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☆ Alito tells lawmakers he will not recuse from Supreme Court cases despite flag controversy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( John Fritze | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“The two incidents you cite do not meet the conditions for recusal,” Alito wrote in a letter distributed by the Supreme Court. Supreme Court justices rarely get into a back-and-forth with lawmakers and many members of the court do not explain their reasons for recusing – or not. Video Ad Feedback See how GOP lawmakers reacted to Judge Alito's flag controversy 01:24 - Source: CNNThe Supreme Court is weighing major cases tied to the 2020 election and the attack on the US Capitol. From Google“I had no involvement in the decision to fly that flag,” Alito wrote. Justice Alito also told Fox News the neighbor used the term “c*nt” at one point during the exchanges.

Persons: Samuel Alito, ” Alito, Alito, recusing, Alito's, Donald Trump’s, Jack Smith’s, “, –, Martha, Ann Alito, Samuel Alito's, Illinois Sen, Dick Durbin, ” Durbin, ”, ” Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Clarence Thomas ’, —, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, John Roberts, Thomas, Hank Johnson, Alito’s, ” Johnson, Trump, Justice Alito, “ Alito, SCOTUS, Roe, Wade, CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Kate Sullivan, Jack Forrest, Morgan Rimmer, Tierney Sneed, Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, Supreme, Trump, US Supreme, Google, ’, recusal, Democratic, Illinois Democrat, Rhode Island Democrat, Connecticut Democrat, Georgia Democrat, United States Supreme, New York Times, Fox News, Times, Republicans Locations: Alexandria, Virginia, New Jersey, Long Beach, Illinois, Connecticut, Georgia, House

☆ Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, sued in groundbreaking monopoly lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Brian Fung | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —The US government and dozens of states sued Live Nation in a groundbreaking antitrust lawsuit on Thursday, alleging that for years the parent company of Ticketmaster abused its industry dominance to harm concertgoers nationwide. It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster.”In a statement, Live Nation called the DOJ’s allegations “baseless.”“The DOJ’s lawsuit won’t solve the issues fans care about relating to ticket prices, service fees, and access to in-demand shows,” Live Nation said in a statement. The lawsuit highlights how regulators now believe, more than a decade on, that the behavioral modifications Live Nation agreed to have failed. According to the lawsuit, Live Nation directly manages more than 400 artists, controls around 60% of concert promotions at major concert venues across the country, and controls more than 265 concert venues in North America. And through Ticketmaster, the suit says, Live Nation controls roughly 80% or more of major concert venues’ primary ticketing for concerts.

Persons: Taylor Swift’s, ”, General Merrick Garland, Swift, Robert Smith, Zach Bryan, Minnesota Democratic Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Connecticut Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Klobuchar, Blumenthal, John Cornyn, Ted Cruz, Biden, ramping Organizations: Washington CNN, Ticketmaster, Justice Department, Prosecutors, ”, “, DOJ, Regulators, Minnesota Democratic, Connecticut Democratic, Texas Republican, District of Columbia, Court, Southern, of Locations: New York, United States, Texas Republican Sens, North America, Arizona , Arkansas , California , Colorado , Connecticut, Florida , Illinois, Maryland , Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota , Nevada , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York, North Carolina , Ohio , Oklahoma , Oregon , Pennsylvania, Rhode Island , South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia , Wisconsin , Wyoming, of New York

☆ Dysfunctional Week Exposes the Fissures, Fractures and Fault Lines Across the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Lauren Camera | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +8 min

“The Republican Party is not really a conservative party anymore – it’s a populist party,” he says. “What are the incentives for conservatives to take these positions?” asks Joshua Huder, senior fellow at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. “This Republican Party is spiraling out of control. Last week, the RNC reported its lowest fundraising totals in 10 years, entering 2024 with just $8 million in cash on hand. Prosecutors are seeking $370 million – a loss that has the potential to ruin him financially ahead of the November election.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, Trump, ”, David Barker, –, Mike Johnson, Alejandro Mayorkas, Johnson couldn’t, Joshua Huder, Georgetown University’s, Johnson, Sen, Chris Murphy, it's Donald Trump –, who’s, Mitch McConnell’s, – Sen, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of, Mitch ” trended, intraparty, Mitch McConnell, ” Huder, I’m, Ronna McDaniel, isn’t, Joe Biden Organizations: Republican National Committee, Republican, Republican Party, American University, Center, Congressional, Presidential, Republicans, Homeland, Israel, Georgetown, Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public, Senate, Connecticut Democrat, RNC, South Carolina, U.S ., Trump, Capitol, Prosecutors Locations: Connecticut, Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, underperformed, Washington, Manhattan

