Amazon denied on Tuesday that it was planning to show the cost that tariffs would add to the price of products on its website, pushing back on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hostile-white-house-sounds-off-after-amazon-says-it-will-display-tariff-costs-for-consumers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Punchbowl News after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted the Seattle-based company.
Leavitt ripped Amazon for taking a &#8220;hostile and political&#8221; action, adding, “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” After backlash from the White House, the company said that it &#8220;never&#8221; considered showing tariff costs on &#8220;the main Amazon site.&#8221;
An Amazon spokesman said on Tuesday morning that the plan was only discussed for the &#8220;ultra low cost Amazon Haul store,&#8221; which &#8220;considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,&#8221; ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates-border-czar-brief-securing/?id=121230740&amp;entryId=121277073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The spokesman added, &#8220;Teams discuss ideas all the time. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.&#8221;
Asked about the Punchbowl report during a press briefing on Tuesday morning, Leavitt said that she had just spoken to President Donald Trump about the issue. Leavitt also pointed to a 2021 Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/amazon-partnered-with-china-propaganda-arm-win-beijings-favor-document-shows-2021-12-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> about the tech and e-commerce giant partnering with a Chinese propaganda arm and complying with some of communist China’s wishes for the website. More than 70% of Amazon&#8217;s products are sourced in China and subject to Trump’s 145% tariff on the country.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has not commented on the Punchbowl report. Bezos has cozied up to Trump since the 2024 election, joining Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago after the election and attending Trump&#8217;s inauguration after Amazon donated $1 million to the inaugural fund.

Amazon

Amazon Denies That It Considered Listing Tariff Costs On ‘Main’ Site After Trump Backlash

Business

Donald Trump

Economy

Jeff Bezos

Karoline Leavitt

Tariffs

Trump Administration

The White House confirmed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump will sign an order protecting the auto industry from tariffs &#8220;stacking&#8221; on top of each other in exchange for continued focus on domestic production.
Auto manufacturers will continue to pay a 25% tariff for imported vehicles, but Trump&#8217;s order will prevent any additional tariffs, such as the 25% tax on steel and aluminum, from affecting car companies, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/29/trump-auto-tariffs.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Trump&#8217;s order will be retroactive, allowing automakers to receive reimbursements for tariffs they have already paid, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/trump-tariffs-autos-exceptions-fc634efd?mod=hp_lead_pos1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a White House press briefing on Tuesday that the president&#8217;s move shows a commitment to bringing car manufacturing back to the United States. “We want to give the automakers a path to do that quickly, efficiently, and create as many jobs as possible,” he said.
The change comes after automakers called on the Trump administration to provide some relief from the tariffs that have been stacking up on the car industry. Six lobbyists representing U.S. automotive groups joined forces last week to argue against implementing tariffs on foreign auto parts, a tax that is set to take effect on May 3.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the 25% tariff on foreign auto parts will also be modified, allowing car manufacturers to be reimbursed up to 3.75% of the value of the U.S.-made car in the first year. The reimbursement would drop to 2.5% of the car&#8217;s value in the second year and then be phased out.
In exchange for the tariff relief, car manufacturers reportedly committed to furthering domestic production, a key point for the Trump administration.
“President Trump is building an important partnership with both the domestic automakers and our great American workers,” said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “This deal will be a major victory for the president’s trade policy by rewarding companies who are already manufacturing domestically, while providing a runway to manufacturers who have expressed their commitment in investing in America and expanding domestic manufacturing.”
The Ford Motor Company thanked the president for the tariff relief, saying in a statement, “Ford welcomes and appreciates these decisions by President Trump, which will help mitigate the impact of tariffs on automakers, suppliers and consumers.”
&#8220;We will continue to work closely with the administration in support of the president’s vision for a healthy and growing auto industry in America,&#8221; Ford CEO Jim Farley added. &#8220;Ford sees policies that encourage exports and ensure affordable supply chains to promote more domestic growth as essential.&#8221;
Stellantis Chair John Elkann added, “Stellantis appreciates the tariff relief measures decided by President Trump. While we further assess the impact of the tariff policies on our North American operations, we look forward to our continued collaboration with the U.S. Administration to strengthen a competitive American auto industry and stimulate exports.”
General Motors CEO Mary Barra also expressed her gratitude for the &#8220;productive conversations with the President and his Administration.&#8221;

Ford assembly line

‘A Major Victory:’ Trump Makes Deal With Auto Industry For Tariff Relief

Auto Companies

Ford Motor Co.

