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☆ Popular app banned from hosting young teens in a groundbreaking settlement
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The regulators wrote that the app billed itself as a “safe space” for teens but, in reality, preyed on them. The app, known as NGL, had been downloaded millions of times, according to the complaint. NGL deceptively hooked teens into subscribing to its premium service by sending them fake, anonymous messages and then promising to reveal the sender after they paid, said the complaint. Highlighting the groundbreaking nature of the NGL settlement, FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson described Tuesday’s action as a “novel” use of the agency’s legal powers. But, he argued, the public should not interpret the lawsuit to mean that it is illegal in general to market any anonymous messaging app to teens.

Persons: ”, Lina Khan, ” NGL, NGL, Joao Figueiredo, ” Figueiredo, “ I’ve, Figueiredo, Khan, Andrew Ferguson, ” Ferguson, Kristin Bride, Bride, Carson, Fairplay Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Los Angeles, Attorney’s, US, Court, Central, Central District of, FTC, Meta, Epic Games, Facebook Locations: Central District, Central District of California, New York, Arkansas, Florida , Louisiana

☆ 'Nobody's getting wealthy on Social Security,' lawmaker says. The November election may influence the program's future
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Protect Social Security!" In 1983, when the last major Social Security reforms were enacted, there were no benefit enhancements, Larson argued. Today, annual earnings of up to $168,600 are subject to a 6.2% payroll tax toward Social Security paid by both workers and employers. Larson's plan also calls for closing loopholes that allow wealthy taxpayers to avoid paying Social Security taxes on other income. Larson said the public is well aware that Social Security benefits are theirs and they've paid for them.

Persons: Kean, Dave Kotinsky, Larson, they've, John Larson, Conn, Mark Wilson, Nancy Altman, Drew Ferguson, Ferguson, Jodey Arrington, Charles Blahous, Blahous Organizations: Getty, hasn't, Social Security, Security, Social, Capitol, Democratic, Republican, Republican House, Republicans, George Mason University Locations: Bridgewater , New Jersey, Jan, Georgia, Texas

They found themselves back in the same predicament they confronted in September, when Congress narrowly avoided a shutdown just hours before the deadline. With that temporary funding measure set to expire in days, Mr. Johnson appears set on avoiding a repeat of the circumstances that doomed his predecessor. That means he will need to corral nearly all Republicans to pass a government funding measure, a considerable feat given his party’s resistance to federal spending. “We certainly want to avoid a government shutdown,” Mr. Johnson said. At a closed-door meeting underneath the Capitol on Tuesday morning, Mr. Johnson presented a menu of spending strategies to his conference.

Persons: Biden, Mike Johnson, Drew Ferguson, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, “, Mr, ” Mr, McCarthy Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Capitol, Republicans Locations: Georgia, Israel, Ukraine

That was the discussion," Republican Representative Vern Buchanan told reporters. House Democrats and the White House have said they are open to that idea, but many Republicans rejected it. "At this point, we're not going to have any kind of other resolution on this," said Republican Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise last week. One of those, Representative Drew Ferguson, said in a statement on Thursday: "The House Republican Conference does not need a bully as the speaker."

Persons: Jim Jordan, Russell Dye, Jordan, Vern Buchanan, he's, Kevin McCarthy, Patrick McHenry, we're, Blaine Luetkemeyer, Joe Biden, Leah Millis, Republican Steve Scalise, Drew Ferguson, McCarthy, shutdowns, Biden's, Biden, David Morgan, Makini Brice, Moira Warburton, Katharine Jackson, Nandita Bose, Davide Barbusca, Julio, Cesar Chavez, Andy Sullivan, Scott Malone, Nick Zieminski, Grant McCool, Deepa Babington Organizations: U.S . House, Republicans, Republican, Democrats, Democratic, Republican Conference, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, AS, House Republican Conference, White, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Washington , U.S, Washington

Jordan, who has lost two votes for speaker this week, emerged from an hours-long closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans to say he would press ahead with a third vote. It was not clear when the House would vote again on a speaker. House Democrats and the White House have said they are open to that idea, but many Republicans rejected it. He told fellow Republicans on Thursday that he would drop out of the speaker's race if his opponents were unmoved after talking with him, two lawmakers said. One of those, Representative Drew Ferguson, said in a statement on Thursday: "The House Republican Conference does not need a bully as the speaker."