☆ Republicans Against Border Enforcement
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States has had a porous border with Mexico for decades, and the situation has worsened in the past few years, with more than 10,000 people entering the U.S. on some days. Mayors, governors, and immigration experts — as well as voters — have long urged Congress to fix the problem. And for anybody who has grown cynical about Washington, the plan offered reasons for both surprise and further cynicism. The surprising part is that productive bipartisanship seems to be alive, even on an issue as divisive as immigration. So do the editorial boards of The Washington Post, which leans left, and The Wall Street Journal, which is deeply conservative.

Persons: —, James Lankford, Chris Murphy, Kyrsten, Donald Trump Organizations: Washington, Oklahoma Republican, Connecticut Democrat, The Washington Post, Street Locations: States, Mexico, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Arizona

☆ Loss, pain, harm: Grieving parents set the tone at this week’s tech CEOs hearing. It could change things
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Wednesday’s online youth safety hearing with some of the world’s leading social media CEOs was unlike the many that came before it in recent years. During the hearing, Zuckerberg and Spiegel, along with the CEOs of TikTok, Discord and X, also faced calls to meet with the families affected by their platforms. And Wednesday night, after the event, some parents said the apologies did not go far enough. X CEO Linda Yaccarino thanked the “parents, families, and young people” who attended the hearing in a post on the platform. “We just saw yesterday the extent of the damage that this has done, these platforms have done,” he said.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Zuckerberg, Spiegel, Bridget Norring, “, Joe Benarroch, Linda Yaccarino, ”, ” Clint Smith, ” Snap’s Spiegel, Charlie, Connecticut Democrat Sen, Richard Blumenthal, ” Minnesota Democrat Sen, Amy Klobuchar, they’d, New York Democrat Sen, Chuck Schumer, …, Schumer, ” Sam Chapman, Missouri Republican Sen, Josh Hawley, Dick Durbin, Hawley, we’re, –, Brian Fung, Morgan Rimmer Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, ”, Meta, Connecticut Democrat, ” Minnesota Democrat, New York Democrat, Missouri Republican, Democratic Locations: New York, Snapchat, Connecticut, ” Minnesota

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate will hold a crucial test vote next week on legislation that would pair new policies at the southern border with wartime aid for Ukraine and other American allies, leaders pressing ahead despite heavy skepticism from Republicans and some Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will set in motion a test vote on the national security package for Wednesday. “Our southern border is in urgent need, in urgent need, of fixing,” Schumer said in a floor speech. The Senate readied to proceed towards a vote next week, but widespread support from Republicans, especially House Speaker Mike Johnson, remained doubtful. Many Senate Republicans have declined to offer support for the bill until they can dig into its details.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, ” Schumer, toiling, Joe Biden's, — buttressing, Mike Johnson, ” Biden, Donald Trump, Sen, James Lankford of, “ I’ve, ” Lankford, “, Johnson, Kyrsten, Sinema, Lankford, Biden, ”, Robyn Barnard, Chris Murphy, Donald Trump doesn’t, Seung Min Kim Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Capitol, Johnson, Republicans, Republican, Trump, Migrants, Human, Border Patrol, Connecticut Democrat, Associated Press Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Asia, Russian, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Southern, Arizona, U.S, Connecticut

Co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc. Evan Spiegel attends the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, on January 31. In prepared testimony reviewed by CNN, Spiegel will say that on average, most Snapchat users connect directly with their friends. "We designed Snapchat to open into the camera, instead of a content feed, to encourage creativity instead of passive consumption," Spiegel will testify. "When people share their Story with friends on Snapchat there are no public likes or comments." A California judge recently ruled that Snap must face a lawsuit over children's fentanyl purchases linked to the app.

