Cori Bush loses Democratic primary after huge campaign by pro-Israel groups
Two-term representative defeated in a race that saw pro-Israel campaign contributions help to topple a member of US Congress’s left-wing ‘Squad’. United States Representative Cori Bush, a fierce critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, has lost her Democratic congressional primary, in a race that saw a massive influx of money from pro-Israel groups to defeat a member of Congress’s left-wing “Squad”. Bush, a Congresswoman from Missouri, lost Tuesday’s primary to St Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell, who won about 51.2 percent of the vote to her 45.6 percent. “We will stand up for what is right, no matter the cost,” Bush said on Tuesday night in a defiant concession speech posted to social media. “I just hope he [Bell] actually takes time to learn about our Palestinian, our Arab and Muslim community.” Bush’s defeat followed an onslaught by pro-Israel groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its affiliated Super PAC, United Democratic Project (UDP), which together poured about $8.5m to topple her. It was the latest successful effort by the powerful pro-Israel lobbies to knock off lawmakers critical of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed nearly 40,000 people, mostly women and children, and has triggered numerous allegations of war crimes by Israeli forces, including the systematic use of torture. Bush introduced a resolution in Congress calling for a ceasefire in Gaza just weeks after the start of the war, saying Israel was waging an “ethnic cleansing campaign” in the Palestinian territory. She boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint sitting of Congress last month, saying attending would be celebrating a “war criminal” at the forefront of a “genocide”. In June, fellow progressive Jamal Bowman, also critical of the war in Gaza, was defeated by a pro-Israel primary challenger after UDP spent about $15m on the race. While the defeats of Bowman and Bush show that pro-Israel groups in the US still have the ability to sway important races, they have also been unable to reverse a trend of greater sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians among Democratic voters. A 2023 Gallup poll found an 11-point swing in favour of sympathy with the Palestinians and away from Israel, and numerous progressive lawmakers have called for an end of US support for Israel’s war in Gaza. During the Democratic presidential primaries, the “uncommitted” movement, which urged voters in a series of states to mark “uncommitted” on their ballots in protest against President Joe Biden’s support of the war, consistently outperformed expectations. A pastor and nurse, Bush became a Black Lives Matter activist and led protests after the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. During her concession speech, Bush said she would continue to support “a free Palestine”, to which the crowd responded with chants of “Free, free Palestine”. Adblock test (Why?)
Big challenges ahead for Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s new interim leader
Bangladesh’s Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been asked to head the interim government in the wake of the political crisis that saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina flee the country on Monday. Yunus, 84, who hailed the weeks-long student-led protests that brought down the Hasina government as a “Second Victory Day”, has been a critic of Hasina’s 15 years of iron-fisted rule. The protests began against a job quota, which reserved more than half the posts to particular groups including one-third for the descendants of 1971 war veterans. It was scaled back by the Supreme Court on July 21, but it did not assuage the protesters. “This is our beautiful country with lots of exciting possibilities. We must protect and make it a wonderful country for us and for our future generations,” Yunus told reporters. The economist and entrepreneur takes over the reins of the country after one the deadliest protests in its history, which saw more than 300 killed and thousands arrested. Big challenges lie ahead as he has to establish law and order, revive the economy, and pave the way for free and fair elections. Ahmed Ahsan, a former World Bank economist and a director of the Policy Research Institute in Bangladesh, says Yunus “is the man of the hour, chosen by the students who spearheaded the entire movement”. “He commands enormous respect both in the country and in the world,” Ahsan told Al Jazeera. ‘Banker to the poor’ Yunus, the third of nine children, was born in 1940 in a village near the southern port city of Chittagong in what was then East Pakistan. He graduated from the University of Dhaka in 1961. He joined Vanderbilt University in the United States in 1965 on a Fulbright scholarship for his PhD in economics, which he completed in 1969. He went on to become an assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in the US. During the 1971 liberation war against the Pakistani military, Yunus supported