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US midterms: Polls show Democrats ahead in battle for Congress

Democrats lead Republicans in national polling ahead of Tuesday's United States midterm elections, with new surveys showing the party gaining ground in several closely contested Senate races as voters express dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump's handling of the economy. With all 435 House of Representatives seats and 35 Senate seats on the ballot, the elections will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress for the remaining two years of Trump's second term. A RealClearPolling average of surveys conducted through October 30 shows Democrats leading Republicans 52% to 43.1% on the generic congressional ballot, an 8.9-percentage-point advantage. An NBC News survey conducted October 28-30 found Democrats ahead 52% to 45%, while an Emerson College poll conducted October 24-26 put the gap at 10 points. The generic ballot measures nationwide preferences for congressional candidates rather than support in individual districts, meaning a nati...

Google faces DoJ antitrust probe over Character.AI deal: report

Alphabet Inc.'s Google is under investigation by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for a potential antitrust violation concerning its partnership with AI startup Character.AI, according to a Bloomberg Law report. The DOJ is examining whether Google structured the deal to circumvent formal merger scrutiny, a move that could have significant implications for the tech industry's regulatory landscape. In 2024, Google entered into an agreement with Character.AI, granting the tech giant a non-exclusive license to use the startup's advanced chatbot technology. As part of the deal, Character.AI's co-founders, Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, along with other team members, rejoined Google. While Google maintains that Character.AI remains an independent entity with no ownership stake from Google, regulators are scrutinising the arrangement to determine if it effectively constitutes an acquisition designed to bypass antitrust review processes. This investigation adds to a series of legal challenges facing Google. The Justice Department is probing whether Google violated antitrust law with an agreement to use the AI technology of a popular chatbot maker https://t.co/ePBihVMb9a — Bloomberg (@business) May 22, 2025 Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled that Google had illegally monopolised the online search and advertising markets, leading the DOJ to propose remedies that could include forcing Google to divest its Chrome browser and Android operating system. The DOJ is also considering measures to ensure competitive fairness in the rapidly evolving AI sector. https://ift.tt/OxdJXWy The Character.AI deal has drawn comparisons to similar arrangements by other tech giants. For instance, Microsoft's $650 million agreement with Inflection AI and Amazon's acquisition of AI talent from Adept have also attracted regulatory attention. These deals are being examined to assess whether they provide established companies with an unfair advantage over emerging competitors in the AI field. 🔥✌️More Insights from the Google vs. DOJ Antitrust trial about user data👇 pic.twitter.com/huOFDIPong — ✌️Oᒪᗩᖴ KOá‘­á‘­ 🔥 (@Olaf_Kopp) May 23, 2025 As the DOJ's investigation progresses, the outcome could reshape how future AI partnerships and acquisitions are evaluated under antitrust laws, potentially leading to stricter oversight of Big Tech's expansion into the AI market.

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