Persons: Evan Spiegel, Nathan Howard, Spiegel, Connecticut Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Tennessee Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn Organizations: Snap Inc, U.S . Capitol, Reuters, CNN, Connecticut Democratic, Tennessee Republican Locations: Washington, California

☆ Big Tech executives to appear at Senate hearing to defend social media’s impact on teens
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Brian Fung | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Zuckerberg is expected to tout the company’s more than 30 safety controls, according to prepared testimony released ahead of the hearing. In recent weeks, Meta has also begun hiding more “age-inappropriate” content in teens’ feeds and restricting teens from receiving direct messages from people they don’t follow. Ideally, Clegg said, Zuckerberg would authorize as many as 124 new hires, but acknowledged that financial pressures could make it difficult. After months of radio silence from Zuckerberg, Clegg tried to follow up, this time with a slimmed-down proposal that envisioned either 25 new hires or, if even that was infeasible, just seven. “This would be the bare minimum needed to meet basic policymaker inquiries,” Clegg wrote to Zuckerberg on Nov. 10, 2021.

Persons: “ We’re, ” Connecticut Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Rosemarie Calvoni, Meta, Calvoni, ”, ” Calvoni, Arturo Béjar, ’, Tennessee Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Sheryl Sandberg, Global Affairs Nick Clegg, Clegg —, —, Clegg, ” Clegg, Sandberg, “ Organizations: Washington CNN, Meta, Twitter, ” Connecticut Democratic, Facebook, Blumenthal, Tennessee Republican, Global Affairs Locations: ” Connecticut, Massachusetts

☆ Lawmakers rip into tech CEOs at Senate hearing on online child sexual exploitation
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Aaron Mok | Camilo Fonseca | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

US lawmakers grilled CEOs from tech giants on their platform's online safety practices. Senators appeared to be bullish on whether the tech CEOs support their proposed laws. AdvertisementUS lawmakers grilled tech CEOs about their companies' online safety practices during this week's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation. During the hearing, which kicked off on Wednesday, US lawmakers were seen interrogating CEOs at tech giants like Meta, TikTok, and X on how they run their platforms and keep them safe. Advertisement"I hope you hear what is being offered to you and are prepared to step up and do better," Butler told the Meta CEO.

Persons: —, Sen, Lindsey Graham, there's, Graham, X's Linda Yaccarino, Snapchat's Evan Spiegel, –, Ted Cruz, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Cruz, – Zuckerberg, Shou Zi Chew, ByteDance, Chew, Cruz didn't, Tom Cotton, Richard Blumenthal, Blumenthal, California Sen, Laphonza Butler, Meta, Butler Organizations: Service, Meta, Chinese Communist Party Locations: China, Connecticut, California

☆ Key border deal negotiator says bipartisan agreement has been reached, could be ready next week
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Sen. Chris Murphy, a key negotiator on a possible border deal, said Sunday that text of a border compromise could be ready go to the Senate floor next week, saying that negotiators are finishing the text. This bill could be ready to be on the floor of the United States Senate next week. Murphy said he was pleased to see President Joe Biden support the emerging deal. Murphy also pushed back on Republicans who argue Biden already has the necessary tools to manage the US southern border. “Republicans have said openly they want to pass border and immigration reform,” he said.

Persons: CNN — Sen, Chris Murphy, We’re, ” Murphy, CNN’s Dana, Donald Trump, Murphy, Joe Biden, Biden, “, Donald Trump’s, Sen, Graeme Sloan, ”, it’s Organizations: CNN, Union, Republicans, United States Senate, Connecticut Democrat, U.S, Capitol, Washington , D.C, Sipa, Ukraine Locations: “ State, Connecticut, Washington ,, Ukraine, Russia, Europe, United States

☆ US pushes for extension of Gaza pause, but the possibility of war raging again looms large
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The Israeli Cabinet has discussed the idea and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Biden in a call Sunday an extension would be welcome, his office said in a statement. In the short term, Israel and Hamas both appear to have strong reasons to continue the truce. Why the Gaza pause may eventually unravelAn extended pause in the fighting would play into humanitarian aims, but time may be short before the strategic goals of Israel or Hamas shift. In another sign that differences over the package could lead to further delays, Sen. Chris Murphy said he’d be open to conditioning Israeli aid on the protection of Palestinian civilians. And Israeli President Isaac Herzog told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview Sunday that he supported the idea for an “international coalition” to monitor Gaza after Hamas had been eradicated in the war.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, Jason J, Eaton, –, Israel, ”, Ben Hodges, Israel’s, Jake Sullivan, “, ” Sullivan, Abigail Edan, she’d, ’, Chris Christie, CNN’s Dana, Christie, Chuck Schumer, Donald Trump, Mike Turner, NBC’s “, Sen, Chris Murphy, he’d, Isaac Herzog, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Organizations: CNN, Qatar –, Israel, Burlington Police Department, Police, Hamas, Biden, Democratic Party, Younger, GOP, New, Democratic, House Republicans, Internal Revenue Service, Pro, Donald Trump Republicans, Senate Republicans, House, Ohio Republican, Connecticut Democrat, Union Locations: Gaza, Israel, Washington, Nantucket , Massachusetts, Qatar, Vermont, “ State, American, Michigan, New Jersey, Ukraine, Connecticut, United States

