*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.
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Twitter is denying accusations that it's 'shadow banning' prominent conservatives online, but President Donald Trump is calling for an investigation. Michael Nunez, Mashable's deputy tech editor, explains the allegations and weighs in on their merit.
President Trump accused Twitter of so-called "shadow banning" high-profile Republicans from the platform. Twitter has said that, while some users appear to not be showing up in auto-fill search results, down-ranking the results has been based solely on user behavior, not on their political leaning.
Thursday is the deadline to reunite separated migrant children with their families. Dan Diamond, Reporter at Politico, breaks down how the government is pulling this off and what may cause complications.
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Republican Strategist Rick Wilson tells Cheddar Wednesday that Trump's private conversation with former attorney Michael Cohen reveals the president's intentions to silence women from his past.
Michael Cohen, the president's former attorney, released his secret recording of then-candidate Trump discussing payouts to a former Playboy model who claims she had an affair with him. The conversation sounded disturbingly calm and routine, says Republican political strategist Rick Wilson. This signals that "Donald Trump had a system in place inside of his organization that was devised and directed to deal with the women with whom he had various affairs."
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President Trump said the U.S. will work towards a barriers-free trade deal with the EU, easing tensions that had been weighing on lawmakers, markets, and corporations for days.
The First Daughter said she would close her namesake clothing, shoes, and accessories brand after 15 years in the fashion business. Trump said the decision stemmed from a career transition, though the company has seen sales fall as customers displeased with her father's policies, boycott the brand.
