On Wednesday, the leaders of Facebook, Google, and Twitter will testify on Capitol Hill in front of a subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee. Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and Jack Dorsey will all face questions over their companies' use of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects online platforms from being held legally accountable for content published by their users.
"One of the things I think they need to hear from us that we are fully aware that the American people no longer trust big tech," Committee member Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) told Cheddar.
Blackburn has proposed several changes to clarify and modify Section 230, which has been a subject of controversy since the president's executive order in May. That executive order came after Twitter flagged one of the president's tweets for being misleading and called for the FCC to regulate online censorship.
"We would be more specific on who can use the liability protections in 230, how it can be applied, and when it can be applied," said Blackburn. Her changes would also specify who qualifies as a "content creator" and would aim to protect those users, rather than the platforms.
Despite bipartisan agreement that Section 230 needs reform, Democrats and Republicans do not agree on just how to change it. The Democrats aren't on board with the GOP bill that would reign in a company's ability to flag and censor misinformation.
The tech industry, for its part, has said any changes to Section 230 would effectively end free speech online. They argue that without the protection it offers, platforms actually would have to take a stricter approach to flagging, fact-checking, and censoring.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law a bill that strips Disney World of its special self-governing status. This came after Disney spoke out against Florida's so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, some saying in retaliation of that. Ben Means, Professor of Law and the John T. Campbell Chair in Business and Professional Ethics at the University of South Carolina School of Law, breaks down how the new law might impact Disney’s business moving forward.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 27, 2022, with Tesla stocks absorbing an initial hit following Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, Russia pausing its natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission taking off, and more.
Russia and the United States have exchanged prisoners. Russia released a Marine veteran jailed in Moscow while the U.S. released a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a prison sentence in Connecticut.
President Biden wants to repeal a Trump-era policy called Title 42, which makes it harder for migrants to seek asylum. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration from letting this happen. Cheddar News is joined by Maria Pabon, Dean Brian Bromberger Distinguished Professor of Law at Loyola University, to discuss.
Politico's Defense Reporter Paul McLeary joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the significance of cabinet members Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent trip to Ukraine, and to break down how the U.S. is furthering its support for the besieged nation as Russian aggression intensifies.
Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, the White House announced. That's underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus even as the U.S. eases restrictions in a bid to revert to pre-pandemic normalcy.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 26, 2022, with Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter for $44 billion, Russia warning of a possible threat of World War III, the FDA approving a COVID treatment for children under 12, and more.
The Supreme Court is taking on the case of Joseph Kennedy, who was fired from his job as Bremerton High School assistant coach in Washington for his post-match prayers that were joined by students. Rachel Laser, President and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, joins Cheddar News to explain the possible implications of a ruling.
Student loans are affecting about 46 million Americans across the country, adding up to nearly $1.7 trillion of debt total. President Biden has announced a handful of actions designed to bring millions of borrowers a step closer to debt forgiveness. Katie Lobosco, writer for CNN Politics, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
