GoKawiil
Tech News
The Department of Justice has widened its investigation into surging beef prices to include eight large grocery and retail chains, among them Walmart, Costco, Aldi and Publix. Investigators are examining how pricing decisions across these retailers may have contributed to the sharp rise in beef costs for consumers.
Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema rejected the DOJ's push to force Google to divest its AdX ad exchange, despite having ruled last year that Google illegally monopolized two ad tech markets. Instead, she accepted unspecified 'behavioral remedies' that reportedly require Google to open its ad tech tools to competitors, with the ruling issued under seal for now.
A federal judge has decided that Google will not be required to divest its ad exchange, formerly known as AdX, despite the company's 2025 loss in the Justice Department's ad tech antitrust case. Judge Leonie Brinkema found Google had illegally tied publishers to its exchange but rejected claims of wrongdoing on the advertiser side of the business. The full set of remedies, which may include fines and mandated changes to business practices, remains sealed for two weeks while parties negotiate redactions.
Special Master Jose Linares has denied the Justice Department's motion to reconsider his earlier ruling allowing Apple to obtain documents from 14 federal agencies, including the CIA, FBI, NSA and Department of Defense. The DOJ had argued Linares used the wrong legal standard and that Apple's requests were overly burdensome and only marginally relevant, but Apple countered that these objections failed on every point, and Linares agreed.
A report indicates that intervention tied to the Trump administration influenced the Justice Department's approach to its antitrust scrutiny of Live Nation, softening the pressure the company faced. The same roundup notes escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada, alongside a $400 million settlement TikTok reached over a lawsuit concerning children's privacy.