Amazon will begin displaying the cost that President Donald Trump&#8217;s tariffs are adding to the price of products, according to Punchbowl News, irking the Trump administration, which on Tuesday described Amazon&#8217;s move as &#8220;hostile and political.&#8221;
Punchbowl News <a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/tech/amazon-display-tariff-costs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the massive e-commerce company will show the cost that tariffs add to each product next to the total price. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/PhilipWegmann/status/1917201780687135018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blasted</a> Amazon during a press briefing on Tuesday morning, saying she &#8220;just got off the phone with the president,&#8221; who discussed Amazon&#8217;s decision.
&#8220;This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,&#8221; Leavitt said. &#8220;Why didn&#8217;t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?&#8221;
Amazon denied that it was planning to show the cost of tariffs next to products shortly after Leavitt&#8217;s comments. An Amazon spokesman said that the plan was only discussed for the “ultra low cost Amazon Haul store,” which “considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,” ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates-border-czar-brief-securing/?id=121230740&amp;entryId=121277073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The spokesman added, “Teams discuss ideas all the time. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”
Leavitt said that Amazon&#8217;s reported decision is &#8220;not a surprise,&#8221; pointing to a 2021 Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/amazon-partnered-with-china-propaganda-arm-win-beijings-favor-document-shows-2021-12-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> about the tech and e-commerce giant partnering with a Chinese propaganda arm and complying with some of communist China&#8217;s wishes for the website.
&#8220;This is another reason why Americans should buy American. It&#8217;s another reason why we are onshoring critical supply chains here at home to shore up our own critical supply chain and boost our own manufacturing,&#8221; Leavitt said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> reacts to Amazon&#39;s announcement on tariffs: &quot;This is a hostile and political act by Amazon&#8230; It&#39;s not a surprise because, as Reuters recently wrote, Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm&#8230; This is another reason Americans should buy American.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/jtXZYfR8rH">pic.twitter.com/jtXZYfR8rH</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917203919521882362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some economists express concerns that the president&#8217;s tariffs on China will mostly hurt American consumers. More than <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/33376/share-of-items-sold-on-amazon-by-country-of-origin/#:~:text=More%20than%2070%20percent%20of,above%20the%20100%20percent%20mark." target="_blank" rel="noopener">70%</a> of Amazon&#8217;s products are sourced in China and subject to Trump&#8217;s 145% tariff on the country. The president hinted at an end to the escalating trade war with China soon, saying last week that the tariff on China &#8220;will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.&#8221; China has retaliated with a 125% tariff on American goods.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has grown warmer toward Trump in recent months. After Trump&#8217;s election victory, Bezos dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and Amazon donated $1 million to the president&#8217;s inauguration. Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, has also been hit by the Left for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wapo-opinion-editor-quits-after-jeff-bezos-announces-significant-shift-in-opinion-section" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dialing back</a> the newspaper&#8217;s opinion section and reportedly urging the Post to hire more conservative columnists.
This article has been updated with additional information.

White House Press Briefing

‘Hostile’: White House Sounds Off On Amazon Reportedly Displaying Tariff Costs For Consumers

