The potential ramifications of the EU's investigation go beyond just Google and Meta – they could signal a broader shift in how regulators approach big tech companies and their operations. By shedding light on the secretive practices of major players in the digital advertising market, the EU is sending a clear message that anti-competitive behavior will not be tolerated. If Google is found to have violated antitrust laws in its dealings with Meta, it could face hefty fines and be required to change its business practices to ensure fair competition in the online ad space.
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction , arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is warranted because of the “overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.” They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges . “President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,’" Trump’s legal team wrote. The Manhattan district attorney, they claimed, had engaged in the type of political theater "that President Biden condemned.” Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated a willingness to delay the sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. In their filing Monday, Trump's attorneys dismissed the idea of holding off sentencing until Trump is out of office as a “ridiculous suggestion.” Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He says they did not and denies any wrongdoing. Taking a swipe at Bragg and New York City, as Trump often did throughout the trial, the filing argues that dismissal would also benefit the public by giving him and “the numerous prosecutors assigned to this case a renewed opportunity to put an end to deteriorating conditions in the City and to protect its residents from violent crime.” Clearing Trump, the lawyers added, would also allow him to “to devote all of his energy to protecting the Nation.” The defense filing was signed by Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial and have since been selected by the president-elect to fill senior roles at the Justice Department. A dismissal would erase Trump’s historic conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Merchan hasn’t set a timetable for a decision. Merchan could also decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option. Prosecutors had cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him. Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels. Trump later reimbursed him, and Trump’s company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses — concealing what they really were, prosecutors alleged. Trump has pledged to appeal the verdict if the case is not dismissed. He and his lawyers said the payments to Cohen were properly categorized as legal expenses for legal work. A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct. Trump’s lawyers cited the ruling to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made during his first term. Prosecutors disagreed and said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case. If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump’s punishments would range from a fine to probation to up to four years in prison — but it’s unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars for a first-time conviction involving charges in the lowest tier of felonies. Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes.NoneThe Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to move ahead with hiring an outside firm to conduct a forensic audit of all contracts executed by four agencies in response to the Andrew Do corruption scandal. The audit will cover contracts through the County Executive Office, Health Care Agency, OC Community Resources and Social Services Agency that were established between January 2019 and August 2024. The move comes after Do resigned from the board last month shortly after federal prosecutors said the longtime elected official had agreed to plead guilty in a conspiracy to steal millions of dollars meant to feed needy seniors. Since last November, LAist has uncovered how Do directed county contracts and millions of taxpayer dollars to a nonprofit, Viet America Society (VAS), linked to his daughter, Rhiannon Do . The money was meant to feed seniors during the pandemic and to build a Vietnam War memorial. Federal prosecutors say just 15% of the money earmarked for meals was actually used for that purpose. The audit was approved Tuesday on a 3-1 vote. The audit firm will be required to present their findings at a public forum or a Board of Supervisors meeting. The audit, however, will be more limited in scope to what Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento first called for: an “independent third-party forensic audit” of all contracts “directed or influenced” by Do. Board Chairman Don Wagner voted against the audit. The supervisors also voted on a policy document that affirmed they will adhere to “transparent and ethical contracting.” If the supervisors do not adhere to the policy, they could face censure or be referred for criminal prosecution. County employees who do not follow guidelines in contracting could also be subject to “training, loss of procurement license, and/or disciplinary action.” Meanwhile, contractors who violate the terms of agreements with the county could face “contract termination, restitution requests, and other legal remedies.” “You can't legislate good conduct, but you can certainly create checks and balances and better guardrails,” Sarmiento said of the external audit on Tuesday. Aggie Alonso, the director of internal audit at the county, told supervisors it could take four to five months to find an outside firm at a cost of around $2 million. Sarminento said the external audit will “make sure that we've covered all gaps, made sure that the work that's been done by our internal audit team is credible, is strong, and is something that we can confidently move forward with and demonstrate to the public.” Since LAist began reporting on Do, the county has passed other reforms. County officials are reviewing contracts funded by federal COVID dollars after Orange County supervisors directed them to do so in September. They were given 90 days to come back with their findings. Supervisors also voted in September to update the current contract policy manual to bring the county in line with AB 3130 , a new bill signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom that will require county supervisors across the state to disclose any family ties they have to a nonprofit’s employees or officers before awarding contracts. The new law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025, and was inspired by LAist’s reporting. Another bill signed into law by Newsom, AB-2946 , will require a majority vote by the Orange County Board of Supervisors before discretionary funds are awarded to a nonprofit or community group. The supervisors will also be required to post details online of how the money was spent. And starting in 2026, Senate Bill 1111 will make it a crime in California for elected officials to be involved in awarding government contracts to organizations if they know their child is an officer or director of the vendor, or has at least a 10% ownership stake. State Sen. Dave Min, who introduced the bill, said LAist’s reporting led him to take on the issue. In November 2023, LAist began investigating how millions in public taxpayer dollars were spent. In total, LAist has uncovered public records showing more than $13 million in public money that was approved to a little-known nonprofit that records state was led on and off by Rhiannon Do. Most of that money was directed to the group by Supervisor Do outside of the public’s view and never appeared on public meeting agendas. He did not publicly disclose his family ties. Much of the known funding came from federal coronavirus relief money. One of the best things you can do to hold officials accountable is pay attention. Your city council, board of supervisors, school board and more all hold public meetings that anybody can attend. These are times you can talk to your elected officials directly and hear about the policies they’re voting on that affect your community.
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