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DeSantis chided Trump for not yet taking a position on the deal that President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy struck to raise the debt ceiling and impose some spending cuts. Collision course: The two GOP hopefuls from South Carolina, Haley and GOP Sen. Tim Scott, are facing an “inevitable collision” in the early primary state, the Post and Courier reports. No thanks: GOP Rep. Warren Davidson has decided not to run for Senate in Ohio, Cleveland.com reports. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart plans to announce his resignation from Congress as early as Wednesday, a move that, per the Deseret News, could mean the seat remains vacant until next year. Bowing out: Ohio Republican JR Majewski is ending his congressional bid citing his mother’s forthcoming heart procedure, Politico reports.

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☆ Texas is facing a housing crisis, a migrant crisis, a multi-year drought, and an epidemic of mass shootings. Ted Cruz, meanwhile, has opened an investigation into Bud Light.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz opened an investigation into Bud Light's partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Meanwhile, Texas is grappling with a migration crisis and a severe housing crisis. So, naturally, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is opening an investigation into Bud Light. The company's partnership with Mulvaney led to right-wing calls for a boycott of Bud Light, which has impacted sales at its parent company, Anheuser-Busch. Beer marketing, however — thanks to Cruz — has all the attention of the state's top leaders in Washington.

☆ Lawmakers update Kids Online Safety Act to address potential harms, but fail to appease some activists, industry groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Late last year, dozens of civil society groups warned Congress against passing the bill, warning it could further endanger young internet users in different ways. Blumenthal's office said it did not believe the duty of care would have applied to those sorts of groups, but opted to clarify it regardless. Moreover, parental guidance in minors' online lives is critical, but KOSA would mandate surveillance tools without regard to minors' home situations or safety. The bill also faced criticism from several groups that receive funding from the tech industry. "Protecting young people online is a broadly shared goal.

☆ Senators unveil bipartisan legislation to ban kids under 13 from joining social media platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The proposed legislation by a bipartisan group of US senators aims to address what policymakers, mental health advocates and critics of tech platforms say is a mental health crisis fueled by social media. “Social media companies have stumbled onto a stubborn, devastating fact,” Schatz said. But it would represent a potentially vast expansion of the government’s role in regulating websites where age verification is a requirement. Tech companies could still develop their own in-house age verification technology or hire third party companies to perform the verification, lawmakers said. Violations of the proposed law could mean millions of dollars in Federal Trade Commission fines for social media companies.

☆ Marsha Blackburn wants her fans to buy $20 pizza cutters from her, so they can help her 'cut the red tape in Washington'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn is promoting her own pizza cutters, which she's offering for $20 each. Blackburn said the pizza cutter sales would allow her to continue to "cut the red tape in Washington." "I'm fighting to cut the red tape in Washington, but it's not easy," Blackburn said in a Monday promotional video for the kitchen utensil. "Together, we can cut the red tape in Washington once and for all," she said. In comparison, pizza cutters of similar functional designs are available at Walmart for $2.96 and $7.98.

[1/2] The White House is seen from the top of the Washington Monument April 3, 2003. REUTERS/Molly RileyWASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - The White House made an emotional plea on Wednesday for Republican action to curb mass shootings, criticizing conservative lawmakers for saying nothing can be done after the nation's latest high-profile mass shooting at a school in Tennessee this week. "It's unacceptable that Republicans are saying there is nothing that we can do," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a briefing on Wednesday. He told reporters this week he has done what he could through executive action but needs Congress to step up. Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who has often been a harsh critic of his administration, according to the White House.

☆ Three children, 3 adults shot dead by ex-student at Tennessee Christian school
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Kevin Wurm | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, March 27 (Reuters) - A heavily armed 28-year-old fatally shot three children and three adult staffers on Monday at a private Christian school the suspect once attended in Tennessee's capital city before police killed the assailant, authorities said. Drake said the school was singled out for attack but the individual victims were targeted at random. [1/6] Students from The Covenant School hold hands after getting off a bus to meet their parents at the reunification site following a mass shooting at the school in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., March 27, 2023. Reacting in Washington to the latest school shooting, U.S. President Joe Biden urged the U.S. Congress again to pass tougher gun reform legislation. Nashville Mayor John Cooper expressed sympathy for the victims and wrote on social media that his city "joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting."

☆ The Justice Department investigated Jeffrey Epstein's death. Then it went silent.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Jeffrey Epstein's death in a federal jail was seen as a shocking Justice Department failure. But more than three years later, the office still hasn't released its report into the circumstances of Epstein's death. "We all took it by surprise," Mark Epstein told Insider. Barr tasked the Justice Department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, and the FBI with investigating "the circumstances of Mr. Epstein's death." Mark Epstein told Insider that he spoke to his brother about once a month in the years before his death.