China

Trade War

It’s not an exaggeration to say that conservative shareholder engagement is changing the corporate game. For years, Left-wing activists controlled the agendas at our largest companies, using not only their leverage as stockholders but their perpetual devotion to activism to get in the ear of America’s boards and directors. The result? Leftward drift in virtually every major company. But now conservative shareholders, from ordinary investors to major conservative nonprofits, are stepping into the game — and their engagements are bearing major fruit. The latest proof? IBM.
IBM’s track record on corporate bias and activism is notorious. The company was a member of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), a group created by the World Federation of Advertisers that worked to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-daily-wire-addresses-the-ad-industry-following-the-fall-of-garm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keep ad revenue away</a> from conservative news sites like the Daily Wire to free speech-centric platforms like X. And that’s before all the DEI concerns surfaced. After IBM CEO Arvind Krishna was caught on a <a href="https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/1734374423124176944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1734374423124176944%7Ctwgr%5E42e55266e59ec08d85550be6ab044097866bd072%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdallasexpress.com%2Fbusiness-markets%2Fceo-of-tech-corp-ibm-enshrines-dei-hiring%2F">hot mic</a> discussing how the company uses quotas of ‘underrepresented’ minorities in determining their executive pay — in Krishna’s words, execs have “got to move both [race and gender] forward by a percentage point” in order to get a higher bonus. That means DEI. That means quotas. Following these snafus, the reputational, ethical, and (in the case of the Missouri AG who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/missouri-attorney-general-sues-tech-giant-ibm-alleging-discrimination-against-whites-asians-men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> IBM) legal scrutiny was swift in coming.
IBM’s motto since its early years has been “THINK,” referring to the innovative spirit with which the company solves problems. Yet when it came to political bias, that motto was missing in action — and shareholders took notice. In January, the firm I work for, Bowyer Research, began <a href="https://www.heritage.org/press/heritage-foundation-expands-efforts-hold-corporate-america-accountable-end-its-discriminatory" target="_blank" rel="noopener">work</a> with the Heritage Foundation to hold IBM accountable for the DEI quotas that Krishna described. The argument? Simple — use of non-meritocratic quotas based on race and gender aren’t just bad for reputation, but illegal on their face and bad for business. Shareholders, from major nonprofits to ordinary mom-and-pop investors, shouldn’t have their business returns impacted by IBM’s belief in identity politics.
As the shareholder engagement heated up on the internal front, pressure from <a href="https://lunduke.locals.com/post/5515346/the-ibm-red-hat-leaks-what-weve-learned-so-far" target="_blank" rel="noopener">journalists</a> and <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1910425361034383545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">influencers</a> like Robby Starbuck increased on the external front. That pressure built and built — and the release began earlier this month, when IBM announced the end of many of its DEI initiatives and related goals, including the elimination of its diversity council, the phaseout of its supplier diversity initiatives, and no longer participating in surveys put out by radical corporate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-radical-intolerance-behind-woke-corporate-activism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">activist groups</a> like the Human Rights Campaign, which pressures companies to cover puberty blocker access for employees’ children in the name of “health care access.”
That would have been news enough — until several days ago, when IBM also <a href="https://www.heritage.org/press/heritage-foundation-secures-commitment-viewpoint-neutrality-ibm-encourages-company" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed</a> to include viewpoint neutrality as part of its advertising policy in response to Heritage’s shareholder engagement. That means that biased, activist-driven, political censorship that ad cartels like GARM perpetuate is now explicitly banned under IBM corporate policy. IBM listened to its shareholders, its employees, and its customers — and the result is another company willing to make commitments to political neutrality. This is what happens when authentic shareholder advocacy, championing political neutrality, merges with external pressure to drop corporate bias: change happens, and happens in the form of concrete policy commitments, not just boilerplate PR statements. It’s a praiseworthy step.
But is the scrutiny over? Absolutely not. IBM needs to demonstrate that they’re committed to actually staying the course on being politically-neutral and quota-free. Outstanding questions remain. During our engagement on behalf of Heritage, the company <a href="https://www.sec.gov/files/corpfin/no-action/14a-8/heritageibm3325-14a8.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notably claimed</a> to the SEC that they couldn’t give a definition of DEI as grounds to ignore shareholder concerns — so how did they go from not knowing what DEI is to getting rid of it? (You can probably guess how.) The company holds its annual meeting of shareholders today, and if they’re savvy will make a point of focusing their messaging on business, not activism.
Achieving the commitment to neutrality at IBM was the result of a myriad of groups, from shareholders like Heritage to <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/sec-sides-with-adf-denies-absurd-attempt-from-govt-contractor-ibm-to-hide-from-shareholders-on-dei-proposal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legal giants</a> like Alliance Defending Freedom to the courageous IBM employees willing to speak out about the bias behind the scenes. And it’s going to take all of those groups to be vigilant now — not paying attention to our boardrooms is what got us into the woke mess in the first place.
This is the next phase of rooting out bias and wokeness from corporate America — watching tirelessly to see whether companies that commit to ditching DEI are actually willing to put their messaging and money where their mouths are. Smart companies will be willing to commit to change. Foolish ones will hope to either avoid scrutiny altogether or reintroduce the same tired DEI policies under the guise of <a href="https://www.shrm.org/executive-network/insights/time-to-add-b-for-belonging-to-workplace-dei-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">phrases</a> like “belonging.” It’s our job, as shareholders, as customers, and as Americans, to keep up the pressure for accountability with the leverage that we’ve been given. And above all, to make the case for what truly makes every company successful: the courage to resist activism and the fortitude to focus on business.
* * *
Isaac Willour is an award-winning journalist focusing on race, culture, and American conservatism, as well as a corporate relations analyst at Bowyer Research. His work has been featured at outlets including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Opinion, C-SPAN, and The Daily Wire. He is a member of the Young Voices contributor program and can be found on X <a href="https://twitter.com/IsaacWillour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@IsaacWillour</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Traders On The Floor Of The New York Stock Exchange As Fed Chair Powell Holds New Conference

