Middle East Airstrikes, Florida's Abortion Rulings, Google's Incognito Mode

2024-04-02 00:15:40

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5Speaker 5
00:02.42 – 00:07.28

A pair of airstrikes in the last 24 hours are drawing new scrutiny to Israel's military

00:07.28 – 00:08.36

actions in the Middle East.

4Speaker 4
00:08.62 – 00:13.46

Could the attack on Iran's diplomatic mission in Syria lead to retaliation and escalation?

5Speaker 5
00:13.66 – 00:17.62

I'm Amy Martinez, that's Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News.

00:20.10 – 00:24.50

Florida's Supreme Court has paved the way for a six-week abortion ban to take effect

00:24.50 – 00:28.66

next month, but it's also sending voters a November ballot measure to enshrine abortion

00:28.66 – 00:30.04

rights in the state's constitution.

4Speaker 4
00:30.68 – 00:35.12

And funny story about Google's incognito web browsing mode, which implied your data wouldn't

00:35.12 – 00:35.68

be tracked.

00:35.88 – 00:40.12

Turns out that data exists, and it took a class action lawsuit for Google to agree to

00:40.12 – 00:40.68

delete it.

2Speaker 2
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If you're going to offer that service, then you've got to be able to back it up.

4Speaker 4
00:44.70 – 00:45.30

Stay with us.

00:45.34 – 00:47.18

We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

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00:54.48 – 00:57.98

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If they gain more power, it could mean fewer rights for you.

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I'm Heath Druzin, and on the new season of Extremely American, I'll take you inside

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the movement.

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Listen to Extremely American from Boise State Public Radio, part of the NPR network.

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On the TED Radio Hour, MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle, her latest research into the intimate

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relationships people are having with chatbots.

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01:48.60 – 01:51.94

Technologies that say, I care about you.

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The pros and cons of artificial intimacy.

3Speaker 3
01:59.92 – 02:01.84

That's on the TED Radio Hour from NPR.

4Speaker 4
02:03.04 – 02:07.20

There is new pressure on Israel to explain two airstrikes yesterday in the Middle East.

5Speaker 5
02:07.58 – 02:12.52

Iran says Israel yesterday attacked its embassy compound in Syria in a strike that killed

02:12.52 – 02:14.24

a senior security commander.

02:14.86 – 02:18.90

Israel has not confirmed it carried out the attack, though it typically doesn't comment

02:18.90 – 02:20.68

on strikes against Iranian targets.

02:21.40 – 02:25.18

But today, Israel and other countries are bracing for retaliation.

02:25.42 – 02:29.04

And another airstrike, this one in Gaza, killed seven aid workers.

4Speaker 4
02:29.22 – 02:33.14

NPR's Jane Araf is with us now from Amman, Jordan, to tell us more about all this.

02:33.20 – 02:34.40

Jane, it's good to have you with us.

3Speaker 3
02:34.80 – 02:35.42

Thank you.

02:35.50 – 02:36.14

Good to be here.

4Speaker 4
02:36.60 – 02:41.48

So Israel is believed to have stepped up attacks on Iranian and Iran-linked targets in Syria

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recently.

02:42.58 – 02:44.74

Although, as we said, they haven't commented on this one.

02:44.96 – 02:47.02

How significant was yesterday's attack?

3Speaker 3
02:47.66 – 02:50.38

Well, Michelle, it was really significant for several reasons.

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It targeted Iran's diplomatic mission, the consular section of the embassy.

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So strikes on military targets are one thing, but embassies are considered sovereign territory,

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and targeting those is a different ballgame.

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Iran announced that a senior commander of the elite Quds Force of its Islamic Revolutionary

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Guard Corps and his deputy, along with five other people, were killed in the strike.

03:15.42 – 03:19.46

The U.S. has designated the group as a foreign terrorist organization.

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Israel hasn't claimed responsibility, but as you said, it normally doesn't comment on

03:24.54 – 03:25.38

these kind of strikes.

4Speaker 4
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But Israel is saying that it's preparing for retaliation.

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Can you say more about that?

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What is it expecting?

3Speaker 3
03:31.34 – 03:35.54

Well, Israel said yesterday it had placed some of its own embassies on high alert.