☆ Sen. Murphy open to placing conditions on aid to Israel, calls civilian death toll in Gaza ‘unacceptable’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Morgan Rimmer | Jack Forrest | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy on Sunday said he was open to placing conditions on any aid to Israel, with the aim of reducing civilian casualties in Gaza. “We regularly condition our aid to allies based upon compliance with US law and international law. “I do believe that the level of civilian harm inside Gaza has been unacceptable and is unsustainable,” he said. “Hopefully, Hamas will accept the conditions that have been laid down that will allow for more hostages to be released. But if they don’t, ultimately Hamas is going to be defeated,” added Murphy.

Persons: Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy, CNN’s Dana, —, ” Murphy, “, ”, Murphy, it’s, Biden, Ukraine —, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Michael Bennet, Mike Turner, ” Turner, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, “ Benjamin Netanyahu, That’s, ” CNN’s Lauren Fox, Manu Raju Organizations: CNN, Democratic, The Connecticut Democrat, Senate Foreign Relations, Capitol, Hamas, Ukraine, West Bank, CBS, Intelligence, ”, Ohio Republican, NBC Sunday, “, Press, Sunday, Israeli Locations: Israel, Gaza, The, “ State, Ukraine, Washington, United States, Colorado, Ohio, Palestinian

☆ US senators demand documents from Meta over its handling of teen mental health
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —A group of US senators is demanding that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hand over troves of emails and documents that could show how the company handled the knowledge that its platforms could harm the mental health of teens. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter. Meta spokesman Andy Stone said that the company is in touch with the members who signed the letter. The letter further accuses Meta of showing an “apparent willful disregard” for young people’s well-being, of “misrepresentations to Congress” and of “profiting from threats” to user safety. The letter requests a response by Nov. 30 and calls for Meta to provide its correspondence related to Bejar’s warnings to executives, as well as senior leaders’ own correspondence with Zuckerberg about proposed investments in user well-being.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, ”, Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal, Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn, Dick Durbin, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham ; Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren, Missouri Republican Josh Hawley, Meta, Arturo Bejar, Andrea Joy Campbell, didn’t, Andy Stone, people’s, ’ Organizations: Washington CNN, Facebook, Connecticut Democrat, Tennessee Republican, South Carolina Republican, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham ; Massachusetts Democrat, Missouri Republican, Meta Locations: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Tennessee, Illinois, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham ; Massachusetts, Missouri

☆ The day Congress went back to fourth grade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The 118th Congress, which took an initial step to punt funding deadlines to the winter, looked more like a fourth grade class on a day that will further erode trust in government ahead of next year’s elections. Across Capitol Hill in the world’s so-called greatest deliberative body, Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin was spoiling for a prize fight. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, however, suggested that policing the Capitol was beyond even his wily capacity to enforce discipline within his conference. And only in the malfunctioning Congress would a speaker try to prevent one government shutdown by laying the possible path for two others. Israel and Ukraine have nothing to thank Congress forThe most glaring example of Congress’ failure to fulfill its duty on Tuesday came at a pro-Israel demonstration on the National Mall.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Xi Jinping, Kevin McCarthy –, –, Tim Burchett, CNN’s Manu Raju, McCarthy, Oklahoma Republican Sen, Markwayne Mullin, Sean O’Brien, Mullin, O’Brien, ” Mullin, “, ” O’Brien, Vermont Sen, Bernie Sanders, let’s, ” Sanders, ”, Jared Moskowitz, James Comer, Comer, leafing, Moskowitz couldn’t, Gargamel, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia –, Darrell Issa, Alejandro Mayorkas, Greene, Donald Trump, ” McCarthy, Dakota Sen, John Thune –, Mitch McConnell, who’s, Mike Johnson’s, Johnson, ” Rep, Patrick McHenry, Tom Cole, Trump, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Iowa GOP Sen, Joni Ernst, Biden, Vladimir Putin, hasn’t, he’d, ” Connecticut Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy Organizations: CNN, 118th, Republican, GOP, Tennessean, Oklahoma Republican, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Health, Education, Labor, Pensions, Sooner, Martial Arts, Democratic, Biden, Florida Democrat, Capitol, Georgia Republican, Homeland, Capitol ., Congressional, Senate Republican, Capitol Police, Kentucky Republican, Republicans, ”, CNBC, “, Congress, House Democratic, Iowa GOP, Internal Revenue Service, Senate, White, ” Connecticut Democratic Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Washington, China, Oklahoma, Vermont, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, California, Capitol . Congress, Dakota, Gaza, Iowa, “ Ukraine, ” Connecticut