efforts to create an independent Bangladesh. He founded a citizens’ committee in the US city of Nashville and helped run the Bangladesh Information Center in Washington, DC, which lobbied the US Congress to stop military aid to Pakistan. In 1972, Yunus returned to an independent Bangladesh, and after a brief spell in the country’s new Planning Commission, joined the economics department of the University of Chittagong. The protests began against a job quota that reserved more than half the posts to particular groups including one-third for the descendants of 1971 war veterans [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters] In 1976, he visited nearby villages in Chittagong that were affected by famines a few years earlier as part of his field work at the university. Yunus lent 42 people in the village $27 and found that each of them paid the money back as scheduled. He found out that small loans or microcredits given to poor villagers made a huge difference. Traditional banks would not lend them money, forcing them to rely on unscrupulous money lenders who charged exorbitant interest rates. This was the beginning of Grameen Bank (village bank) which pioneered the provision of microcredit to poor people to allow them to start up new businesses. Yunus became known as the “banker to the poor” as he helped lift millions out of poverty through his Grameen Bank. Awarded the Nobel Prize In 2006, Yunus and Grameen Bank were together awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to “create economic and social development from below”. By that time, the bank had lent more than $7bn to over seven million borrowers, 97 percent of them women, with a repayment rate of nearly 100 percent. “I see poor people are getting out of poverty every day … we can see that we can create a poverty-free world… where the only place we’ll see poverty will be in the museums, poverty museums,” Yunus said at the time. Yunus is now faced with the rough and tumble of politics beyond the reams of theory. His immediate task will be to restore stability after five weeks of deadly protests, but the larger issue is the economic crisis that has seen the ballooning of food prices and a stagnant private job sector. “The new government will need to stabilise the economy and contain inflation … and stabilise exchange rates,” Ahsan from the Policy Research Institute told Al Jazeera. Jon Danilowicz, a former US diplomat who spent eight years working in Bangladesh, believes that Yunus’s appointment is a good choice as his international profile will help the South Asian nation of 170 million. “His great strength is his credibility and his profile internationally, particularly in the United States. He can tap into the reservoir of goodwill that exists there and the willingness of the United States to do what it can do to help Bangladesh,” Danilowicz told Al Jazeera. The former diplomat, who is a board member of a rights NGO based in Bangladesh, thinks there are three big challenges for the interim government: dealing with the economic issues; unravelling the politicisation of the country’s institutions including the civil service, police and judiciary; and how to deal with the issues of accountability for serious human rights violations. “He must establish civilian control and supremacy early on and make sure that the army goes back to its normal role of supporting the civilian administration,” Danilowicz said. On the diplomatic front, Yunus will have to strike cordial ties with India, which backed the Hasina administration despite her rights violations and repression of opposition voices. Hasina is currently in India. “The new government must have cooperative relations with India as a hostile Indian government could be a spoiler, causing problems for Bangladesh,” Danilowicz said. On Hasina’s target Yunus became the target of Hasina’s ire after he floated the idea of launching a political party in 2007. Yunus’s initial idea of launching the party came against the backdrop of the failure of the two main parties – Hasina’s Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh
‘Swift response’: UK court delivers first sentences over far-right riots
NewsFeed The Liverpool Crown Court sentenced three men to prison terms ranging from 20 months to three years in the first prosecutions over far-right riots that spread across the UK after three young girls were killed in a stabbing attack. Published On 7 Aug 20247 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
‘Fight for our future’: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz hold first rally
Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s candidate for November’s United States presidential election, has held her first rally with running mate Tim Walz, describing their campaign as a “fight for our future”. The two took the stage in Pennsylvania to Beyonce’s Freedom just hours after Harris named Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her vice presidential pick. Democrats are hoping Walz’s down-to-earth background will win over voters in crucial swing states in the Midwestern region, including Wisconsin and Michigan. Introducing the Army National Guard veteran and school-teacher-turned-politician, Harris said Walz was “a leader who will help unite our nation and move us forward, a fighter for the middle class, a patriot who believes, as I do, in the extraordinary promise of America.” A former attorney general of California, 59-year-old Harris has sought to contrast her past as a prosecutor with Republican rival Donald Trump’s criminal record. She told the crowd of about 10,000 supporters: “This campaign – our campaign – is not just a fight against Donald Trump. Our campaign – this campaign – is a fight for the future.” Walz, 60, was combative as he went on the attack against 78-year-old Trump. “He mocks our laws, he sows chaos and division, and that’s to say nothing of his record as president,” Walz said of Trump who was president for four years until 2020. “He froze in the face of the COVID crisis, he drove our economy into the ground, and make no mistake, violent crime was up under Donald Trump,” Walz said. “That’s not even counting the crimes he committed,” he added to roars of laughter and boisterous applause. Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz acknowledge the crowd as they arrive in Philadelphia [Joe Lamberti/AP Photo] He targeted Republicans for pursuing restrictions on women’s reproductive rights, an issue that has plagued the party since the US Supreme Court in 2022 ended women’s constitutional right to abortion. “Even if we wouldn’t make the same choice for ourselves, there’s a golden rule: mind your own damn business!” Walz said, drawing a huge ovation. The first joint appearance by Harris and Walz offered a glimpse of how they might appeal to voters – one a trailblazing Black and South Asian former senator from California, the other a white ex-congressman from the blue-collar US heartland. The Pennsylvania event was the first stop on a multi-day campaign tour through key states crucial to election success: Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada. Trump and his running mate Senator JD Vance were quick to tag the new competition as too liberal. “This is the most Radical Left duo in American history,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. Analysts said the new Democratic ticket were on the same page on policy and had the experience to govern. “What you saw today was a ticket that represents both the coastal liberals and the Midwest working class folks who are the base of the Democratic Party and what you also heard was a very effective takedown of the Republican party ticket, which includes a convicted felon and a guy who is the reason why Tim Walz refers to the Republican ticket as ‘weird’,” Luis Navarro, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, told Al Jazeera. ‘Sense of joy’ While most voters will make their choice on November 5 based on the presidential candidate, the choice of a running mate can help or hurt the ticket as a result of their background, home state popularity and ability to sway important constituencies or independent voters. A relatively low-profile politician, Walz spent 12 years in the US House of Representatives representing a largely rural district in southern Minnesota. He ran for governor of the state for the first time in 2018 and was returned for a second term four years later. Despite the state not being a traditional Democratic stronghold, Walz won both races with ease. During his time in office, he has won approval for policies including tuition fee programmes for low-income students, free school meals, goals for tackling climate change, tax cuts for the middle class and expanded paid leave for workers. Walz, who got the nod ahead of more prominent names including Pennsylvania’s popular Governor Josh Shapiro, on Tuesday spoke of his upbringing in the small town of Butte, Nebraska where he worked on the family farm and where community was a “way of life” with neighbours striving together “for the common good.” Supporters cheer Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as they speak at Tuesday’s campaign rally [Matt Rourke/AP Photo] He also lauded Harris’s work and career. “She took on the predators and the fraudsters, she took down transnational gangs, stood up against powerful corporate interests,” Walz said. “And she never hesitated to reach across the aisle if it meant improving people’s lives… And she does it all with a sense of joy.” The vice president’s first joint appearance with her new running mate comes before the Democratic Party convention in Chicago, which starts on August 19. The noisy rally was a striking reminder of how different the race was before 81-year-old President Joe Biden bowed to mounting concerns over his age and withdrew from the race giving his endorsement to Harris. Polls show she has erased the lead Trump had built against Biden. The Harris campaign said it had raised more than $20m after Walz was announced as Harris’s running mate. Biden described the Harris and Walz ticket as “a powerful voice for working people and America’s great middle class”. Adblock test (Why?)