☆ Big tech was a major target at CPAC, but conservatives building alternatives are facing challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Ben Goggin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., targeted big tech and the legal immunity companies enjoy under Section 230, which is currently being considered by the Supreme Court. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Co., said in her speech Saturday: "I have called for 230 protections to be removed from these big tech companies who are hiding behind section 230, and they are acting like editors rather than publishers." "The key was, could we build something that big tech couldn't tear down and couldn't stop?" But not all Big Tech was a target. LibsofTikTok creator Chaya Raichik criticized how big tech has treated her accounts while also boasting about her follower count on those platforms and promoting her book sold on Amazon.

☆ Days before the Supreme Court takes on Biden's student-loan forgiveness, Elizabeth Warren urges it to 'do its job and apply the law as it is written'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sen. Elizabeth Warren urged the Supreme Court to uphold Biden's student-debt relief. "The Supreme Court needs to do its job and apply the law as it is written." GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn, for example, wrote on Twitter on Thursday that "canceling student debt is Biden's gift to young left-wing activists. She also led GOP senators in filing an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court urging it to strike down Biden's debt relief. This scale of student-loan forgiveness is unprecedented, so it's hard to determine which way the Supreme Court will rule.

☆ Lawmakers show rare bipartisan unity in pursuing protections for kids online
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee found rare alignment at a recent hearing about how Congress can help protect kids from online harms. They're speaking out in support of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which would require sites likely to be accessed by kids 16 or younger to maintain certain privacy and safety protections by default. "We must and we will double down on the Kids Online Safety Act," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said at the hearing. Though lawmakers have shared similar goals in other discussions around regulating tech, when it comes to protecting kids online, they're more united in the types of action they want to see take place. However, a bill that recently passed the state's House of Representatives removed that provision, instead allowing for consumers to sue social media companies that knowingly cause harm.

☆ New bipartisan bill seeks transparency and accountability from social media platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNew bipartisan bill seeks transparency and accountability from social media platformsU.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss efforts to regulate social media, bipartisan support for tougher online restrictions for kids, and algorithmic forces skewing information online.

☆ Over half of the House GOP and nearly all Senate Republicans signed briefs urging the Supreme Court to block Biden's student-loan forgiveness
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On Friday, 128 of the 222 House Republicans signed onto an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to block student-debt relief. They both argued that Biden doesn't have the authority to cancel student debt using the HEROES Act of 2003. On Friday, 128 House Republicans signed onto an amicus curiae brief urging the nation's highest court to block Biden's plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers. That's just over half of the GOP composition in the House, with 222 Republicans holding a slim majority in that chamber. Both of the briefs argued that the HEROES Act does not allow for broad loan forgiveness, which a series of other conservative groups reiterated in their own briefs filed to the Supreme Court this week.

Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender creator known for her "Days of Girlhood" TikTok series, posted her "face reveal" on Friday following her recent facial feminization surgery. Mulvaney, who has 10.3 million TikTok followers, said she had facial feminization surgery on Dec. 16. In recent weeks, Mulvaney has shared updates regarding her healing process, while also teasing her "reveal." “I’m so happy, and it’s still me, it's just a little bit softer of a version,” Mulvaney said in an Instagram Reel on Friday. In Friday’s posts, Mulvaney thanked her followers, many who shared their support and excitement for the creator in the comments section.

☆ Ticketmaster under fire: 6 takeaways from hearing over Taylor Swift concert fiasco
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The venues controlled by Live Nation set fees that are “consistent with the other venues in the marketplace,” he said. Entertainment industry pushes back at Ticketmaster’s dominanceMembers of the entertainment industry and one rival spoke out against Ticketmaster’s dominance in the industry. Andrew Harnik/APClyde Lawrence, a singer-songwriter on the witness panel, explained how the company acts as a promoter, a venue and the ticketing company, which eats into performing artists’ revenues. Artists, he said, have no leverage over Live Nation. Lawmaker says Ticketmaster merger should ‘be on the table’Lawmakers repeatedly questioned the US government’s past handling of the Live Nation merger with Ticketmaster.

☆ Senators break down the bad blood with Ticketmaster, Live Nation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSenators break down the bad blood with Ticketmaster, Live NationSen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) join 'Squawk Box' to discuss the upcoming hearing on the ticket industry.

☆ Live Nation president apologizes to Taylor Swift and her fans for ticketing fiasco and says the industry is still competitive
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Live Nation president and CFO Joe Berchtold apologized to Taylor Swift and fans for the ticket debacle. Berchtold said that the company faced bot attacks during the Swift ticket sale, impacting service, and apologized to Swift and fans. This power over the entire live entertainment industry allows Live Nation to maintain its monopolistic interests over the primary ticketing market," Groetzinger said. "This is all a definition of monopoly, because Live Nation is so powerful that it doesn't even need to exert pressure," Klobuchar said. Lawrence, who's written for the New York Times on Live Nation and its impact on artists, said Live Nation often functions as three different things: promoter, venue, and ticketing company.

☆ Privacy and crypto will likely lead tech policy under split Congress as hope for passing ambitious antitrust reforms dwindles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

After what started as a hopeful year for tech policy, the 117th Congress is about to close out its term with many key efforts tabled. That's the case with privacy legislation, where a bill proposed this year gained bipartisan support, passing out of a House committee with a near-unanimous vote. The pair blamed the bills' failure to advance on intense lobbying efforts by the tech industry against them. One prominent bipartisan bill in the Senate would put the CFTC in charge. "But the importance of tech policy issues will still be strong."

