Tag: US Senate

COVID-19 origin more likely to be research-related, suggests US Senate Committee report

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As scientists are still scrambling to find the source of the viral infections, a new analysis by a US Senate on COVID-19 origins suggests that the “pandemic was, more likely than not, the result of a research-related incident”.

But the report offers little new evidence to suggest this. It said that “lack of transparency” and restrictions on information by officials in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) “prevents reaching a more definitive conclusion”.

“More information is needed to arrive at a more precise, if not a definitive, understanding of the origins of SARS-CoV-2,” it said.

ALSO READ | Testing for viruses? A breathalyser can do the job, finds Bill Gates.

In December 2019, China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province. A novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, was eventually identified. Later, in January 2020, Thailand confirmed a COVID-19 case, the first case recorded case outside of China.

Earlier claims on COVID-19 origin

Earlier research had suggested transmission of the virus from animals to human beings. Studies also hinted at China’s Wuhan market being the pandemic’s epicentre.

ALSO READ | China launches a COVID-19 vaccine inhaled through the mouth

Some other studies said, “SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible for causing COVID-19 disease) was either created in a lab or was accidentally or intentionally released by researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology”.

Moreover, China had also postulated the theory that the virus arrived in the country on the surface of imported frozen seafood.

‘Zoonotic spillover’ a faulty hypothesis?

In its interim report, the Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor and Pensions raised several questions over the “natural zoonotic spillover hypothesis”.

ALSO READ | Brain Fog: Know all about this COVID-19 symptom

It said that SARS-CoV-2 originating from a bat virus is a “plausible explanation”. However, “it remains unknown how SARS-CoV-2 travelled more than 1,000 miles from Southern China or Southeast Asia before emerging in Wuhan”.

“Almost three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began there is still no evidence of an animal infected with SARS-CoV-2, or a closely related virus, before the first publicly reported human COVID-19 cases in Wuhan in December 2019,” it said.

It also places forth some facts and gaps in information. Among them, some of the arguments include:

1. If one exists, the intermediate host species for SARS-CoV-2 is not yet identified.

2. There is no published genetic evidence that shows SARS-CoV-2 was circulating in animals before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. The genomes of early COVID-19 cases did not show genetic evidence, in the form of adaptive mutations, that SARS-CoV-2 recently circulated in another animal species other than humans.

4. The genetic similarity between the environmental samples and human viral samples supports the likelihood that the virus found at the Huanan Seafood Market was shed by infected humans rather than by infected animals.

5. Wuhan was the only location where SARS-CoV-2 spilled over into humans, based on the available evidence. “After the unidentified source transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to humans, it stopped transmitting SARS-CoV-2. This is at odds with the precedent of the 2002-2004 SARS epidemic where infected palm civets continued to transmit the virus to humans and raccoon dogs.”

ALSO READ | Omicron XBB subvariant may trigger another COVID-19 wave, warns WHO chief scientist

‘Biosafety failures’ at Wuhan lab

Supporting the studies that suggested COVID-19 origin at a lab, the report mentioned the patents that indicated: “The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) struggled to maintain key biosafety capabilities at its high-containment BSL3 and BSL4 laboratories.”

ALSO READ | The COVID lab leak theory is dead. Here’s how we know the virus came from a Wuhan market

It also quoted the director of the WIV BSL4 laboratory as saying in 2019 that: “Currently, most laboratories lack specialized biosafety managers and engineers. Some of the skilled staff in such facilities is composed of part-time researchers. This makes it difficult to identify and mitigate potential safety hazards in facility and equipment operation early enough.

It also noted that a research-related incident is consistent with the “early epidemiology showing rapid spread of the virus in Wuhan”. It also mentioned “the likely index case” that an infected researcher might be the primary source of the virus in Wuhan.

“A research-related incident also explains the failure to find an intermediate host and any animal infections pre-dating human COVID-19 cases,” the report said.

ALSO READ | What these new studies suggest about where COVID-19 came from

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Explained | US Midterm Elections — how they work and why Joe Biden is worried

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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There is less than a month to go for the United States midterm elections, where a third of the Senate — 33 members — and all of the House of Representatives, 435 members,  will be contesting the elections on the second Tuesday of November, referred to as Super Tuesday. This year, Super Tuesday falls on November 8.

