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Oakland A's to sell stake in Coliseum to local Black development group None - The Oakland Athletics has reached a tentative agreement to sell its half of the Coliseum to a private Black development group for $125 million SAN FRANCISCO -- The departing Oakland Athletics has reached a tentative agreement to sell its half of the Coliseum to a private Black development group for $125 million, paving the way for the group to build a giant entertainment and sports complex in a long-neglected part of the San Francisco Bay Area city. The African American Sports & Entertainment Group and the A's affiliate, Coliseum Way Partners, announced the deal in a joint statement Monday. The development group struck a deal in May to purchase the other 50% ownership interest from the city of Oakland for $105 million. The sports and entertainment group states on its website that it plans for a “thriving sports, entertainment, educational and business district” on the property, which houses the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and Oakland Arena. The group was founded in 2020 with the primary purpose of using sports and entertainment “to create a path for enhanced economic equity" for Black residents. The group’s managing member Ray Bobbitt said they are still in the general plans and ideas stage, but in all scenarios, the Oakland Arena would stay and continue hosting profitable ventures such as Disney shows and singers, such as Céline Dion. Developers have also discussed hotels, a restaurant row, open parks space and housing that is both affordable and market rate on the property by Interstate 880, he said by phone. The group's deal with Oakland calls for any housing built to be at least 25% affordable. “It's really Oakland’s opportunity to invest in East Oakland and to create a revitalization of the entire area,” he said. The A’s announced this year that the Major League Baseball team will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento until its ballpark is built in its new home of Las Vegas. The team's affiliate purchased its stake in the property for $85 million in 2019. The Coliseum and Arena were once home to the Oakland Raiders and Golden State Warriors. The NFL’s Raiders moved to Las Vegas and the NBA’s Warriors left for San Francisco in recent years, leaving professional sports fans in the East Bay Area desolate.

Federal judge says Google is exploiting its search dominance to squash competition None - Federal judge says Google is exploiting its search dominance to squash competition Federal judge says Google is exploiting its search dominance to squash competition

Elon Musk sues OpenAI, renewing claims ChatGPT-maker put profits before 'the benefit of humanity' None - Elon Musk has filed a second lawsuit against OpenAI and two founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman LOS ANGELES -- Elon Musk filed a lawsuit on Monday against OpenAI and two of its founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, renewing claims that the ChatGPT-maker betrayed its founding aims of benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. The lawsuit, filed in a Northern California federal court, called Musk's case a “textbook tale of altruism versus greed.” Altman and others named in the suit “intentionally courted and deceived Musk, preying on Musk’s humanitarian concern about the existential dangers posed by artificial intelligence,” according to the complaint. Musk was an early investor in OpenAI when it was founded in 2015 and co-chaired its board alongside Altman. In the lawsuit, he said he invested “tens of millions” of dollars and recruited top AI research scientists for OpenAI. Musk resigned from the board in early 2018 in a move that OpenAI said — at the time — would prevent conflicts of interest as he was recruiting AI talent to build self-driving technology at the electric car maker. The Tesla CEO dropped his previous lawsuit against OpenAI without explanation in June. That lawsuit alleged that when Musk bankrolled OpenAI’s creation, he secured an agreement with Altman and Brockman to keep the AI company as a nonprofit that would develop technology for the benefit of the public and keep its code open. “As we said about Elon’s initial legal filing, which was subsequently withdrawn, Elon’s prior emails continue to speak for themselves,” a spokesperson for OpenAI said in an emailed statement. In March, OpenAI released emails from Musk showing his earlier support for making it a for-profit company. Musk claims in the new suit that he and OpenAI's namesake objective were “betrayed by Altman and his accomplices.” “The perfidy and deceit are of Shakespearean proportions,” the complaint said.

Markets show signs of recovery after plummeting over fears of U.S. recession None - Markets show signs of recovery after plummeting over fears of U.S. recession CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger explains the status of the markets as they show signs of recovery after big losses on Monday. Japan's top stock index gained over 10% overnight. The Dow, Nasdaq and S&P are also up after falling.

