How Trump’s Shredding Green Regulations

Summary

Podcast Summary: What A Day – "How Trump’s Shredding Green Regulations"

Episode Information:

• Title: How Trump’s Shredding Green Regulations
• Host: Erin Ryan (in place of Jane Coaston)
• Release Date: April 18, 2025
• Duration: Approximately 23 minutes

---

1. Introduction to Environmental Deregulation Under the Trump Administration

The episode opens with host Erin Ryan highlighting a week marked by significant environmental policy shifts under President Donald Trump's administration. Erin paints a vivid picture of the rapid deregulatory actions aimed at weakening environmental protections:

• Key Actions This Week:
  • Endangered Species Act: The administration initiated the dismantling of key components, removing habitat destruction from the criteria that qualify as harm to threatened species.
  • Offshore Wind Farms: Construction was halted on a major offshore wind project off Long Island, aligning with Trump's well-documented aversion to wind energy.
  • Agricultural Programs: A $3 billion initiative encouraging climate-friendly farming practices was canceled.
  • Public Land Use: Steps were taken to terminate a Biden-era rule that balanced conservation with activities like drilling on public lands.

Erin uses a metaphor referencing Craig David's song to emphasize the relentless pace and impact of these changes, likening them to "compounding environmental horrors." She underscores the consequences of these policies, noting their detrimental effects on both climate and public health.

---

2. Case Study: The Danka Plant and Environmental Injustice

To delve deeper into the real-world implications of Trump's deregulation, Erin introduces Crooked Climate correspondent Anya Zolajowski, who discusses the recent revocation of a significant environmental lawsuit initiated under the Biden administration.

A. Background of the Danka Plant Lawsuit

• Plant Details:

  • Location: Laplace, Louisiana, situated within "Cancer Alley," an 85-mile stretch between Baton Rouge and New Orleans known for its high concentration of petrochemical plants and significant cancer rates.
  • Operation: The Danka plant produces synthetic rubber used in products like wetsuits and laptop cases.
  • Environmental Impact: The plant emits chloroprene, a chemical identified by the EPA as a likely carcinogen.

• Legal Action:

  • Initiation: In 2023, the Biden administration filed a lawsuit against Danka, aiming to force the company to reduce chloroprene emissions, which were measured at 14 times the EPA's safe lifetime exposure levels. An important concern highlighted was the heightened risk to children under 16 in the vicinity.
  • Community Impact: The affected area predominantly comprises low-income, Black neighborhoods with tight-knit communities. A local school, located a quarter-mile from the plant, was shut down due to elevated cancer risks among students.

Notable Quote:

"We were talking like levels 14 times higher than what the EPA considers a safe lifetime exposure... especially pronounced for children under the age of 16." — Anya Zolajowski [04:28]

B. Reversal of the Lawsuit by the Trump Administration

• Action Taken: The Trump administration rescinded the Biden-era lawsuit against the Danka plant, citing a mandate to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

• Consequences:

  • Community Reaction: Residents expressed profound disappointment and a loss of hope for regulatory protection. Robert Taylor, an 84-year-old resident, stated:

    "It was quite disappointing, of course, but I expected the worst from the Trump administration. That makes it real difficult for us, but we have to carry on. And so that's what we're doing." — Robert Taylor [08:28]

  • Corporate Response: Danka's legal team lauded the decision, labeling the lawsuit as "scientifically flawed" and thanked the administration for reversing the action. Louisiana officials echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the economic benefits of the plant and downplaying pollution concerns.

Notable Quote:

"This is part of the so-called mandate to end diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is really hard to overstate the racism and the potential cruelty of this decision." — Anya Zolajowski [07:01]

C. Broader Implications of Environmental Deregulation

Anya warns that the reversal of the Danka lawsuit is merely symptomatic of a larger trend. The Department of Justice recently abandoned a settlement aimed at addressing wastewater issues in a poor Black county in Alabama, indicating a pattern of neglecting environmental justice.

Notable Quote:

"This is coming for everyone. If you want to drink safe water in this country, good luck." — Matthew Tejada [10:56]

---

3. Legal Battles Over Birthright Citizenship and Wrongful Deportation

Erin transitions to ongoing legal conflicts surrounding President Trump's immigration policies.

A. Birthright Citizenship Executive Order

• Policy Overview: Trump issued an executive order at his inauguration to revoke birthright citizenship, denying citizenship to children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants.