Before we go into how these midterm elections are a political ticking bomb for US President Joe Biden’s administration, let’s take a look at how the American government works.

The United States federal government is divided into three branches — the executive, the judiciary, and the legislature.

The executive in this case is the President of the United States, while the legislature is the United States Congress.

Simply put, the US legislature is bicameral and comprises the Senate and the Congress, the latter being the House of Representatives. US representatives are referred to as congressman, or congresswoman.

Also read: Joe Biden says ‘no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana’

The official name for the US legislative branch is the United States Congress, whose total strength of 535 members. The Senate comprises 100 members — two from each state in the US — each of whom is elected for a term of six years. The House of Representatives comprises 435 members, each of whom is elected for a two-year term.

Think of the Senate as the Upper House, and the House of Representatives as the Lower House, though their functions are markedly different from the Indian legislature. Anyone elected to either House can propose a law, but only the Senate has the power to confirm presidential nominees to the Cabinet, courts, key diplomatic posts, etc.

Every two years on Super Tuesday, 33 senators and all 435 representatives contest the elections. If Super Tuesday also coincides with a presidential election, it is referred to as the general elections. But, as is the case this year, if Super Tuesday comes halfway through the president’s term, it is referred to as the midterm elections, or just the midterms.

Also read: Explainer: Impact of Joe Biden’s student loan scheme on US consumers

The current composition of the house

The Democrats control the White House, Senate and the House of Representatives for the first time since the 2010 midterms, when the Republicans won a majority in both.

Currently, the Senate is split evenly, more or less — 50 seats are with the Republicans, 48 with the Democrats and two are held by Independents, who support the Democrats. A vote on any Bill in the Senate will notionally result in a tie, in which case the chairperson of the Senate — the US vice president — casts the tiebreaker. Since US Veep Kamala Harris is a Democrat, the party has the edge in the Senate.

As for the House of Representatives, of the 435 seats, the Democrats hold 220, which gives them a wafer-thin majority over the Republicans, who have 212 members. Three seats are vacant.

Why are these midterms so important?

When Joe Biden was elected to the highest office in 2020, the Democrats too took control of both houses. But, as explained earlier, their majority is wafer slim, and there is a real possibility that the Republicans could take either or both houses come November 8.

For one, former US president Donald Trump continues to be a force to reckon with in the Republican Party, which is sharply divided into Trump loyalists (the far right) and traditional conservatives, with the latter’s numbers dwindling.

CNBC, quoting a US university poll, said the Republicans had a slight edge as the state of the US economy and the record inflaton has become a key election issue. As per the poll, the voters surveyed felt Biden has not been able to handle the crisis properly.

In the Republican primaries for both houses, Trump loyalists have challenged incumbents — especially pro-impeachment members — with varying degrees of success.

Also read: Republican wins in blue states threaten Democrats’ hopes in November

Key incumbents who lost to Trump-backed challengers

In Wyoming, Representative Liz Cheney — daughter of former US VP Dick Cheney — who was the most prominent of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 US Capitol riots, lost the primary to Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman.

Similarly, two more ‘Trumpers’ defeated pro-impeachment representatives in primaries in Arizona,

Other results are more mixed, with former vice presidential candidate and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin getting trounced in the primary for a Senate seat.

A CNBC report said “candidates who deny the results of the 2020 election have advanced to November ballots in statewide races for positions that will oversee, defend or certify elections in 27 states, according to a nonpartisan group tracking the races.”

Trump, despite facing criminal investigations at the federal and state (New York) levels, is still among the favourites to be the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential race. He is, in fact, being considered the presumptive nominee, though he will still have to, at least notionally, fend off other Republican presidential candidates in the primaries. All of this is assuming, Trump is able to beat the criminal investigations.

Also read: US lifts Cuba flight restrictions imposed under President Trump

Biden’s corrective measures — too little, too late?

When anyone is elected to the Oval Office, it is said that they have 18 months to pass laws, reforms and take other key policy decisions before the focus inevitably shifts to the midterms.

Biden too is not immune to that. The veteran politician, after taking the oath of office in January 2021, chose to be moderate and focused on passing relief measures and signing Bills that would fund massive infrastructure projects. He ignored calls by the more progressive side of the Democratic House members,  led by Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, to forgive student debts and pursue more left-leaning policies.