What Jenna Ellis cooperating with prosecutors in Arizona’s ‘fake electors’ case means None - Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis is cooperating with Arizona authorities in the state’s “fake electors” prosecution. What are we to make of this development? To help understand it, we can look to the similar case in Georgia, in which a series of figures in Trump world were charged over efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden. When Ellis pleaded guilty in Fulton County last year, I noted that one high-profile Georgia defendant implicated by that move was Rudy Giuliani: Indeed, the former lawman turned Trump stooge is listed alongside Ellis throughout the racketeering indictment, and her guilty plea Tuesday directly implicates him. That is, she pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting false statements and writings, in connection with alleged efforts by Giuliani and fellow Trump lawyer/co-defendant Ray Smith to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia (both of whom have pleaded not guilty). The Arizona indictment likewise notes that Ellis “worked closely” with Giuliani. Given the state’s decision to reach a cooperation agreement, prosecutors could be satisfied that she can truthfully detail that work in a way that helps prove their case at trial; gets other defendants to plead guilty; or both. (Giuliani has pleaded not guilty, as he did in Georgia.) So, it’s more potentially ominous news for at least Giuliani, whose legal woes are legion. And beyond that? Whether Trump’s criminal exposure has increased is a natural thing to wonder about. Recall that, unlike in Georgia, Trump wasn’t charged in Arizona but rather was referenced as an unindicted alleged co-conspirator. (I explored possible reasons for the different treatment in this post.) Ultimately, it’s the Arizona prosecutors who have the best idea of how they want to use Ellis, based on their conversations with her and among themselves. What we know is that the state says it’s confident in Ellis’ value. “Her insights are invaluable and will greatly aid the State in proving its case in court,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in announcing the deal. Unlike in Georgia, where she got a good deal in pleading guilty without receiving jail time, Arizona prosecutors agreed to dismiss the charges in exchange for her cooperation. And the incentive for Ellis to cooperate is great. Unlike in Georgia, where she got a good deal in pleading guilty without receiving jail time, Arizona prosecutors agreed to dismiss the charges in exchange for her cooperation. In doing so, the state prosecutors noted that they could charge her again if she fails to comply with the agreement, which says that she must (among other things) “testify completely and truthfully at any time and any place requested by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, including at any state or federal grand jury proceeding, forfeiture proceeding, bond hearing, pretrial hearing, civil and criminal trial, retrial or post-trial hearing.” So it’s early yet in the Arizona case, and it could be a while longer until we know the full shape that it takes. Yet it’s possible that it proceeds more expeditiously than the Georgia case, even though that one was brought last year, because the Georgia case is currently tied up on a pretrial appeal in which the defense is seeking to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. While those aren’t the only two states prosecuting alleged schemes related to the 2020 election, the uncertain fate of the Georgia case shines an even brighter light on whatever comes in Arizona. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for updates and expert analysis on the top legal stories. The newsletter will return to its regular weekly schedule when the Supreme Court’s next term kicks off in October.

Trump dances for votes in awkward effort to win young supporters None - As part of his campaign’s effort to woo young voters, men in particular, Donald Trump gave another cringeworthy interview to a young, right-wing video streamer on Tuesday. Trump met with Adin Ross, who has used his popular platform to promote people like neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes and who was banned from Twitch for "hateful conduct" after his stream featured an unmoderated chat filled with racial slurs. The fawning Trump interview came as Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has had a surge in popularity with young voters. And Trump’s appearance with Ross came days after conservatives launched a $20 million voter outreach effort designed to mobilize young, male voters using the pro-Trump podcast “Full Send,” the Ultimate Fighting Championship and other Trump-friendly platforms. Interviews like these appear to be part of an effort to establish an air of coolness around Trump. And it's somewhat similar to what has been done with Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s self-described “coolest dictator in the world,” who is frequently touted by MAGA Republicans these days. So what did Trump do to attract the youngs on Tuesday? He walked out to a 50 Cent song; he called antisemitic rapper Ye a “complicated” but “really nice guy”; and he claimed rapper Young Thug (aka Jeffrey Williams) has been treated “unfairly” by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is trying a RICO case against Willams — as well as that separate RICO case against Trump you may have heard about (both Williams and Trump have pleaded not guilty). There’s ample reporting about the Trump campaign’s attempts to align itself with rappers to lure young, Black male voters, and this seemed a continuation of those dubious efforts. As I’ve written in the past, Trump has tried to use the Young Thug trial to curry favor with Black men while sowing distrust toward Willis, who he has claimed is “racist” against him. (Williams' lawyer, for the record, has rejected similarities between that trial and the 2020 election cases.) Continuing his disturbing deference to authoritarian figures, Trump praised Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro for purportedly making that country “safer than our cities.” Meanwhile, Maduro is currently refusing to leave office after the opposition and outside observers challenged his claim that he won re-election late last month, sparking mass protests that Venezuelan authorities have responded to with deadly force. I wouldn’t call that “safe.” Trump also did a herky-jerky dance while telling voters he’d “keep TikTok” if elected, reaffirming his latest stance on the app, the one he appears to have taken after a right-wing billionaire investor in TikTok endorsed his campaign. (Harris, who recently launched her own TikTok account, hasn’t said whether she supports the legislation, signed by President Joe Biden, to divest the company of its Chinese ownership.) Ross also presented Trump with a Cybertruck and a Rolex watch, which might have run afoul of campaign finance rules. In all of these interactions, Trump looked like a 78-year-old candidate who is grasping at straws to seem young and hip. Trump is literally dancing for votes now. This is only the beginning of the MAGA youth voter mobilization effort. They have millions of dollars to spend, and I expect much more awkward dancing to follow.

Tim Walz is the perfect pick to counter GOP's JD Vance None - This is an adapted excerpt from the Aug. 6 episode of "Andrea Mitchell Reports." With Kamala Harris’ choice to name Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, we now know who will face off against Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, in November. And the contrast between the two candidates couldn’t be any clearer. You’ve got “Hillbilly Elegy” versus a real hillbilly. The guy who went to Yale up against the guy who can teach you how to fix your car. You’ve got “Hillbilly Elegy” versus a real hillbilly. The guy who went to Yale up against the guy who can teach you how to fix your car. Walz’s personal narrative is strong and voters will take notice. Unsurprisingly, the attacks from Republicans have already started to pour in. They’re labeling the Harris-Walz ticket as radically progressive. But I’m not buying that line and neither should voters. Just look at Walz’s voting record during his time in the House. It’s far from progressive. And while some may point to his accomplishments as Minnesota governor, last time I checked feeding kids lunch and breakfast was not a progressive or conservative policy. It’s what a governor should do for the people of his state. That’s not to say there aren’t valid questions regarding Walz’s record. In 2020, the governor faced intense criticism for his slow response after protests in his state over George Floyd’s murder turned violent. But I also believe that’s something the vice president’s team took into consideration during Walz’s vetting process. Overall, this is a strong pick from the Harris campaign. While Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was many people’s first choice — he was one of my top contenders as well — Harris’ selection of Walz shows us a preview of what kind of leader she will be in office. It shows she’s willing to go against the grain. I think that bodes well for how she may set up her administration. If this race does boil down to Harris and Walz’s “progressivism,” their competition is Trump and Vance’s MAGAism. If this race does boil down to Harris and Walz’s “progressivism,” their competition is Trump and Vance’s MAGAism. One team wants to be an authoritarian regime, the other wants to try to govern the nation. You can talk about ideological lines all day long but, at the end of the day, the question for voters this November is clear: What will this country look like with either one of those tickets in the White House? That’s what voters have to decide. And I, for one, hope they land on the side of governing the country, not setting up a dictatorship. Join Michael Steele, Rachel Maddow and many others on Saturday, Sept. 7, in Brooklyn, New York, for “MSNBC Live: Democracy 2024,” a first-of-its kind live event. You’ll get to see your favorite hosts in person and hear thought-provoking conversations about what matters most in the final weeks of an unprecedented election cycle. Buy tickets here.