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Iran has powerful proxy forces in the region, notably Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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Hezbollah and Israel have waged a low-grade war across the Lebanese-Israeli border since

03:47.66 – 03:49.50

the war in Gaza began.

03:50.14 – 03:54.20

Hezbollah said the strike will be met with punishment and revenge.

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That's been the fear of many governments in and outside the region, that attack outside

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Gaza could escalate the conflict and spark a wider war.

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Iran's foreign ministry said Iran reserves the right to take reciprocal measures.

04:09.28 – 04:14.36

The country's foreign minister made it clear that it holds the U.S. answerable for backing

04:14.36 – 04:16.44

Israel in the war in Gaza.

04:17.40 – 04:24.00

Iran also backs powerful armed groups in Iraq, which could also escalate attacks on U.S.

04:24.18 – 04:25.54

military targets there.

4Speaker 4
04:25.82 – 04:31.42

In a separate airstrike yesterday, this U.S.-based aid group, World Central Kitchen, very well

04:31.42 – 04:36.08

known in the United States, said seven aid workers in Gaza were killed while distributing

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food it sent by sea.

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What can you tell us about that?

3Speaker 3
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Israel has imposed extensive restrictions on aid entering Gaza by land.

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The most efficient way of delivering it.

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So World Central Kitchen has begun deliveries by sea from Cyprus, approved by Israel.

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The second shipment left Sunday.

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The group said its convoy, which included armored vehicles and was clearly marked with

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the aid group logo, was hit while leaving a warehouse in Gaza yesterday on a route coordinated

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with Israeli forces.

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It said citizens of the U.S., Canada, Australia, Poland and the U.K. were among those killed,

05:15.32 – 05:16.54

along with a Palestinian.

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Israel called it a tragic incident and said it was investigating at the highest levels.

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Last night, the group's founder, celebrity chef Jose Andres, said they were pausing the

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missions.

4Speaker 4
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How hard is it for reporters like you to verify what's happening on the ground in moments

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like this?

3Speaker 3
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It's unprecedented.

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Israel barred World Central Kitchen from taking reporters on their missions, for instance.

05:39.80 – 05:45.18

It has also largely banned foreign journalists from Gaza, while the death toll of Palestinian

05:45.18 – 05:48.96

journalists and media workers there has risen to more than 90.

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That's according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international press watchdog.

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Israel disputes the number, saying not all counted were journalists and some weren't

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working as journalists when they were killed.

06:01.58 – 06:06.56

And now, yesterday, Israel adopted a new press law, which allows the government to temporarily

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shut down foreign news organizations operating in the country.

06:11.12 – 06:16.28

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he'll use it to shut down the Qatar-supported news

06:16.28 – 06:19.48

channel Al Jazeera, although he didn't say when.

06:19.92 – 06:24.94

Israel says Al Jazeera has an anti-Israel bias and is a security threat.

06:25.30 – 06:28.50

The White House said the move is, quote, concerning.

4Speaker 4
06:29.24 – 06:32.02

That is NPR's Jane Araf reporting from Amman, Jordan.

06:32.16 – 06:32.82

Jane, thank you.

3Speaker 3
06:33.30 – 06:33.80

Thank you.

4Speaker 4
06:42.90 – 06:47.46

With two rulings issued late yesterday, Florida's Supreme Court has pretty much ensured that

06:47.46 – 06:50.12

abortion will be the issue on the state's November ballot.

5Speaker 5
06:50.32 – 06:54.90

Yeah, the court is letting a law stand that bans abortions after 15 weeks.

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Now, that ruling also triggers a six-week abortion ban taking effect next month.

07:00.04 – 07:04.76

But in a separate opinion, the court says a constitutional amendment protecting the

07:04.76 – 07:09.20

right to an abortion will appear on the ballot in the general election, and that leaves the

07:09.20 – 07:10.40

final say up to voters.

4Speaker 4
07:10.64 – 07:13.80

NPR's Greg Allen is in Miami, and he's going to tell us more about all this.

07:13.90 – 07:14.42

Good morning, Greg.