While Biden did forgive student loans last month, and recently pardoned thousands of people who were jailed for possession of marijuana, experts feel these have perhaps come too late in the race to the midterms.

Are these measures too late? Will the Democrats prevail over the Republicans, or will the Grand Old Party or GOP (as the Republican party is called) reclaim either or both houses? We’ll find out early on November 9.

Until then, CNBC-TV18.com will continue to apprise you on key updates and the important races to watch out for in the midterm elections.

Also read: Elon Musk slams Democrats and decides to ‘vote Republican’

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US Senate passes landmark gun violence bill to curb mass shootings

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In the first major piece of federal gun reform in almost three decades, the US Senate passed a bipartisan bill on Thursday night to address gun violence in the country.

In a surprising move, 15 Republicans joined Democrats in support of the bill passed with a majority of 65 to 33. The bill will now go to the House for a vote before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

What is the provision in the law? 

The bill comes with a $ 13.2 billion price tag and it includes millions of dollars for school safety, mental health, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Also read: Texas School Shooting: Now, Gun Control’ Debate Back In Focus In Us 

Every state in the US will have the opportunity for grants to help pay for crisis intervention programs, regardless of whether they set up “red flag” laws that allow judges to remove guns from potentially dangerous owners. 

It also provides for tougher background checks for the youngest gun buyers, especially those between 18 and 21 years, keeps firearms away from more domestic violence offenders and helps states put in place red flag laws. The bill includes billions of dollars in funding to help secure schools and bolster mental health resources.

The vote came the same day the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects gun rights outside the home. The court struck down a New York law that required people to show a special need to carry a handgun in public.

America’s gun culture and mass shootings

As per the estimates, more than 390 million guns are owned by US citizens. In 2020 alone, more than 45,000 Americans died from firearms-related injuries. The recent attacks in the US have further fuelled the debate on the need for long-standing gun control measures.

Also read: Explained: Why Do Americans Own Guns And How Manufacturers Influence Gun Culture? 

The elementary school massacre in Uvalde on May 12 that killed 19 children and two teachers, was the bloodiest mass shooting in the United States this year. This occurred only 10 days after a shootout at a supermarket in Buffalo, killing 10 people.

Senators, who have long struggled to find common ground on gun safety, restarted stalled negotiations after those killings, producing a bill aimed at improving background checks, securing schools and giving states federal funds to combat gun violence.

Also read: Just Four Months Into The Year, The Us Has Seen About 200 Mass Shootings 

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Bill introduced in US Senate to curb dependence on China for critical minerals

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill in the US Senate to leverage existing trade partnership with America’s Quad partners Australia, India, and Japan to reduce dependence of the United States on China for critical mineral supplies. The bill titled, ‘Quad Critical Minerals Partnership Act’, aims to reduce America’s reliance on China, and protect the long term national security interests of the US and its allies, a media release said.

Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator James Lankford, John Cornyn, and Mark Warner introduced the legislation that will improve America’s access to critical minerals by working closer with its QUAD partners, and counter China’s current market dominance of this vital resource, it said.

In light of the national security threat posed by China’s control of nearly two-thirds of the global supply of rare earth elements and many other critical minerals, the bill would direct the Administration to leverage the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (United States, Japan, India, and Australia) to promote shared investment and development of this critical resource, the statement said.

Also Read | Russia won’t defend India if China breaches LAC again, warns US

The partnership would utilise the US Development Finance Corporation to support new development projects, production technologies, and refining facilities in coordination with our Quad partners to produce a more reliable and secure supply chain of critical minerals, and direct the United States Trade Representative to reduce trade barriers for critical minerals, it said.

The ubiquity of critical minerals in our daily lives, and their importance in so many modern and emerging technologies, means that ensuring that our supply chains for these critical minerals are robust and secure is essential, said Warner, Chairman of the powerful Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. China’s control of much of the market for these minerals and other rare earth elements combined with the exponential growth in demand that is expected in the coming years is particularly alarming, he said.

