To end Google’s monopoly of online searches, the U.S. Department of Justice has proposed a series of remedies, including that Google sell “Chrome”—the world’s most popular web browser—and be banned from making deals with companies like Apple and Samsung to set Google as the default browser on their smartphones and browsers.
The proposals follow a landmark anti-competition ruling in August, in which District Judge Amit Mehta found that Google illegally crushes its competition in online search.
Google's search engine accounts for almost 90% of all online global searches, with its Chrome browser used by 67% of people on all devices.
Google is expected to counter with its own proposed remedies by December 20, 2024, with Judge Mehta expected to issue a decision by summer 2025.
Cabinet Tracker – Who Is Joining The Trump Administration?
Russia Fires Intercontinental Ballistic Missile At Ukraine, Kyiv Says
Russia has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile during an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, Kyiv’s air force says, in what would be the first use in war of a weapon designed to deliver long-distance nuclear strikes.
Russia’s alleged launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) comes after Ukraine fired U.S.-made long-range ATACMS missiles and British Storm Shadows at Russian territory in recent days.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the ICBM was fired from the Russian region of Astrakhan. There was no suggestion it was nuclear-armed.
Ukrainska Pravda, a Kyiv-based media outlet, cited anonymous sources saying the missile was an RS-26 Rubezh, a solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 5,800km, according to the Arms Control Association.
But an unnamed U.S. official says the missile was a ballistic missile but not an ICBM, CBS News reports.
Some analysts dispute the classification of RS-26 as an intercontinental missile, arguing that, because it has a shorter range than most ICBMs, it sits in a grey area between that designation and an intermediate-range missile, the Financial Times reports.
TIPP Picks
Selected articles from tippinsights.com
Gallego On Lesson For Democrats From This Election - Video - TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
Is America Turning Fascist? - Vincent Cook, Mises Institute
Getting New Leadership Confirmed Quickly for Next Trump Admin - Hans von Spakovsky & Thomas Jipping, The Daily Signal
Democrats Make Last-Minute Push To Confirm Controversial Biden Judicial Nominees During Lame Duck Session - Katelynn Richardson, DCNF
The French State Plans To Force You To Drive an EV - Alexis Sémanne, Mises Wire
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Arrest Warrants Issued For Netanyahu, Gallant And Hamas Commander Over Alleged War Crimes - BBC
Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. A warrant was also issued for Mohammed Deif of Hamas, although Israel has said he was killed in Gaza in July.
The judges said there were “reasonable grounds” that According to satellite imagery analysis from the Open Source Center, a non-profit research group based in the UK, Russia is estimated to have supplied North Korea with more than a million barrels of oil since March this yearthe three men bore "criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war between Israel and Hamas. Both Israel and Hamas have rejected the allegations.
2. Lebanon Seeks Faster Israeli Pull-Out, Right To Self-Defense In Truce, Official Says - Reuters
Lebanon is seeking changes to a U.S. ceasefire proposal to ensure a speedier withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon and to give both parties the right to self-defense, a senior Lebanese official said.
Lebanese officials requested the changes during meetings in Beirut this week with U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein, who is working to strike a deal in the waning months of the Biden administration to end the war between Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel.
3. Putin Says Russia Attacked Ukraine With New Intermediate Ballistic Missile - Al Jazeera
In a televised address, President Vladimir Putin said Russia had tested a hypersonic intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries.
“We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities,” Putin said in his first comments since U.S. President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the green light this month to use U.S.-made ATACMS missiles to strike at some targets inside Russia.
4. Russia Gives North Korea A Million Barrels Of Oil, Report Finds - BBC
According to satellite imagery analysis from the Open Source Center, a non-profit research group based in the UK, Russia is estimated to have supplied North Korea with over a million barrels of oil since March this year.
The oil is payment for the weapons and troops Pyongyang has sent Moscow to fuel its war in Ukraine, leading experts and UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, have told the BBC. These transfers violate UN sanctions, which ban countries from selling oil to North Korea, except in small quantities.