US Defense Secretary Austin defends decision to revoke 9/11 plea deals
The Pentagon chief was caught off guard by last week’s decision by prosecutors to offer deals to the men. United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has defended his decision to revoke controversial plea deals agreed between prosecutors and three men accused of plotting the September 11, 2001 attacks. Speaking publicly for the first time about his decision on Tuesday, Austin said it “wasn’t a decision that I took lightly” and he did so to honour the scale of the loss that occurred that day. “I have long believed that the families of the victims, our service members, and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commissions, commission trials carried out,” he said at an event with visiting Australian officials in Annapolis, Maryland. The Pentagon announced on July 31 that plea agreements had been reached with three of five alleged plotters held at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre, where they stand accused of orchestrating the deadliest attack on US soil in the country’s history. Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day as hijacked passenger planes struck targets in New York City and Washington, DC. A fourth crashed into a field as passengers tackled the hijackers. The deals involved alleged mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammad as well as accomplices Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi. A fourth defendant did not agree to the terms, while a fifth man was ruled mentally unfit to continue facing trial last year. In a statement, it described the deals as “pretrial agreements”, without offering further details. US media reports said the men would plead guilty in exchange for receiving a life sentence rather than the death penalty. The defendants are due to face trial in a military court at the maximum-security facility in Cuba, but their cases have been held up for years amid legal wrangling. The plea bargains had been welcomed by some as the only feasible way to resolve the long-stalled 9/11 cases, including J Wells Dixon, a lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights. Dixon, who has represented defendants at Guantanamo and other detainees who have been cleared of wrongdoing, accused Austin of “bowing to political pressure and pushing some victim family members over an emotional cliff” with the reversal. The plea deals sparked outrage among some victims’ family members and Republican lawmakers, who accused the administration of President Joe Biden of treating the defendants too lightly. Austin himself was also caught off guard by the decision, Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday. “This is not something that the secretary [Lloyd Austin] was consulted on,” she said. “We were not aware that the prosecution or defence would enter the terms of the plea agreement.” On Friday, a tersely-worded letter from the defence secretary said the plea deals had been withdrawn. Austin added that Susan Escallier, the official in charge of the military commission which had signed off on them, had also been relieved of her authority to enter into pre-trial agreements and he would now assume responsibility in the case. “Effective immediately, in the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pretrial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024,” the letter said. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that the Biden administration did not play a role in the plea bargains, saying the White House knew the “same day” they were announced. “We had no role in that process. The president had no role. The vice president had no role. I had no role. The White House had no role,” Sullivan told journalists on Thursday, without explaining why the deals were agreed and announced without consultation. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 894
As the war enters its 894th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Wednesday, August 7, 2024. Fighting At least one person was killed and 12 others, including an eight-month-old baby, injured on Tuesday when a Russian missile struck a residential area of northeastern Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city. Governor Oleh Syniehubov said a medical clinic was among many buildings that were damaged in the attack, which he said involved an Iskander ballistic missile. Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of Russia’s southwestern Kursk region, bordering Ukraine, said a driver and paramedic were killed and a doctor injured when a Ukrainian drone hit an ambulance near the town of Sudzha. Russia said it sent reserve troops to the Kursk region, claiming some 300 pro-Kyiv fighters had stormed across the border supported by 11 tanks and more than 20 armoured vehicles. Smirnov said later that the situation was “tense” but “under the control” of Russian forces. Kyiv did not comment on the alleged incursion. Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said Russia had captured 420sq km (162sq miles) of Ukrainian territory since June 14, as the Ministry of Defence said its forces had taken control of Tymofiivka, a village in eastern Donetsk region. Politics and diplomacy Niger’s military rulers cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine in solidarity with Mali, which severed relations with Kyiv over remarks from an official that it said showed Ukraine’s support for groups involved in an attack that killed dozens of mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group as well as Malian soldiers in July. Maria Andreyeva, one of the leaders of the Put Domoy (Way Home) group that campaigns for drafted men to be brought home from Ukraine, told the AFP news agency that she had quit her campaigning amid pressure from the Kremlin. Andreyeva said she lost her job after Moscow designated her a “foreign agent”. A court In Prague jailed Czech volunteer Filip Siman for seven years after he was found guilty of looting from civilians and dead soldiers while serving with the Ukrainian army. Siman was posted to the ravaged Ukrainian cities of Irpin and Bucha where he stole from civilians and dead soldiers, Czech media said. Weapons Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had used more drones in combat than Russia last month and that the weapons were “already affecting the war in strategic terms”. He did not give numbers. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine had put additional funding towards its domestic missile programme as it tries to narrow a gap in capabilities with Russia, which has a variety of long-range weapons. “More domestically produced missiles to come”, Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Adblock test (Why?)