“I’m glad that the Biden administration recognses this threat, and the comprehensive strategy and multilateral engagement that this bill calls for, in concert with our close Quad partners, like India, will be an important step in meeting this challenge,” he added. Cornyn said that the United States has spent years cultivating and strengthening its ties with the Quad partnership countries, and working with them is a commonsense step towards eliminating China from the critical mineral supply chain.

Also Read | Exercise increased caution while travelling to India, says new US travel advisory

“This legislation would ensure critical minerals for everything from consumer electronics to military defenses come from our allies instead of an adversary like China,” Cornyn said. He and Warner are Co-Chairs of the Senate India Caucus.

As supply chain snarls continue to prevent Americans from accessing vital goods, it is critical that we work with allies like Australia, India, and Japan to build better systems and increase collaborative efforts to compete on the global market. Investing in rare earth minerals today is a fundamental way we can prepare ourselves for a successful and secure tomorrow which is why I am proud to cosponsor this bipartisan bill, King said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US Senate introduces law to overhaul H-1B visa system; what it means

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The US Senate saw yet another potential legislation to overhaul the existing visa system aimed at safeguarding interests of the Americans. The new partisan Bill was introduced by several influential and powerful senators in the US body.

H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act will bring about several reforms for changing the visa system in the US. The H-1B visa, the most sought after, is used by highly skilled professionals to work in the US, while the L-1 visa allows temporary relocations to the US for work.

Also read: US to process more green cards this year under employment based categories

The Bill was introduced by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and co-sponsored by senators Richard Blumenthal, Tommy Tuberville, Sherrod Brown, Bill Hagerty, and Bernie Sanders.

Under the proposed overhaul, the H-1B visa will finally employ a priority system instead of relying completely on a lottery system. Students educated in the United States and possessing a STEM degree will be given priority for the visa. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Also read: Indian startups to gain as US clears COMPETES Act; what is the law all about?

More importantly, for many Indians and Indian companies working in the US, the law would seek to prevent the replacement of US workers by exploiting foreign labour.

“Congress created the H-1B and L-1 visa programs to complement America’s high-skilled workforce, not replace it. Unfortunately, some companies are trying to exploit the programs by cutting American workers for cheaper labor (sic). We need programs dedicated to putting American workers first,” said Senator Grassley.

Also read: At 97.3%, H-1B visa approval rate highest in a decade: Report

“Our bill takes steps to ensure that the programs work for Americans and skilled foreign workers alike,” Senator Grassley added.

The Bill prohibits the replacement of American workers by H-1B or L-1 visa holders. At the same time, it seeks to improve the working conditions of American workers in companies where H-1B and L-1 visa holders have been hired. In particular, the Bill would also prohibit companies with more than 50 employees, where half of them are H-1B or L-1 holders, from hiring additional H-1B employees. L-1 visa workers will have a wage floor established while also giving the US Department of Homeland Security the right to investigate, audit, and enforce compliance with L-1 visa programmes.

Also read: US to give spouses of H-1B visa holders automatic work permits; here’s how it will help Indians

“Reforming the H-1B and L-1 visa programs is a critical component to fixing America’s broken immigration system. For years, outsourcing companies have used legal loopholes to displace qualified American workers, exploit foreign workers, and facilitate the outsourcing of American jobs. Our legislation would fix these broken programs, protect workers, and put an end to these abuses,” Senator Durbin said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US senator asks Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to retain documents linked to testimony

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell on Tuesday called on Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg to preserve all documents related to a testimony last week from company whistleblower Frances Haugen.

“The testimony … raises significant concerns about whether Facebook has misled the public, federal regulators, and this committee,” said Cantwell, a Democrat. “This committee will continue its oversight and work to pursue legislation to protect consumers’ privacy, improve data security, and strengthen federal enforcement to address the digital harms that are the subject of these hearings.”

She asked Facebook to preserve and retain internal Facebook research referenced by Haugen and Facebook’s evaluation of the research; ranking or composition systems; experiments or recommendations to change those ranking systems and the impact of Facebook’s platforms on children and teenagers under the age of 18.

Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said in response the company has “absolutely no commercial incentive, no moral incentive, no company-wide incentive to do anything other than to try to give the maximum number of people as much of a positive experience as possible on Facebook.”

Cantwell’s letter cited “the potential danger that social media platforms pose for spreading divisive content was demonstrated, with horrifying consequences, by the role the Facebook platform played in fomenting ethnic violence against the Rohingya.”