5. U.S. Joins G7 Sanctions Against Russian Banks Accused Of Aiding War In Ukraine - UPI
According to the Treasury Department, Gazprombank, more than 50 internationally connected Russian banks, 40 Russian securities registrars, and 15 Russian finance officials were included.
Gazprombank and its six foreign subsidiaries were sanctioned for allegedly being a conduit for Russia to buy military material for its war on Ukraine. The bank is used to pay soldiers and families of Russian soldiers killed attacking Ukraine.
6. Chinese Ship Shadowed After Baltic Cables Severed - AFP
Denmark's navy said it was shadowing a Chinese cargo vessel that was stopped off the Danish coast. The incident occurred a day after Finland and Sweden opened investigations into the suspected sabotage of two undersea telecommunications cables.
The cutting of the two cables within 48 hours prompted European officials to say on Tuesday that they suspect "sabotage" and "hybrid warfare" linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin rejected their claim as "absurd" and "laughable."
7. N.K. Leader Says Past Negotiations With U.S. Only Confirmed Hostile Policy Against Pyongyang - Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said that his country went to every length in negotiations with the United States. Still, it only confirmed Washington's unwavering hostile policy toward Pyongyang, the North's state media said.
Kim made the remarks during a speech at the opening ceremony of an arms exhibition titled "National Defense Development-2024," in Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
8. Social Media Firms Face $33-M Fine If No-Kids Rule Broken - AFP
Social media companies could be fined up to AU$50 million ($32.5 million) if they fail to keep children off their platforms, under new laws tabled before Australia's parliament.
The legislation would force these firms to take steps to prevent those younger than age 16 from accessing platforms such as X, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.The proposed laws would also include robust privacy provisions that require tech platforms to delete any age-verification information collected.
9. Pope Sets Dates For Two Canonizations, Including First Millennial Saint - UPI
The Vatican said teenager Carlo Acutis, a tech expert, will be canonized during the Jubilee for Adolescents on April 25-27. The second canonization, Pier Giorgio Frassati, will occur during the Jubilee for Young People, held July 28-Aug. 3.
Acutis was a young Italian computer coding expert who died of cancer in 2006. As a child, he attended mass daily. He worked with his family for nearly three years to put together an exhibition on eucharistic miracles that opened in 2005, the Year of the Eucharist.
10. Problems With Medicare Advantage Plans Retirees Should Know About - The Motley Fool
While Medicare Advantage plans offered by private insurers may be a good option for some retirees, there are a few things you should know before you sign up for Medicare Advantage.
Location-based restrictions: With Medicare Advantage, you're limited to a specific network of providers. Prior authorizations: It's common for Medicare Advantage plans to require prior authorizations for tests or procedures that are out of the ordinary. It's also worth noting that if you sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan and it doesn't work out, you're not necessarily stuck with it forever.
11. Crypto Exchange Tokens Are Future Blue Chips - Barchart.Com
While much of the cryptocurrency ecosystem is speculative, the added utility offered by exchange tokens, the cryptocurrencies that are native to exchanges, are well-positioned to operate as blue-chip investments that transcend the industry’s more volatile reputation.
As an example of the blue chip potential of crypto exchange tokens, it’s worth looking to the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance. In the first half of 2024, Binance brought its total volume of users to over 200 million. The exchange’s status as the largest platform has had a profound impact on Binance’s native token, BNB. Over the past seven years, BNB reached a peak value of $717.48, representing a six-figure rate of growth.
12. Survey: 1 In 3 Americans Report Being Harmed By Another's Drinking, Drug Use - HealthDay News
One in 3 adults who responded to a new nationwide survey said they had suffered "secondhand harm" from another person's drinking. And more than 1 in 10 said a loved one's drug use had harmed them.
That's close to 160 million victims – 113 million hurt by loved one's drinking and 46 million by their drug use, according to the survey published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. "There are more harms than people think," said study co-author William Kerr. "They affect families, relationships and communities."