☆ Top talkers: These 20 lawmakers spoke the most on the House and Senate floors during the 117th Congress, including Rep. Buddy Carter and Sen. Marsha Blackburn
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some lawmakers delivered dozens of floor speeches during the 117th Congress, C-SPAN's tracking showed. Most members don't usually hang out on the House or Senate floor to hear their colleagues' speeches. These House members spoke the most on the House floor during the 117th Congress. "It is my duty to use the House Floor as a vehicle to share their views, needs, and successes. That's because the Senate floor is typically where leaders make announcements to their members on legislation and nominations, among other topics.

[1/2] Taylor Swift's "Red (Taylor's Version)" receives the Favorite Pop Album award during 2022 American Music Awards, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 20, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday pressed the Federal Trade Commission to enforce a 2016 law against ticket scalpers using bots after Ticketmaster blamed the software for troubles selling tickets to pop superstar Taylor Swift's upcoming tour. Ticketmaster (LYV.N) canceled planned ticket sales to the general public for Swift's 2023 U.S. concert tour, her first in five years, earlier this month as 3.5 billion ticket requests from fans, bots and scalpers overwhelmed the website. A spokesman for the FTC confirmed that it had received the letter, but had no comment. Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kids Online Safety Act may harm minors, civil society groups warn lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ranking Member Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during a Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security hearing on Protecting Kids Online: Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube on October 26, 2021 in Washington, DC. Dozens of civil society groups urged lawmakers in a letter on Monday against passing a bill that aims to protect children from online harm, warning the bill itself could actually inflict further danger on kids and teens. The American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future and Wikimedia Foundation were among the groups that wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Ranking Member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., opposing the Kids Online Safety Act. Sites would have to let their young users know when parental tools are in effect. The KOSA opponents warned that prescriptive parental controls could be harmful to kids in abusive situations.

Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender creator who has chronicled her transition with her "Days of Girlhood" series, on Sunday responded to a slew of Caitlyn Jenner's tweets in which she commented on Mulvaney's body. Mulvaney said what prompted the response was one of Jenner's tweets, in which she said, "He is talking about his penis!" Mulvaney then pulled up a screenshot of a different Jenner tweet, in which she wrote, in part, "Dylan...congrats your trans with a penis." In the video, Mulvaney said the experience made her realize that transgender women should not feel compelled to avoid wearing tight pants or tuck their penises. Prior to Mulvaney posting her video, Jenner said in a tweet she had "never received more death threats."

☆ Pressure mounts for regulators to investigate TikTok over potential 'Big Brother-type surveillance' after reports of plans to track Americans' locations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Forbes reported TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, planned to use the app to surveil Americans. The consumer rights group joins a growing chorus of bipartisan calls to investigate the Beijing-based company. In its Thursday letter, the nonprofit consumer rights group Public Citizen urged the FTC to investigate and "take immediate action against ByteDance and Tiktok" if the reports of surveillance are substantiated. The app's links to the Chinese government have long spurred concerns over propaganda, fake news, and data privacy — with the Trump administration in 2020 even proposing a total ban of TikTok. In 2021, the Biden administration promised a security review of foreign-owned apps, but has yet to publish its results.

☆ Lawmakers urge tech CEOs to do more to help Iranian protesters circumvent internet censorship
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A bipartisan group of 13 lawmakers urged several U.S. tech CEOs to do more to help Iranian people stay connected to the internet as their government seeks to censor communications amid ongoing protests. The lawmakers said these types of tools would help Iranian citizens stay connected to the internet in secure ways amid government-imposed shutdowns and reduce their reliance on domestic infrastructure. The availability of multiple secure communications tools would make it harder for the Iranian regime to shut down all of them at once, they wrote. A Google spokesperson said in a statement the company is working on ways to "ensure continued access to generally available communications tools like Google Meet and our other Internet services." The Facebook-owner had made Instagram and WhatsApp available in Iran, but the services have been restricted by the government.

☆ GOP senator targets TikTok influencer with anti-transgender taunt
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is the latest conservative — and perhaps the most high-profile one — to target a 25-year-old TikTok influencer in what appears to be an anti-transgender vitriol campaign. In a tweet shared Monday night, the Republican lawmaker embedded a TikTok video created by transgender woman Dylan Mulvaney and wrote, "Dylan Mulvaney, Joe Biden, and radical left-wing lunatics want to make this absurdity normal." Mulvaney, who has over 8.4 million followers on TikTok, interviewed President Joe Biden at the White House last week for the social-media focused news outlet NowThis News. In her interview with the president, Mulvaney pressed Biden on whether he thinks states should have a right to ban gender-affirming health care. The episode, titled "The Beauty Of… Girlhood with Dylan Mulvaney," faced a slew of transphobic backlash, forcing Ulta to disable comments from the episode on YouTube.

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