Tag: Senate

new technology

No, Trump cannot win Georgia’s electoral votes through a write-in Senate campaign.

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President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. won Georgia, but that has not stopped people from claiming that President Trump still has a chance to change the outcome and win the state’s 16 electoral votes.

The hashtag #WriteInTrumpForGA was one of Twitter’s top trending topics on Tuesday afternoon, with more than 23,000 tweets. Many called for Georgia voters to cast their ballots in January’s runoff elections for the state’s two Senate races for Mr. Trump. Doing so, the tweets claimed, would change the election results and get Mr. Trump re-elected.

That isn’t true. Georgia officials certified Mr. Biden’s victory in the state last week, and Senate races have no bearing on the presidential election. Furthermore, runoff elections in Georgia do not permit write-in candidates. In fact, state officials said, there is no line allocated for a write-in on the paper ballot or a button for it on touch-screen voting.

“Our voters are

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science in the news

In Georgia, can Biden’s winning coalition deliver the Senate to Democrats?

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Democrats are growing confident they might be able to pull off twin victories in the Senate runoff races in Georgia in January — what would have been a long shot political upset only a few years ago but is now being viewed as a real possibility after massive turnout from suburban voters in the general election helped President-elect Joe Biden flip the state from red to blue.

Biden’s hopes of enacting his agenda rest on the outcome of the Jan. 5 runoff elections, which will determine control of the Senate. 

If Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock beat Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, the Republican incumbents, the Senate would be split 50-50. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, as president of the Senate, would control the tie-breaking vote, opening the door for the Biden administration to push through legislation on the pandemic, the economy, climate change, and other priorities.

“Georgia

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science and technology

The future of ‘fintech’ is at stake for Biden and the Senate

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A change of government in Washington is coming at the precise moment that some of the biggest innovations in financial technology – fintech – are about to arrive, and it will either be a breakthrough for the American economy or a needless train wreck. It all depends on who Joe Biden names and who the Senate confirms in key regulatory posts.



The future of 'fintech' is at stake for Biden and the Senate

© Getty Images
The future of ‘fintech’ is at stake for Biden and the Senate

Blockchain technology – the innovation in question – has jumped from a speculative novelty to a financial instrument providing real economic solutions that could revolutionize how we handle money. American tech innovators have been steadily building a vibrant industry that uses digital assets and open ledgers to develop products for consumers and businesses alike that cut costs, bolster efficiency and bring greater transparency. Without a doubt, cryptocurrencies have proven to be practical tools with

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new technology

Watch Live: Facebook and Twitter CEOs face Senate questions on election measures

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The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday to question Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on their companies’ actions around the 2020 presidential election.The two social media leaders are expected to testify via video at the hearing, titled, “Breaking the News: Censorship, Suppression, and the 2020 Election.”

Zuckerberg and Dorsey promised lawmakers last month they would aggressively guard their platforms from being manipulated by foreign governments or used to incite violence around the election results — and they followed through with high-profile steps that angered President Donald Trump and his supporters.   

How to watch Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey testify

Twitter and Facebook have both slapped a misinformation label on some content from Mr. Trump, most notably his assertions linking voting by mail to fraud. On Monday, Twitter flagged Mr. Trump’s tweet proclaiming “I won the Election!” with this note: “Official sources

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Facebook, Twitter CEOs to testify before the Senate: How to watch Tuesday

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Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey are becoming regulars at Congress.


James Martin/CNET

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey are becoming familiar faces on Capitol Hill. On Tuesday, the pair of social media bosses are scheduled to visit with senators to discuss how they make choices when monitoring content on their sites.

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing was called after Republicans demanded the CEOs explain why they limited the spread of a New York Post article that suggested unproven improprieties involving President-elect Joe Biden’s son. (Biden representatives have challenged the article’s content.) The social networks’ actions raised questions about how they fact check political content.

The virtual hearing marks the second time Zuckerberg and Dorsey are to appear before lawmakers in less than a

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latest technology

In F-35 sale to UAE, Senate seeks State Dept. guarantee for US technology and Israel

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WASHINGTON ― Senate appropriators are calling on the State Department to certify that a pending sale of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to the United Arab Emirates would not threaten Israel’s military edge or make U.S. military systems vulnerable to Russia and China.

