*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.
Stocks are headed lower in afternoon trading on Wall Street after erasing earlier gains, as investors close out a brutal first quarter.
A city of about 150,000 just in northern Los Angeles County is preparing for the spread of the novel coronavirus by teaming up with the local aerospace companies to create ventilator substitutes and preparing an ordinance that would require wearing masks, according to Mayor R. Rex Parris.
The former CEO of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr., says some restaurants simply won't survive the coronavirus outbreak.
The president took to Twitter last Friday and unleashed a furious series of attacks at GM and its chairman and CEO, Mary Barra, leaving company executives, officials inside the White House, and employees at a nonprofit who had helped broker the partnership between GM and Ventec flabbergasted.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he hopes the new Health Corps will increase the number of healthcare workers by thousands as the state prepares for an overwhelmed healthcare system.
California Rep. Ami Bera wants to see more federal control over things like purchasing and stockpiling medical supplies to meet the needs of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stocks are pushing higher on Wall Street, led by big gains for health care companies announcing developments that could aid in the coronavirus outbreak.
While expressing gratitude for federal support the state has received, Cuomo stressed that the city is not an "anomaly" but rather a "canary in the coal mine" for what the rest of the state and country will soon experience.
Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan sounded alarm as her state recorded the fourth highest number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Mike Leavitt, the former HHS Secretary under President George W. Bush, gave a word of support to the current health secretary regarding his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