IBM Rolls Back DEI, Commits To Political Neutrality

Diversity

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Dow Jones

GARM

Heritage Foundation

Human Rights Campaign

Opinion

Robby Starbuck

Stock Market

Wall Street

Woke Culture

On Monday, the Justice Department made remarks before the court, urging a U.S. district judge to force Google to relinquish its ownership of the Chrome web browser.
“Google, which controls about 90% of the global search market, has used illegal agreements to sideline its rivals and harmed consumers and advertisers in the process,” The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-justice-department-search-monopoly-hearing-d527c010?mod=hp_lead_pos5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>. “A trial last year, focused just on liability, revealed that Google has paid Apple more than $20 billion a year for Google’s search engine to be the default on Apple’s Safari web browser.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Gail Slater, and Justice Department official David Dahlquist made their remarks to U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-loses-federal-antitrust-case-27810c43" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> last year, “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one” as he ruled that Google had illegally preserved its search engine monopoly.
“President Trump took the first big step in 2020 when his Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google to challenge its dominance over internet search,” Blanche <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/deputy-attorney-general-todd-blanche-delivers-remarks-opening-arguments-google-search" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Mehta. “Today, as the remedies phase of that case begins, President Trump’s Justice Department will finish the job.”
“As a monopolist, Google uses its market power against the American people,” Blanche continued. “It has control of an extraordinary amount of data about ordinary Americans. Google has deplatformed conservative speech and has put its thumb on the scale politically for years. All of this behavior is downstream from Google’s monopoly power over internet search. This antitrust case addresses that monopoly power. The Department has asked the court to impose remedies that will ensure Google can never again wield such dominance over internet search.”
“This case was filed during President Trump’s first term and litigated across three administrations,” Slater <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/assistant-attorney-general-gail-slater-delivers-remarks-opening-arguments-google-search" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointed out</a>. “It has unified our nation. Forty-nine states, two territories and the District of Columbia have all joined the Department of Justice in prosecuting Google here. And for good reason. Each generation has called for the DOJ to challenge a behemoth that crushed competition. In decades past, it was Standard Oil and AT&amp;T. Today’s behemoth is Google. It is a gatekeeper for our commerce and our information. It is so ubiquitous and so powerful that it interacts with millions of Americans, billions of times per day. Fortunately, DOJ’s Antitrust Division exists for cases just like this one.”
“We’re at an inflection point,” Dahlquist told Mehta. “This court has an opportunity to remedy a monopoly that has controlled the internet for today’s generation and restore competition for decades to come.”

