TikTok Plans To Fight Censorship, Mouthy Politicians Make It Very Easy For Them
Congress targeted TikTok for divestment instead of addressing data privacy concerns from other tech giants. ByteDance claims divestment violates free speech. [ more ]
General warns House on Ukraine: 'The side that can't shoot back loses'
The war in Ukraine is at a critical juncture, with an urgent need for additional U.S. military support to prevent Russia's imminent advantage in artillery shells.
Failure to provide aid to Ukraine may result in dire consequences, including significant casualties and the collapse of Ukrainian front lines. [ more ]
The State of the Union Was Rowdy for Biden's Election-Year Speech
President Biden's State of the Union speech was characterized by rowdiness with Republicans jeering and Democrats cheering loudly.
Former Representative George Santos made a splashy return to the House floor and announced plans to run for Congress again during Biden's speech. [ more ]
House punts on AI with directionless new task force | TechCrunch
The House of Representatives has established a Task Force on artificial intelligence to maintain America's leadership in the field.
Congress is perceived as being late to address the issues surrounding AI, with partisanship potentially hindering the effectiveness of the task force. [ more ]
Mayorkas Says He's Undeterred by Republicans' Impeachment Drive
Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, is not distracted by congressional Republicans' efforts to impeach him over his handling of the southern border.
Mayorkas denies the allegations and emphasizes that it is up to Congress to fix the broken immigration system. [ more ]
For People Fleeing War, U.S. Immigration Fight Has Real-Life Consequences
The Biden administration has allowed over a million people into the United States under humanitarian parole, which allows people without visas to temporarily live and work in the country.
The program is now a point of contention in Congress with Republicans demanding a crackdown on immigration in exchange for approving military aid for Ukraine and Israel. [ more ]
Trump Meets TikTok Investor, Suddenly Doesn't Want to Ban It
President Trump signed an executive order attempting to limit TikTok due to Chinese influence, but later reversed his stance due to concerns about Facebook's increased influence.
Congress is moving to pass a bill requiring Chinese government divestment from TikTok, with bipartisan support despite opposition from a hedge-fund manager with significant stake in TikTok. [ more ]
Ron Wyden Fears Congress Is About to Enable a Spying Dragnet
The fight in Congress over FISA's Section 702 could lead to expanded surveillance powers, potentially intruding on Americans' civil liberties. [ more ]
What is Fisa, and what does it mean for no-warrant spying?
The US Congress passed a two-year reauthorization of the controversial section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allowing warrantless surveillance on communications, sparking debates on privacy vs. security. [ more ]
2.8 million Californians could lose federal funding for internet access. Here's why and when
The Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided internet access subsidies to millions of households, is ending without additional funding from Congress.
California received $1.3 billion in funding through the program, helping about 1-in-5 households in the state. [ more ]
The Government's Former UFO Hunter Found Something More Concerning than Aliens
Former defense officials have made claims and released videos of UFO sightings made by military pilots.
Congress demanded answers on these objects and tasked the Pentagon office with investigating contemporary sightings and exploring historical records. [ more ]