Persons: Jim Jordan, Jordan, House Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, Kevin McCarthy, Patrick McHenry, we're, Blaine Luetkemeyer, Joe Biden, Republican Steve Scalise, Drew Ferguson, McCarthy, shutdowns, Biden's, Biden, David Morgan, Makini Brice, Moira Warburton, Katharine Jackson, Nandita Bose, Davide Barbusca, Julio, Cesar Chavez, Andy Sullivan, Scott Malone, Nick Zieminski, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S . House, House Pro Tempore, Republicans, House Democrats, Democratic, AS, Republican, House Republican Conference, White, Democrats, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, Ukraine, Israel, Washington

☆ Mainstream Republicans, ‘Squishes’ No More, Dig In Against Jordan
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Catie Edmondson | More About Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Shortly after Representative Nick LaLota, a first-term Republican from New York, voted against Representative Jim Jordan’s bid for speaker, the threats began pouring in. “If I see your face, I will whip all the hair out of your head you scumbag,” read one expletive-laden email. The wife of Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska has begun sleeping with a loaded gun after receiving increasingly menacing anonymous calls and texts. “When the pressure campaigns and attacks on fellow members ramped up, it became clear to me that the House Republican conference does not need a bully as the speaker,” Mr. Ferguson said in a statement explaining his vote. He told Republicans in a closed-door meeting on Thursday that the threats had prompted him to dispatch a sheriff to his daughter’s school.

Persons: Nick LaLota, Jim Jordan’s, ”, Don Bacon of, Drew Ferguson, Georgia, Jordan’s, ramped, Mr, Ferguson Organizations: Thursday, House Republican Locations: New York, Don Bacon of Nebraska

☆ U.S. Senate panel sends three FTC nominations to full Senate
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter testifies on the "Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission" before the U.S. Senate Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security Subcommittee in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee voted on Wednesday to send three nominations for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to the full Senate. THE TAKEIf confirmed by the Senate, as expected, adding the two Republicans will not change the balance of power at the five-member FTC, which also enforces antitrust law. A previous Republican FTC commissioner, Christine Wilson, quit this year and sharply criticized agency leadership. Reporting by Diane Bartz; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rebecca Slaughter, Leah Millis, Andrew Ferguson, Melissa Holyoak, Lina Khan, Christine Wilson, Diane Bartz, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Federal, Federal Trade Commission, U.S . Senate Consumer Protection, Safety, Insurance, Data, Russell Senate, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Senate, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Democrat, FTC, Democratic, Amazon.com, Albertsons, Republican, Thomson Locations: Russell, Washington , U.S, Virginia, Utah

On Tuesday, 20 Republicans voted against his candidacy – far more than the handful he could afford to lose given the party’s narrow majority in Congress. These are the House Republicans who voted against Jordan in each ballot:First ballot1. Don Bacon of Nebraska voted for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy2. Anthony D’Esposito of New York voted for former Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York4. Kelly voted for former House Speaker John Boehner15.

