*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.
Enrique Fernández-Toledo, Director of the Puerto Rico Initiative at the Center for American Progress, explained why an accurate death toll from Hurricane Maria took so long to be announced.
Anand Giridharadas, author of "Winners Take All" and a former reporter for the New York Times, believes that the United States' encouragement and support of charitable giving has disenfranchised the working class.
Katie Fox, assistant director for the National Preparedness Directorate at FEMA, joined Cheddar to offer specific ways Americans should prepare for disasters, even if they don't live in hurricane zones.
Natural disasters affected 15 percent of the U.S. population in 2017, often in places unaccustomed to dealing with nature's fury.
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We break down what primary election results in Flordia and Arizona mean for the upcoming midterm elections. President Trump steps up his criticism of Google and other big tech companies. Amazon is reportedly planning to a launch a free, ad-supported video streaming app. And we sit down with Ash Cash to get his take on why Kanye West might actually have some worthwhile career advice.
Republican Bob Hugin told Cheddar he's challenging Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey for his seat, because he was morally offended by the corruption charges against the current Senator -- Menendez's trial ended in a hung jury. Down by as much as 17 points early in the race, Hugin is now polling within 6 points of his opponent.
Education Sec. Betsy Devos's idea to use federal money to arm teachers is "insane," said Randy Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. "I cannot believe I'm actually talking about this," she said.
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Rep.Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) released a report titled "Earn Less, Pay More," that highlights the cost discrepancies between women's and men's products. She spoke to Cheddar about her findings on Women's Equality Day.