She added “the role of Facebook’s platform in the Rohingya tragedy illustrates the horrible consequences that failing to effectively limit the spread of divisive content on social media platforms can have in inflicting public harm.”

Last month, a U.S. judge ordered Facebook to release records of accounts connected to anti-Rohingya violence in Myanmar that the social media giant had shut down, rejecting its argument about protecting privacy as “rich with irony.”

Last week, the Commerce Committee harshly criticized Facebook, accusing Zuckerberg of pushing for higher profits while being cavalier about user safety, and demanded regulators investigate whistleblower accusations that the social media company harms children’s mental health and stokes divisions.

Zuckerberg defended the company, saying the accusations were at odds with Facebook’s goals.

Haugen called for transparency about how Facebook entices users to keep scrolling, creating ample opportunity for advertisers to reach them.

Haugen, a former product manager on Facebook’s civic misinformation team, left the nearly $1 trillion company with tens of thousands of confidential documents.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Ex-Facebook employee asks lawmakers to step in. Will they?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Camera lights glare. Outrage thunders from elected representatives. A brave industry whistleblower stands alone and takes the oath behind a table ringed by a photographers mosh pit.

The former Facebook product manager who has accused the social network giant of threatening childrens safety and the integrity of democracy is urging Congress to take action to rein in a largely unregulated company. The drama rings familiar, but will real change come out of it this time?

When Frances Haugen came before a Senate Commerce panel to lay out a far-reaching condemnation of Facebook, she had prescriptions for actions by Congress at the ready. Not a breakup of the tech giant as many lawmakers are calling for, but targeted legislative remedies.

They include new curbs on the long-standing legal protections for speech posted on social media platforms. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have called for stripping away some of the protections granted by a 25-year-old law generally known as Section 230 that shields internet companies from liability for what users post.

Haugens idea would be to remove the protections in cases where dominant content driven by computer algorithms favors massive engagement by users over public safety.

Congressional action is needed, Haugen told the senators in her testimony Tuesday. (Facebook) wont solve this crisis without your help.

Democrats and Republicans have shown a rare unity around the revelations of Facebooks handling of potential risks to teens from Instagram, and a bipartisan push toward meaningful legislation appears to be stirring.

Were going to propose legislation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who heads the Senate subcommittee, told reporters. And the days of Facebook evading oversight are over, because I think the American public is aroused about the importance of … (social media) preying on their own children.

So its on the way, right? Not quite. This is still Congress.

I think it will eventually result in legislation, but it wont be right away, said former congressional aide Phil Schiliro.

Schiliro was there. He fought the congressional Big Tobacco wars in the 1990s as chief of staff to Rep. Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who headed the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Congress enacted landmark legislation reining in the tobacco industry by giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products. In the current Facebook scandal, critics of the company are pointing to it as a model for what Congress should do with the tech industry.

History, however, offers a cautionary note. In 1994, seven tobacco company executives gave electrifying testimony under oath before Waxmans committee that they didnt believe nicotine was addictive assertions contradicted by internal documents from their companies. Still, Schiliro notes, tobacco legislation took another 15 years to get through Congress.

During that time, public opinion really started to shift toward a negative view of the tobacco industry, says Schiliro, who also worked in the Obama White House and is now a senior presidential fellow at Hofstra University. The public isnt there yet with Big Tech, he suggested, and tech companies still make the argument that they bring products to millions of people that improve their lives mostly for free.

That dynamic could be changing with Haugens revelations of internal company research indicating potential harm for some young users, especially girls, of Facebooks Instagram photo-sharing platform. For some of the teen users, the peer pressure generated by Instagram led to mental health and body-image problems, and in some cases, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts, the research leaked by Haugen showed.

Whenever you have Republicans and Democrats on the same page, youre probably more likely to see something, said Gautam Hans, a technology law and free-speech expert at Vanderbilt University. Protecting children is something that many people agree with, and I think its easier to find consensus there.

Given the closely divided Congress and deep political polarization, prospects for legislation to ensure safety on social media platforms may appear as far-off as with the tobacco legislation. Still, lawmakers from the two parties are rallying around the protection of young internet users. Their shared strident criticism of social media has come from divergent political views. Republicans have decried what they see as anti-conservative bias while Democrats denounce hate speech and incitement to violence.