Persons: Jim Jordan of, Jordan –, Kevin McCarthy’s, Jordan, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Kevin McCarthy, Lori Chavez, McCarthy, Anthony D’Esposito, Lee Zeldin, Mario Diaz, Steve Scalise, Jake Ellzey, Mike Garcia, Andrew Garbarino, Carlos Gimenez, Tony Gonzales, Kay Granger, Mike Kelly, Jennifer Kiggans, Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, John Rutherford of, Mike Simpson, Steve Womack, Ken Buck, Tom Emmer, John James of Michigan, Tom Cole, Doug LaMalfa, Victoria Spartz, Thomas Massie of, Bacon, Vern Buchanan, Byron Donalds, Buck, Chavez, DeRemer, D’Esposito, Diaz, Balart, Ellzey, Garcia, Drew Ferguson, Garbarino, Gimenez, Gonzales, Granger, James, Candice Miller, Kelly, John Boehner, Kiggans, Lawler, LaLota, Mariannette Miller, Meeks, Rutherford, Simpson, Pete Stauber, Bruce Westerman, Womack Organizations: Washington CNN — Republican, House Republicans, New York, Michigan Locations: Jim Jordan of Ohio, Oregon, New, New York, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, California, Virginia, John Rutherford of Florida, Idaho, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Indiana, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Georgia, Iowa

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The deceptive use of artificial intelligence should be a priority for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), three commissioner nominees said at a confirmation hearing Tuesday in show of bipartisanship on the popular issue. Ferguson was chief counsel to U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell from 2019 until 2021. Asked by Senator John Thune about the FTC's role in enforcing rules involving artificial intelligence, Slaughter said it was the FTC's job to pursue instances where laws against unfair and deceptive acts and practices were broken, whether or not artificial intelligence was used. A previous Republican FTC commissioner, Christine Wilson, quit this year and sharply criticized agency leadership.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Rebecca Slaughter, Andrew Ferguson, Melissa Holyoak, Ferguson, Mitch McConnell, John Thune, Slaughter, Holyoak, Christine Wilson, Lina Khan, Diane Bartz, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Federal Trade Commission, Democrat, Senate Republican, Republican, Senate, FTC, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Virginia, Utah

☆ US Senate committee to consider Biden’s Republican nominees to FTC
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Signage is seen at the Federal Trade Commission headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Acquire Licensing RightsSept 13 (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate committee will meet next week to consider President Joe Biden's nomination of Virginia Solicitor General Andrew Ferguson and Utah Solicitor General Melissa Holyoak to fill Republican slots at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Senator Maria Cantwell, who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said she would convene a full nominations hearing on Sept. 20. Ferguson was chief counsel to U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell from 2019 until 2021. Holyoak is the Utah Solicitor General with the Utah Attorney General's Office.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Joe Biden's, Andrew Ferguson, Melissa Holyoak, Lina Khan, Maria Cantwell, Ferguson, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley, Holyoak, Myers, Dan Whitcomb, Josie Kao Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, U.S, Senate, FTC, Democratic, Commerce, Science, Transportation, Senate Republican, Utah Attorney General's, Myers LLP, Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, Enterprise Institute's Center, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, Utah

☆ Biden names two Republican nominees for FTC commissioner, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, July 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden has nominated Virginia Solicitor General Andrew Ferguson and Utah Solicitor General Melissa Holyoak to fill Republican slots at the Federal Trade Commission, the White House said Monday. The FTC "operates best at full strength, and I will look forward to working with them," she said. A native of Virginia, Ferguson has an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. Holyoak is the Utah Solicitor General with the Utah Attorney General's Office. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Utah, as is her law degree.

Persons: Joe Biden, Andrew Ferguson, Melissa Holyoak, Lina Khan, Khan, Ferguson, Holyoak, Biden, Donald Trump's, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley, Myers, Amgen's, Black Knight, Diane Bartz, Kanishka Singh, Eric Beech, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, U.S, Senate, FTC, Democratic, Facebook, Amazon.com, Albertsons, Senate Republican, University of Virginia, University of Virginia School of Law, Utah Attorney General's, Myers LLP, Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Center for, University of Utah, Activision, Horizon Therapeutics, Black, Thomson Locations: Utah, Virginia

☆ How generative AI could transform the $30 billion biotech industry, speeding up everything from drug discovery to DNA sequencing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Biotech startups are using generative AI for everything from protein creation to DNA sequencing. "Drug discovery, antibody discovery, and protein discovery are all fantastic applications of the tech," he added. Generative AI has founders and investors cautiously optimisticThe sector is in the early stages of applying generative technology — but founders are becoming aware of its limitations. "Generative AI models can hallucinate models that are new to nature. Biotech startups meanwhile raised $29.5 billion last year, down slightly from 2021's record-breaking $36.6 billion, according to Bloomberg.