Harris chose Tim Walz as her running mate. Trump got weirder. None - In picking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris has doubled down on his influential critique that the Republican ticket is “weird.” Trump, in the meantime, has doubled down on being weird. As the Harris-Walz team plans a blitz of swing states, Trump is not scheduled to visit a single battleground state this week. Instead, he’s relying on the uber-weird Ohio Sen. JD Vance to shadow their rivals’ campaign. As the Harris-Walz team plans a blitz of swing states, Trump is not scheduled to visit a single battleground state this week. Trump himself spent part of the day Monday chatting with Adin Ross, a controversial 22-year-old livestreamer. “My sons told me about and, you know, they told me about how big,” Trump said, adding that his youngest son, Barron, told him: “'Dad, he’s really big.'” Ross is also exceedingly weird, and not at all subtly racist. He was banned by the livestream platform Twitch for displaying racist and anti-Jewish messages and for his use of homophobic slurs. His past guests have included white nationalist Nick Fuentes (who dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022), and a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi. Ross is also known to be a friend of notorious misogynist Andrew Tate, who was arrested in March on rape and human trafficking charges. None of that, apparently, was a problem for Trump. During the interview, Trump again displayed his odd attitudes toward strongmen when he gave a backhanded compliment to Venezuela’s left-wing dictator Nicolas Maduro. Trump gave the thuggish Maduro, who is in the process of trying to steal that country’s presidential election, credit for making Venezuela's big cities safer than many American cities. (In fact, Venezuela has a violent death rate that’s several times higher than America’s and more than double the homicide rate in Mexico.) During their chat, Ross also gave the former president a Rolex and a Tesla Cybertruck wrapped in an image of the flag and a picture of Trump after he was shot. Afterward, the former president made a TikTok video showing him dancing with the far-right streamer. American voters are being introduced to the Democrats' new team today. Meanwhile, Team Trump continues to remind us what is really at stake in this election. Sign up for MSNBC’s new How to Win 2024 newsletter and get election insights like this delivered to your inbox weekly.

Watch live: Harris holds first campaign event with running mate Gov. Tim Walz None - 'Where did the cash go?': Maddow looks for clues in new report about Trump, Egypt and $10 million 10:41

Report on Trump, Egypt, and $10 million sparks key questions None - There’s been an avalanche of news related to the presidential race lately, which may have overshadowed a Washington Post report that deserves public attention. The lede is an immediate attention-grabber: Five days before Donald Trump became president in January 2017, a manager at a bank branch in Cairo received an unusual letter from an organization linked to the Egyptian intelligence service. It asked the bank to “kindly withdraw” nearly $10 million from the organization’s account — all in cash. The Post’s report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, went on to note that records indicate that four men ultimately arrived at the state-run National Bank of Egypt and carried away bags containing nearly $10 million in bundles of $100 bills. The money represented “what was then a sizable share of Egypt’s reserve of U.S. currency.” A variety of questions obviously came to the fore. Where’d the money go? What did officials linked to the Egyptian intelligence service want with roughly 200 pounds of $100 bills? According to the reporting, some FBI agents were concerned that the money was intended to go to Trump. In fact, those agents reportedly opened an investigation into whether Egypt illegally funneled $10 million in cash to the Republican for his 2016 campaign. And while that might sound like the basis for an incredible story, we’re just getting started. U.S. investigators, relying on U.S. intelligence, reportedly came to believe that Egypt’s then-president wanted to give Trump $10 million to boost his 2016 candidacy. Around the same time, Trump met with Egypt’s then-president, praising him on Fox News soon after as a “fantastic guy.” We don’t know whether Egypt gave Trump the money. We do know that a few weeks after Trump met with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi — the one who apparently wanted to give the Republican $10 million — Trump somehow produced $10 million of his own money for his campaign. It was, however, structured as a loan so Trump would get the money back. The then-GOP candidate, of course, ultimately won the election. It was during that presidential transition period, shortly before Inauguration Day 2017, when an organization linked to the Egyptian intelligence service picked up 200 pounds of $100 bills from Egypt’s state-run national bank. Soon after, Egypt’s president became one of Trump’s first foreign guests at the White House — a generous diplomatic gesture — and the then-American president ultimately released over $1 billion in military aid for Egypt. U.S. investigators never proved that the cash from that Egyptian bank went to Trump. That would’ve required access to more of Trump’s financial records, which they didn’t get. Why not? According to the Post, because then-Attorney General Bill Barr intervened to prevent FBI agents from subpoenaing Trump’s financial records. What’s more, Barr removed the relevant prosecutor — and her replacement — until the controversial A.G. finally arrived at a prosecutor who shut down the investigation altogether. Trump has denied wrongdoing, though as Rachel noted on last night’s show, he has the wherewithal to simply shut down all questions by releasing relevant financial records. To date, that hasn’t happened. A few months ago, Trump falsely accused President Joe Biden of “receiving money, for no apparent reason, from foreign countries.” Given this, it would appear that the former president has opened the door to some provocative questions from the recent past.

