BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Alphabet’s Google faced a potential setback on Thursday as an adviser to Europe’s highest court sided with antitrust regulators in the company’s fight against a record 4.34 billion euro ($4.98 billion) fine levied seven years ago. The European Commission in its 2018 decision said Google had used its Android mobile operating system to block rivals. A lower tribunal endorsed the EU finding in 2022 but trimmed the fine to 4.1 billion euros, prompting Google to appeal to Europe’s top court. Advocate-General at the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Juliane Kokott, in her non-binding opinion, advised the court to dismiss Google’s appeal and confirm the reduced fine set by the lower tribunal. “The legal arguments put forward by Google are ineffective,” she said. Kokott dismissed Google’s argument that regulators should compare Google with a rival in assessing the situation. “It is not realistic, in the present case, to compare the situation of Google with that of a hypothetical as-efficient competitor. Google held a dominant position in several markets of the Android-ecosystem and thus benefited from network effects that enabled it to ensure that users used Google Search,” she said. Judges, who usually follow four out of five such non-binding opinions, will rule in the coming months. “Android has created more choice for everyone and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world,” a Google spokesperson said on Thursday. “We are disappointed with the Opinion which, if it were followed by the Court, would discourage investment in open platforms and harm Android users, partners and app developers.” Regulators said Google’s illegal practices dated back to 2011, as it required manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and its Chrome browser together with its Google Play app store on their Android devices. It paid them to pre-install only Google Search and blocked them from using rival Android systems. Google’s Android system, which it lets device makers use for free, runs about 73% of the world’s smartphones, according to Statcounter. The world’s most popular internet search engine has racked up a total of 8.25 billion euros in fines linked to three investigations stretching back more than a decade, while other probes are ongoing. The case is C-738/22 P Google and Alphabet v Commission. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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The Senate Republican Conference remains starkly divided on how President Donald Trump should respond to Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Trump and GOP senators share one common thread: Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon. Still, the party is divided over whether the U.S. should intervene to topple Iran’s regime — and whether military involvement will be […]

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Despite openly refusing to tone down their incendiary rhetoric against President Trump after two attempts to assassinate him, during Thursday’s episode, the liberal ladies of ABC’s The View clutched their pearls for far-left Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and claimed it was “irresponsible” for Trump to voice any criticism of her because it put her in “danger.” Citing the assassination and attempted assassination of two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers from over the weekend, co-host Sara Haines teed up Crockett to go off, asking: “Do you feel safe as an elected official in this political climate?” Crockett proceeded to complain about the money spent on the security detail for both President Trump and the U.S. Supreme Court: HAINES: Do you feel safe as an elected official in this political climate? CROCKETT: No, not at all. I mean, here's the deal. I do this job and the fact that my safety is a part of doing this job is really bad in and of itself. But while we spend millions upon millions just so this guy can go and golf or while they spent $45 million for his little birthday parade, you know, like, I'm just saying, can we reprioritize some of those dollars? When they killed our continuing resolution this last time, one of the things they didn't take out is that they had included an additional, I believe, $10 million to protect nine justices. I'm like, listen, I'm not even asking for a million, but can we get something? Because we have nothing.     Giving the cast the anti-Republican attacks they craved, Crockett claimed that Republican lawmakers feared MAGA killing them more than they feared leftists doing it: CROCKETT: And there are Republicans that are concerned. And to be clear, they're not really concerned about the radical leftists that they talk about. They're concerned about MAGA, because we saw the same thing happen – BEHAR: Of course. To emphasize how real the danger members of Congress were facing, Crocket noted that “someone has been sending pizzas to members' homes.” It’s interesting that Crockett would bring up how disturbing it was to have people know where members of Congress lived. It was also supreme hypocrisy from The View cast to be appalled by it. As NewsBusters reported by in 2022, The View encouraged people to assail the homes of conservative justices and make them feel unsafe after it was leaked that the U.S. Supreme Court would be over turning Roe v Wade. “But it also shows Alito what it feels like to lose your freedom of choice. He cannot leave the house easily. So, maybe that's a good lesson for them,” Behar proclaimed. When it culminated in an assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh and his family by a liberal lunatic, The View cast decried calls from Republicans for increased security, telling them to send thoughts and prayers instead. Back on Thursday, Haines proclaimed it “irresponsible” for Trump to criticize Crockett because of her purported lack of security. Behar claimed Trump was “scared of her” because “She's tough and smart.” “That doesn't change the danger it puts her in,” Haines added. If criticism puts people in danger, Sara, was that a tacit admission that The View (thus ABC and Disney) was putting Trump’s life in danger? The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View June 19, 2025 11:28:13 a.m. Eastern (…) SARA HAINES: Well, over the weekend, we actually saw a tragic and brazen act of political violence in this country. A Minnesota Democratic representative and her husband and their dog were assassinated. Another lawmaker and his wife were gravely wounded and the suspect reportedly had a long hit list. So, I want to ask you: Do you feel safe as an elected official in this political climate? REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): No, not at all. I mean, here's the deal. I do this job and the fact that my safety is a part of doing this job is really bad in and of itself. But while we spend millions upon millions just so this guy can go and golf or while they spent $45 million for his little birthday parade, you know, like, I'm just saying, can we reprioritize some of those dollars? When they killed our continuing resolution this last time, one of the things they didn't take out is that they had included an additional, I believe, $10 million to protect nine justices. I'm like, listen, I'm not even asking for a million, but can we get something? Because we have nothing. The only people in the House that have protection, you get protection based upon your leadership post. That's it. Those are the only ones. And so, when you figure out security, you have to hopefully raise enough money to then be able to pay for security yourself. This is a problem, especially in light of the environment. JOY BEHAR: Yeah. Yeah. CROCKETT: And so, I did text a Republican that I consider to be a friend -- yes, I have Republican friends, just so y'all know. [Laughter and applause] I did, and I said, listen, your people need to fix this. Like, I'm tired. Right? And there are Republicans that are concerned. And to be clear, they're not really concerned about the radical leftists that they talk about. They're concerned about MAGA, because we saw the same thing happen – BEHAR: Of course. CROCKETT: - when we had the speaker election. Right? And so, when people are mad about them not voting for Jim Jordan, they started threatening their spouses and all kinds of stuff. And another thing they're not talking about that really ticked me off because I just learned about it, in the midst of what happened, is someone has been sending pizzas to members' homes and they've not done anything. So, I’m just like, you know, like, we still have a role to play. I get that nobody really likes the Congress, but I mean, we still are duly elected and we're a co-equal blanch of government, but we always seem like we're the stepchild. HAINES: Well, it makes it even more irresponsible that a president would come for, as you said, a sophomore member of the House. CROCKETT: Exactly. HAINES: Knowing that you’re not protected. JOY BEHAR: But he’s scared of her. She's tough and smart. HAINES: That doesn't change the danger it puts her in. CROCKETT: Exactly. BEHAR: I know that. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: We do have more with Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.