☆ U.S. Justice Dept opposes Google bid to move advertising antitrust case to New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Mike Scarcella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The case, alleging anticompetitive abuses of advertising technology, was filed in January in Alexandria, Virginia, federal court and threatens to break up a key part of Google's business. But moving the case to the Southern District of New York won't eliminate the chance of divergent trial judgments or appellate decisions, the DOJ's lawyers said. The cases consolidated in New York can return to their originating district courts for trial, the government told Brinkema. In its bid seeking to get the DOJ case to New York, Google's lawyers said the government's "case lags far behind other pending ad tech antitrust cases" and "adds nothing of substance to those earlier-filed cases." The case is United States et al v. Google LLC, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 1:23-cv-00108-LMB-IDD.

☆ White House to consider Andrew Ferguson as U.S. FTC commissioner -Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 17 (Reuters) - The White House is considering naming Virginia Solicitor General Andrew Ferguson as a Republican commissioner for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Andrew Ferguson, a former aide to Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, was recommended to the White House for the role by McConnell, the report said. McConnell's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the White House did not immediately comment. The development comes after Christine Wilson, the sole Republican on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), said earlier this week that she will resign soon. Reporting by Aarati Krishna in Bengaluru; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A Georgia GOP congressman who backed Trump's election lies voted in the wrong county, but his spokesman insists it wasn't a 'devious ploy'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A GOP Congressman in Georgia may have broken the state's voting law by casting ballots in the wrong county. Rep. Drew Ferguson voted in the county where he used to live during the 2022 election cycle. Ferguson has been an advocate against voter fraud since the 2020 election and backed Trump's election lies. "Congressman Ferguson resolved the issue, and proceeded to vote in Troup County for the primary, general, and run-off elections." "Congressman Ferguson is currently in the process of transitioning his residency to his new home in Pike County," the spokesman added.

WASHINGTON — House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday easily defeated conservative Rep. Andy Biggs to win the GOP nomination for speaker of the House. The Arizona Republican and former leader of the far-right, Trump-aligned House Freedom Caucus did not announce that he would challenge McCarthy until Monday night. "Minority Leader McCarthy does not have the votes needed to become the next Speaker of the House and his speakership should not be a foregone conclusion," Biggs said in a statement. Former President Donald Trump, who is expected to announce a 2024 presidential bid later Tuesday, has endorsed his longtime ally, McCarthy, for speaker. So has Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a Freedom Caucus member who is enormously popular among grassroots conservatives.

☆ Databricks is joining rival Snowflake in backing a $1.5 billion startup as they race to own the way companies use their data
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Matthew Lynley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Databricks said it's making a strategic investment in the $1.5 billion data startup Matillion. It's one of a few coinvestments with a rival, Snowflake, as the two race to own the data experience. Another unicorn startup is joining the small club of companies backed by both Snowflake and Databricks, the big-data rivals that are racing to own companies' entire experiences working with their data. The Databricks Ventures partner Andrew Ferguson said Matillion appealed to a slightly different customer profile than that of Databricks' traditional highly technical audience. While data budgets may be getting more scrutiny, there hasn't been any significant impact in the company's performance, he said.

In the next Congress, white men will also lead the House GOP campaign arm, the National Congressional Campaign Committee (NRCC), and occupy other lower-tier leadership spots. The highest leadership post that Republican women or minorities have reached is chair of the GOP Conference — the No. She's expected to remain the highest-ranking GOP woman in the whole of the next Congress as well, given that white men make up all but one member of the Senate GOP leadership team. Eighty GOP women are running for House seats in these midterms. For his part, Donalds, whom Trump once called a “rising star,” has not made diversity a central part of his campaign for conference chair.

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