2Speaker 2
07:14.90 – 07:15.42

Good morning, Michelle.

4Speaker 4
07:15.68 – 07:20.14

So, let me start by asking, where do things stand now in Florida when it comes to abortion

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access?

2Speaker 2
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Right.

07:21.36 – 07:26.08

Well, with yesterday's six-to-one court decision, women can't get an abortion in Florida after

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15 weeks unless there's a fatal fetal abnormality or if it's necessary to prevent serious injury

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or to save the life of the mother.

07:32.82 – 07:36.92

That law was passed in 2022 but didn't go into effect while there was a court challenge

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pending.

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Then last year, the Republican-dominated legislature passed another law which would

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ban abortions after six weeks with the stipulation that it wouldn't go into effect unless and

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until 30 days after that earlier ban was approved, which has happened now.

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So, that means Florida joins other states in the South by severely limiting the right

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to an abortion.

4Speaker 4
07:55.14 – 07:59.10

And at the same time, Florida's highest court now says abortion policy will go before the

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voters this fall.

08:00.20 – 08:01.32

How did that come about?

2Speaker 2
08:01.32 – 08:06.02

Well, abortion rights groups started working on getting the issue on the ballot after lawmakers

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passed that 15-week ban.

08:08.22 – 08:11.36

They gathered nearly a million signatures, which is more than enough to qualify.

08:11.94 – 08:15.84

The language of the ballot measure, though, had to be approved by Florida's Supreme Court.

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And this is what the ballot measure says.

08:18.50 – 08:23.60

No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when

08:23.60 – 08:27.20

necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's health care

08:27.20 – 08:27.68

provider.

08:28.44 – 08:32.26

Florida's attorney general argued that the language was vague and misleading, but in

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a narrow four-to-three decision, the court said it was okay and would go on the ballot.

4Speaker 4
08:36.36 – 08:38.06

You know, there's some precedent here.

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States that have put abortion on the ballot, abortion rights supporters have consistently

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won.

08:43.40 – 08:47.98

So, what are the anti-abortion activists in Florida planning to do now in Florida?

2Speaker 2
08:48.32 – 08:53.02

Well, it looks like there's going to be an effort to block this by getting voters to

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block this.

08:53.56 – 08:58.20

Florida's House Speaker Paul Renner, a Republican, says there will be an organized campaign to

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defeat the constitutional amendment.

08:59.98 – 09:03.00

He says it will be aimed at people that he believes are in the political middle of the

09:03.00 – 09:03.76

abortion debate.

09:04.06 – 09:06.18

Here's what Renner says about the proposed amendment.

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It is extreme in its scope.

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It is the product of really abortion rights activists who have crafted this well beyond

09:15.46 – 09:20.18

where most Floridians will find themselves, including Floridians who would consider themselves

5Speaker 5
09:20.18 – 09:21.00

pro-choice.

2Speaker 2
09:21.56 – 09:26.18

Renner says he thinks Florida's soon-to-take-effect six-week ban should be considered a moderate

09:26.18 – 09:30.40

approach, in his view, because it allows exceptions for fetal abnormalities and to protect the

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life of the mother.

4Speaker 4
09:31.16 – 09:35.64

And briefly, do people think that having abortion on the ballot will affect other key races

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in November, including the presidential election?

2Speaker 2
09:37.72 – 09:39.52

Well, that certainly is the big question.

09:39.72 – 09:43.90

In places where abortion has been on the ballot, I'm thinking of Kansas, Ohio, and Kentucky,

09:44.24 – 09:47.70

to name a few, voters have overwhelmingly supported abortion rights.

09:48.02 – 09:49.08

It's also boosted turnout.

09:49.60 – 09:54.62

Donald Trump won Florida in 2020 by more than three percentage points, while losing nationally,

09:54.72 – 09:55.06

of course.

09:55.34 – 09:59.26

But certainly having abortion on the ballot changes expectations about who will be coming

09:59.26 – 10:00.42

out to vote in November.

10:00.88 – 10:04.20

Another key race is Republican Senator Rick Scott's bid for re-election.

10:04.62 – 10:05.60

Now he's more vulnerable.