The bipartisan legislation, introduced Nov. 10 by the GOP-led Senate Appropriations Committee, represents another potential hurdle for the U.S. sale of up to 50 F-35s worth $10.4 billion, 18 MQ-9Bs worth $2.97 billion, and $10 billion worth of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the package the same day the legislation was introduced.

The Senate committee included the certification requirement in its fiscal 2021 appropriations bill for the State Department and foreign operations. It follows proposals to limit appropriations based on similar concerns last month from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the

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science in the news

Facebook, Google face criticism over political-ad bans ahead of Senate runoffs in Georgia

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Facebook and Google  banned political ads after Election Day to limit the spread of misinformation, but that’s sparked criticism ahead of two Georgia runoff elections that’ll likely decide which party controls the US Senate.



a screenshot of a video game: Facebook and Google banned political ads after Election Day on Nov. 3. Getty

© Provided by CNET
Facebook and Google banned political ads after Election Day on Nov. 3. Getty

When both companies banned political ads, they didn’t say when the prohibitions would end. Facebook initially said its ban was indefinite but in an update Wednesday to an earlier blog post, the company told advertisers to expect the prohibition to last another month. Google had said its political-ad ban would last at least a week but that it could go on longer. A Wednesday report by The Wall Street Journal said the search giant has told advertisers it’s unlikely to lift the ban this month or in December. 

The ongoing political-ad ban comes as two US Senate runoff

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technology articles

Senate committee to delve deeper in its Aussie fintech and regtech probe

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The Senate Select Committee on Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology handed down its interim report on the state of fintech and regtech in Australia in September, proposing 32 recommendations to the government on how to ensure a thriving and innovative ecosystem down under.

In his foreword, committee chair, Senator Andrew Bragg, said he was hopeful the report would be seen as a “series of quick wins”. It covered the research and development (R&D) tax incentive, Australia’s Consumer Data Right (CDR), the digital identity work underway by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), as well as competition and regulation fixes.

On Monday, the committee announced it would be undertaking further consultations on Australian fintech and regtech before delivering a final report with additional recommendations in April 2021.

“The committee looks forward to receiving a formal government response to the recommendations in due course. However, it notes that a number of recommendations are

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new technology

Famed investor Mike Novogratz expects a Biden victory and a Republican-controlled Senate to boost tech stocks and Bitcoin | Currency News | Financial and Business News

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Investor Mike Novogratz

Reuters/Rick Wilking


  • If Joe Biden wins the presidency and Republicans hold the Senate, both stocks and Bitcoin will benefit, Galaxy Digital CEO and investor Mike Novogratz said on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Wednesday.
  • “The markets are liking this,” Novogratz said about the potential for a conservative Senate and an end to President Trump’s “chaos.”
  • Novogratz added that if a divided US government fails to pass more fiscal stimulus and the Federal Reserve steps in to shore up financial markets, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies could gain.
  • “Less fiscal, more Fed, good for crypto,” he said.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Stocks and Bitcoin will do well if  Joe Biden wins the presidency and Republicans hold the Senate, Galaxy Digital CEO and investor Mike Novogratz said on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Wednesday.

“The markets are liking this,” Novogratz said about the prospect of a mostly conservative

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definition of technology

Senate Republicans accuse tech CEOs of anti-conservative bias in hearing on ’26 words that created the internet’

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WASHINGTON – With Election Day less than a week away, the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter on Tuesday appeared virtually before a Senate panel where lawmakers grilled them over their influence in the election and a once-obscure law that has drawn criticism from Republicans and Democrats.

At the heart of the Senate Commerce Committee hearing was Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a short provision in a 1996 law that has been called “the 26 words that created the internet.”

The provision gives tech companies two powerful tools: a “shield” that protects them from liability for content posted on their platforms and a “sword” that allows them to remove any content they find “objectionable,” a definition that gives them broad authority to remove even material a court may consider protected speech. Senators of both parties think it’s time for that to change.

“After 24 years of Section 230

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