Facebook is on a mission to get four million Americans registered to vote by Election Day on November 3. So far, the company reports that it has made significant progress on that goal with more than 2.5 million Americans registered through Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.
"Certainly, it's the most complex election I've ever experienced," Emily Dalton Smith, director of social impact product at Facebook, told Cheddar. "So we're really focused on making sure everybody in the U.S. who's eligible has the information they need."
Facebook and Instagram users can head to the site's Voter Information Center to look into the registration process, or even volunteer at the polls.
The sites give people "a one-stop-shop they can go to anytime they have a question or want to learn how they can vote," Smith said.
Facebook is raising the bar from its past voter registration efforts. The company says it helped two million Americans register and turn out to vote in both 2016 and 2018.
With Tuesday designated as National Voter Registration Day, the social media giant is ramping up efforts now more than ever, providing clear alerts at the top of its most popular apps.
"We're running drives at the top of Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger apps this week giving people information on how to vote right at the top of the apps," Smith said.
While Facebook does collect data on its users' specific political learnings, Smith said that the company isn't focused on whether it's helping liberals or conservatives register to vote.
"That's a really personal decision, and we want to make sure that people are empowered to make that decision and make their voice heard," Smith said. "Who they vote for is up to them. We just want to make sure that they get out and vote."
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
The two-sentence footnote raised serious concerns about accuracy and credibility.
Real estate software company RealPage has agreed to stop sharing nonpublic information between landlords as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice.
