Republicans are increasingly likely to secure a majority in the U.S. House of representatives, putting the GOP in control of House committees that are very likely to investigate Facebook-parent Meta Platforms, Google, and other “Big Tech” firms over censorship.
Anna Edgerton for Bloomberg News:
In September, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan and 34 of his Republican colleagues sent a letter to Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg. In it they outlined their concerns that Meta suppressed material that would have been politically damaging to Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. “This letter serves as a formal request to preserve all existing and future records and materials,” they wrote.
The congressmen had no power to make Zuckerberg heed the request, and he didn’t respond. But Jordan was preparing for big changes in the near future.
The goal of a GOP inquiry into Big Tech would not be to bring in CEOs for embarrassing hearings, says a senior aide involved in planning, who asked not to be named when speaking about future committee activity. Rather it would go after documents and compel the testimony of decision-makers at companies such as Meta and Alphabet Inc.’s Google that conservatives don’t like. One person who’s advising tech companies says that they’re taking potential for GOP-led probes seriously and that the staff involved would be ready to run effective and substantive investigations.
Such an effort would seek to bring transparency to the operations of secretive tech companies, the GOP aide says, and could be used to inform legislation… [but] the chances of substantial legislation are low, given the need for cross-party cooperation at time of intense partisan hostility.
The committee would likely also look into decisions by Meta, Twitter Inc. and YouTube to suspend former President Donald Trump’s accounts…
MacDailyNews Note: In September, Apple CEO Tim Cook attended a private meeting with several U.S. House Republican leaders to discuss issues surrounding tech censorship. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Tim McClintock, R-Calif. were among those who attended the Capitol Hill meeting. According to Fox Business, the group discussed Big Tech censorship and what Republicans see as a bias against conservatives. Issues surrounding China and privacy were also discussed.
Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!
Shop The Apple Store at Amazon.
BRING…IT…ON!!!
Don’t they have to get elected first?
But I have no issue with an investigation.
One of many investigations to come
What’d your brownshirts find?
One of many that may start regardless who’s in charge…..and regardless, nothing will change.
Much grandstanding, much ballyhooing with many important people strolled out to make some politician look good….and still nothing.
Last night proved they can keep doing the same worthless shit over and over, and they can stay in power.
This is why Trump was revered, he actually made changes.
Too bad most Democrats AND many Republicans are too chickenshit or full of graft to allow it.
Republicans barely gonna get control. Need to work on legislating useful stuff instead of wasting money and man-hours on dopey investigations into companies that are already reaping their just desserts without government intervention.
How about:
1. Simplifying tax law—I don’t even care if my taxes are lowered, just simplify the whole thing. And make it easy and free to file online.
2. Making it easy to import lower priced drugs from legitimate sources like Canada & Europe.
3. Making Pfizer and Moderna to share profits/slash prices on vaccines which the government gave them enormous amounts of cash to develop. (Alternately, allow other companies to produce the vaccines, don’t let them keep the patent for the next 100 years.)
4. Allow health insurance companies to compete across state lines—remember, that was a BIG Trump promise before he became president, then, poof, it vanished.
5. Force West Coast ports to become automated to prevent container ships from backing up for 100 miles in the Pacific, which drives down supply and drives up inflation. Force same ports to allow non-unionized truckers to pick up said containers.
6. Quit printing money to hand out.
7. Force Congress to approve student loan bailout or cancel it. A multi-billion tax give away should not happen by presidential fiat.
8. Simplify immigration process even while shoring up border security.
9. Get rid of the absurd practice known as “qualified immunity.”
Just for starters…
No need to import drugs from other sources. Just drop the crazy laws that prohibit collective bargening with pharma companies. Canada, most European countries negotiate as a single buyer – you want to sell your drugs here, you will sell them for the price we think is reasonable. And no nonesense about the costs of discovery – most of the basic R&D work is done in academic labs and is taxpayer funded.
When the election counting shenanigans is over and Republicans retake the House, guess what?
Whether it is a one vote margin or a hundred vote margin the REALITY is the SAME.
Team Code Red has the power! Gavels do not come in small, medium or large sizes.
Subpoena power and impeachment powerbbaby!!!…
They’re free to investigate but that’s all they’ll be able to do. Facebook can “suppress” anything it wants to and unless Rep. Jordan wants to run afowl of the First Amendment (the irony) all he’ll do is “investigate”.
Non-partisan view here: I view the politicians that are placed on the ballot as being “chosen” by wealthy elites (through campaign contributions), with the ultimate goal of influencing those politicians to vote in ways that benefit corporations and the ultra rich . . . so the JD Vance “story” may get regular people to vote, but the millions of dollars that Peter Thiel pumped into JD Vance’s book and his campaign is ultimately about putting someone in office who will advocate for tech companies and the rich. The “culture wars” are just a tool to distract the general public from the fact that we are heading into a world in which a handful of companies control entire markets (eg- the emergence of mega-grocery stores (Kroger-Albertsons merger)) . . . The “one restaurant” (Taco Bell) in Demolition Man seemed like a joke at the time, but if you look at every industry today it is controlled by one or two companies. We are heading toward something that looks much more like feudalism than capitalism . . . so I suggest that everyone look up the term “serfdom” on Wikipedia, because in the future there won’t be any middle class — we’ll all be serfs (sorry, got to go make my “monthly payments” on my iPhone and my rented home).
You are not incorrect, and that is true on both the right and the left.
Very interesting election with the key take away being the Trump era for the GOP is clearly over in favour of DeSantis, though I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
There’s always a shift in midterm elections but the expected “Red Wave” never happened and that says quite a bit though I’m sure “Goeb” and “First Then” will twist it around and have something suitably nasty and insulting to say to me.
DeSanctimonius sucks less.