10:06.02 – 10:09.30

He's facing former Democratic Congresswoman Debbie McCarcel-Powell.

10:09.72 – 10:11.66

Scott accuses her of extremism on the issue.

10:12.00 – 10:16.64

But even before this ruling, McCarcel-Powell has been targeting Scott for his strong anti-abortion

10:16.64 – 10:17.26

stance.

10:17.26 – 10:21.06

And she points to comments he's made that if he was still governor, he would have signed

10:21.06 – 10:22.42

the six-week abortion ban.

4Speaker 4
10:22.64 – 10:24.70

That is NPR's Greg Allen in Miami.

10:24.84 – 10:25.50

Greg, thank you.

2Speaker 2
10:25.82 – 10:26.22

You're welcome.

4Speaker 4
10:33.16 – 10:39.32

It turns out that Google's incognito web browsing mode has not been incognito after all.

5Speaker 5
10:39.50 – 10:44.10

Yeah, the tech giant says it will delete the browsing data of millions of people who thought

10:44.10 – 10:45.66

they were searching privately.

10:46.30 – 10:50.66

It's part of a settlement in a class action lawsuit that found Google's incognito mode

10:50.66 – 10:52.34

did not live up to its name.

4Speaker 4
10:52.88 – 10:56.38

NPR's Bobby Allen is with us now to explain what this all means.

10:56.46 – 10:57.10

Good morning, Bobby.

1Speaker 1
10:57.54 – 10:58.12

Good morning, Michelle.

4Speaker 4
10:58.40 – 11:00.54

OK, first, could you just tell us what's in this settlement?

1Speaker 1
11:01.60 – 11:06.46

There will be changes to how people search the web and new disclosures, but importantly,

11:06.78 – 11:07.82

no money.

11:08.58 – 11:09.76

Let's back up for a moment, though.

11:09.82 – 11:15.36

Back in 2020, a group of consumers filed a $5 billion class action lawsuit against Google.

11:15.36 – 11:20.62

It alleged that Google was tracking and collecting data on what people were searching for and

11:20.62 – 11:24.98

what sites they visited, even when they were in this so-called incognito mode.

11:25.08 – 11:29.16

That's a setting of Google's Chrome browser that, you know, is supposed to let you surf

11:29.16 – 11:30.60

the internet in a more private way.

11:30.70 – 11:31.82

Turns out, not so much.

11:32.32 – 11:37.06

And so Google has agreed, as you mentioned, to delete billions of data records from people

11:37.06 – 11:38.40

who are using incognito mode.

11:38.54 – 11:42.70

Google is going to give people more control over what's being collected, and the company

11:43.26 – 11:46.50

now has to be more clear about what kind of tracking it is doing.

11:46.84 – 11:48.90

Yet Google got something out of this, too.

11:48.98 – 11:52.62

It won't be paying any monetary damage to consumers or any fines.

4Speaker 4
11:52.76 – 11:53.52

That's interesting.

11:53.76 – 11:56.10

No money for consumers and no fines.

11:56.52 – 12:00.58

So how did Google get away with this to begin with?

1Speaker 1
12:01.42 – 12:07.14

For the past 16 years, Google has offered this service, this incognito mode, that did

12:07.14 – 12:11.44

limit how much data was being collected if you just were on the Chrome browser.

12:11.44 – 12:13.34

But here's the rub, Michelle Assoon.

12:13.84 – 12:18.68

As you went to any website on the browser, Google got the data anyway, kind of through

12:18.68 – 12:24.48

a backdoor, because those websites were using tools to track users, and Google owned those

12:24.48 – 12:24.78

tools.

12:25.00 – 12:29.06

So nothing we do online is invisible, and this is a reminder of that.

12:29.62 – 12:34.82

Now when you launch an incognito session, you can stop website cookies from following

12:34.82 – 12:35.78

you around the web.

12:35.88 – 12:37.66

That is new and a part of this settlement.

12:38.46 – 12:42.54

Google also now has to tell people right on the landing page of incognito mode what the

12:42.54 – 12:46.38

limitations are that, yes, some data is still being tracked by Google.

4Speaker 4
12:46.82 – 12:51.72

If incognito mode isn't really incognito, why do people use it?

