The Pentagon has reversed course on a move to send active-duty troops home from the Washington, D.C., region.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthyRyan McCarthyOvernight Defense: Pentagon chief says he opposes invoking Insurrection Act for protests | White House dodges on Trump’s confidence in Esper | ‘Angry and appalled’ Mattis scorches Trump Esper reverses on allowing active-duty troops to return to home bases Esper seeks to explain participation in White House photo-op MORE told The Associated Press that the plan to send home a portion of the roughly 1,300 active duty troops in the capitol region changed following internal Pentagon talks and Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperTrump: ‘I don’t think we’ll have to’ send military to cities House chairman presses Pentagon leaders on use of military against DC protesters Overnight Defense: Pentagon chief says he opposes invoking Insurrection Act for protests | White House dodges on Trump’s confidence in Esper | ‘Angry and appalled’ Mattis scorches Trump MORE attending a White House meeting.

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell also told The Hill there is no change to troop numbers in the area. 

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The active duty troops in the capitol region are “to remain on alert” but will stay outside the District proper, he said in a statement.

McCarthy at 10 a.m. Wednesday was first given notice of the Pentagon order to send 200 soldiers with the 82nd Airborne’s immediate response force back to their base at Fort Bragg, N.C. But hours later, the Pentagon notified him that Esper reversed the decision. McCarthy believes the change was to ensure there would be enough military support to potentially respond to any civil unrest as a result of area protests, the AP reported.

The 82nd Airborne troops “will stay over an additional 24 hours and it is our intent — we’re trying to withdraw them and get them back home,” McCarthy said. “It’s a dynamic situation.”

The active-duty troops – which have not been used – were ordered to the capital region earlier this week after growing protests and civil unrest over the death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis police custody.

The Pentagon’s reversal comes after a break in messaging between the White House and the Defense Department reportedly caused tensions between Trump and his Pentagon chief.

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Trump, who has threatened to deploy troops to quash protests if governors do not “dominate” the demonstrators, was reportedly unhappy with a press conference given by Esper during which he announced that he opposes invoking the Insurrection Act, the 1807 law that would allow Trump to deploy active-duty troops around the country to respond to the protests.

“I say this not only as secretary of Defense, but also as a former soldier and a former member of the National Guard, the option to use active-duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations,” Esper said. “We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act.”

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany sidestepped questions about whether Trump still had confidence in Esper, saying only that “should the president lose faith, we will all learn about that in the future.”

House Democrats rolled out a nearly $500 billion infrastructure bill Wednesday aimed at updating America’s aging transportation system.

The bill would offer significant sums of money for repairing roads and bridges — a consistent theme in several previous infrastructure bills that have failed to get much traction.

But the bill from the House Transportation Committee focuses greater funding toward public transportation and rail travel, along with investments in electric vehicle charging stations.

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The legislation would also establish new greenhouse gas standards that states must meet, with increased funding flowing to states that make the most progress. States would also be required to make sure any new transportation projects will have a positive effect on climate change.

Committee Chairman Peter DeFazioPeter Anthony DeFazioOvernight Energy: ‘Gutted’ Interior agency moves out West | House Dems roll out 0B green infrastructure bill | Court says EPA must update its offshore oil spill response plan House Democrats roll out 0B green transportation infrastructure bill Democrats to probe Trump’s replacement of top Transportation Dept. watchdog MORE (D-Ore.) said the legislation, dubbed the INVEST in America Act, “will catapult our country into a new era of how we plan, build, and improve U.S. infrastructure.”

Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), supplying nearly a third of emissions.

Nearly 60 percent of that comes from cars and light duty trucks.

The bill would not only boost funding for public transit but change how it is doled out, incentivizing more frequent service — a key feature for recruiting riders — rather than low operating costs.

Cities would receive greater funding for offering public transit in low-income neighborhoods and for setting aside bus lanes that allow for expedited service on otherwise congested thoroughfares.

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Amtrak funding would be tripled under the legislation, while spending on rail projects in general would hit $60 billion.

Republicans on the committee complained they were not involved in crafting the bill and criticized the environmental measures included. 

“We were not given the opportunity to address any of our priorities in this legislation.  For example, today’s partisan bill lacks critical flexibility for the states, its outsized funding increases for urban areas will leave rural America even further behind, and numerous new green mandates and extreme progressive goals are woven throughout the fabric of new and existing core programs,” ranking member Rep. Sam GravesSamuel (Sam) Bruce GravesOvernight Energy: ‘Gutted’ Interior agency moves out West | House Dems roll out 0B green infrastructure bill | Court says EPA must update its offshore oil spill response plan House Democrats roll out 0B green transportation infrastructure bill Bridging the digital divide for rural communities more critical than ever MORE (R-Mo.) said in a release.

The bill is part of a framework floated by House Democrats in January that would spend upwards of $760 billion on infrastructure.