The Harris-Walz ticket could make history in an unexpected way None - As a Black and Asian American woman, much has been made of the history-making potential of Kamala Harris’ candidacy for president. With her selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, she has teed up another prospective “first”: If the Harris-Walz ticket wins the White House, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become the country’s first Native American woman to be governor. A member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan was elected lieutenant governor in 2018 after serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives. She and Walz easily won re-election in 2022. Flanagan, 44, is the nation’s highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office, according to her official biography. As laid out in the Minnesota Constitution, Flanagan would assume the governorship if the Democratic ticket were to win the White House, or if Walz steps down to campaign (he has not indicated that he would). On Tuesday, Flanagan congratulated Walz for becoming Harris’ running mate, writing on X: I’ve been friends with Tim Walz for almost 20 years. And for more than five years, he’s been my partner in justice at the Minnesota Capitol. He has the grit and the grace to keep our country moving forward alongside Kamala Harris. As lieutenant governor, Flanagan has been a leading voice in Minnesota for Indigenous rights. She formed the state’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office and has helped shore up relations between the state government and Minnesota’s tribal nations. Flanagan is also an outspoken advocate for abortion rights. Last month, after Iowa enacted a six-week abortion ban, she toured a Minnesota abortion clinic and welcomed out-of-state patients seeking help. “If you’re afraid, come to Minnesota,” Flanagan said. “We’ve got you.”

Georgia property owners battle railroad company in ongoing eminent domain case None - A railroad company wants to use eminent domain to condemn property in one of Georgia's poorest areas ATLANTA -- A hearing on Tuesday raised questions about a railroad company’s use of eminent domain in one of Georgia’s poorest areas. After three days of hearings in November, an officer for the Georgia Public Service Commission granted Sandersville Railroad Co.'s request to legally condemn nine properties in Sparta, Georgia. The commission’s decision to adopt or reject the officer’s recommendation could affect property law nationwide. Sandersville, which is owned by a prominent Georgia family, wants to build a line 4.5 miles (7.25 kilometers) long called the Hanson Spur that would connect to the CSX railroad rail line at Sparta, 85 miles (135 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta. The hearing led Sparta property owners to make the drive north. Some of them might have their land condemned, and others were neighbors who don’t want a railroad near their backyards. Lawyers representing the property owners and the No Railroad in Our Community Coalition, which formed to stop the railroad’s construction, say that Sandersville has not met the requirements of Georgia’s eminent domain law. The law requires the company to show that the railroad will serve a public use and needs the line for business. Although Sandersville brought five potential customers to the hearing, they have not shown signed contracts with the customers or the CSX railroad, lawyers representing property owners said. A spokesperson for Sandersville said the owner has reached “agreements” with potential customers. Institute for Justice Senior Attorney Bill Maurer, who represents property owners, said that Sandersville is motivated by profit. He pointed to earlier testimony from Benjamin Tarbutton III, the president of Sandersville Railroad Co., describing the expansion as an economic development project. “It is a naked transfer of wealth from my clients to Sandersville and its small network of clients, so those companies can get richer,” said Maurer, whose nonprofit fights for private property rights against eminent domain for private uses. Maurer added that Sandersville hasn’t produced information on “basic issues” such as costs and expected loads. He also said that the company never contested a 50-page report produced by a railroad consultant that disputed the economic feasibility of the project. But Robert Highsmith, an attorney for Sandersville, noted that state law doesn’t require the company to provide the analysis Maurer sought. They only have to show that the line is necessary for the business and public services. Right now, potential users of the Hanson Spur railroad cannot transfer products between areas that are best served by the CSX railroad. They can only truck their goods to the CSX railroad, which Sandersville’s lawyers said is not economical. “There are markets that Veal Farms can’t reach,” Highsmith said. “There are markets that Southern Chips cannot reach economically without access to the CSX mainline in East Georgia." Sparta residents also worry that the railroad would permit the expansion of a nearby quarry that generates noise and dust. One resident, Kenneth Clayton, 59, said the quarry’s activities caused the ceiling on his home to fall. The quarry is owned by Heidelberg Materials, a publicly traded German firm, and Tarbutton has said the quarry is considering expanding so that the loudest part of its operation would happen farther from its current location. Quarry or not, Blaine Smith said nothing could convince him to willingly give up the part of his land. The property in Sparta has been in his family for several generations. “I grew up farming, all of us out in the field, all of that land over there that the railroad is going to cross,” Smith said. Now, Smith grows timber on the land and rests by the property’s pond. He and his wife, Diane, live in Maryland, but they come to Sparta several times a year. The couple might move back to Sparta full time, but they also want to protect their land for future generations of Black farmers – a small slice of an already declining population of farmers. Diane Smith found Tarbutton’s attitude “cavalier” when he spoke with them. It made her “blood boil bad” when he sent them notices to condemn the property before he had full legal authority to do so, she said. Representatives of Sandersville Railroad Co. said that Tarbutton tried to reach and agreement with the Smiths and travelled to Maryland to meet with family members. The company has made “accommodating adjustments” to the railroad in response to their requests, and it reached agreements with owners of nine of the 18 parcels the company needs. Sandersville would be legally required to pay fair market value for any land that it takes through the eminent domain process. But the Smiths said they aren’t in it for the money. “We don’t want this in our yard -- or anywhere we can hear it, see it,” Blaine Smith said. ___ Charlotte Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @ckramon