☆ Congress just found the dumbest way to avoid a government shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Congress now appears likely to avoid a government shutdown this week. The White House even weighed in over the weekend before House Democrats started to warm up to Johnson's plan. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas didn't stop Obamacare. And Republican Sen. Rand Paul's colleagues tore into him after he forced a brief shutdown in 2018. As I was writing this story about how Johnson's plan is the dumbest thing Congress has done, Sen. Bernie Sanders had to stop one of his colleagues from throwing down with a union boss.

Persons: —, America's, Mike Johnson, Democratic Sen, Patty Murray, Sen, Susan Collins of, Collins, Chris Murphy, It's, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy's, Mick Mulvaney, Obama, Republican Sen, Ted Cruz, Obamacare, Donald Trump didn't, Rand Paul's, Bernie Sanders, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: Service, Government, Pentagon, State, Justice, Human Services, House Democrats, Democratic, Senate, Republican, Connecticut Democrat, White House, GOP, Politico, Trump Locations: Washington, Susan Collins of Maine, Punchbowl, Connecticut, Ted Cruz of Texas

And for newly minted Speaker Mike Johnson, the fight ahead marks a major test – and one that foretold his predecessor’s loss of the gavel. Instead, to the frustration of a handful of House Republicans who have already expressed opposition to the measure, it extends current funding levels set under former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It’s nearly the same set of circumstances that tested former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy just months ago – and precipitated his ouster, posing a major test for the new speaker. Adding to Johnson’s difficulties was a commitment from House Democrats to oppose anything but a clean continuing resolution. But lawmakers ultimately coalesced around a last-minute House continuing resolution that angered House conservatives and dealt McCarthy his final blow.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson –, Johnson’s, ” Johnson, Nancy Pelosi, It’s, Kevin McCarthy, Johnson, there’s, ” Sen, Chris Murphy, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, McCarthy Organizations: Jan, Republicans, House Democrats, Connecticut Democrat, NBC Locations: Connecticut

☆ Government shutdown looms as new speaker struggles to control hardliners
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The move could head off the Washington holiday-season tradition of shutdown dramas and mammoth all-encompassing spending bills. But the chances that a GOP majority that has trouble passing any bill could deliver on this intricate plan seem very low. Time is critically short given the need to muscle a funding measure through both the House and Senate in five days. Trump looms over the House – and the year to comeHouse Democrats are yet to solidify their position but did note Saturday that spending cuts weren’t included in Johnson’s plan. Johnson pleads for a break from his hardlinersAs with the White House, Johnson’s language explains his strategy.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy —, Johnson, “, Chip Roy, McCarthy, Jabin Botsford, Jabin, haven’t, Ukraine’s, —, ”, Karine Jean, Pierre, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, — Biden, Trump, Jack Smith, Marjorie Taylor Greene, ” Greene, Biden, Republicans —, Connecticut Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy, ” Murphy, Murphy Organizations: CNN, New, Republican, Washington, GOP, CRs, Democratic, White, Caucus, Texas Rep, Getty, Washington Post, Senate, Internal Revenue Service, Republicans, Democrats, Trump, Connecticut Democratic, Press Locations: Louisiana, Washington, DC, Washington ,, Israel, Gaza, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Connecticut

Béjar points to user perception surveys that show, for instance, that 13% of Instagram users — ages 13-15 — reported having received unwanted sexual advances on the platform within the previous seven days. Béjar said he doesn’t believe the reforms he’s suggesting would significantly affect revenue or profits for Meta and its peers. Meta, in a statement, said “Every day countless people inside and outside of Meta are working on how to help keep young people safe online. Today's testimony comes just two weeks after dozens of U.S. states sued Meta for harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis. The lawsuits, filed in state and federal courts, claim that Meta knowingly and deliberately designs features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.

