Judge orders search shakeup in Google monopoly case, but keeps hands off Chrome and default deals

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a shake-up of Google’s search engine in an attempt to curb the corrosive power of an illegal monopoly while rebuffing the U.S. government’s attempt to break up the company and impose other restraints. The 226-page decision made by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., will likely ripple across the technological landscape at a time when the industry is being reshaped by artificial intelligence breakthroughs — including conversational “answer engines” as companies like ChatGPT and Perplexity try to upend Google’s long-held position as the internet’s main gateway.

US job openings slip in July, adding to evidence that the American labor market is cooling

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers posted 7.2 million job vacancies in July as the American labor market continued to cool. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that job openings were down from 7.4 million in June and came in modestly below what economists had forecast.The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showed that layoffs rose. The number of Americans quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in their ability to find better pay, opportunities or working conditions elsewhere — was almost unchanged at 3.2 million from June.

Families of Boeing crash victims make potential final plea for criminal prosecution

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A federal court hearing getting underway in Texas could be the final chance for families of some Boeing 737 Max crash victims to demand criminal prosecution of the company. U.S. District Chief Judge Reed O'Connor is set to hear arguments Wednesday in Fort Worth on a motion to dismiss a felony conspiracy charge against Boeing. The charge relates to crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people less than five months apart. Prosecutors allege Boeing deceived FAA regulators about a flight-control system later implicated in the crashes. Boeing agreed to plead guilty last year but struck a revised agreement with the Justice Department that removes the possibility of a trial.

Timeline: Key events in the troubled history of the Boeing 737 Max jetliner

In the eight years that airlines have flown Boeing's 737 Max jets, two crashes killed 346 people. The Max debuted as a fuel-efficient version of Boeing's popular 737 but quickly became a symbol of safety concerns. Regulators grounded all Max jets in March 2019 after the second crash, leading to the ousting of Boeing’s CEO. Then his successor stepped down last summer after a panel covering an unused door on a Max blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight. The Justice Department has twice charged Boeing with criminal conspiracy and struck deals that allowed the aerospace company to avoid a trial. A judge is considering whether to grant prosecutors' request to withdraw the charge.

Conservative news network Newsmax files antitrust lawsuit against Fox News

NEW YORK (AP) — The conservative news network Newsmax has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fox News. It said Fox has sought to maintain its market dominance through intimidation and exclusionary business practices designed to stifle competition. The lawsuit says Fox has sought to block television distributors from carrying Newsmax or minimize its exposure, pressured guests not to appear on the rival network and hired private detectives to investigate Newsmax executives. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in south Florida. Newsmax seeks a jury trial. Fox, in a statement, said “Newsmax cannot sue their way out of their own competitive failures in the marketplace to chase headlines simply because they can’t attract viewers.”

Subdued decision in Google antitrust trial may help keep a monopoly in power

After a five-year legal showdown pitting the U.S. Justice Department against Google, a federal judge concluded the disruptive forces of technology will have a better chance of hobbling an illegal monopoly than restraints imposed by a court order. That was one of the underlying themes of a highly anticipated ruling issued late Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta. Even as the Justice Department claimed victory on behalf of consumers, most analysts and antitrust experts viewed the decision as a light-handed punishment that will enable Google to mostly conduct business as usual. Investors celebrated by sending the market value of Google's corporate parent Alphabet to a new high Wednesday.

Head of EU parliament trade committee has 'doubts' about deal with US, says it could be amended

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The head of the European Parliament’s trade committee said he has doubts about some aspects of the EU’s trade deal with the Trump administration and predicted the deal could be amended during the legislative approval process. Committee chairman Bernd Lange said Wednesday he and other legislators “have doubts about the deal.” Lange stopped short of outright opposing the agreement struck Aug. 1 between the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and U.S. President Donald Trump. The deal imposes a 15% tariff on European goods while lowering EU tariffs on U.S. cars and industrial goods to zero; some EU goods including aircraft, cork and generic pharmaceuticals, were exempted from the 15% rates.

C-SPAN announces deal for its service to be carried on YouTube TV, Hulu

NEW YORK (AP) — C-SPAN's three public affairs networks will be carried beginning this fall on YouTube TV and Hulu's live television package, according to a deal announced on Wednesday. Cord-cutting has reduced the number of homes with access to the networks that have traditionally been carried on all cable and satellite systems. But the new streaming services with live TV packages hadn't been carrying C-SPAN. Representatives in Congress who provide much of the Washington-based network's programming passed a resolution urging parent companies Alphabet and Disney to include C-SPAN on their services. C-SPAN says the companies would pay the same fee charged to cable and satellite companies, roughly 87 cents per subscriber each year.

Crash victims' families prepare to make what could be their final plea for Boeing's prosecution

Families that lost loved ones in two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jetliners may be getting their last chance to demand the American aerospace company’s criminal prosecution. A federal judge in Texas is set to hear arguments Wednesday on a Department of Justice motion to dismiss a felony charge against Boeing. The Justice Department revived the conspiracy charge last summer in connection with the crashes that killed 346 people off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia. Although Boeing agreed to plead guilty, a Texas judge opposed certain aspects of the aircraft maker’s plea agreement in December. Prosecutors came back with a new agreement that took the charge and the plea off the table.

Welcome to wplace: A chaotic, collaborative digital canvas where users 'paint the world'

NEW YORK (AP) — A new online platform called wplace invites users to “paint the world” on a massive digital canvas. This ever-evolving map allows people to create art using a limited number of pixels over time. Many team up to produce larger and more elaborate images. Users have painted tributes to pop culture and symbols of local identity, as well messages of protest and global conflicts. Experts say this reflects an ongoing desire for collaboration and expression in digital spaces. However wplace also faces challenges with content moderation. Some have raised concerns about hate speech, as well as frustrations about others “griefing” their artwork.