General view of the Google headquarters in King’s Cross as

Trump’s DOJ Targets Google, Urges Judge To Force Sale Of Chrome Browser

Chrome

Courts

Department of Justice

Google

Fast food chain Wendy’s has not apologized for trolling pop singer Katy Perry for her space ride via its official X account, but it did say it “has a ton of respect for&#8221; her.
The six women who made up the all-female flight crew have been getting mixed reviews ever since they boarded Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission on Monday for an 11-minute ride. Perry, TV personality Gayle King, and Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez were among the women who took the flight, which they and many media outlets insisted was of historic significance. 
But there’s also been pushback, with members of the public and some celebrities saying the space ride was nothing more than regular space tourism with a female-heavy roster. Wendy’s social media account got in on the jokes.
The X account Pop Crave announced on Monday, “Katy Perry has returned from space,” prompting the people running Wendy’s social media accounts to reply, “Can we send her back.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Can we send her back
&mdash; Wendy’s (@Wendys) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wendys/status/1911939109871923213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Another post on Monday shared from the Wendy’s account said, “When we said women in stem this isn’t what we meant.”
The posts got a lot of laughs from followers and some criticism. One source who is “close to the situation” told <a href="https://people.com/katy-perry-deserves-apology-from-wendys-blue-origin-comments-exclusive-source-11717191?taid=68013ed1cbec1800016b41dd&amp;utm_campaign=peoplemagazine&amp;utm_content=new&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com">People</a> that Wendy’s should issue Perry an apology. “This wasn&#8217;t harmless banter, this was a billion-dollar brand using its platform to publicly demean a woman,” the source told the outlet, adding that &#8220;when billion-dollar brands join in, it’s irresponsible.&#8221;
Wendy’s responded, but not with an apology. People received a statement from the popular fast food brand saying: &#8220;We always bring a little spice to our socials, but Wendy’s has a ton of respect for Katy Perry and her out-of-this-world-talent.”
Perry hasn’t addressed any of the criticism publicly, but King responded to the haters, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gayle-king-complains-its-disrespectful-sexist-to-call-8-minute-space-ride-a-ride">claiming</a> it was sexist and “disrespectful” to criticize them. 
“So I wish people would do more due diligence. And then my question is, have y’all been to space? Go to space or go to Blue Origin and see what they do … and then come back and say, ‘This is a terrible thing,&#8217;” King said in part. 
She continued, “You never see a man, a male astronaut, who’s going up in space and they say, ‘Oh, he took a ride.’ … It’s always referred to as a flight or a journey, so I feel that’s a little disrespectful to what the mission was and the work that Blue Origin does.”

Katy Perry

Wendy’s Doesn’t Apologize For Trolling Katy Perry’s Space Ride, But Has ‘A Ton Of Respect’ For Her

Wendy's Doesn't Apologize For Trolling Katy Perry Space Ride, But Says They 'Respect' Her

Blue Origin

Celebrities

Space

Twitter

Wendy's

A federal judge in Virginia ruled on Thursday that Google illegally monopolized two advertising markets, paving the way for prosecutors to push for the breakup of Google&#8217;s advertising products, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-judge-finds-google-holds-illegal-online-ad-tech-monopolies-2025-04-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
According to the ruling from U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, Google broke the law by monopolizing the markets for publisher ad servers and ad exchanges. Brinkema wrote in a 115-page opinion that Google &#8220;engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts to acquire and maintain monopoly power in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets for open-web display advertising,&#8221; Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-17/google-partially-loses-us-advertising-tech-antitrust-case?srnd=homepage-americas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;For over a decade, Google has tied its publisher ad server and ad exchange together through contractual policies and technological integration, which enabled the company to establish and protect its monopoly power in these two markets,&#8221; the judge added.
Google also pushed &#8220;anticompetitive policies on its customers&#8221; and &#8220;harmed Google’s publisher customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web,&#8221; according to Brinkema.
Google&#8217;s lawyers pushed back, arguing that the case brought against the company focused on its past practices when it was seeking to connect tools to competitors&#8217; products. The tech giant&#8217;s defense also said that prosecutors ignored some of Google&#8217;s large competitors, such as Amazon and Comcast, when digital ad spending shifted to streaming services and apps, Reuters reported.
The ruling against Google in Virginia comes as the tech giant faces a separate antitrust case, with the Department of Justice looking to force the company to sell its Chrome browser, which processes 90% of internet searches in the United States. The DOJ argues that &#8220;Google&#8217;s unlawful behavior has deprived rivals not only of critical distribution channels but also distribution partners who could otherwise enable entry into these markets by competitors in new and innovative ways.&#8221;
Last year, a federal judge <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-rules-google-has-illegal-monopoly-over-search-engines?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Federal+Judge+Rules+Google+Has+Illegal+Monopoly+Over+Search+Engines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sided</a> with the DOJ and agreed that Google has a monopoly over search engines. A trial to decide a remedy for Google&#8217;s search engine monopoly is <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/google-argues-doj-internet-search-monopoly-remedies-will-harm-consumers/#:~:text=The%20brief%20previews%20how%20the,open%20internet%20search%20competitive%20again.">set to begin</a> on Monday in Washington.
Google has also been accused of censoring Right-leaning news and favoring legacy media outlets in its search function. Republican lawmakers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lawmakers-expand-probe-into-google-meta-over-alleged-censorship-of-trump-assassination-attempt-info?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Lawmakers+Expand+Probe+Into+Google%2C+Meta+Over+Alleged+Censorship+Of+Trump+Assassination+Attempt+Info" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigated</a> Google last year after its search recommendations appeared to remove mentions of the assassination attempt on then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Google claimed that the assassination attempt search recommendations were omitted because of a safety protocol.

