*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.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Aug. 9, 2019.
The Golden State's so-called "resistance" strategy, Alex Padilla said, is rooted in a three-pronged approach: legislation, legal challenges, and civil society organization.
President Trump traveled to El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday, two cities grieving after separate mass shootings killed at least 31 people over the weekend. The president, however, was greeted with large protests in both cities as residents and lawmakers expressed their anger over Trump’s divisive leadership and refusal to support stricter gun control measures.
The rule would be the latest move by the White House against Huawei. The Chinese tech giant was deemed to be a threat to U.S. national security in May and has since been a central component of the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China.
China has historically been one of U.S. farmers' largest buyers, making the sector a prime target for Beijing's retaliatory tariffs.
On this episode of 'Your Cheddar': how one entrepreneur leverages technology to build her brand and monetize her expertise, and the CEO and co-founder of Pillar joins the show to discuss how his platform helps others manage their student loan debt. Cheddar also hits the streets to ask New Yorkers how they would decide between easy money and spending quality time with their favorite celebrities.
President Trump is scheduled on Wednesday to visit El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, two cities still grieving after separate mass shootings killed at least 31 people over the weekend. The president’s visits, however, have created an atmosphere of angst and unease.
President Trump and the Republican party filed multiple lawsuits on Tuesday to block California’s recently implemented law that requires presidential hopefuls to release their tax returns in order to appear on the state’s primary ballot.
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and Republican Rep. Peter King publicly called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to hold a vote on a bipartisan background check legislation, just days after two back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton killed over 30 people.
Congressman Matt Gaetz told Cheddar Monday that a focus on mental health is the answer to stop domestic-based gun violence, not gun control or background checks.