A judge has branded Google a monopolist, but AI may bring about quicker change in internet search None - SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge has branded Google as a ruthless monopolist bent on suffocating it competitors. But how do you go about creating alternatives to a search engine that's synonymous with internet exploration? It's a process that may take years to unfold as Google appeals the landmark decision issued Monday by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta. And with that kind of time frame looming, the forces of technological upheaval may make the exercise moot. The rise of artificial intelligence may reshape the landscape more quickly and profoundly than any judge ever could. The way consumers navigate the internet is more likely to be affected by advances in AI products — such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's own Gemini — before a nearly 4-year-old case brought by the U.S. Justice Department is finally resolved. Even so, Mehta's 277-page ruling Monday creates challenges for Google that company founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin probably didn't envision when they set out to revolutionize internet search while attending Stanford University as graduate students. They eventually dropped out to start a Silicon Valley company in 1998 that adopted “Don't Be Evil” as a motto that also was meant to serve as its corporate conscience. Page and Brin, who remain the controlling shareholders of Google's corporate parent Alphabet Inc., also cast their cuddly startup as a crusader for technology that would be far better than the products coming out of Microsoft, the industry's reigning kingpin at the time. Microsoft's dominance of personal computer software and anticompetitive tactics during the 1990s spurred another Justice Department case that ended up hobbling Microsoft and helped make it easier for Google to build its lead in search and then expand into maps, cloud computing, email (Gmail), web browsers (Chrome) and video (YouTube). Now, the script has been flipped, with Google facing potential legal constraints, while a resurgent Microsoft has been making early headway in AI with a major helping hand from its investment in OpenAI. In one of the most dramatic scenarios that most experts think is unlikely to happen, Google might be forced to break up its business similar to how AT & T — once known as “Ma Bell” — ended up spinning off its telephone subsidiaries into separate “Baby Bells” more than 40 years ago. It will be left to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who took over the company's leadership from Page in 2015, to minimize the distractions caused by the legal skirmishing still to come and remain focused on an industrywide pivot to AI technology that's expected to be as revolutionary as the mobile computing shift by Apple's introduction of the iPhone in 2007. The debate about how Google should be overhauled will begin Sept. 6 with a hearing scheduled in Washington, D.C., before Mehta, who also presided over the 10-week trial last year that led to his antitrust decision. Google also will be pursing an appeal, based on its long-held contention that it has done nothing wrong but build and maintain a search engine that has been far superior to anything else for more than 20 years. The Mountain View, California, company also maintains that competition is just a few clicks away, with consumers still free to go to other options, such as Microsoft's Bing, DuckDuckGo and, more recently, AI-powered alternatives such as Perplexity and ChatGPT. Although Mehta praised the quality of Google's search engine in his ruling and acknowledged the company initially became the people's preferred choice in its early days, he concluded it resorted to unfair tactics to maintain its leadership during the past decade. Google did it, Mehta said, mainly by negotiating lucrative deals to cement a position as the default search engine on the iPhone and wide range of other devices, including PCs. Those deals, which totaled $26 billion in 2021 alone, meant Google automatically processed search requests unless consumers took the time to manually go into their settings and choose another option — something that few do. The default option then helped Google collect valuable insights that enabled the company to improve its search engine in ways that rivals couldn't because they lacked the same data. Default requests processed accounted for 60% of Google's search traffic in 2017, Mehta pointed out in his ruling, and that volume in turn created more opportunities to sell the ads that generate the majority of its parent company's $307 billion in annual revenue. Mehta's focus on the default search deals in his ruling make it likely he may decide to ban them after the next trial phase is completed, according to antitrust experts. That could have implications for other companies besides Google, especially Apple, which pockets about $20 billion annually from an arrangement that is currently scheduled to continue through 2026, with options to extend the alliance into 2028. Apple didn't respond to a request for comment about Mehta's decision, but its executives have depicted the decision to make Google the default search engine on the iPhone and other products as a convenience to its customers — most of whom prefer to use Google. But an order preventing Apple from doing default search engine deals with Google could do more than just siphon away revenue. It might also require Apple to spend heavily to develop its own search technology — an endeavor that Google estimated would cost more than $30 billion as part of 2020 analysis that Mehta cited in his ruling. Then, it would cost Apple an additional $7 billion annually to sustain its own search engine, according to Google's analysis.

