*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.
New York City’s march was led by renowned Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, 16, who arrived in the U.S. late last month after a two-week journey across the Atlantic in a solar-powered yacht in an effort to draw attention to her cause.
Keith McCarty, CEO and founder of Wayv, wants to use tech to ease the many “friction points” in the complicated world of business-to-business cannabis logistics.
In a resolute response, California said it is set to launch a major legal challenge — one that will surely be lengthy and have broad implications on the way the U.S. confronts the climate crisis and on state's rights.
The Fed said in a statement that the decision to lower rates was influenced by the "implications of global developments for the economic outlook" and "muted inflation pressures."
The escalating measure follows several days of heightened tensions between the two countries over the attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
In the shadow of the Washington Square Arch Monday night in front of a crowd of thousands, the presidential hopeful outlined her platform to fight corruption in Washington D.C.
Governments and energy markets worldwide remain on edge Monday as the U.S. continues to blame Iran for the drone attack on two oil installations in Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
The détente emerged Wednesday after China approved tariff exemptions for a number of U.S. imports and President Trump announced that the U.S. will postpone its forthcoming tariff hikes.
Reporter's Notebook: While Houstonians may be used to weather in the 90s in mid-September, perhaps some of Thursday night's hottest takes happened on the debate stage, as the gloves came off between the top ten Democratic primary candidates.
In the wake of two mass shootings last month in Texas, gun control took center stage at the third Democratic debate Thursday night, and gave former Congressman Beto O’Rourke one of the best moments of his campaign.
