The Morning: Google’s fate

Plus, Telegram, journalists in Hong Kong and burgers.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 29, 2024 Good morning. Today, my colleague Cecilia Kang explains the next steps in the Google monopoly case. We're also covering Telegram, journalists in Hong Kong and burgers.—David Leonhardt A model of the Android logo. Getty Images Awaiting a penalty By Cecilia Kang I cover tech policy. Google, a judge ruled earlier this month, is a monopolist. Now comes the hard part: How can its search be fixed to restore competition? Next week, the judge will hold his first hearing to consider the answer. This one could be messy. There's a long menu of options that Amit Mehta of the Federal District Court in D.C. could choose from. He could restrict Google's deals with companies like Apple. He could form separate companies for products like Google's Chrome browser and its Android operating system. Or he could come up with a completely new idea. And however he tries to curb Google's power could set a precedent for the rest of the tech industry, as the antitrust suit against Microsoft did two decades ago. The timing is tricky, too. Search is changing as corporations unveil artificial intelligence to answer more queries. In the end, Google says it will appeal anyway, which will set off another round of hearings. In today's newsletter, we'll explain the options that the judge has for punishing Google, and the potential benefits and drawbacks of each. What harmed competition? A demonstration of new Google search features. Amy Osborne/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The government isn't likely to show up with concrete proposals at the first hearing on remedies, as this process is called, next Friday. It's too early for that. Instead, the proceeding is a chance for Mehta to describe what he's looking for. The Justice Department wants to break Google up. But there are several less drastic ideas floating around, depending on which behaviors Mehta wants to curtail. His ruling could be a guide to these possible remedies, some of which he could impose in combination. Mehta called out a few things that, he said, ran afoul of the law. Business deals that prioritize Google's search engine on smartphones. Google paid Apple and other partners about $20 billion per year to ensure its search was the default: When an iPhone user searches for something in Apple's browser, Google provides the results. Mehta said this helped the company illegally maintain its dominance. The judge could forbid such deals. That might be good for rivals like Microsoft, which owns the search engine Bing, or DuckDuckGo. But the judge can't stop Apple from using Google as the default if it wants to. Forcing Google's search on users of its own operating system. The company introduced a screen letting Android users pick a search engine after a 2020 antitrust ruling in Europe. Google could be forced to do something similar in the United States. Google's huge trove of data. The company has a massive advantage: Its quarter century of data about searches means that it knows far better than its competitors what people are looking for online. That data makes Google's searches better — and keeps users loyal, cementing the company's dominance. Some antitrust activists say Mehta should force the tech giant to share that search-history data with rivals to help them catch up. But consumers might not be thrilled to learn that their search histories have been shipped to another tech conglomerate. Google controls 90 percent of search. The judge could force Google, valued at $2 trillion, to sell the Chrome browser or the Android operating system. He could stop the company from installing its search as the default option on the software, too. Seeking fairness The Google building in Manhattan John Taggart for The New York Times Mehta isn't just looking at Google. He'll also consider how his orders could affect other companies, restore competition or even distort markets in new ways. For instance, if he makes Google sell Android, what happens if the software ends up in the hands of another Big Tech player like Microsoft or Meta? He'll have to weigh how his decisions will affect the future of technology. And he'll want to do so in a way that doesn't freak customers out. How will people accustomed to Google feel if it's harder to find their search engine — or if they have to pay to use it? My sources tell me it could take as little as three months or more than a year to know what will happen, given that Google will appeal. In 2000, a decision to break up Microsoft was reversed the following year. The lawsuits this time could continue until the late 2020s. Google, meanwhile, will start a whole new antitrust defense next month in another case brought by the Justice Department. This one is about something completely different — its alleged monopolization of the online ad market. Related: Google's antitrust case has opened the door to other lawsuits. Yelp sued Google yesterday, claiming that Google unfairly tilted search to favor its own local listings over Yelp's. More on tech Pavel Durov Jim Wilson/The New York Times The founder of Telegram, a messaging platform with minimal content moderation, was charged in France with crimes related to illicit activity on the app. Chinese entrepreneurs and venture capitalists are moving to Silicon Valley for better business opportunities. Some are struggling. U.S. and Chinese officials discussed technology export controls and Taiwan in talks in Beijing. THE LATEST NEWS International In the West Bank.  