• Judicial Response: Multiple federal courts temporarily halted the executive order, citing constitutional protections. The Supreme Court has now agreed to hear arguments on this issue next month, keeping the order on hold for the time being.

Notable Quote:

"Birthright citizenship is literally guaranteed in the Constitution." — Erin Ryan [14:26]

B. Wrongful Deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

• Incident: Garcia, a Maryland resident, was mistakenly deported to El Salvador due to an administrative error by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

• Legal Proceedings: A federal appeals court has mandated that the Trump administration provide details on the facilitation of Garcia's return, criticizing the administration for defying judicial directives.

Notable Quote:

"This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear." — Three-Judge Panel [16:04]

---

4. Trump Administration’s Actions Against Harvard University

Erin shifts focus to the administration's escalating hostility towards Harvard University, perceived as resistant to Trump's DEI and anti-Semitism agendas.

A. Cutting Funding and Threatening Tax Status

• Measures Taken:

  • DHS cut nearly $3 million in grants to Harvard.
  • The administration threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status.

• Demands: Harvard is instructed to provide detailed records on foreign student visa holders involved in illegal and violent activities by the end of the month, or risk losing its ability to enroll international students.

Notable Quote:

"Pro Hamas and anti American ideology have run rampant at the university." — DHS Secretary Kristi Noem [18:09]

B. Congressional and Public Response

• Congressional Action: Two leading House Republicans have initiated separate investigations into Harvard for alleged civil rights violations.

• Outcome: The administration has yet to provide concrete evidence supporting claims of rampant antisemitism, leading to skepticism and criticism about the legitimacy of these actions.

---

5. Trade Negotiations with Italy and the European Union

The episode touches on President Trump's stalled trade negotiations despite overtures from Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

• Current Status: Trump remains hesitant to finalize a trade deal with Italy, although Prime Minister Meloni expressed optimism and offered to facilitate discussions with the broader European Union.

• Trump's Stance: He insists on completing a fair trade deal within a 90-day pause on most global tariffs, though tangible progress remains elusive.

Notable Quote:

"Everybody's on my priorities." — Trump [15:03]

---

6. Antitrust Case Against Google

Shifting to tech news, Erin reports on the Department of Justice's significant antitrust victory against Google.

• Case Details:

  • Allegations: Google was accused of maintaining an illegal monopoly in online advertising technology across three markets: publisher tools, advertiser tools, and ad transaction software.

• Court Ruling: A federal judge ruled that Google engaged in anti-competitive practices to dominate two of these markets—publisher tools and ad transaction software. However, the DOJ's claim regarding Google's monopoly over advertiser tools was dismissed.

Notable Quote:

"Google, 'willfully engaged in a series of anti competitive acts'..." — Court Ruling [18:09]

• Google's Response: The company plans to appeal the decision, asserting partial victory and intentions to challenge the ruling further.

---

7. Conclusion and Final Insights

Erin wraps up the episode by highlighting the interconnectedness of environmental policy, immigration law, corporate regulation, and international trade under the Trump administration. She emphasizes the ongoing struggles of marginalized communities facing environmental injustices and the broader implications of deregulation on public health and safety.

Final Takeaway:

"Knowledge is power here, and voters still do have power." — Anya Zolajowski [12:09]

Erin encourages listeners to stay informed and engaged with local issues to drive meaningful change, reinforcing the podcast’s mission to provide substantive analysis on critical current events.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Anya Zolajowski [04:28]: "We're talking like levels 14 times higher than what the EPA considers a safe lifetime exposure... especially pronounced for children under the age of 16."

• Robert Taylor [08:28]: "It was quite disappointing, of course, but I expected the worst from the Trump administration. That makes it real difficult for us, but we have to carry on. And so that's what we're doing."

• Anya Zolajowski [07:01]: "This is part of the so-called mandate to end diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is really hard to overstate the racism and the potential cruelty of this decision."

• Matthew Tejada [10:56]: "This is coming for everyone. If you want to drink safe water in this country, good luck."

• DHS Secretary Kristi Noem [18:09]: "Pro Hamas and anti American ideology have run rampant at the university."

• Trump [15:03]: "Everybody's on my priorities."

---

Conclusion: This episode of "What A Day" meticulously dissects the Trump administration's aggressive rollback of environmental protections, its contentious immigration policies, and its adversarial stance towards academic institutions like Harvard. Through in-depth reporting and firsthand accounts, the podcast underscores the tangible impacts of these policies on vulnerable communities and the broader societal implications. Listeners are left with a compelling urge to stay informed and actively participate in local governance to counteract these detrimental changes.

