*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.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
The two-sentence footnote raised serious concerns about accuracy and credibility.