NASA delays next crew launch to buy more time at the space station for Boeing's troubled capsule None - NASA is delaying its next astronaut launch to buy more time at the International Space Station for Boeing's troubled new crew capsule NASA delays next crew launch to buy more time at the space station for Boeing's troubled capsule NASA is delaying its next astronaut launch to buy more time at the International Space Station for Boeing’s troubled new crew capsule. The space agency said Tuesday it’s bumping SpaceX’s four-person flight from this month to next. It’s now targeted for Sept. 24 at the earliest. Officials said that will give them more time to analyze thruster and leak problems that hit Boeing’s Starliner capsule after its June liftoff, its first with a crew on board. Tuesday marked the two-month point at the space station for Starliner’s test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who should have been back by mid-June. NASA is weighing all its options for returning the two veteran astronauts, including a ride home in a SpaceX capsule. “NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate the spacecraft’s readiness, and no decisions have been made regarding Starliner’s return,” NASA said in a statement. Further details were expected at a news conference set for Wednesday. Only two docking ports at the space station can accommodate U.S. astronaut capsules and, right now, both are occupied. So one will need to be vacated before the next SpaceX crew can arrive. Russia has its own parking places for its Soyuz capsules. The latest setback means the four astronauts who flew up with SpaceX in March now also face a longer mission than planned. Over the past several weeks, Boeing has conducted thruster test firings on the ground as well as in space to better understand why five thrusters failed ahead of Starliner’s June 6 arrival at the space station. All but one came back online. Helium leaks in the capsule’s propulsion system also cropped up. Citing the testing, the company late last week said: “Boeing remains confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with crew.” Boeing and SpaceX topped NASA's list for astronaut taxi service to and from the space station, after the shuttles retired in 2011. NASA signed contracts worth billions with both companies in order to have a backup in case one of them got sidelined by an accident. SpaceX launched its first crew in 2020; the upcoming flight will be its 10th astronaut flight for NASA. It's also sent a few private crews into orbit. Boeing has had to overcome multiple Starliner problems over the years. The company had to launch an empty Starliner twice before committing to a crew, repeating the initial flight test because of bad software and other issues. The delays have cost the company more than $1 billion. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Airbnb's second-quarter profit fell 15% despite its revenue rising 11% on stronger bookings None - Airbnb says its profit fell 15% in the second quarter from a year earlier, as higher income taxes cut into the short-term rental giant’s bottom line even as bookings and revenue rose Airbnb's second-quarter profit fell 15% despite its revenue rising 11% on stronger bookings Airbnb says its profit fell 15% in the second quarter from a year earlier, as higher income tax costs cut into the short-term rental giant's bottom line even as bookings and revenue rose. The profits fell short of Wall Street's expectations and Airbnb's shares tumbled. The San Francisco-based company reported on Tuesday net income of $555 million, or 86 cents per share, for the three months ended June 30. That compares with net income of $650 million, or 98 cents per share, in the same quarter last year. Analysts’ consensus estimates called for earnings of 91 cents per share, according to FactSet. Revenue rose 11% from a year earlier to $2.75 billion, slightly higher than what analysts forecast. The vacation-rental platform said it booked 125.1 million nights and experiences in the second quarter, a 9% increase from a year earlier. The average daily rate rose 2% to $170. Airbnb shares were down roughly 14% in after-market trading Tuesday.

CSX, Caterpillar rise; ZoomInfo, Teradata fall, Tuesday, 8/6/2024 None - Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes on Tuesday: CSX, Caterpillar rise; ZoomInfo, Teradata fall The Associated Press By The Associated Press NEW YORK -- Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes on Tuesday: Caterpillar Inc., up $9.64 to $326.44. The construction equipment company and economic bellwether beat analysts' second-quarter earnings forecasts. CSX Corp., up 86 cents to $33.86. The freight railroad's second-quarter earnings and revenue beat Wall Street forecasts. Palantir Technologies Inc., up $2.50 to $26.59. The software company raised its revenue forecast for the year. BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., up $6.40 to $86.87. The drug developer raised its revenue forecast for the year. Lucid Group Inc., up 9 cents to $3.09. The electric vehicle maker announced a $1.5 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. ZoomInfo Technologies Inc., down $1.79 to $8.01. The software company trimmed its earnings forecast for the year. Yum China Holdings Inc., up $3.57 to $33.37. The operator of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants in China beat analysts' second-quarter earnings forecasts. Teradata Corp., down $4.10 to $25.05. The data management company trimmed its revenue forecast for the year.

How major US stock indexes fared Tuesday, 8/6/2024 None - Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as calm returned to the market a day after its biggest pullback in almost two years How major US stock indexes fared Tuesday, 8/6/2024 The Associated Press By The Associated Press Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as calm returned to the market a day after its biggest pullback in almost two years. The S & P 500 rose 1% Tuesday, breaking a brutal three-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite added 1%. Strong profit reports from Uber and other companies helped support the market. The vast majority of stocks climbed in a mirror opposite of the day before, when the unraveling of some popular trades and worries about the U.S. economy wracked markets. Treasury yields climbed, clawing back some of their sharp drops since April. On Tuesday: The S & P 500 rose 53.70 points, or 1%, to 5,240.03. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 294.39 points, or 0.8%, to 38,997.66. The Nasdaq composite rose 166.77 points, or 1%, to 16,366.85. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 25.14 points, or 1.2%, to 2,064.30. For the week: The S & P 500 is down 106.53 points, or 2%. The Dow is down 739.60 points, or 1.9%. The Nasdaq is down 409.31 points, or 2.4%. The Russell 2000 is down 45.01 points, or 2.1%. For the year: The S & P 500 is up 470.20 points, or 9.9%. The Dow is up 1,308.12 points, or 3.5%. The Nasdaq is up 1,355.50 points, or 9%. The Russell 2000 is up 37.23 points, or 1.8%.

