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Newsom refuses to back fellow Dems taking on Google, Big Tech through news link legislation
Gov. Gavin Newsom is staying silent on a Democrat-led bill moving through the legislature that would create a “link tax” requiring big tech companies, like Google, to pay media companies for linking to their pages.
Last week, Google began removing news links to news pages while the legislation, dubbed the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), is under consideration. The bill, authored by Democrat Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, would effectively charge Google, Microsoft, Facebook and other big tech companies for linking to state news websites. The collected “link tax,” as Google calls it, would go toward supporting struggling newsrooms, according to the text.
While Newsom’s office declined to “comment on pending legislation” pioneered by his Democrat counterparts to Fox News Digital, the governor previously partnered with Google on initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, such as incorporating the state’s “earthquake early warning technology into all Android phones.”
At the time, Newsom gushed over the partnership, saying, “It’s not every day that Silicon Valley looks to state government for state-of-the-art innovation, but that’s exactly what is happening today.”
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Gov. Gavin Newsom is remaining quiet regarding a new bill that would create a “link tax” requiring big tech companies to pay media companies for linking to their sites. (Screenshot/NBC)
Also in 2020, Newsom partnered with Google to give away 4,000 Chromebooks and free Wi-Fi hot spots for mobile users up to 90 days with unlimited broadband internet access to 100,000 households in rural regions of the state. In 2021, Newsom signed SB 7 into law, which changed real estate zoning laws to allow denser housing construction. Alongside him was Google’s president of global affairs, Kent Walker.
“To be here with Google and the incredible private sector investment and the faith and devotion to the future of this city and this region and this state is exactly where we want to be and it’s why we are here,” Newsom said to reporters at the time.
However, Google said in a statement last week the proposed CJPA, in its current form, would “up-end” its model of helping publishing sites grow their audiences without financial penalties.
“As we’ve shared when other countries have considered similar proposals, the uncapped financial exposure created by CJPA would be unworkable,” Google said in a statement. “If enacted, CJPA in its current form would create a level of business uncertainty that no company could accept.”
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The Media Research Center says that from 2008 through February 2024, “Google has utilized its power to help push to electoral victory the most liberal candidates, regardless of party, while targeting their opponents for censorship.” (Photographer: Marlena Sloss/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The big tech company said that to “prepare” for possible CJPA consequences, they have begun a soft roll-out of removing links to California news websites to test the impact it would have on the company’s “product experience.”
How much the companies would have to pay would be decided by a panel of three judges through an arbitration process under the bill.
The bill aims to stop the loss of journalism jobs, which have been disappearing rapidly as legacy media companies have struggled to profit in the digital age. More than 2,500 newspapers have closed in the U.S. since 2005, according to Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. California has lost more than 100 news organizations in the past decade, according to Wicks.
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The Real Facebook Oversight Board embarked on the Facebook Receipts project to expose how big tech lobbyists used power and influence to kill would-be-landmark antitrust bills. (iStock)
“This is a bill about basic fairness — it’s about ensuring that platforms pay for the content they repurpose,” Wicks said. “We are committed to continuing negotiations with Google and all other stakeholders to secure a brighter future for California journalists and ensure that the lights of democracy stay on.”
However, Google argues the bill “undermines news” in the Golden State.
“To avoid an outcome where all parties lose and the California news industry is left worse off, we urge lawmakers to take a different approach,” the company said.
Big tech companies have also been targeted in recent years by state officials and Republican lawmakers, who claim the Biden administration’s alleged coordination with the search engine giants could unfairly impact the discourse around the 2024 election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The Nuggets are declining Jalen Pickett’s fourth-year team option for the 2026-27 season, releasing him from his contract, league sources told The Denver Post.
Former Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth drafted Pickett with the 32nd overall pick in 2023. The 6-foot-2 reserve combo guard has struggled to break into Denver’s everyday rotation throughout his first three years in the league.
His $2.41 million salary next season would’ve offered the Nuggets a sliver of cap relief, but they chose instead to move on from the former Penn State star. Monday was the deadline to make a decision on his option.
Pickett, 26, averaged 5.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 16.1 minutes per game last season. He appeared in 50 games, highlighted by a career-high 29-point, seven-assist performance in January to lead the Nuggets in an upset over Philadelphia without their entire starting lineup.
Pickett is shooting 38.7% from the 3-point line on two attempts per game in his first three years. He also boasts a sturdy 3.63 career assist-to-turnover ratio.
But he’s remained a deep bench option under two different head coaches in Denver, from Michael Malone to David Adelman. Booth was fired in April 2025. Then, new co-general managers Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer signed veteran point guard Tyus Jones off the buyout market late last season when the Nuggets wanted ball-handling depth. Jones received playoff minutes over Pickett during their first-round series against the Timberwolves.
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Three robberies occurred within 30 minutes of each other on Friday in Seattle, with law enforcement believing they were connected due to the timing, proximity, and similar descriptions of the suspects.
The first of three robberies began at 4:30 a.m. in the 200 block of Highland Drive near Kerry Park, when the Seattle Police Department (SPD) received reports of two men pointing guns at a man, SPD told KIRO Newsradio.
As officers arrived on scene, they located a 32-year-old man. The victim was sitting in his car when two suspects parked their car beside his and approached him with guns. The suspects ordered the victim to exit his vehicle and give them his necklace.
The victim claimed he had nothing of value, and the suspects ultimately fled in a dark sedan, possibly west on W. Highland Drive. The suspects were described as Black males, possibly in their late teens to 20s. Each suspect wore a mask and gloves, but the victim could not accurately recall what the suspects were wearing.
Second Seattle robbery came minutes after the first, this time at a store
Two minutes later, at 4:32 a.m., dispatch received a report of a robbery at a convenience store in the 1600 block of Queen Anne Avenue N. At the scene, officers made contact with a 25-year-old man.
The victims stated that two suspects entered the store, threatened them, and took money from two of the cash register drawers.
Soon after, the suspects fled the scene in a dark colored sedan. One suspect was described as a Black male in his 20s, roughly 6 feet, 2 inches tall with a medium build, wearing a mask, gloves, and dark-colored clothing. The second suspect was described as a Black male, 6 feet tall, with a medium build, wearing a mask, gloves, and dark-colored clothing.
Final robbery targeted a Beacon Hill convenience store with two victims
At 4:51 a.m., dispatch received a third report of a robbery, this time at a convenience store in the 4800 block of Beacon Avenue S.
Officers arrived and made contact with two victims, a 55-year-old man and a 24-year-old man. The SPD investigation revealed that one of the victims was in the cooler and the other was behind the counter when the two suspects first entered the store.
The victim in the cooler exited to see what was happening, then shut the door to the employee area and stayed there until it was safe to come out.
The 24-year-old victim was behind the counter when the suspect pointed a firearm at him. The suspect forced the victim to open the cash register and took the cash while the other suspect stood by the main entry door with a handgun.
Both suspects exited the store and fled the scene in an unknown direction. The first suspect was described as a Hispanic or Black male in his 20s, with a medium build, wearing a mask, gloves, and dark clothing. The second suspect was described as a Hispanic or Black male in his 20s, wearing a mask and gloves, with light colored pants and dark shoes.
No victims reported injuries as a result of each of the three robberies, and no suspects have been apprehended as of this reporting.
SPD’s Robbery Unit has been assigned to each case.
Anyone with information is urged to contact SPD’s Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.
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