Persons: Frances Haugen, Arturo Béjar, Mark Zuckerberg, ‘, ”, “, ” Béjar, Zuckerberg, Instagram, Béjar, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Missouri Sen, Josh Hawley, —, doesn’t, ’, Meta Organizations: Facebook, Wall Street, Meta, Associated Press, Connecticut Democrat, AP, “ Locations: Connecticut, Missouri

☆ Meta ignored warnings on Instagram’s harm to teens, whistleblower says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Washington CNN —Meta’s top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, ignored warnings for years about harms to teens on its platforms such as Instagram, a company whistleblower told a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday. Meanwhile, both parties have united behind blaming Meta for contributing to a nationwide mental health crisis. Bejar’s research “is basically a smoking gun,” Haugen told CNN in an interview Tuesday. “Every day countless people inside and outside of Meta are working on how to help keep young people safe online,” said Meta spokesman Andy Stone in a statement. He said everyday Americans understand “the harm being done” and compared it to harms from smoking.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Arturo Bejar, Bejar, Zuckerberg, Bejar’s, ” Bejar, Frances Haugen, Instagram, ” Haugen, “, Sheryl Sandberg, ”, Andy Stone, Stone, Connecticut Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal ., Josh Hawley, Tennessee Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Adam Mosseri, Sandberg, Chris Cox, Mosseri, ” Blackburn, Louisiana Republican Sen, John Kennedy, we’re, ” Meta, Blumenthal, Cox, Haugen, Hawley, ” Blumenthal, ” CNN’s Samantha Kelly Organizations: Washington CNN, Washington CNN — Meta’s, Facebook, Wall, Meta, CNN, Connecticut Democratic, Big Tech, Tennessee Republican, Louisiana Republican, Wall Street, “ Big Tech, Tobacco Locations: Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal . Missouri, Instagram

☆ Influential Democrat calls Israel's relentless strikes on Gaza 'unacceptable and unsustainable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chris Murphy and Dick Durbin's comments come after an Israeli airstrike hit a Gaza refugee camp. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe lawmakers' comments appear to be prompted in part by a Tuesday airstrike launched by Israel's military that devastated a refugee camp in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed credit for the strike on the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. In his Thursday statement, Murphy reaffirmed Israel's "right and obligation" to defend itself from terror attacks.

Persons: Israel, Chris Murphy, Dick Durbin's, Durbin, —, Sen, Murphy, Israel — “, ”, F3RV5c0hrJ, Andrew Desiderio, Dick Durbin of, Joe Biden, Israel's Organizations: Service, Connecticut Democrat, Foreign Relations, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Senate, Tuesday, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, Connecticut

The House narrowly approved an aid package for Israel on Thursday – a vote that ordinarily would have been an easy bipartisan victory but one complicated by Democrats’ accusation of a political “poison pill” in the GOP’s attempt to offset the new spending with cuts to the IRS. Democrats largely opposed the $14.3 billion aid package, acknowledging that while they support aid for Israel, the mechanism for providing it, along with the lack of funding in other areas, made it a nonstarter. “What the House Republicans have done is unprecedented and will mean any aid to Israel will be delayed,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut Democrat, said ahead of the vote. “This is the first time we have conditioned aid to Israel. Nevertheless, Speaker Mike Johnson forged ahead with the vote, seeming to dare Democrats to oppose the aid package.