Wall Street closes higher, finding its footing a day after a big sell-off; S&P 500 climbs 1% None - What the polls say about a Harris-Trump matchup

Tim Martin of Wetherspoon’s: ‘For a while I was hated based on false information’ None - Tim Martin owes an apology to the rightwing TV channel GB News. Earlier this year, the MP Lee Anderson – a presenter on the channel – suggested that shoplifters were not stealing food to eat but to make money selling it at Wetherspoon’s. “We hit the roof, as you can imagine,” says the pub chain’s founder and chair. Wetherspoon’s complained and Anderson’s fellow presenter, the former Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, read out an apology on air on his colleague’s behalf. Days later, Martin was making one of his surprise visits to a branch of the 801-strong chain, the Moon Under Water in Watford. “A guy came up and said: ‘Do you want to buy a steak?’,” recalls Martin, breaking into one of the guffaws that shake his hulking 6ft 6in frame when something tickles him. “I haven’t told GB News.” The 69-year-old is sitting in that same Wetherspoon’s, the nearest to the chain’s headquarters, and appears very much in his element. Amid a brisk trade for a Wednesday afternoon, Martin is a celebrity, rendered conspicuous by his size and leonine mane of white hair, and the fact that he is probably the most famous landlord in Britain. Drinkers, some of whom he knows by name, stop to quibble over real ale prices, shake his hand, or take a selfie. But outside his fiefdom, Martin cuts a more divisive figure. During the pandemic, he drew fire over what some perceived as a callous attitude towards his workforce. While some businesses promised their staff a fixed period of full pay, Martin warned his that government-funded furlough money might take time to come through. Several media outlets also claimed, incorrectly, that Martin had dismissively told anxious staff that they should go and work in Tesco. In fact, he had said that anyone who chose to answer a Tesco recruitment drive could do so and would get priority on their old jobs once pubs reopened. Wetherspoon’s secured several corrections from media outlets but the mud stuck. And while Martin has sometimes been cast as a tin-eared bruiser with little regard for what people think of him, he is surprisingly reflective. “I am scarred by it,” he says. “For a very short time I was hated based on false information. And it’s heavy, you know what I mean? Every few weeks someone gets it, and it’s not always fair. The danger is that it puts people off saying what they think.” There does not seem to be much danger of Martin pulling his rhetorical punches, voiced in a hard-to-pin-down drawl that betrays a nomadic childhood that began in Norwich but was split mostly between New Zealand and Northern Ireland. He is famous – infamous to some – for loudly voicing his opinions. One of his more controversial points was his insistence that there was little point in imposing restrictions on pubs during Covid. He sticks by this – citing scientists and governments who shared his stance – but admits it might have been wiser to keep quiet. View image in fullscreen Martin, a passionate leaver, making an address for the Brexit party in 2019. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images “There was a ludicrous attempt to stymie debate,” he says. “But it’s an emotional issue because people died and there’s been a lot of trauma during and since. To stick your head above your parapet … from a personal point of view it may have been better not to say anything.” Martin, who was knighted in the new year honours list for services to hospitality and culture, at the recommendation of the Conservative government, claims not to be political. “I was brought up in Northern Ireland mostly and I could see that people, if they become political enough, become irrational.” Even his wife does not know, he says, how he voted in the election. “There are single-issue things that come up if you’re running a business, and I’ve taken those up from time to time,” he says, pointing to past criticisms of Margaret Thatcher’s beer orders and Tony Blair’s licensing policies. Nothing has made him more of a magnet for public fury than his vehement support for Brexit, which appears to inspire genuine loathing on social media in particular. Haters of “Spoons” – as the ubiquitous pub chain is known – have gleefully called for boycotts, in the hope of hitting Martin in the pocket. Their efforts have proved fruitless. The chain sells food and beer for less than almost all of its competitors. In June, it launched a breakfast offer that meant Londoners could get a fried egg, bacon, Lincolnshire sausage, baked beans and hash brown for £2.99. As of a few months ago the cheapest pint it sold, according to analysis by data platform Stocklytics, was Carling for £2.49. In seven of its pubs, drinkers can get a pint of Worthington’s for 99p, the company says. This, it turns out, is the sort of thing that people quite like. Sales have risen in every year unaffected by the pandemic, reaching £1.9bn in 2023, double what they were in 2011. Pre-tax profit leapt from £4.6m to £36m in the first six months of the 2024 financial year. The group has also expanded into accommodation and now has more than 50 hotels. So why wade into politics at all, given its potential to annoy customers? A lot of companies were vocal on Brexit, he says. “The difference is that I was in favour [of it].” Martin is, however, a supporter of migration from the EU – his pubs would have a hard time finding staff without it. His stance on Brexit was founded more on concerns about a perceived dilution of democracy that came with ceding control over some policies to Brussels. He insists Brexit has not been the disaster that remainers said it would be, pointing to factors such as low unemployment and comparable economic growth rates to EU member states. As with his views on Covid, he has a tendency to cite statistics and experts that support his conclusions, to the exclusion of those that do not. But even he cannot pretend that everything has gone swimmingly in Britain lately. How well has the country been run by the people we elected? Not that well. But democracy is chaotic “How well has the country been run by the people we elected? Not that well. But democracy is chaotic.” Martin says he admires politicians who “get an awful slagging off”, something he too is used to by now. But the publican has learned to roll with the punches that come his way. The family moved around a lot due to his father’s job with the brewer Guinness, and his parents split up. Martin stayed with his father and has said – on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs – that he did not get on as well with his mother. He wanted to be a barrister and studied law at Nottingham University, but was paralysed by a fear of public speaking. “I went to my first law of contract lecture and the professor started asking questions, so I didn’t go back. It made me very nervous. It sounds pathetic but you can get these little phobias.” The solution, it turned out, was getting into the pub trade, which he did in 1979 with the opening of Martin’s Free House. The JD Wetherspoon name came later, a mashup of JD Hogg, a character in The Dukes of Hazzard, and Wetherspoon, the name of a teacher who did not think much of him. At the time, opening a pub required licensing approval from a magistrate. “The aversion therapy was that to get a pub you had to go into the witness box – to go into court and give evidence. Once I’d done that … it was easier than public speaking. That was what cured me.” And yet, Martin does not seem entirely free of anxiety about being put on the spot. Ask him a question and his usual response is to cite someone else’s opinion rather than his own. In the course of an hour, he responds to questions with quotes from Muhammad Ali, the hotelier Bill Marriott and Captain Beefheart, among others. Why? “It’s because, as [Walmart founder] Sam Walton said, you don’t have to have a small ego to work at Walmart but you’d better pretend you have. “I always say ‘I know fuck all’. If you asked me if it should be three sausages or two [in a breakfast], I know that I don’t know. It doesn’t matter what I think.” What he thinks does matter, though. Martin has been a proficient strategist, recognising early on that it was hard to get the large pub chains to sell him sites and instead choosing to convert retail venues. He now presides over perhaps the best-known pub chain in the country, with about 40,000 staff and a stock market value of almost £1bn. He divides his time between the company and his family. Martin has four children and 12 grandchildren, one of whom he regularly helps with physiotherapy to cope with a physical disability. View image in fullscreen ‘A proficient strategist’: Tim Martin Wetherspoons at the Moon under Water. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian He visits several pubs every week, always unannounced, but insists that if he sees something he does not like, “I never give anyone a bollocking”. He does, though, own up to his own mistakes – some of which have been very costly. In 2007, the Bank of Scotland offered to fix the interest on £50m of Wetherspoon debt at 5.5%. Martin liked the offer so much, he took it on all £400m of the company’s borrowing. A year later, the bank offered him an exit in exchange for £10m, which he turned down. Then the global financial crisis hit and rates crashed to 0.5%. “That was a £120m mistake,” he says. “Like Warren Buffett said, if I’d just snuck of to the movies, we’d have been a lot better off.” He was also wrong, he admits, about the Wetherspoon’s app, which allows punters to order food to their tables – and also to others’ tables, from anywhere. “I thought an integral part of going to the pub was going to the bar and shooting the breeze.” The revelation that the app has spawned the emergence of the “Spoonspig” – men who derive gratification from paying for women’s drinks and meals – elicits another guffaw. “Bloody hell […] that sounds like an expensive way of, er …” Martinis not short of cash himself, particularly after selling £10m of shares in the business last month. The sale does not appear to be a sign that he is thinking about succession planning, though. None of his four children, he says, have expressed an interest in the business and he doesn’t want to “create a dynasty”. “I’d like to keep on working for 30 or 40 years – as long as I can have a couple of pints in the evening and spend plenty of time at home and travel round the country. You need energy and health. It’s not a gimme.” CV Age 69 Family Married with four children. Education Westlake school, Auckland; Campbell College, Belfast; Nottingham University; Inns of Court School of Law. Pay £324,000 Last holiday Cornwall. Favourite pint Abbot Ale. Best advice he’s been given “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans” (John Lennon). Biggest regret Giving up rugby at the age of 21. Phrase he overuses “The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.”