Paris organisers scrap Olympic open water swim training in polluted Seine
Athletes competing in the upcoming Olympic marathon swimming events repeatedly face training delays due to water quality issues in the River Seine. Paris Olympics organisers said that training for open water swimming in the River Seine had been cancelled due to pollution, raising questions over why triathletes were allowed to use the waterway the day before. The decision is the fifth time organisers have scrapped training in the river since the start of the Olympic Games on July 28 and is likely to frustrate marathon swimming competitors who must get used to the Seine’s strong currents. A statement from World Aquatics and the organising committee early on Tuesday said that one out of four readings for enterococci bacteria in the river – an indicator of the presence of faecal matter – was above the upper authorised limit. “This decision [to cancel training] has been taken out of an abundance of caution, especially given that another familiarisation swim is scheduled for the following day August 7,” it said. Ever since the River Seine was chosen as a location for the triathlon and marathon swimming, French authorities have been in a race against time to clean up the waterway. The triathlon was badly disrupted by poor bacterial readings last week, with all swim training sessions cancelled and the men’s individual race postponed by 24 hours until Wednesday. A mixed relay race also looked in doubt on Monday, but eventually took place on schedule, with Germany clinching gold in a thrillingly close race that saw the USA and Britain win silver and bronze medals. Marathon swimming – a 10km (6.2-mile) race in open water – is set to take place on Thursday for women and Friday for men. Organisers have said that marathon swimming can be moved to another location in Vaires-sur-Marne on the River Marne east of Paris if the Seine is too polluted to use. They said Tuesday that they were “very confident” that the men’s and women’s events would take place in the Seine. Athletes compete in the swimming stage in the River Seine during the men’s individual triathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 31, 2024 [Julien de Rosa/AFP] Athletes compete in the swimming race in the Seine, during the mixed relay triathlon on August 5, 2024. Athlete training in the waterway was cancelled on August 6, due to pollution, ahead of the marathon open water swim events on Thursday August 8 and Friday August 9 [Franck Fife/AFP] Adblock test (Why?)
Who is Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’s VP pick in US election?
Tim Walz may not be the most recognisable name in the politics of the United States. But from Tuesday onwards, the Minnesota governor will be a leading figure in the presidential campaign as Vice President Kamala Harris’s Democratic running mate. Harris, who has secured her party’s nomination for the November 5 polls, selected Walz as her VP pick, saying she was “proud” of her choice. “As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the team,” Harris posted on X. Walz said it was the “honour of a lifetime” to be Harris’s vice presidential pick. “I’m all in. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks!” he posted on X. If Harris defeats Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November polls, Walz will be a heartbeat away from the US presidency. While vice presidents’ official duties are limited, they serve as potential heirs and partners in governing at the White House. As running mates, they are top surrogates for the campaign. So who is Walz and where does he stand on the issues driving the US election? Walz, 60, has both executive and legislative experiences. He was first elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and won a second term four years later. Despite the state not being a traditional Democratic stronghold, Walz won both races with ease. Prior to his gubernatorial tenure, Walz served in the US House of Representatives for 12 years, representing a largely rural district in southern Minnesota. Walz is also a US military veteran, having served in the Army National Guard for 24 years after joining it at the age of 17. Before running for Congress, he worked as a school teacher. On policy, the governor has been lauded by some progressives for being able to advance left-wing priorities in a swing state. Over the past six years, Walz has approved programmes that would cover college tuition for low-income students, implemented free breakfast and lunch at public schools, legalised recreational marijuana for adults and expanded protections for workers. Walz, 60, has both executive and legislative experiences [File: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images via AFP] Walz is also seen as a strong defender of abortion rights. Moreover, he has backed many climate initiatives, including a law to transition Minnesota to carbon-free electricity by 2040. While Republicans are likely to argue that Walz’s record is too liberal, the governor has not shied away from standing by his policies. Asked about being labelled a “big government liberal”, Walz told CNN last month, “What a monster! Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn, and women are making their own healthcare decisions, and we’re a top five business state, and we also rank in the top three in happiness.” “If that’s where they want to label me, I’m more than happy to take the label,” he added. Jennifer Victor, a political science professor at George Mason University, told Al Jazeera Walz is an “interesting choice”, noting that many Americans may not have heard of him before Tuesday. Victor said Walz has a relatable “Midwestern vibe”. “It seems that perhaps Harris has chosen him for these positive attributes that she thinks may make the ticket more appealing to swing voters,” she said. She highlighted Walz’s criticism of Republicans as “weird”, rather than a mortal threat to democracy. “This was not a line of framing that we had seen Democrats successfully use against Republicans in the past, and Walz delivered it in a sort of personable, softer way that I think just resonated with more people,” she said. Beyond domestic policy, the US approach to the war in Gaza and soaring tensions in the Middle East is proving to be a prominent issue in this election cycle. While governors do not dictate foreign policy, Walz has expressed support for Israel and ordered the flags at half-staff in solidarity with the US ally after Hamas’s October 7 attack. While serving in Congress, Walz had also taken pro-Israel positions. “Israel is our truest and closest ally in the region, with a commitment to values of personal freedoms and liberties, surrounded by a pretty tough neighborhood,” he had said in 2010. But in March, after nearly 19 percent of Democratic voters in Minnesota cast “uncommitted” votes to protest President Joe Biden’s unconditional support for Israel, Walz suggested that he understands the growing frustration with the US approach. He said people who voted “uncommitted” have “every right” to be heard. “These folks are asking for a change in course. They’re asking for more pressure to be put on,” Walz told MPR News at that time. “People are frustrated, but it bodes well for me that they’re actively engaged to go out and cast his vote and ask for change,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Hezbollah launches drone strikes into Israel
NewsFeed Video shows Israeli police examining the site of a Hezbollah drone strike in northern Israel. The Lebanese group launched a series of drones it says were targeting Israeli military installations. Published On 6 Aug 20246 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Google has illegal monopoly over internet search, US judge rules
The case depicted Google as a technological bully that methodically thwarted competition to protect its search engine. A judge in the United States has ruled that Google spent billions of dollars to create an illegal monopoly for its search engine, exploiting its dominance to squash competition and stifle innovation. Monday’s landmark decision that Google broke antitrust law marks the first major success for US authorities taking on the dominance of Big Tech, which has come under fire from across the political spectrum. “The court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” US District Judge Amit Mehta wrote in his 277-page ruling. Google’s dominance in the search market was evidence of its monopoly, the ruling found. Google “enjoys an 89.2% share of the market for general search services, which increases to 94.9% on mobile devices”, the ruling said. US Attorney General Merrick Garland called the decision “a historic win for the American people”, adding that “no company – no matter how large or influential – is above the law”. The decision represents a major setback for Google and its parent company, Alphabet, which had argued that its popularity stemmed from consumers’ overwhelming desire to use a search engine that has become synonymous with looking things up online. Google’s search engine processes an estimated 8.5 billion queries every day worldwide, nearly double its daily volume from 12 years ago, according to a recent study by investment firm BOND. Google’s global affairs president, Kent Walker, said the company would appeal the ruling, noting that Mehta had characterised Google as the industry’s best search engine. “Given this, and that people are increasingly looking for information in more and more ways, we plan to appeal,” Walker said. The ruling paves the way for a second trial to determine potential remedies, possibly including a breakup of Alphabet, which would change the landscape of the online advertising world that Google has dominated for years. The ruling is the first major decision in a series of cases taking on alleged monopolies in Big Tech including Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, Amazon and Apple. The Google case, filed by the administration of former President Donald Trump, went before a judge from September to November of last year. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, said the fact that the case continued across administrations showed strong bipartisan support for antitrust enforcement. “It’s a huge victory for the American people that antitrust enforcement is alive and well when it comes to competition,” she said. “Google is a rampant monopolist.” The case depicted Google as a technological bully that methodically thwarted competition to protect a search engine that has become the centrepiece of a digital advertising machine that generated nearly $240bn in revenue last year. Justice Department lawyers argued that Google’s monopoly enabled it to charge advertisers artificially high prices while also enjoying the luxury of not having to invest more time and money into improving the quality of its search engine – a lax approach which hurt users. Mehta’s ruling highlighted the billions of dollars Google spends every year to install its search engine as the default option on new mobile phones and electronic gadgets. In 2021 alone, Google spent more than $26bn to lock in those default agreements, the judge said. Experts said the appeal process was likely to take years, however, and that was likely to delay any immediate impact on users and advertisers. Adblock test (Why?)