WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Tuesday sued Google for antitrust violations, alleging that it abused its dominance in online search and advertising to stifle competition and harm consumers. The lawsuit marks the government’s most significant act to protect competition since its groundbreaking case against Microsoft more than 20 years...
Sanders, Bloomberg Test Different Paths to a California Win
LOS ANGELES — One is spending millions of dollars flooding the airwaves from Los Angeles to Sacramento, highlighting his tenure as mayor of the nation's largest city and commitment to key Democratic causes. The other has hired 80 staff members to knock on doors, organize volunteers and promote his message...
Michael Bloomberg Launches Democratic Presidential Bid
NEW YORK — Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the world’s richest men, has formally launched a Democratic bid for president. Ending weeks of speculation, the 77-year-old former Republican announced his candidacy Sunday in a written statement posted on a campaign website describing himself as...
Facebook Launches a News Section – and Will Pay Publishers
Over the course of its 15 year history, Facebook has variously ignored news organizations while eating their advertising revenue, courted them for video projects it subsequently abandoned, and then largely cut their stories out of its newsfeeds. Now it plans to pay them for news headlines — reportedly millions of dollars...
Walters: The Darker Side of Regulation
Assembly Bill 1133 would appear to be one of the least important of the 700-plus measures that the Legislature sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom in the final days of its 2019 session. Sponsored primarily by Anheuser-Busch and the Teamsters Union, AB 1133 would allow brewers to provide, free of charge, up...
California to Let College Athletes Make Money, Defying NCAA
SACRAMENTO — Defying the NCAA, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law Monday that will let college athletes hire agents and make money from endorsements — a move that could upend amateur sports in the U.S. and trigger a legal challenge. Under the law, which takes effect in 2023, students...
Juul Stops Advertising E-Cigarettes, Replaces CEO
Juul Labs is halting all U.S. advertising of its e-cigarettes and replacing its CEO amid a nationwide backlash against vaping. The largest e-cigarette maker also said Wednesday it won't fight a sweeping ban on flavors proposed by the Trump administration to reverse a surge in underage vaping. Juul's CEO will...
Facebook Tightens Political Ad Rules, but Leaves Loopholes
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is tightening its rules around political advertising ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, an acknowledgement of previous misuse. But it's not clear if it will be enough to stop bad actors from abusing its system. The changes include a tightened verification process that will require...
Facebook Tightens Political Ad Rules, but Leaves Loopholes
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is tightening its rules around political advertising ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, an acknowledgement of previous misuse. But it's not clear if it will be enough to stop bad actors from abusing its system. The changes include a tightened verification process that will require...
Facebook Tightens Political Ad Rules, but Leaves Loopholes
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is tightening its rules around political advertising ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, an acknowledgement of previous misuse. But it's not clear if it will be enough to stop bad actors from abusing its system. The changes include a tightened verification process that will require...