*By Carlo Versano*
Google is "missing an opportunity" by not sending a top official to Capitol Hill next week to testify on election interference and censorship, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told Cheddar's J.D. Durkin on Wednesday.
Facebook and Twitter are both sending C-Suite executives ー COO Sheryl Sandberg and CEO Jack Dorsey, respectively ー to testify in front of both chambers on Sept. 5.
So far, Google has said it will only dispatch its general counsel, Kent Walker.
"We need policy makers, not simply their lawyers," Warner said.
The heads of the top social and web platforms will head to the Hill to answer questions about how they are combating misinformation campaigns from state actors like Russia and Iran ahead of the midterm elections. Additionally, they are expected to face pointed questions about censorship ー a topic that President Trump has been pushing, most recently on Wednesday afternoon when he told reporters, "I think they treat Republicans and conservatives very unfairly" and such handling "may not be legal."
That echoes the sentiment of several Trump tweets Tuesday which suggested that Google News technology suppressed conservative views. Economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the White House would look into the matter, but many questioned Trump's statements on their face.
"The president doesn't really understand how search algorithms work," Warner said, noting that content is ranked in searches as a result of computer calculations, not human action.
The last time officials from Facebook, Twitter, and Google testified together ー last November on the topic of Russian hacking ー the reaction from lawmakers was largely negative. Since then, each company has shown a more proactive approach to the policing of their platforms.
Warner said he hopes next week's hearings will be forward-looking. "We want to look at solution sets" for these complex problems, he said.
The truck blockade at the U.S. border by Canadians protesting the country’s COVID-19 restrictions is tightening the screws on the auto industry, forcing Ford, Toyota and General Motors to shut down plants or otherwise curtail production.
Inflation was hotter than expected in January, but the debate over what this means for the economy is getting even hotter as markets brace for a flurry of Fed rate hikes in 2022.
Inflation soared over the past year at its highest rate in four decades, hammering America’s consumers, wiping out pay raises and reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s decision to begin raising borrowing rates.
A rapidly growing list of Canadian provinces moved to lift their COVID-19 restrictions as protesters decrying vaccine mandates and other precautions kept up the pressure with truck blockades.
The House has approved legislation financing federal agencies for another month. It's the latest emblem of Congress’ inability to finish its budget work on time.
The IRS said Monday it will suspend the use of facial recognition technology to authenticate people who create online accounts after the practice was criticized by privacy advocates and lawmakers.
The first lady says real people often are caught in the middle. She spoke Monday in Washington about a now-stalled proposal for tuition-free community college, which she's pushed for a long time as a community college professor.
In a flurry of diplomacy across two continents, President Joe Biden emerged from a meeting with Germany’s new leader to vow the crucial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Europe would be blocked if Russia further invades Ukraine.
Kristin Myers, Editor-in-Chief at The Balance, joined Cheddar News to preview the January jobs report, and to break down the racial disparity in employment numbers in the U.S.