Transcript

[Erin Ryan]

It's Friday, April 18th. I'm Erin Ryan in for Jane Coston, and this is what a Day. The show for people who spent the last hour before bed last night scrolling Zillow listings for K2 18b, the faraway exoplanet identified by the James Webb Telescope that scientists say shows signs of life possibly existing on it. So far, nothing in my price range, but I'll keep looking. On today's show, President Donald Trump meets with Italy's prime to talk over trade and ostensibly Kiki, over their mutual hatred for migrants. And the Supreme Court says it will hear arguments in Trump's bid to limit birthright citizenship, a thing that is literally written in our Constitution. And on that note, the Trump administration is running through our constitutional rights like a bull unleashed on the streets of Pamplona. For days now, the high stakes back and forth between the administration, the courts and the Constitution over the wrongful deportation of a Maryland man has understandably sucked a lot of the oxygen from the room. Meanwhile, the party in power is working overtime to assure that whatever oxygen is left in said room is pumped full of unregulated chemicals. That was a segue, right? Guys, it's been a long week. Here's what's happened since Monday. The administration got the ball rolling on gutting a key part of the Endangered Species act so habitat destruction would no longer qualify as harm to threatened plants and animals. It stopped construction on a major offshore wind farm off the coast of Long Island. Donald Trump famously hates windmills. It canceled a $3 billion program to encourage farmers to adopt climate friendly practices. And it kick started the process of ending a Biden era rule that aimed to put conservation on par with things like drilling as a valid public land use. Again, that's just this week. It's like that early 2000s song by Craig David where he talks about his week of dates with some lady he's into. My fellow millennials know what I'm talking about. Except for us, it's a week of compounding environmental horrors because Trump is actively pursuing large scale environmental deregulation, which is putting both the climate and public health at risk. You can already see the human costs. Just last month, his administration pulled a landmark lawsuit launched by former President Joe Biden that was supposed to compel a petrochemical plant in Louisiana to limit emissions that the EPA warns cause cancer. Crooked climate correspondent Enya Zolodzowski has been following the story. She joined us to talk about what's been happening since the administration dropped the suit. Enya, welcome to what a Day.

[Anya Zolajowski]

Thanks so much for having me.

[Erin Ryan]

So tell me a bit more about this suit that was dropped. Who did the Biden administration sue and why?

[Anya Zolajowski]

Yeah, let me tell you first about this plant. So it's the Danka plant in Laplace, Louisiana, and it makes a synthetic rubber that is often used in things like wetsuits and laptop cases. And it was releasing, or it does release chloroprene, which is a likely cancer causing chemical. And this plant is located in this stretch between Baton Rouge and New Orleans in Louisiana. It's an 85 mile or so stretch, home to 200 or so fossil fuel and petrochemical companies. It also happens to have some of the highest rates of cancer in the country. So this area is actually called Cancer Alley.

[Erin Ryan]

Whoa. Cancer Alley. That sounds unpleasant. So let's talk more about the suit. The suit named the owners, and who are those owners?

[Anya Zolajowski]

So it's owned by Danka, it's a Japanese chemical giant, and it bought the company from Dupont in 2015.

[Erin Ryan]

So when did the federal government slap a suit on the plant and why?

[Anya Zolajowski]

The suit was slapped in 2023. And so this goes back to chloroprene, the chemical I had mentioned at the time. EPA said that it found really unsafe levels of chloroprene in the area. And so they were saying that it was being released by this plant. And so they had sued with the intent to compel the plant to lower those emissions.

[Erin Ryan]

And can you tell us a little bit about chloroprene? Like, what does the research say about it? Why is this stuff bad news?

[Anya Zolajowski]

Yeah, so according to the epa, it is a likely carcinogen, because in animal trials, you know, being exposed to it has resulted in tumors in the lungs, in the liver. So, you know, animal trials have shown that exposure has caused cancer.

[Erin Ryan]

So those emissions, like, how bad were these emissions?

[Anya Zolajowski]

Yeah, we're talking, you know, According to the EPA presser at the time, we're talking like levels 14 times higher than what the EPA considers a safe lifetime exposure, with the risk being especially pronounced for children under the age of 16 seen in infants. And so I spoke with the former EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice, Matthew Tejada, and he says he actually remembers when this was all coming to light.

