In 2020, under the leadership of then-Attorney General William Barr, the Trump Department of Justice and 11 state attorneys general filed a complaint alleging that Google maintained an illegal monopoly over internet search, violating Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. During a nine-week bench trial, the Department of Justice painstakingly laid out its case. The government argued that a network of exclusionary contracts, ensuring that Google was the preset default search engine on browsers and mobile devices, was key to Google’s unlawful dominance. The Big Tech companies represent a 21st-century speech cartel that is simply incompatible with the free flow of information in a democratic society. On Monday, Judge Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia agreed, finding in a nearly 300-page ruling that "Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly. It has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act." His opinion clearly explains how Google maintained its dominance and quality: by barring other rivals from being the search default on browsers and mobile devices through exclusive contracts worth billions. Google capitalized on the fact that users rarely change their default settings, thereby denying competitors the scale they needed to compete. Despite the company’s attempts to obfuscate at every turn — a records retention policy that the judge called “negligent,” attempts to keep details of the trial secret, and the millions of dollars it spends annually on lobbying and laundering its business positions through a network of policy organizations — Google’s practices couldn’t withstand the glaring light shone on it by the Sherman Act. And for that, the significance of this ruling cannot be overstated, both for the political power Google wields in Washington and as proof that our antitrust laws still work. But this one decision will not by itself change the shape or nature of the threat Big Tech poses to speech and markets across the board. That pressure must continue, and unless or until Congress steps up, it must continue through the courts. Rampant manipulation For decades, the Big Tech powerhouses have been using their outsized market share to influence and outright manipulate speech and information flow. Just this week, Google admitted to the House Judiciary Committee that it omitted results of the attempted assassination attempt on Donald Trump and populated stories about Vice President Kamala Harris when users searched Trump’s name. Google is simply picking up where it left off in 2020, when the company suppressed then-candidate Tulsi Gabbard’s campaign website, hid searches about President Trump, and restricted stories related to the now-infamous Hunter Biden laptop — about which 79% of Americans say “truthful” coverage would have changed the outcome of the 2020 election. Big Tech companies represent a 21st-century speech cartel that is incompatible with the free flow of information in a democratic society. Yes, DuckDuckGo, Bing, Parler, and other search engines and social media companies exist — some with the backing of major business interests. However, as Mehta’s ruling made clear in the case of Google, the mere presence of competitors (even large ones) does not indicate a functioning marketplace. Rivals must have a real chance to compete. This is why antitrust enforcement matters — to make sure the market works for all entrants, not just the ones that can spend billions to exclude competitors while buying up political capital and policy shops in Washington. Compete them away But it doesn’t just begin and end with Google. The Justice Department is also suing Apple, alleging that Apple has illegally monopolized the smartphone market. The lawsuit alleges Apple prevented innovation in the pursuit of profits in its closed ecosystem at the expense of consumers. Apple prevented third parties from engaging in its ecosystem and allegedly lowered message quality between Android and Apple products. The FTC’s lawsuit against Amazon, joined by 17 state attorneys general, is now set for a trial in 2026. This antitrust lawsuit against Amazon accuses the massive online retailer of undercutting and pushing out sellers from its platform for cheaper products. Meta also faces litigation. In December 2020, the FTC and more than 40 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Meta alleging the social media giant illegally acquired WhatsApp and Instagram. While the original lawsuit was dismissed in 2021, the FTC amended its suit alleging that, since 2011, Meta had maintained “a dominant share of the relevant market for U.S. personal social networking services.” The swiftest way to address the speech concerns posed by massive ideological market actors like Google, Meta, and Apple is to compete them away. But a robust marketplace, policed by antitrust enforcement, is a prerequisite. The case against Google is a victory toward that end. But it must not stop there. To paraphrase a former Meta executive, it’s time to lean in.