Nasser Nasser/Associated Press Israel's military said it killed five militants in a gun battle in a mosque in the occupied West Bank, as a large military operation there continued. Two journalists in Hong Kong were convicted of sedition. The ruling was seen as a blow to press freedom there. Typhoon Shanshan drenched southern Japan. Wildfires in Canada last year produced more carbon emissions than the burning of fossil fuels in most countries. Only China, the U.S. and India produced more. In Germany, a woman founded her own political party, mixing right-wing nationalism and left-wing socialism. She's shaking up politics. 2024 Election At a high school in Georgia.  Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are on a bus tour of Georgia, a sign that Democrats believe that she can win the state. President Biden narrowly won there in 2020. Harris and Walz will appear on CNN at 9 p.m. Eastern for the first major television interview of their presidential campaign. The Trump campaign is making a push in the Midwest. JD Vance visited Pennsylvania and Wisconsin yesterday, and Donald Trump will be in La Crosse, Wis., tonight for a town hall event. Trump reposted a crude sexual remark about Harris on social media. Trump has blamed Biden — and, by extension, Harris — for crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine. That interpretation ignores Trump's own culpability for the state of the world, David Sanger writes. More on Politics The man who tried to assassinate Trump first showed an interest in committing acts of public violence in 2019, the F.B.I. says. His profile more closely resembles that of a mass shooter than a politically motivated assassin. The Supreme Court maintained a pause on part of Biden's effort to forgive student debt, which he introduced after the court had rejected his more sweeping plan last year. A Kentucky man involved with the Oath Keepers and other far-right extremist groups was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 attack. Other Big Stories A rare but dangerous mosquito-borne virus is putting some Massachusetts communities at risk. A woman who has been a doctoral student in psychology is accused of killing her friend's newborn twin and abusing the other. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty, CNN reports. A former county official in Las Vegas was found guilty of murdering a reporter who wrote articles critical of him. A judge granted Sarah Palin a new trial in her libel lawsuit against The New York Times, saying the original trial had wrongly excluded evidence. The pandemic reshaped where jobs are in the U.S. See how jobs have changed in your county. Opinions Have you been paying attention to politics this summer? Take this quiz from Gail Collins. Harris's campaign of joy can do more than beat Trump. It can put an end to the MAGA movement, which relies on Americans' rage, David French argues. Here are columns by Nicholas Kristof on European overregulation and Charles Blow on Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Subscribe Today The Morning highlights a small portion of the journalism that The New York Times offers. To access all of it, become a subscriber with this introductory offer. MORNING READS In Italy. Francesco Guerra for The New York Times Picnics vs. private clubs: Italians are fighting for the right to feast on the beach. Life saver: Many rural communities rely on volunteers to serve as paramedics. What happens to those areas when people stop volunteering? Social Q's: "Should I be worried that my new boyfriend admits to being a cad?" Mental health: We might be thinking about the loneliness epidemic in the wrong way. Ask Well: Is DEET bug spray harmful? Read what to know. Lives Lived: From her cream-colored office on the third floor of Bergdorf Goodman, Betty Halbreich dressed New York's matrons and debutantes, as well as politicians, actresses and many others. New York magazine called her "the most famous personal shopper in the world." She died at 96. SPORTS Caitlin Clark Michael Conroy/Associated Press W.N.B.A.: The Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark broke the W.N.B.A. record for most 3-pointers by a rookie. Paris Games: The Paralympics have begun, with around 4,400 athletes from 168 countries competing. Here's a guide to the biggest events. College football: Week 1 of the season begins tonight, and all eyes will be on Deion Sanders and Colorado. ARTS AND IDEAS Assembling a burger. Jessica Attie for The New York Times The burger, Priya Krishna and Tejal Rao write, represents America at its best: rich with history, yet always changing, pushed forward by new generations who infuse it with their own traditions and flavors. They chose 11 burgers that capture this moment in food, and in the country, including these: Lucy Goosey at Hot Dish Pantry in Milwaukee, inspired by the Midwestern Juicy Lucy, features Wisconsin Cheddar sealed between two beef patties. Made in Lagos Burger at Akara House in Brooklyn uses akara, a deep-fried Nigerian fritter of mashed beans seasoned with herbs, garlic and onion, for a new kind of veggie burger. Amelia's Frita at Amelia's 1931 in Miami is a twist on the classic Cuban frita — a century-old smash burger — that includes flavors of Korea and Peru. See the full list of burgers here. More on culture Ali Wong and Randall Park in the film "Always Be My Maybe."  Netflix Western pop culture has often emasculated Asian male characters. In a new crop of roles, they finally get the girl (or the guy). The Boston area hosts great Vietnamese and Peruvian food — and more. See a list of the 25 best restaurants in Boston right now. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Linda Xiao for The New York Times Grill smoky and vibrant shrimp. Project a casual cool with a slip-on shoe. Gift these books to kids starting middle school. Use a mattress topper for a fluffier night's sleep. Make your own stickers with an electronic cutting machine. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were demonize and demonized. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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