50,000 individuals identified as noncitizens. This move comes in the wake of a lawsuit that has brought renewed attention to the issue of election integrity in the state. The effort is part of a broader push to ensure that only eligible citizens participate in the democratic process, addressing long-standing concerns about the accuracy of voter registration data. The lawsuit, filed by a group focused on election security, alleged that Arizona's voter rolls contained a substantial number of individuals who lacked proper citizenship documentation. State officials have now agreed to take steps to verify the eligibility of registered voters and remove those who do not meet the legal requirements. This development marks a pivotal moment for Arizona, a state often at the center of national debates over voting laws and procedures. read more
#15 Leave Jamison alone. He might bust into a song lyric if you push too much.