Google Illegally Monopolized Advertising Markets, Federal Judge Rules

Antitrust

Big Tech

Judge

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly offered the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) nearly $1 billion to keep a case out of court that could break up his social media empire.
Zuckerberg sat for a third day of testimony on Wednesday in an antitrust case brought against his company by the FTC, which is attempting to force Meta to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp over what the government has said are Meta’s anticompetitive business practices.
Zuckerberg called the head of the FTC, Chairman Andrew Ferguson, in March to try to settle the case out of court. Zuckerberg initially offered the agency $450 million, but later increased that offer to nearly $1 billion to avoid bringing the case to court. Ferguson rejected the offers, which were far below the $18 billion payment and consent decree that he offered Meta, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/mark-zuckerberg-meta-antitrust-ftc-negotiations-a53b3382" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
The Meta founder has also courted President Donald Trump in recent months to try to avoid the trial in which Zuckerberg has begun to testify. The social media mogul donated $1 million to Trump&#8217;s inauguration and settled a lawsuit for $25 million over a Facebook ban on Trump after January 6, 2021 – the lion’s share of that settlement went toward Trump’s presidential library.
Meta’s head found himself in court on Monday despite those efforts. Government attorneys say that Meta has used illegal anticompetitive practices to buy up its competition, namely Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion and WhatsApp in 2014 in a nearly $22 billion deal. The FTC says that Meta has bought out competitors and now illegally dominates the “personal social-networking” market.
Meta has said that the FTC’s definition of the market is arbitrary and too narrow, and it ignores other major competitors of the tech giant. According to the FTC, Meta’s major competitors are Snapchat and an app called MeWe. Meta has said that it also competes with YouTube, TikTok, and X, among other companies not included in the FTC’s definition.
During the trial, Meta has argued that the growth of TikTok has been a major barrier to Meta’s own development. Meta has also said that an outage at TikTok earlier this year resulted in a bump in Instagram traffic, suggesting that Americans use the two platforms for similar purposes.
In public statements, Meta has complained about the Trump administration’s pursuit of it while appearing to treat TikTok, a Chinese-owned platform, more loosely by extending a pause on a congressionally approved ban on the app.

Mark Zuckerberg

Zuck Offered FTC $1B To Avoid Trial Threatening His Social Media Empire: Report

Technology

Nvidia <a href="https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/nvidia-manufacture-american-made-ai-supercomputers-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Monday that it will look &#8220;to design and build factories that, for the first time, will produce NVIDIA AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S.&#8221; in what could be a massive win for President Donald Trump as he pushes tech companies to manufacture on American soil.
The U.S.-based multinational tech corporation designs graphics processing units (GPUs) — the chips that help power artificial intelligence (AI) programs, such as ChatGPT. Nvidia, which currently outsources production of its chips, said that it is partnering with other companies &#8220;to build and test NVIDIA Blackwell chips in Arizona and AI supercomputers in Texas.&#8221;
&#8220;Within the next four years, NVIDIA plans to produce up to half a trillion dollars of AI infrastructure in the United States through partnerships with TSMC, Foxconn, Wistron, Amkor and SPIL,&#8221; Nvidia said in a statement. &#8220;These world-leading companies are deepening their partnership with NVIDIA, growing their businesses while expanding their global footprint and hardening supply chain resilience.&#8221;
The announcement was made as Trump doubled down on his trade war with China while seeking tariff deals with other countries around the globe. Some of Nvidia&#8217;s main partners, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Samsung, are attempting to navigate the president&#8217;s hefty tariffs. Nvidia <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/samsung-chip-profit-disappoints-sign-002517404.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outsources</a> production of its chips to TSMC and Samsung, which manufacture the chips in Taiwan, South Korea, and the United States.
Nvidia stock <a href="https://www.cnn.com/markets/premarkets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jumped</a> nearly 3% in pre-market trading on Monday.
Trump has focused on moving tech production to the United States since the outset of his second term in office. Last month, C.C. Wei, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), joined Trump at the White House and announced a $100 billion investment in chip-manufacturing plants in America. Trump said the investment in the United States &#8220;was very important, obviously business-wise, but we thought even in terms of national security.&#8221;
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said on Monday, &#8220;The engines of the world’s AI infrastructure are being built in the United States for the first time.&#8221; Nvidia said that its Blackwell chips have already started being produced at TSMC&#8217;s plant in Arizona, which began producing advanced chips in late 2024.
&#8220;Adding American manufacturing helps us better meet the incredible and growing demand for AI chips and supercomputers, strengthens our supply chain and boosts our resiliency,&#8221; Huang added.

