Annoying news and ads from Google app

Pixel 8a, Android 15

More than once, I've swiped left or right on a screen and been dumped
into a page with the Google header and a bunch of ads and clickbait
news items, none of which I want. It appears to be the Google app,
not Chrome, though I'm not 100% sure of that.

Is there some way to turn that off? In particular, would Settings »
Apps » Google » Disable do it, and if so are there any bad
consequences, for instance losing Google's automatic backups? (After
my phone was stolen a week ago, Google saved my bacon by downloading
everything to my new phone, even call history and texts.)

More general question: what in fact is the Google app _for_? All the
things I use: Calendar, Messages, Phone, Contacts -- are separate
apps.

Except for this annoyance, I like the Googleverse on the Pixel much
better than the mishmash of Samsung versions of Google apps on my old
Galaxy A54 5G A. For instance, Samsung's app for photos wouldn't show
anything I had taken on my earlier phone, and Google's wouldn't show
anything else.

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA         https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...