Good morning. In this edition:

• ⚖️ Google has multiple ad-tech monopolies, a judge rules
• 👽 Evidence of life on another planet?
• 🌬️ Brains <3 oxygen

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.62-minute read (1,229 words).

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"Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment."

–Rita Mae Brown (b.1944)

Do not pass “Go,” do not collect $200: Google operates a monopoly in multiple digital advertising markets, a federal judge ruled yesterday. It marks the second antitrust case to go against the tech giant in less than a year, and could result in a breakup of part of its business.

Your honor, we sell ads

The DOJ’s case against Google focused on its alleged monopoly over three parts of the ad-tech market: the publisher ad server market, ad exchange market, and tools used for general display advertising. Think—the programs that determine which ads you see on certain websites (recipe pages, news sites, statistical archives, etc.).

• In her 115-page opinion, the judge ruled Google unlawfully controls two of those markets: the publisher ad server market and ad exchange market, saying the company ties its products together in a way that effectively forces publishers (websites that place ads on their sites) that use the company’s tools to manage ad space to also use their products to facilitate transactions with advertisers.
• However—the judge tossed out the third part of the case (tools for general display ads), ruling it couldn’t be defined as Google’s own market. She particularly cited the purchases of DoubleClick ($3.1 billion in 2008) and AdMeld ($400 million in 2011), saying the government failed to show those “acquisitions were anticompetitive.”

Next steps: The DOJ is arguing that Google should be forced to divest its ads products to ensure publishers aren’t locked into paying higher fees because they can’t afford to drop them. Google, which in 2023 generated $31 billion in revenue from these products, or 1/10 of its parent company Alphabet’s overall revenue, has said it will appeal the ruling.

Two-timing: In its other antitrust trial, a federal judge ruled in August that Google had a monopoly in online search. A three-week remedies trial in this case is scheduled to begin Monday, with the DOJ pushing for Google to be forced to divest its Chrome browser, among other things.

It’s not the only tech giant on the hot seat. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and former COO Sheryl Sandberg both gave multiple days of testimony this week in an antitrust trial regarding the social giant’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. An FTC case against Amazon is also set to go to trial in September. And Apple is facing an antitrust case over allegations it locks users into its ecosystem by impeding the ability of outside software to integrate with its devices.

Looking ahead…With appeals, these cases👆 could each take years to play out.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you support stronger or weaker antitrust enforcement against Big Tech?

• Stronger
• Weaker
• Unsure/other

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A team of researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found what they say is the most compelling evidence to date of extraterrestrial life, located ~120 light-years from Earth on a planet called K2-18b, per a new study.

Let’s break it down

K2-18b has a radius ~2.5x larger than Earth and lies within its star's habitable range, meaning liquid water could exist on the planet’s surface if other conditions are right.

• After a repeated analysis of K2-18b using JWST data, scientists detected the presence of “biosignatures,” or chemicals present at a level that, on Earth, is only known to come from living organisms. It marks “the first time humanity has seen potential biosignatures on a habitable planet,” the study’s authors said.
• In particular, the identified biosignature is a byproduct of marine algae—leading researchers to conclude that the best explanation for their observations is that K2-18b contains a warm ocean brimming with life.

However…The new research carries a “but” large enough to please Sir Mix-a-Lot. Many experts note that scientists are still learning how to use the JWST to analyze the make-up of alien atmospheres. And even if the biosignature from K2-18b is confirmed, scientists still have to figure out whether that chemical could be produced by previously unknown processes that don't involve life—with several recent studies indicating the answer is “Yes.”

Looking ahead: Scientists plan to run further experiments to make sense of the new JWST study, including recreating the possible conditions on planet K2-18b.

On Wednesday, OpenAI launched ChatGPT programs o3 and o4-mini, new AI reasoning models designed to pause and work through questions before responding.

OpenAI says its new models—initially available only to paid users—are their smartest released to date, and the first that can “think with images.”

• Unlike previous reasoning models, o3 and o4-mini are able to generate responses using tools in ChatGPT like web browsing, Python code execution, image processing, and image generation.
• They also spend more time crafting their answers—utilizing “chain-of-thought” reasoning, similar to how humans think—in an effort to improve reliability.

Some experts have concerns. The new models’ enhanced image analysis tools have led many online privacy advocates to sound the alarm. One potential issue: OpenAI’s o3 model is better than Rainbolt at GeoGuessing exactly where in the world any photo was taken—using subtle visual clues, not image metadata—prompting fears of potential abuse by bad actors.