Nvidia

Tech Giant Commits $500 Billion To Make AI Supercomputers ‘Entirely In The U.S.’

Artificial Intelligence

As the United States and China increase tariffs on each other, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that companies should move production to America, explicitly calling out Apple.
Trump raised the tariff on China to 104% on Wednesday morning, sparking further retaliation from the communist country, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-hits-back-with-massive-retaliatory-tariff-after-trumps-104-midnight-tariff-goes-into-effect?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;row=1&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;title=China+Hits+Back+With+Massive+Retaliatory+Tariff+After+Trump%E2%80%99s+104%25+Midnight+Tariff+Goes+Into+Effect&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hit back</a> and raised its total tariff on American goods to 84%. While the president said on Tuesday that he&#8217;s optimistic about China wanting &#8220;to make a deal&#8221; with the United States on trade, Chinese leaders are doubling down on fighting a trade war &#8220;to the end.&#8221;
&#8220;This is a GREAT time to move your COMPANY into the United States of America, like Apple, and so many others, in record numbers, are doing,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114307832213562859">wrote</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;ZERO TARIFFS, and almost immediate Electrical/Energy hook ups and approvals. No Environmental Delays. DON’T WAIT, DO IT NOW!&#8221;
Among tech companies, Apple has been hit the hardest so far in Trump&#8217;s trade war with China. As investors anxiously watched Trump&#8217;s massive tariff on China go into effect, with no sign of a trade deal coming anytime soon, Apple stock went on a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/apple-slide-puts-microsoft-back-on-top-as-most-valuable-public-company.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four-day slide</a>, dropping 23 points. The stock was ticking back up in the early trading hours on Wednesday.
For years, Apple has manufactured iPhones in China, relying on the country&#8217;s cheap labor costs, but it has recently moved some of its production to India as it seeks to diversify its production base. Apple is considering ramping up iPhone production in India and shipping the phones to the United States as the trade war with China continues, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-iphone-production-china-tariffs-6cc37f40" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if the president wants Apple to make iPhones in the United States.
&#8220;Absolutely,&#8221; Leavitt <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/apple-stock-iphone-trump-83e195ce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">replied</a>. &#8220;He believes we have the labor, we have the workforce, we have the resources to do it.&#8221;
Some economic analysts believe that iPhone production in the United States would be impractical and significantly raise the cost of the most popular smartphone on the market, Barron&#8217;s <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/apple-stock-iphone-trump-83e195ce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The iPhone is Apple&#8217;s biggest moneymaker, bringing in around half of its revenue, according to the WSJ.

Apple

Trump Urges Companies ‘Like Apple’ To Move Production To U.S. As China Trade War Intensifies

Executive

India

DoorDash, the largest food delivery company in the United States, has announced they’re partnering with the &#8220;buy now, pay later&#8221; service provider Klarna. This has led to mixed reactions from social media users mocking the idea of using a payment plan for a meal.
Klarna has been showing up as an option at multiple retailers and is rumored to be on its way to an initial public offering, per <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/klarna-lands-buy-now-pay-later-deal-doordash-notching-new-win-ipo-rcna197265">NBC News</a>. The service provider said in a press release that DoorDash customers will be able to pay in full at checkout, split payments into four interest-free installments, or defer to later dates that match their paydays.
“Our partnership with DoorDash marks an important milestone in Klarna’s expansion into everyday spending categories,” David Sykes, Klarna’s chief commercial officer, said in the release.
Klarna was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Sweden. The company had a 24% increase in revenue last year and brought in $2.8 billion, the outlet noted.
The announcement post has since gone viral on X, earning more than 36 million views &#8212; and almost as many snarky comments.
“DoorDash and Klarna have signed a deal where customers can choose to pay for food deliveries in interest-free installments or deferred options aligned with payday schedules,” the post reads.
“I can’t wait to pay for my taco bowl over the next 52 weeks,” one commenter on X <a href="https://x.com/RorschachStocks/status/1902771877262586291">replied</a>.
“Imagine being in debt over a chicken parm,” another person <a href="https://x.com/actatumonline/status/1902758510917525702">joked</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
 <a href="https://t.co/Cqw9AwAM0k">pic.twitter.com/Cqw9AwAM0k</a>
&mdash; [Object object] (@StevenJBurns) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenJBurns/status/1902784344374251580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I have so many questions. What happens if I don&#8217;t pay back the burrito loan? Does it go on my credit score? Will they come after me for $11 in collections? Can I negotiate that debt down? Can I build my credit score this way? Someone please tell me,” another person <a href="https://x.com/bdmarotta/status/1902845023990808843">wrote</a>.
“Buying Panda Express on layaway is one of the darkest things I’ve ever heard omg,” another <a href="https://x.com/ShehanJeyarajah/status/1902877860064374938">echoed</a>.
Other jokesters just posted memes of personal finance expert Dave Ramsey looking annoyed, or of cast members of “The Sopranos” lurking on a front porch looking to collect missed payments.