Persons: Rosa DeLauro, Chuck Schumer, Mike Johnson, ” Johnson, we’re, that’s, ” Organizations: Israel, White, Democrat, Republicans, ”, Connecticut Democrat, Democrats –, Office, Senate Locations: Gaza, Ukraine, Israel, Connecticut

☆ US House panel seeks ban on federal purchases of Chinese drones - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. and Chinese flags are seen in this illustration taken, January 30, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives' China committee will introduce a bill to ban the U.S. government from buying Chinese drones, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Mike Gallagher, the Republican head of the committee, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democrat, will introduce the "American Security Drone Act" on Wednesday, the FT report added. The bill was cosigned by Virginia Republican Rob Wittman and Connecticut Democrat Joe Courtney, the FT said, adding that the bill would also bar local and state governments from purchasing Chinese drones with federal grants. The U.S. House of Representatives' China committee did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Mike Gallagher, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Gallagher, Virginia Republican Rob Wittman, Joe Courtney, Devika Nair, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . House, Representatives, Financial Times, Republican, FT, China, Virginia Republican, Connecticut, Thomson Locations: China, United States, Bengaluru

☆ US lawmakers question tax prep companies on sharing of taxpayer data with Big Tech platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“Americans should be able to file their taxes without fear that their sensitive data will be shared with Big Tech companies,” said the letters, copies of which were obtained by CNN. The letters — led by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren — focus on the use of tracking technology developed by tech platforms and embedded within the tax prep companies’ websites that quietly transferred users’ personal information to Meta and Google, allegedly without their consent. Of the five tax prep companies, Intuit was not a major focus of the initial congressional probe because it did not use tracking pixels to the same extent as the others, the investigation found. They also asked the same question of each of the four other tax prep companies, as well as requesting a commitment to abide by the FTC’s warning not to use customer data in ways consumers did not expressly approve. The lawmakers requested that the tax prep firms respond by Nov. 8.

Persons: ”, Massachusetts Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren —, Warren, Meta, — Sens, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth, Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders, Sheldon Whitehouse, Katie Porter Organizations: CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Big Tech, Massachusetts Democratic, Meta, Google, FTC, Intuit, Ramsey Solutions, Oregon Democrat, Connecticut Democrat, Vermont Independent, Rhode, Rhode Island Democrat, House Democratic Locations: Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, California

“The border has never been a money issue,” said Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas. It also suggests $1.4 billion to add 375 immigration judges and their teams in addition to money for 1,300 new border patrol agents. “But it’s got to be designed to secure the border, not to facilitate travel through the border,” he said. “No more money should be spent simply to facilitate current border policy.”It's unclear if compromise is possible on the issue. The border is not about money; there’s some money that needs to be spent on certain things, but it is way more about policy.

Persons: Joe Biden, It's, ”, Dan Crenshaw, Biden, “, Colleen Putzel, there's, Eric Adams, Alex Gough, J.B . Pritzker, Maura Healey, Kevin McCarthy, Sen, Kevin Cramer, he’d, it’s, Texas Republican Sen, John Cornyn, Chris Murphy, ” Murphy, ” Crenshaw, Mary Clare Jalonick, Kevin Freking, Claire Savage, Mike Casey, Patrick Whittle, Lisa Rathke, Holly Ramer Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, White, Democratic, Homeland Security, Migration Policy Institute, Central America, New York, ”, O’Hare, Illinois Gov, GOP, Texas Republican, Connecticut Democrat, Department of Homeland Security, Associated Press Locations: Ukraine, Mexico, Israel, Texas, U.S, South, Central, York City, New, implore, New York City, Chicago, ” Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Washington, Boston, Portland , Maine, Montpelier , Vt, Concord, N.H

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A local Democratic official in Connecticut's largest city invoked her 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination Friday rather than answer questions in court about allegations of illegal ballot box stuffing during a recent mayoral primary. In some of them, a woman resembling Geter-Pataky, who works as a greeter at the City Hall annex, can be seen making repeat trips to an absentee ballot drop box outside the building early in the morning on Sept. 5 and stuffing documents inside. In other videos, it appears she hands other people documents that could be ballots and escorts them to the box. Gomes' attorney in the lawsuit, William Bloss, said the videos prove widespread abuse of the absentee ballot system in Bridgeport. Under Connecticut law, certain family members, police, local election officials or a caregiver can drop off a ballot for an absentee voter.

Persons: Wanda Geter, Joe Ganim, John Gomes, ”, John Gulash, Gomes, Bridgeport’s, William Clark, Ganim, William Bloss, It's, ” Bloss, ” Ganim, Bloss, Eneida Martinez, Martinez, John Bailey Kennelly, Patricia Howard, “, Mike Lindell's Organizations: Democratic, Bridgeport Democratic, Committee, Bridgeport, City Council, Democrat Locations: BRIDGEPORT, Conn, Connecticut's, Bridgeport, Connecticut, “

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