[Matthew Tejada]

I remember when we first mapped it and it was like a supernova on our map. It was like, whoa, what is that facility? You know, because we were first getting in those risk assessments, it was so clear how nobody in their right minds would want to live, much less raise their family within 50 miles of this facility.

[Erin Ryan]

Oh, my gosh, that sounds so spooky. That official said nobody should be living within 50 miles, but, well, there were people there, hence the suit. So who's in that area?

[Anya Zolajowski]

Yeah, I think that's a really great question because it can feel so abstract when you're not from the area. But we're talking about predominantly black neighborhoods, tight knit. You know, these are not rich neighborhoods. I spoke to someone from the area who, you know, beamed when he was talking about his community. He said they're close, they're hard workers. He mentioned the children. You know, the population in the area, according to the former EPA presser, is 20%, like under the age of 18. And there's actually a school that's about a quarter mile from the Dinka plant. And I want to flag that the school, school board actually had that school shut down. They didn't list the plant as the motivator for the decision, but the EPA has long been warning that those students were at higher risk of cancer because of the chloroprene emissions. So we're talking about, you know, real people, real families and children.

[Erin Ryan]

So this suit was filed something like two years ago. How much faith was there that the EPA under Biden could actually help? Yeah.

[Anya Zolajowski]

You know, so Matthew Tejada did say if there was any criticism, it's that maybe the EPA could have acted faster. But this was really a big deal because it marked this escalation by the Biden administration in their push to address environmental injustice. So they were really trying to check long term polluters in poor, racialized communities. And so community members really celebrated the move. You know, they voiced hope when it came out.

[Unknown]

Mm.

[Erin Ryan]

But the Trump administration just dropped the suit last month. Why?

[Anya Zolajowski]

I don't think it'll shock you to learn that it's part of the so called mandate to end diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is really hard to overstate the racism and the potential cruelty of this decision. You know, this isn't ideology. Like, this is fact. It is fact that people of color, low income neighborhoods, are disproportionately harmed by environmental pollution in the United States. And for many in this area now, it's the sense that they're losing hope for protection.

[Erin Ryan]

So just to be clear, they ended a lawsuit that was aimed at helping people, just people. Not any specific group of people, just people who lived there to address the source of higher rates of cancer because it benefited a disproportionately black population.

[Anya Zolajowski]

Yeah. And, you know, it's. It's tricky too, because it really was part of the Biden administration's push to address the fact that black and brown communities are getting harder hit.

[Erin Ryan]

Oh, my gosh. So how did the people who live there take the suit being stopped?

[Anya Zolajowski]

So I spoke with Robert Taylor. He's an 84 year old resident living near the Danka plant and he's also the director of concerned citizens of St. John. It's a local advocacy group that had actually asked the EPA to investigate. He's lived in the area his whole life and he's lost several relatives to cancer. Here was his first reaction.

[Robert Taylor]

It was quite disappointing, of course, but I expected the worst from the Trump administration. That makes it real difficult for us, but we have to carry on. And so that's what we're doing.

[Erin Ryan]

Carry on. Oh, my goodness. Well, I guess for now that's what their options are. What else are they doing about this? What are they trying?

[Anya Zolajowski]

Yeah, you know, he really is going to continue advocating, like the whole group, the neighborhood, but something that's tangible is the community really wants the tools to be able to measure emissions themselves independently. And right now they don't have those tools.

[Robert Taylor]

If the community is going to survive this attack, we are going to have to get up and take care of ourselves and our children, fight for our lives, because we see that these agencies, their intent is not well when it comes to us.

[Erin Ryan]

How did the plant owner take the news about the suit being pulled? A random guess here, but they probably weren't too upset about it.

[Anya Zolajowski]

You're right. So we did reach out to the company and we didn't hear back. Lawyers defending the Danka plant issued a statement saying that they're extremely pleased with the outcome and referred to the lawsuit as scientifically flawed. A company spokesperson had also issued a statement thanking the Trump administration. And for years, the company has maintained that it voluntarily spent millions to offset emissions and that they drastically reduced the amount of chloroprene to historically low levels. I also want to just flag Louisiana's officials. Top Louisiana officials, including the governor, have praised the facility for its economic benefits. And they've said that concerns around pollution are overblown.

[Erin Ryan]

People may have heard about Cancer Alley before and they might suspect that the government's on the fence about stopping pollution. There are jobs in those plants. People want to protect those, too. But zooming out, why should people who live way outside of Cancer Alley pay attention to one lawsuit that's gone by the wayside?