12:51.78 – 12:52.90

Why would anybody use it?

1Speaker 1
12:53.16 – 12:57.08

Yeah, I mean, that's something that Google rank-and-file employees have been asking for

12:57.08 – 12:57.44

years.

12:57.60 – 13:02.52

As part of this suit, lawyers obtained all sorts of internal emails with Google engineers

13:02.52 – 13:04.64

pushing back against incognito mode.

13:05.16 – 13:06.20

One engineer wrote, quote,

13:06.30 – 13:10.88

We need to stop calling it incognito and stop using a spy-guy icon.

13:11.24 – 13:15.94

And that was referring to this little spy-guy cartoon logo that was trying to convey that

13:15.94 – 13:18.10

you can do things secretly when you browse this way.

13:18.20 – 13:22.38

Another engineer wrote, a Google manager, that incognito's branding should actually

13:22.38 – 13:23.04

be, quote,

13:23.38 – 13:25.60

You are not protected from Google.

13:25.80 – 13:30.52

I talked to Woodrow Herzog, he's a privacy law expert at Boston University, and he says

13:30.52 – 13:36.00

the spy-guy branding coupled with Google saying incognito mode provided private browsing

13:36.00 – 13:37.94

just gave everyone the wrong impression.

2Speaker 2
13:38.42 – 13:41.76

At one point it was someone who had their hat pulled down and their collar pulled up

13:41.76 – 13:47.02

and it made it seem as though you would be safer here than you would be using the general

13:47.02 – 13:47.36

mode.

13:47.42 – 13:50.96

If you're going to offer that service, then you've got to be able to back it up.

1Speaker 1
13:51.26 – 13:54.56

Yeah, and that's essentially what this whole lawsuit is about, Michelle, Google not being

13:54.56 – 13:58.06

able to back up its privacy claims about incognito mode.

4Speaker 4
13:58.62 – 14:01.64

So this settlement puts this class action lawsuit to bed.

14:02.12 – 14:04.82

Does Google have any other legal jeopardy?

1Speaker 1
14:05.26 – 14:09.96

Yeah, Google's facing down three major government lawsuits over allegedly abusing its power

14:09.96 – 14:12.26

and running its business like a monopoly.

14:12.52 – 14:16.64

Two of these cases were filed by the Department of Justice and they're aimed at Google's search

14:16.64 – 14:20.24

business and its advertising business, how Google makes all its money.

14:20.62 – 14:23.26

So it's going to be a very busy year for Google in court.

4Speaker 4
14:23.46 – 14:25.06

That is NPR's Bobby Allen.

14:25.18 – 14:25.88

Bobby, thank you.

1Speaker 1
14:26.14 – 14:26.62

Thanks, Michelle.

4Speaker 4
14:26.62 – 14:30.76

And here I'm going to note that Google is a financial supporter of NPR, although we

14:30.76 – 14:33.68

obviously cover them the same we would anybody else.

14:38.02 – 14:40.74

And that's up first for Tuesday, April 2nd.

14:40.80 – 14:41.60

I'm Michelle Martin.

5Speaker 5
14:41.84 – 14:42.46

And I'm Amy Martinez.

14:42.76 – 14:45.92

Your next listen is Consider This from NPR.

14:46.12 – 14:49.62

So what happens when a powerful corporation owns the local news?

14:49.96 – 14:55.42

In Richmond, California, energy giant Chevron is the city's biggest employer and its biggest

14:55.42 – 14:56.00

polluter.

14:56.54 – 14:58.62

It also owns the local news outlet.

14:58.96 – 15:00.14

Listen to Consider This.

4Speaker 4
15:00.38 – 15:05.88

Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ryan Barton, Mark Katka, Uri Berliner, Alice

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Woolfley and Ben Adler.

15:07.64 – 15:10.82

It was produced by Zia Butch, Ben Abrams and Katie Klein.

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We get engineering support from Phil Edfors and our technical director is Zach Coleman.

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Start your day here with us tomorrow.

1Speaker 1
15:23.50 – 15:28.52

Support for NPR and the following message come from the Kauffman Foundation, providing

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access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility and economic

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