Why Shake Shack Isn't Feeling The Same Sales Pressure as McDonald's, Burger King None - Key Takeaways Shake Shack's earnings earlier this week showed its sales surged from a year ago. A number of its burger-selling rivals like McDonald's, however, have struggled with customers pulling back on spending and introduced value meals to drive sales in recent months. Shares of Shake Shack have climbed along with its sales, up 30% from the start of the year through Friday's close, while shares of McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International slumped. Analysts and Shake Shack executives cited the narrowing price gap between fast-food and "fast-casual" chains like Shake Shack and Chipotle as a contributing factor driving sales to the latter. Shake Shack's (SHAK) sales have surged this year, boosting its stock price, while some of its burger-selling rivals like McDonald's (MCD), Wendy's (WEN), and Burger King of Restaurant Brands International (QSR) have struggled with customers pulling back on spending. Shake Shack reported earlier this week that its sales jumped 16% in the second quarter from a year earlier, in another strong quarter for the burger chain after posting a double-digit jump in sales in the first quarter. By contrast, McDonald's reported last week that its same-store sales dropped year-over-year, as the company said it has continued to see a pullback in discretionary spending by consumers. The fast-food giant and others have leaned into value in recent months to boost sales, with some success. Wendy's recently reported a small increase in same-store sales, though its revenue missed estimates. Meanwhile, Burger King's results have started to improve amid a turnaround campaign of advertising and restaurant renovations. Value Proposition of Dining Out Shifts in Shake Shack's Favor Analysts have suggested that fast-casual chains with traditionally higher prices like Shake Shack, Chipotle (CMG), and Sweetgreen (SG) are benefitting from improving perceptions of the value of their offerings after a faster rise in fast-food prices narrowed the price gap between the two categories. That trend could persist, with Baird analysts writing Thursday that Shake Shack reported positive same-store sales and foot traffic for the start of the third quarter in July amid "extreme discounting activity" by competitors like McDonald's. Shares of Shake Shack soared on its strong earnings results earlier in the week, before a weaker-than-expected jobs report and concerns about the economy drove a broad-based sell-off Friday that sent Shake Shack shares nearly 6% lower in a single session. However, even with Friday's losses, Shake Shack shares have gained 30% from the start of the year through Friday's close. Shares of McDonald's have lost close to 7% over the same period, while Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International fell 10%, and Wendy's dropped over 13%.