[Anya Zolajowski]

Because this is just the tip of the iceberg. The DOJ just dropped a settlement last week that would have helped a poor black county in Alabama addressed wastewater problems. So we're already seeing more things come out. And experts warn that this doesn't stop here. Like, even if you live in an affluent neighborhood, you're not immune. And so this is actually what Tejada said.

[Matthew Tejada]

This is coming for everyone. If you want to drink safe water in this country, good luck. Just as we were starting to make progress on getting lead out of people's drinking water, on getting forever chemicals out of people's drinking water, good luck. It's coming back for you. Just as we were really starting to think that we were secure in not breathing noxious diesel particulate matter from old dirty engines or not having to worry about mercury coming out of the smokestan stacks of coal plants. Good luck. It's coming back.

[Erin Ryan]

This is a lot to take in. The government sues a big plant to protect residents, but then, voila, new president. It's not a priority anymore for the worst possible reasons. And this is when the administration's aiming to cut regulations across the board, too. And yet, if this situation in Cancer Alley ever turns around, where would that need to start?

[Anya Zolajowski]

There is still a lot that can be done. You know, lots of work is happening locally at the state level. People, of course, can also call their representatives, get to know what your potential risks in your neighborhood are. Knowledge is power here, and voters still do have power.

[Erin Ryan]

Yeah. So pay attention. What's happening in your local community where you have the most likelihood of being able to make change?

[Anya Zolajowski]

Totally. Totally.

[Erin Ryan]

Anya, thank you so much for being here.

[Anya Zolajowski]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Erin Ryan]

That was my conversation with Crooked Climate correspondent Anya Zolajowski. This segment was supported by our nonprofit partner, Crooked Ideas. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a Day is brought to you by bookshop.org whether you're searching for an incisive history that helps you make sense of this moment, a novel that sweeps you away, or the perfect gift for a loved one, bookshop.org has you covered when you purchase from bookshop.org, you're supporting more than 2,000 local independent bookstores across the country, ensuring they'll continue to foster culture, curiosity, and a love of reading for generations to come. Big news. Bookshop.org has launched an ebook app. You can now support local independent bookstores even when you read digitally. Use code WAD to get 10% off your next order at bookshop.org that's code wadookshop.org the last thing you want to.

[Unknown]

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[Erin Ryan]

Here's what else we're following today.

[Matthew Tejada]

Header lines.

[Robert Taylor]

Tariffs are making us rich. We were losing a lot of money.

[Erin Ryan]

Under Biden, a low energy President Trump says he's in no rush to announce a trade deal with Italy, even though the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, visited him at the White House Thursday to talk about trade deals. He also insisted there absolutely would be a trade deal with the European Union by the end of his 90 day pause on most global tariffs.

[Robert Taylor]

Oh, there'll be a trade deal 100%. Oh, well, you think there won't be? Of course there'll be a trade deal. Very much. They want to make one Very, very much. And we're going to make a trade deal. I fully expect it. But it'll be a fair deal.

[Anya Zolajowski]

Are they on your priority list?

[Robert Taylor]

Everybody's on my priorities.

[Erin Ryan]

If everybody's on the priority list, isn't isn't it kind of like nobody's on the priority list? Well, everybody might be on his priority list, but the EU has kind of been on his shit list. Still, Trump said he likes Prime Minister Meloni, quote, very much. I'm sure that makes Meloni feel great. Meloni offered to keep channels open between Trump and the eu. I want to thank President Trump for having accepted an invitation to pay an official visit to Rome in the near future and consider a possibility in that occasion to meet also with Europe. The goal for me is to make the west great again and I think.

[Unknown]

We can do it together.

[Erin Ryan]

But despite the fake sounding optimism, little progress has been made in easing the ballooning trade war that Trump started. For reasons that make sense to him and him alone. The Supreme Court said Thursday it will hear arguments over President Trump's executive order to restrict birthright citizenship. Trump issued that order just after his inauguration. It would bar citizenship for children born to the undocumented immigrants in the U.S. naturally, three district courts around the country hit the pause button for reasons like birthright citizenship is literally guaranteed in the Constitution. The Supreme Court sped up the schedule to hear arguments next month, but for now, the executive order remains on hold. The news on Trump and immigration keeps churning, though. A federal appeals court agreed with a lower court judge that the Trump administration must provide details on how it's facilitating the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. That's the Maryland man we've been talking about who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last month. The government admitted to the, quote, administrative error, but claims it can't bring him back because he's no longer in US Custody, even though we are paying to keep him in a notorious Salvadoran megaprison. The three judge panel slammed the administration for its continuous defiance, writing, quote, this should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.