DoorDash

Jokes Abound As DoorDash Offers ‘Pay Later’ Feature

Jokes Abound As DoorDash Offers 'Pay Later' Feature

finance

Food

Money

U.S.

“Shark Tank” personality and investor Kevin O’Leary appeared on CNN Wednesday night and discussed Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz celebrating Tesla stock going down. 
“There’s this thing on my phone, I know some of you know this, on the iPhone. They’ve got that little stock app,” Walz said at an event Tuesday evening in a clip he <a href="https://x.com/Tim_Walz/status/1902197581586833643">posted</a> on X.
“I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day,” Walz said as the crowd erupted in laughter. “225 and dropping!” he exclaimed.
Walz, the former vice presidential candidate, neglected to mention that as recently as last summer, Minnesota had 1.6 million shares of Tesla in its retirement fund and 211,000 shares of Tesla in its non-retirement fund.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded with a jab of his own, writing, “Sometimes when I need a little boost, I look at the @JDVance portrait in the @WhiteHouse and thank the Lord,” alongside a praying hands emoji.
Tesla stock is currently down 34.6% compared to last month. There has been a concerted effort by the Left to attack Musk and to vandalize Tesla vehicles in public. 
“They’re criminal!” O’Leary said of what’s been going on. “That poor guy didn’t check his portfolio and his own pension plan for state,” he said when host Abby Phillip mentioned Walz’s glee over Tesla stock dropping. “It’s beyond stupid what he did&#8230; He doesn&#8217;t check the wellbeing of his own constituency? That&#8217;s their investment fund, what a bozo!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Kevin O&#39;Leary responds to Tim Walz and his Tesla boycott.
&quot;That poor guy didn&#39;t check his portfolio in his own pension plan for state. It&#39;s beyond stupid what he did.&quot;
&quot;He doesn&#39;t check the wellbeing of his own constituency? That&#39;s their investment fund, what a bozo!&quot; <a href="https://t.co/hdrtzprgwV">pic.twitter.com/hdrtzprgwV</a>
&mdash; Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThomasMHern/status/1902550981428088838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
O’Leary appeared on “CNN NewsNight” to debate Angela Rye, former executive director and general counsel to the Congressional Black Caucus. She argued that Musk’s donations were criminal. 
“[Musk] literally says thank you to the members who introduce articles of impeachment,” Rye said. “That is an exchange of value. That is a violation.”
“The oldest profession on Earth is not prostitution — it’s politicians raising money,” O’Leary shot back.
“That has happened from the beginning of time. That’s going on forever, and will continue forever,” he continued. “This issue around judges, this is pure politics … No laws have been broken. You don’t like it? Too bad.”
Walz’s followers were also confused as to why he would root for an American company to fail even if he disagreed with the CEO politically.
“What is wrong with you,” one person <a href="https://x.com/calleymeans/status/1902217909889274138">replied</a>. “You’re actively rooting for an innovative American company to fail? The cars are American made and literally drive themselves.”
“You are a disgrace. I worked at Tesla for over 4 years. I know many who still work there. Tesla is one of America&#8217;s crown jewels, and you actively want it to fail,” another commenter wrote. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You don&#8217;t deserve to be anywhere near public service.”
&nbsp;

Kevin O’Leary

Kevin O’Leary Blasts ‘Bozo’ Tim Walz For Cheering Tesla Stock Drop: ‘Beyond Stupid’

Kevin O'Leary Blasts 'Bozo' Tim Walz For Cheering Tesla Stock Drop: 'Beyond Stupid'

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