I think Congress was heading there and this adds momentum,” said Matt Stoller, research director at the American Economic Liberties Project, an organization that advocates for government action against business concentration. Were still a few years off really neutralizing the power of Big Tech.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Under criticism, Facebook to highlight own positive research on Instagram and teens

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Facebook Inc, under criticism over internal data showing its Instagram app damaged the mental health of teenagers, plans to highlight during a U.S. Senate hearing on Thursday what it argues were more positive impacts, according to the company’s prepared testimony seen by Reuters.

Antigone Davis, global head of safety at Facebook, will detail the company’s previously announced efforts to better protect children and teens online, including defaulting users under the age of 16 to private accounts when they join Instagram, according to the testimony.

“Our research showed that many teens who are struggling say that Instagram helps them deal with many of the hard issues that are so common to being a teen,” Davis’s written testimony says.

Facebook has been under fire for the past week after the Wall Street Journal reported internal documents showed that the social media company was aware that Instagram harmed the mental health of young users.

Ahead of the hearing, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn said in a statement that “Facebook knows that its services are actively harming their young users” and cited Facebook’s in-house analysts who “performed a series of deep dives into teen use of Instagram that revealed, ‘aspects of Instagram exacerbate each other to create a perfect storm.'”

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called the hearing “Protecting Kids Online” following the Wall Street Journal’s reporting.

Internal Facebook research shows that among teenage girls who said they had recently felt sadness, 57% said Instagram made things better, Davis’ prepared remarks show.

Among teenage girls who felt loneliness, 51% said Instagram had a positive impact, according to the testimony.

In a separate hearing on Tuesday, a Facebook whistleblower will testify about the company and how it handles children’s safety online at a Senate hearing featuring Blumenthal and Blackburn. The senators did not disclose any information about the whistleblower.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US Senate fails to advance debt ceiling, government funding measure

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A sharply divided U.S. Senate failed on Monday to advance a measure to suspend the federal debt ceiling and avoid a partial government shutdown, as Republican lawmakers denied the bill the votes necessary to move forward.

The legislation by President Joe Biden’s Democrats was aimed at beating two fast-approaching deadlines that, if left unaddressed, threaten to destabilize the U.S. economy as it struggles to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The near party-line vote of 48 votes to advance against 50 opposed fell short of the 60 votes needed to push the bill ahead in the 100-seat Senate. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer voted “no” to allow him to call another vote.

Democrats who narrowly control both chambers of Congress now have just three days to find another way to keep the government operating beyond Thursday – when current funding expires.

Republican Senator Richard Shelby predicted that lawmakers would not resolve the standoff any time soon. “Probably will be here Thursday,” he told reporters.

Lawmakers also will have to figure out how to raise the debt ceiling to head off the risk of default, with independent analysts warning that the U.S. Treasury Department is likely to exhaust its borrowing authority fully sometime between Oct. 15 and Nov. 4.

Schumer, who has warned that a default would hammer the economy, said afterward that Democrats would take further action this week to avoid a government shutdown and debt default. He did not specify what the next step would be.

“Our country is now staring down the barrel of two Republican-manufactured disasters,” he said on the Senate floor after the vote.

A government shutdown – or worse, a default – would be a huge hit to Biden’s Democrats, who have positioned themselves as the party of responsible government after Republican Donald Trump’s chaotic presidency.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell tried unsuccessfully to force the chamber to vote for a funding extension, separate from the provision that would suspend the government’s $28.4 trillion debt limit through the end of 2022.

“We could have a bipartisan vote to fund the government today, if not for the odd tactics of the Senate Democratic leader,” he said on the Senate floor.
Republicans have said they want Democrats to lift the debt limit on their own, saying they do not support their spending plans. Democrats point out that much of the nation’s new debt was incurred during Trump’s administration.

INFRASTRUCTURE TIMING UNCLEAR

Democrats are also at odds over two pillars of Biden’s domestic agenda – a $1 trillion infrastructure bill and a $3.5 trillion social spending package.
The rift risks derailing Biden’s presidency and the party’s hopes of keeping its congressional majorities in next year’s midterm elections.