[Robert Taylor]

I think Harvard's a disgrace. I think what they did was a disgrace. They're obviously anti Semitic.

[Erin Ryan]

Is anybody else starting to wonder if a certain somebody's kid didn't get into Harvard? Just putting it out there. Trump's unprecedented threats to Harvard University just keep coming. The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it cut nearly $3 million in grants to the university and threatened the school's ability to enroll international students. It's the latest effort by the White House to punish Harvard over its refusal to meet Trump's demands aimed at ending diversity efforts and rooting out what his administration says is rampant antisemitism on campus. The day prior, the administration reportedly directed the IRS to revoke Harvard's tax exempt status. Trump seemed to hint that this is a tool his administration might use more while he was taking questions from reporters Wednesday at the White House.

[Robert Taylor]

Tax exempt status, I mean, it's a privilege. That's really a privilege. And it's been abused by a lot more than Harvard, too. By a lot more than Harvard. So we'll see how that all works out.

[Erin Ryan]

In a statement earlier in the day, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ordered Harvard to hand over, quote, detailed records on Harvard's foreign student visa holders. Illegal and violent activities. If it doesn't, Harvard risks losing its ability to enroll international students altogether. Noem says Harvard has until the end of the month to comply. The secretary notably didn't give any examples of antisemitism on Harvard's campus in her statement. Just that pro Hamas and anti American ideology have run rampant at the university. That might be because the White House maybe, just maybe, doesn't have any proof. The Washington Post reported Thursday that the Trump administration didn't provide any evidence of wrongdoing when it froze another $2 billion in grants to Harvard earlier this week. It just skipped over those requirements set out in civil rights laws. The administration also seems to have sidestepped a requirement to notify Congress of said violations and wait 30 days before applying any penalties.

[Anya Zolajowski]

Oops.

[Erin Ryan]

Never ones to be left out, though. Congressional Republicans are also jumping into the fight against Harvard. On Wednesday, two top House Republicans announced a separate investigation into Harvard over alleged civil rights violations. In other court news, the Department of Justice won a major antitrust case against Google. In a suit filed under the Biden administration, the government accused Google of operating an illegal monopoly in online advertising technology. The suit targeted three specific markets the tools used by online publishers to host ads, the tools advertisers use to buy that ad space, and the software that makes those purchases happen. In a Thursday decision, a federal judge in Virginia state sided with the doj, ruling that Google, quote, willfully engaged in a series of anti competitive acts to acquire and maintain a monopoly in two of those markets, publisher tools and the software for ad transactions. Judges hate this one weird trick. The judge dismissed the DOJ's argument that Google monopolized tools for advertisers, but the federal government came out on top. Overall, this is the second major antitrust ruling to hit Google in less than a year. In August, another federal judge found Google held a monopoly over online search. Google said it plans to appeal Thursday's ruling. Tech giant's vice president of regulatory affairs told the Verge, quote, we won half of this case and will appeal the other half. Last I checked, one third isn't equal to 1/2 Google it. And that's the news. Before we go, the tech elite shaped the Internet and now they're watching it spiral. This week on Offline, John and Max dig into it all from Zuckerberg taking the stand to Silicon Valley's Trump era flirtation coming back to haunt them like a embarrassing search history. Plus, Dr. Liors Megrod joins to discuss her new book, the Ideological Brain, exploring the neuroscience behind why some people are more susceptible to conspiracy, conspiracy theories and extremist ideologies. Yes, your uncle might be in there somewhere. Listen to Offline now wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, fantasize about living on an exoplanet, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just the extra zeros at the end of the price of heavily tariffed Hermes handbags like me, what a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Erin Ryan and a handbag should not cost more than a year of college, with or without tariffs.

[Unknown]

What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily Foer. Our producer is Michelle Eloi. We had production help today from Shauna Lee, Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra and Greg Walters. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our executive producer is Adrienne Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America east.

[Anya Zolajowski]

For.

[Unknown]

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[Erin Ryan]

Ever spotted McDonald's hot crispy fries right.

[Anya Zolajowski]

As they're being scooped into the carton.

[Robert Taylor]

And time just stands still?

[Erin Ryan]

Bottom up.