*By Kate Gill*
As predicted, all eyes were focused on Google CEO Sundar Pichai when he testified in front of Congress on Tuesday. But perhaps of more interest to spectators was a face in the background ー the Monopoly Man, who resurfaced to troll corporate America once again this week.
According to Ian Madrigal, the D.C. attorney behind the viral persona, the mustachioed figure is the ultimate symbol of corporate malfeasance.
"All of these corporations are committing terrible acts, they are not being regulated by Congress and Monopoly Man points out that wealth and greed and power lets you get away with those things," Madrigal told Cheddar Big News Wednesday.
Madrigal first entered public consciousness in 2017 when the attorney appeared in full Monopoly garb ー hat, monocle, and all ー at a Senate Banking Committee hearing probing the massive Equifax data breach. Madrigal sat conspicuously behind the then-CEO of Equifax, twisting a monocle and waving a dollar bill.
According to Madrigal, the costume is more than a PR stunt.
"I try to basically get more attention on the hearings that I think folks should be watching but maybe aren't," Madrigal said.
"When the Equifax data breach, happened a lot of people I think were appalled and but then pretty quickly forgot about it. But the fact is 145 million Americans' personal data, including their Social Security numbers, was leaked and this company was trying to avoid accountability for it by pushing us out of the court system."
But how did Madrigal score that seat behind Pichai? It was easy.
"The great secret to all of this is that these hearings are open to the public, so if you get in line early enough you can snag whatever spot you want. Luckily, I'm actually an attorney and advocate here in D.C. and so I've been to hearings before in my professional role ー so I know all the tricks."
If you don't believe Madrigal, just Google it.
U.S. and Chinese officials say a trade deal between the world’s two largest economies is drawing closer. The sides have reached an initial consensus for President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to aim to finalize during their high-stakes meeting Thursday in South Korea. Any agreement would be a relief to international markets. Trump's treasury secretary says discussions with China yielded preliminary agreements to stop the precursor chemicals for fentanyl from coming into the United States. Scott Bessent also says Beijing would make “substantial” purchases of soybean and other agricultural products while putting off export controls on rare earth elements needed for advanced technologies.
A new poll finds most U.S. adults are worried about health care becoming more expensive.
The White House budget office says mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern, as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