Premature much? You know their are much better sources than drinking the kool-aid at ultra leftist The View and MSDNC.
We don’t know yet about the Red Wave, both houses of Congress still in play. Hello?
But it looks like extended voting cycles in close states AGAIN, like the 2020 election. You bet Democrats are laser focused on where to cheat and extend counts to preserve their power. Which is all they care about, not governing for ALL THE PEOPLE!.
That said, historic Red Wave in N.Y. flipping most of the state Red and closer call in the Governor’s race, like New Jersey last time. Vance huge Senate win in Ohio. DeSantis blowing the lights out in Florida and other Republican governors in several states like Texas, media made Bato is toast and in reality, a total joke. Record notable first female governor in Arkansas a Republican.
Pennsylvania Senate seat stupid voters get what they deserve. Electing one of the worst Senators in HISTORY — a brain damaged lying dumbass over a heart surgeon that saved lives.
More to come…
Yep. The expected response. The consensus on both right and left wing news sources is that the expected red wave has indeed not surfaced and that Trump, and the GOP threat to democracy, were the main reasons. You can spin it however you like but that’s the facts my friend.
You are correct that all the votes are not in but at this point it looks like congress will either be a deadlock or a one seat majority for either side. The GOP is likely to take the house, as often happens in the midterms, but it will be a slim majority. Not the wave they expected.
The Trump era is, thankfully, over.
“Yep. The expected response.”
Yep. The expected response of a condescending arrogant elitist and you did not disappoint.
“The consensus on both right and left wing news sources is that the expected red wave has indeed not surfaced”
The consensus is waaaaayyyy too premature and depends on the definition of what Red Wave, is. If Republicans retake the House and Senate, HUGE RED WAVE!
“and that Trump, and the GOP threat to democracy, were the main reasons.”
NO! The GOP is not a threat to Democracy or the Constitutional Republic of the United States. Just the opposite Mr. Saul Alinsky 101, it’s the Democrats that are a socialist threat to the constitution and country. Obvious you are clueless to the meaning and purpose of MAGA movement you declared dead.
And let’s not forget fabricated bullspit from Pelosi saying over and over Trump is a threat to the Constitution. FABRICATED excuses for two impeachments that everyone knows were false and, in the end, mean NOTHING.
“You can spin it however you like but that’s the facts my friend.”
Yes, please tell us about “spin”, what a dishonest person.
“You are correct that all the votes are not in but at this point it looks like congress will either be a deadlock or a one seat majority for either side. The GOP is likely to take the house, as often happens in the midterms, but it will be a slim majority. Not the wave they expected.”
One seat majority in Senate like it is now with V.P., fine for Republicans in the majority. GOP will take the House, although the slow pace of counting mirroring 2020 election stalling, favors cheating Democrats. I must laugh at saying, GOP, but it will be a slim majority. So, what, Democrats have a slim majority now? Again, as Kevin McCarthy said yesterday, gavels do not come in small, medium, and large sizes. Control of the House is HUGE and Republicans will have subpoena power. Yeah, baby!
“The Trump era is, thankfully, over.”
In your dreams, pal.
I must LAUGH at all the sycophant Democrats around here CONSISTENT CHEATING of star voting. All Liberal responses perfect or near perfect scores and all Conservative responses low scores. How many years has this VOTING FRAUD been going on???
Tons of wasted effort amounting to NOTHING, except in your brain damaged minds. KNOCK YOURSELVES OUT obviously you need to kill time on the government dime, we Conservatives with better arguments could not care LESS…
Lots of nonsense being spouted there and frankly, I have too much on my plate today to really respond, especially when you continue to spout the baseless claims of cheating, but I will say this:
“we Conservatives with better arguments could not care LESS…”
Your massive missive says otherwise.
Even conservative media is throwing the blame back at Trump for what has ended up being a “pink wave” at best. And that alone is rather hilarious.
Let’s talk about Macs instead. Did you get your M2 air? How do you like it?
Most of my work is done, just in time to learn that the Democrats have kept the senate.
“The consensus is waaaaayyyy too premature and depends on the definition of what Red Wave, is. If Republicans retake the House and Senate, HUGE RED WAVE!”
Pink wave! They washed their MAGA hats with their white KKK robes it looks like.
“NO! The GOP is not a threat to Democracy or the Constitutional Republic of the United States. Just the opposite Mr. Saul Alinsky 101, it’s the Democrats that are a socialist threat to the constitution and country. Obvious you are clueless to the meaning and purpose of MAGA movement you declared dead.”
The Democrats are in favour of what you already have. Democratic Socialism which is being spun by the GOP as meaning straight up socialism. Which it is not. You need to learn the different.
As for what MAGA stands for, if you think it’s anything other than white nationalism, well, you’re just as bad. The MAGA brand wants an authoritarian state and they’re doing a good job at getting the US there with gerry mandering and voter controls that are disproportionately aimed at the poor and non-white voters.
But I know you know all this. The fact that you don’t care says it all.
Perhaps one of the fine legal minds here can tell us what law the tech companies are violating by publishing their Terms of Service and then enforcing those terms…
What the right really means here is that the far right groups promoting election lies, racism, antisemitism etc that were banned, are groups they want back on.
That’s exactly it. So many on the right have their lives defined by lies and misinformation, so much more than others. Confirmation bias sadly mixed with a large dose of cognitive dissonance.
Yes because there is no other space to use their bullhorn. Oh wait…
With all due respect: Heartbroken MAGAists would want to investigate why lies and conspiracies promoted by 4-Chan, Q-Anon, Donald, Jan 6ists, and radical election-denying legislators were not allowed Libertarian free reign as well as why they are being cheated and unfairly and undignifiably thwarted exercizing their Constitutional freedom to produce unfettered, Putinistic chaos.