Biden spent the weekend negotiating with lawmakers over the phone, according to administration officials. The White House and Democrats in Congress were considering whether to narrow benefits for electric vehicles and community-college tuition in the social spending bill, sources said.

Biden told reporters that Democrats might not reach an agreement this week, an assessment backed by the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin.
“I don’t think anybody has a rosy scenario,” Durbin told reporters.

The infrastructure bill, which moderates favor, would fund road, bridge, airport, school and other projects. It passed the Senate last month with considerable Republican support.

But progressive Democrats have threatened to oppose the measure unless moderates in both the House of Representatives and Senate agree to the larger package, which Democrats intend to pass without Republican votes.

Moderate Democrats say the social spending bill’s $3.5 trillion price tag is too high, and Democrats including Pelosi have acknowledged it will need to be scaled back to pass.

Biden’s efforts to expand healthcare and education, reduce child poverty, and fight climate change hang in the balance.

House Democrats emerged from a Monday night meeting confident they would bridge their differences.

“I think we’re going to get there,” said Steny Hoyer, the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat.

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Explained: What is Freedom to Vote Act and how it will change US elections

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

The US is set for a fiery debate over new election legislation that seeks to give greater freedom to voters while still keeping federal elections secure. The Democratic Party introduced the ‘Freedom to Vote’ Act in the Senate, with Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar leading it.

Klobuchar is the Chairwoman of the Committee on Rules and Administration, which overlooks regulations regarding election rules, laws and election campaign finances law.

Klobuchar tweeted, “The Freedom to Vote Act will set basic national standards to make sure all Americans can cast their ballots in the way that works best for them, regardless of what zip code they live in. We can protect the right to vote and this is how we’ll get it done.”

Thinking behind ‘Freedom to Vote’

The Act will “expand Americans’ access to the ballot box and reduce the influence of big money in politics, and for other purposes.” The ‘Freedom to Vote’ is going to replace the ‘For the People Act,’ a previous Bill introduced by the Democrats that had failed to pass the Senate floor.

The Act will finally standardise election voting procedures in various states throughout the US. Currently, the country has wildly varied laws governing voting procedures, with each state having its own mandate.

The Bill will be divided into three categories — Voters’ Access, Election Integrity, and Civic Participation and Empowerment.

The ‘For the People Act’ had passed through the House of Representatives but the Republican numbers in the Senate blocked it. The current division of the Senate is 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and two Independents (who caucus with the Democrats).

What it proposes

The Bill proposes to introduce several changes that seek to make voting easier for Americans.

Voting day will be declared a public holiday and all eligible voters will be automatically registered for voting so that no one is left out.

Other significant changes include allowing voter information to be registered and updated online, receiving e-mail notification with voting information, allowing voter registration application forms to be used as applications for an absentee ballot, opening registering for voting on the same day as the voting, improve access to voter registration and voting for people with disabilities, offering a 15-day early voting period in every state, letting eligible voters vote without any restrictions imposed on them.

Other areas of the Bill deal with stopping election subversion and preventing the use of election subversion as a straw man to upturn legitimate elections. The Bill will also compel election campaigns to be more transparent with their funding and provide added protection of poll workers, officials and the privacy of citizens.

A hard passage

Due to the way the American legislature has been set up, with very little executive reform since the country’s Independence, the Bill has a hard path before it can become a law. Unless it can get 60 votes in the Senate, which will require the vote of 10 Republican Senators in addition to their own 50, the Bill will be open for debate. Considering that Republican Senators rarely if ever support any Democrat Bills in a bipartisan manner, such an event is considered unlikely.

Without the 60 votes, the Bill will be open to ‘debate.’ Due to the way that the rules have been defined in US legislation, no Bill can be voted on while a debate is ongoing. Here is where the filibuster, a parliamentary tactic to prevent the vote or further discussion on a Bill can come in, with Republican Senators choosing to filibuster the Bill until the Senate is out of session again.

Last chance to save democracy

The ‘Freedom to Vote’ Act has been described by many as the last chance for Democrats to save democracy in the US, as states like Georgia and Texas have introduced harsher laws that prevent free and fair access to voting for existing citizens. The move by these and other Republican states was a direct fallout of former president Donald J. Trump’s public claims that the 2020 election results in favour of President Joe Biden were a result of election subversion.

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