Big picture: OpenAI's new systems are part of an industry-wide effort to build new AI models featuring higher reasoning capabilities, with companies like Google, Meta, Elon Musk's xAI, and Chinese startup DeepSeek developing similar technologies.

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A growing number of D1 men’s basketball players are scoring big on and off the court.

At least eight men’s college hoops teams will have a roster making $10+ million in NIL earnings next season, with ~20 other schools in the $7 million—$9 million range, according to CBS Sports. That’s up from a grand total of $0 paid out to all 4,400+ D1 men's basketball players just five years ago.

Analysts largely attribute the rapid hike in roster costs to roughly a dozen richer schools aggressively chasing players with increasingly higher price tags since NIL was legalized in 2021, which caused a domino effect boosting NIL payments nationwide.

Big picture: While the exact figure is unknown, D1 men’s hoops programs have at least $325 million in combined NIL funds committed to players for next season, per conservative estimates.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📊 US markets closed mixed (S&P: +0.1%; Dow: -1.3%; Nasdaq: -0.1%).
• 📉 UnitedHealth Group shares fell ~22%, their worst daily performance in ~25 years, following a weaker-than-expected profit report.
• 📺 Netflix’s revenue grew 13% in Q1; the streamer didn't disclose quarterly subscriber data for the first time. | The company whose name appears frequently next to “and chill” set an internal goal of reaching a $1 trillion market cap by 2030.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with NoNetz

• 🏈 Lee Corso is retiring from College GameDay in the fall after nearly four decades on air; his final appearance will be on August 30.
• 🔥 Fyre Festival 2 has been indefinitely postponed and ticket refunds issued.
• 🌴 A new Love Island spinoff called ‘Love Island: Beyond The Villa’ will premiere this summer.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 💊 Eli Lilly’s experimental GLP-1 diabetes/weight-loss pill showed positive results in its first of several studies; the drug is expected to be approved by regulators later this year.
• 🚀 SpaceX and two partners—Palantir and Anduril—are the frontrunners to land a key contract to build President Trump’s planned "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, per Reuters.
• 🧠 A brain implant from Precision Neuroscience, a neurotech startup and rival to Elon Musk’s Neuralink, received FDA approval for a core component.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

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• 🙏 Two people died and at least six others were injured in a mass shooting at Florida State University yesterday.
• 🧑‍⚖️ The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments next month over President Trump's efforts to restrict birthright citizenship.
• 🏦 President Trump hinted at potentially dismissing Fed Chair Jerome Powell; it came after Powell warned the Fed could face a difficult situation as tariffs raise prices and weaken the economy.

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👆 A colossal squid—the world's largest squid species—was filmed and photographed in its natural habitat for the first time since it was discovered a century ago; scientists also captured the first-ever confirmed footage of the glacial glass squid.

🤔 Did You Know? Despite making up just ~2% of your body weight on average, the human brain uses around 20% of all oxygen you breathe and 20% of all energy you consume.

📰 Worth a Read: Cracking open evolution’s black box on ‘lizard island’

🖱️ Clickbait: How scents influence our choice of friends

🐠 Miami researchers are testing a 3D-printed textured wall designed to support local marine life and reduce wave impact.  

🍾📜 A pair of brothers discovered a 50-year-old message in a bottle on a remote island in the Bahamas—and were able to get in touch with its original author. 

🤿💍 Scuba divers Adam and Amy Harper from Sandwell, England, swam walked down the aisle in a completely underwater ceremony. See the love-filled dive. 

Our weekly news quiz is live. How well did you pay attention this week? Find out here.

Below are three lists of ingredients. Your job is give us the completed dish they make.

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Vegetable oil
• Potatoes
• Onion
• Eggs
• Salt & Pepper

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Butter
• Flour
• Milk
• Gruyère cheese
• Salt & pepper
• Nutmeg
• White bread
• Back Forest ham
• Dijon mustard
• Eggs
• Water
• Fresh dill

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Cooking spray
• Sugar
• Zested orange
• Eggs
• Flour
• Baking powder
• Sea salt
• Buttermilk
• Vanilla extract
• Orange juice
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Whole milk
• Heavy whipping cream
• Powdered sugar

☝️ Recipe #1: Potato kugel

✌️ Recipe #2: Croque madame sandwich

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Creamsicle sheet cake