*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.
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a conservative Republican congressman, is championing a medical cannabis research act, signaling the bipartisan shift in attitudes toward medical marijuana.
Apple appears to have dodged a bullet with the latest round of tariffs on Chinese imports. But if the trade war continues, the risks to the company get more serious, said Tom Forte, senior research analyst at D.A. Davidson. Apple currently gets 20 percent of its revenue from China
Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) said the political action committee will help him "evaluate" the presidential landscape. The moderate Democrat is perhaps best known for overseeing Colorado's creation of a full-fledged cannabis economy.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court is now more like a "jump shot in traffic," said Philip Wegmann of the Washington Examiner. Kavanaugh's nomination was put on hold following accusations of sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford when they were both teenagers. Ford and Kavanaugh will testify at a Senate hearing next Monday, delaying the confirmation vote originally scheduled for this week and putting his place on the top court it peril less than two months before the midterm elections.
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China retaliated to the latest round of tariffs announced by the Trump administration, announcing import taxes on $60 billion in U.S. goods. That came after the White House said it would impose tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, though many of Apple's products will be exempt.
Kate Shaw, professor at Cardozo School of Law, breaks down the similarities between the current accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the accusations from Anita Hill in 1991 against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas -- the latter largely considered to have been the basis for how workplace harassment is thought of today.
A new bill in New Jersey, if passed through the state legislature, would immediately release anyone in jail for non-violent marijuana crimes and expunge their records. Jake Hudnut, chief prosecutor for Jersey City, calls it the most progressive social justice bill in the nation.
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Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded guilty to reduced charges Friday morning and agreed to cooperate with Robert Mueller's investigation.
