*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 DOJ identified three cities that could have federal funding slashed under a memorandum by President Donald Trump that sought to identify localities that permit "anarchy, violence and destruction in American cities."
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, has died at her home in Washington.
U.S. health officials are dropping a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and telling all those who have been in close contact with infected people to get tested.
Senator Jon Tester of Montana joined Cheddar to discuss movement on a new stimulus deal in Congress after talks paused in August. Tester also discusses how Joe Biden can win back rural voters this November.
An Associated Press review found growing allegations that a gynecologist performed surgeries and other procedures that detained migrant women never sought or didn’t fully understand.
Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima, Washington, said he was issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by 14 states that sued the Trump administration and the U.S. Postal Service.
College towns across the U.S. have emerged as virus hot spots in recent weeks as schools struggle to contain the virus.
As the U.S. treks into the 7th month of the coronavirus pandemic, trust in government agencies and top medical officials is dropping among Republican voters. Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, joined Cheddar to discuss how people can navigate advice from medical professionals as some guidances are deemed political.
The Federal Reserve adjusted its inflation target to seek price increases above 2% annually, a move that will likely keep interest rates low for years to come.
The federal government is outlining a sweeping plan to make COVID-19 vaccines available for free to all Americans.
