First Thing: Google ran illegal monopoly, US judge rules

A US federal judge ruled that Google maintained a monopoly over search services and advertising. Plus: the cruise ship celebrating all things Creed

Good morning.

A federal judge ruled on Monday that Google violated antitrust laws as it built an internet search empire, maintaining a monopoly over search services and advertising. The ruling caps off a case that pitted the justice department against one of the world’s most valuable companies, with the White Housing calling it “a victory for the American people”. “Americans deserve an internet that is free, fair, and open for competition,” said the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre.

How has Google responded? Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, said the company planned to appeal against the decision. “This decision recognizes that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we shouldn’t be allowed to make it easily available,” Walker said.

How will this ruling affect the internet? The ruling could have major implications for the way people interact with the internet. However,
the ruling does not state what penalties Google will face for violating antitrust law, leaving big questions about the future of the company’s dominance over the search industry and how it will operate.

Harris reportedly poised to announce VP pick

Kamala Harris spent the weekend interviewing candidates at her residence at the Naval Observatory and is poised to announce her choice of a running mate today. Politico, which first reported the Harris campaign’s plan, believes Harris will make the announcement with a video, similar to how Joe Biden introduced Harris as his pick for vice-president in 2020.

The announcement will kick off a five-day tour of the swing states that are crucial to winning the presidential election.

Who are the possible picks? Reuters is reporting that the search had narrowed to two governors: Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Tim Walz of Minnesota. Also on the shortlist are Mark Kelly, the Arizona senator; JB Pritzker, the Illinois governor; Andy Beshear, the Kentucky governor; and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who is now the US secretary of transportation.

How is Harris faring in the polls? A recent CBS poll gave the Democrat a one-point edge nationally over Donald Trump, and put the candidates level in battleground states.

Japanese stocks bounce one day after experiencing biggest fall in 37 years

Japanese stocks soared more than 10% on Tuesday, one day after experiencing their biggest fall in 37 years, setting markets tumbling in Europe and on Wall Street. The Nikkei closed about 10% higher after a day of strong buying activity, recovering much of yesterday’s 12.4% slump. However, after a positive start, European stock markets have fallen into the red again.

What is going on? Volatile conditions erupted after the US Federal Reserve hinted after its 31 July meeting that interest rates would soon be cut. What was initially seen as a stimulus for shares was reinterpreted by investors as a sign the world’s biggest economy was faltering. After a weekend break, the news shook the Asian markets, which had a ripple effect on the European and American markets.

Will there be a recession? It is still too early to tell whether the selling pressure will abate. The global recession concerns of recent years have been tied to a fear that cost-of-living pressures will eventually depress spending, but investors also have an eye on the upcoming US election and associated spending initiatives, which could act as another stimulus for shares.

In other news …

A fast-moving wildfire in southern California’s San Bernardino county has burned at least 100 acres and destroyed several homes, with triple-digit temperatures in the area worsening the situation.

Bloomberg News reportedly fired a reporter for “prematurely” publishing news of the Evan Gershkovich prisoner exchange with Russia that the news organization acknowledged could have endangered the safety of the Americans being released.

A Berlin court is expected to rule on the case of a pro-Palestinian activist who called out the divisive slogan “from the river to the sea” at a rally, in what supporters say is an important test case for free speech.

Stat of the day: climate crisis deniers make up nearly a quarter of US Congress

Nearly one in four members of Congress have dismissed the reality of climate breakdown, with a total of 123 elected federal representatives – 100 in the House of Representatives and 23 US senators – denying the existence of human-caused climate change. All congressional climate change deniers are Republicans, according to a Center for American Progress report, with climate-denying lawmakers receiving a combined $52m in lifetime campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry.

“It’s definitely concerning,” said Kat So, campaign manager for energy and environment campaigns at the Center for American Progress.

Don’t miss this: how Pakistan fails women

Sobia Batool Shah, 22, is recovering in a Pakistani hospital after a mob of male relatives attacked her while she slept as “punishment” for refusing to withdraw her application to divorce her husband. While gender inequality is a global problem, Pakistan’s indicators reflect especially alarming rates of disparities and violence faced by women, ranking second from bottom out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report. In the 2023-24 UN gender inequality index, it ranked 164 out of 193 countries. According to police three Karachi hospitals receive nearly 20 victims of gender-based violence a day – but far more go unreported.

… or this: the children of freed Russian spies

The Russian government plane that landed in Moscow last week carrying one half of the biggest prisoner exchange since the cold war included two children as passengers, who descended the stairs to the tarmac looking wide-eyed and confused. Sofia, 11, and Daniel, eight, had been born in Argentina before moving with their parents, Maria Mayer and Ludwig Gisch, to Slovenia. The family spoke Spanish at home while the children studied English at an international school in Ljubljana. On that plane ride from Ankara to Moscow, Sofia and Daniel learned from their parents that they were not Argentinians at all. Maria and Ludwig were pseudonyms; their real names were Anna Dultseva and Artem Dultsev, and they were deep-cover “illegals” from Russia’s SVR intelligence agency.

Climate check: the melting of Swiss glaciers

Photos taken by British tourists at the same spot in the Swiss Alps almost exactly 15 years apart are highlighting the speed with which global heating is melting glaciers. The first photo taken of Duncan Porter and his wife, Helen, in August 2009 shows the icy white of the Rhône glacier behind them. In the photo taken in August 2024, the blinding white of the original background has shrunk to reveal grey rock, with the once-small pool at the bottom, out of sight in the original, now a vast green lake.

“Not gonna lie, it made me cry,” Porter said in a viral post on X.

Last Thing: onboard the Creed cruise

Luke Winkie went on a cruise and concert festival celebrating what may be the most widely disdained group in modern times: Creed, the Christian-lite rock band that sold more than 28m albums in the US in its heyday and spurred meme after meme after disbanding. Roughly 2,400 Creed fans boarded the ship for the round trip from Miami to the Bahamas, teleporting for just one weekend back to the simpler times of turn-of-the-millennium alt-rock.

“I think it started as a joke. The songs were good, but there was definitely a feeling of, like: Yeah, Creed!” said one fan. “But then, next thing you know, you find yourself in your car, alone, deciding to put on Creed.”

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