It should be common knowledge by now that the Democrat Party owns the mainstream media. It’s why Democrats get away with lying. When the top news outlets in the country are at your beck and call, all you have to do is tell them what narrative to spread, and before you know it, the entire country is hearing how Kamala Harris will save our democracy, for example. Thankfully, not every news source is compromised. Liz Wheeler presents five headlines that ran this week that the left hopes you don’t see. - YouTube www.youtube.com 1. According to an X post that’s since been debunked as fake news, “Joe Rogan is suing MSNBC for $30 million for editing / splicing a video to make it sound like he was pro-Kamala Harris when he was actually criticizing her.” “I am disappointed to tell you that even though this went wildly viral on X – I think it was seen by almost 7 million people – it is not true,” sighs Liz. 2. The second headline is “Biden-Harris admin released at least 99 illegal aliens on terrorist watch list into the country,” which outlines how “Border Patrol agents stationed at the southern border encountered 250 illegal aliens on the terrorist watch list between fiscal years 2021 and 2023,” but “the Biden-Harris administration’s Department of Homeland Security released at least 99” of them “into the interior of the United States.” 3. The third article comes from Real Clear Politics: “Former Secret Service Chief Wanted To Destroy Cocaine Evidence.” The piece exposes Kimberly Cheatle and other top agents for trying to “dispose of the evidence” when cocaine was found in the White House. However, “Secret Service Forensics Services Division and the Uniformed Division stood firm and rejected the push.” 4. “‘God Wins in the End’: 89-Year-Old Pro-Life Activist Speaks Out Ahead of ‘High Stakes’ Trial” is the fourth article Liz cites. It tells the story of an 89-year-old woman named Eva Edl – a concentration camp survivor who faces up to 10 years in prison for her involvement in pro-life protests at two Michigan abortion facilities. The weaponized DOJ is using the FACE Act – a “wildly unconstitutional” law, according to Liz – to punish Edl and others like her for peacefully protesting, praying, and trying to speak with women seeking abortion. 5. The last story is titled “NYC's 'shoddy oversight' wastes 'millions of taxpayer dollars' on unused hotel rooms, uneaten food for illegal aliens: Audit.” It covers how the “Adams administration signed a $432 million contract … to provide illegal aliens residing in the city with services, including shelter, accommodations, and food.” If that wasn’t bad enough, the majority of the money was wasted. Brad Lander, who is vying to be the next mayor of NYC, hired a group of independent auditors, who discovered gross “mismanagement of the contract.” According to the report, “a detailed review of invoices presented for the first two months of the contract found that nearly 80% of payments – $11 million out of $13.8 million paid – were unsupported and should be recouped.” To hear Liz’s commentary on each of the articles, watch the clip above. Want more from Liz Wheeler?To enjoy more of Liz’s based commentary, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The House Committee on Natural Resources issued a subpoena on Friday to the Biden-Harris administration's Department of Homeland Security for allegedly failing to produce requested reports on a makeshift shelter for illegal immigrants in New York City, according to a committee press release.Last year, the federal government penned a deal with the city to set up an encampment at Floyd Bennett Field, a National Park Service site. Since then, the House committee has opened inquiries into the deal, requesting additional information on the decision to use the space as shelter for illegal aliens. However, it claims that the DHS has failed to comply with those requests.'Democrat bureaucrats have repeatedly blocked congressional inquiries.'The subpoena, issued by committee chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas), stated that the DHS has "obstruct[ed] the Committee's investigation rather than comply in a timely manner with legitimate oversight requests.""DHS blamed production delays on other priorities, software outages, backlogs, and review time of thousands of pages of tailored search results," the subpoena read. The committee accused the federal government of "successfully kick[ing] the production can down the road and refus[ing] to meaningfully cooperate with the Committee—with no end in sight." In a statement regarding the recent subpoena, Westerman said, "Using national parks to house migrants and cover up Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' border crisis is an egregious misuse of our national treasures. This sets a concerning precedent for the future of our public lands. This committee has conducted months of oversight on the shady backroom deals that resulted in a ramshackle, crime-ridden encampment built in a national park.""Still, Democrat bureaucrats have repeatedly blocked congressional inquiries," Westerman continued. "At best, they sent heavily redacted documents that provided no useful information. At worst, they failed to even acknowledge congressional requests. I refuse to play their games. Today, I'm using the committee's full authority to get to the bottom of this disastrous decision and hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable for desecrating America's most treasured public landscapes."The committee hopes the investigation into the lease will expose the government's "abuse of power."Anything else?Part of the remote airfield was converted into makeshift shelter accommodations for illegal immigrants last year by Mayor Eric Adams' (D) administration. The site was slated to provide housing to roughly 2,000 people. Many individuals shuttled over to the location as part of the first busload refused to stay at the tent city, complaining that the site was too isolated. Local Republicans and Democrats both pushed back on the administration's decision to use the space for housing. Adams imposed a curfew on tenants earlier this year after New York residents complained about an increase in begging and criminal activity around the shelter. In March, Westerman sent a letter to the National Park Service demanding more information about the vetting process of its tenants after the reported "uptick in crime" in the area. "The widespread reports of criminality in and around the Floyd Bennett Field migrant encampment include domestic violence, assault, shoplifting, prostitution, and panhandling scams," the lawmakers wrote. "The Committee is deeply concerned with the Biden administration's management of American's public lands, notably at Floyd Bennett Field, and the inherent safety risks to employees at the park, residents of the surrounding communities, and migrants as a result of the decision to lease national park land for a migrant encampment."The DHS did not respond to a request for comment from the New York Post.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Ah, Payday 3 - there was such excitement for the third installment in the co-op heist game series, but its rocky launch meant that it never really got off the ground. We’re coming up on a year now since it released, and Starbreeze has been working its ass off to revitalize the game with dozens of patches, free legacy heists, and some original new heists as paid DLC. However, in an attempt to really get people invested again, it’s giving players its next new heist, titled Diamond District, for nothing. Ahead of this free update, Payday 3 has also been slashed by 50%, bringing it back down to its lowest ever price on Steam. Continue reading Payday 3 fully reveals its first free new heist and kicks off 50% sale MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best co-op games on PC, The best crime games on PC, The best FPS games

COWARDS: Amid Riots and Social Media Arrests, UK Police Website Blocked Non-UK IPs

CNN's Briana Keilar DISSES Public Affairs Officers Killed in the Line of Duty to Defend COWARD Tim Walz

Facebook Silences Women's Voices, Hides Posts With XX Hashtag to 'Keep Communities Safe'

Team Trump Posts 2.5 Minutes' Worth of Kamala Harris Explaining 'Why They're Hiding Her'

'The Coward's Way Out': Mother of Soldier Slain in Iraq BLASTS Tim Walz for Abandoning His Unit

After Rash of Home Invasions, Encino Residents Arm Themselves; LAPD Captain Says They're 'Overreacting'