Despite interest from both parties in passing a major infrastructure bill since the beginning of the Trump administration, the idea has repeatedly failed to advance in Congress.

The plan would likely face resistance in the Republican-led Senate.

“The House Democrats’ bill limits the flexibility states have to get priority projects done – while creating new paperwork burdens. It also radically increases funding for transit, at a time when fewer Americans will use these systems because of COVID,” Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair John BarrassoJohn Anthony BarrassoHouse Democrats roll out 0B green transportation infrastructure bill IRS proposes guidance for expanded carbon capture tax credit No better time to modernize America’s energy infrastructure MORE (R-Wyo.) said in a statement.

“Infrastructure legislation is critical to our economic recovery and it must help the entire country, not just select urban centers.”

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Christopher Krebs, the director of the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency, said in an interview released this week that he expects to see “every intelligence service” attempt to target and steal COVID-19 research and data.

“We do expect every intelligence service to be in the mix here,” Krebs, who serves as director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said on an episode of CBS’s “Intelligence Matters” podcast published Wednesday.

“The Chinese have obviously been one of the more brazen in terms of their approach, but others are in the game, too,” Krebs said. “This is a very active space, very active space.”

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CISA and the FBI issued a joint warning last month that Chinese-backed hackers were targeting U.S. organizations working to develop vaccines and other treatments for COVID-19. The agencies noted that theft of this data and research could “jeopardize the delivery of secure, effective, and efficient treatment options.”

Hospitals and major agencies including the World Health Organization and the Department of Health and Human Services have been among the major targets of attackers. CISA joined the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre last month in issuing a separate alert around hackers targeting health care providers. 

Krebs said on the podcast, which was recorded last week, that the attacks were “destructive.”

“You’re seeing a situation where a hospital could be impacted and their network’s offline, they can’t conduct clinical operations,” Krebs said. “It’s not as easy as just transferring those patients to another hospital in this environment. You never know what you’re transferring and indeed if you have anything you can transfer to. So we’re absolutely seeing destructive attacks across the border right now.”

He said ransomware attacks, in which the attacker locks up a system and demands payment to return access to the user, were a particular worry, and one that Americans could feel an immediate impact from. 

These types of attacks have become increasingly rampant over the past year, and have temporarily taken out the networks of hospitals, school districts and major city governments, including the city networks in Minneapolis last week.

“When you talk to election officials or you talk to health care officials and you talk about Russia, you talk about China, we talk about North Korea and Iran, it doesn’t always resonate with them,” Krebs said. “Ransomware is something that they intimately feel, whether it’s their community or their peer networks, they see ransomware attacks on a regular basis.”

President TrumpDonald John TrumpSessions accepts ‘Fox News Sunday’ invitation to debate, Tuberville declines Priest among those police cleared from St. John’s Church patio for Trump visit Trump criticizes CNN on split-screen audio of Rose Garden address, protesters clashing with police MORE on Tuesday quietly signed an executive order directing the State Department to take more concrete action in countries identified as violating religious freedoms, assigning $50 million to support such efforts.

The executive order, called “Advancing International Religious Freedom,” tasks the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to fund programs that promote and protect religious freedoms abroad.

The order also calls for diplomats to increase efforts raising concerns with partner countries over religious discrimination. The president did not hold a public ceremony for the signing nor make public remarks about the implementation of the order.

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The signing occurred after the president and first lady visited the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday afternoon, and amid tense protests occurring in the capital and across the country for over a week in response to the video-taped killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in Minnesota.

The day before, the president took a photo outside St. John’s Episcopal Church across the street from the White House, but drew intense criticism over federal law enforcement’s use of rubber bullets and physical force to disperse peaceful protesters for Trump’s short walk to the church.

The president’s order follows the publication in April of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) annual report, which documents the state of religious freedoms around the world. The group is an independent, bipartisan U.S. government advisory board that makes policy recommendations based on their findings.

In the 2020 annual report, USCIRF for the first time recommended India be designated as a “Country of Particular Concern” for “a sharp downward turn” in religious freedom in 2019, particularly against Muslims, according to the report.

A Country of Particular Concern, or CPC, designation is considered the most serious category of documenting religious freedom violations and infringement.

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For 2020, USCIRF recommended new CPC designation for Nigeria, Russia, Syria and Vietnam. It called for renewing CPC status for Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

A lesser category, called the “Special Watch List,” was attributed to Cuba, Nicaragua, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Central African Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Turkey.

The executive order also came on the same day that House Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTrump praises ‘domination’ of DC protesters Pelosi, Schumer say treatment of protesters outside White House ‘dishonors every value that faith teaches us’ Democrats call for Congress to take action following death of George Floyd MORE (D-Calif.) prepared the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 to be sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

The legislation imposes sanctions on foreign individuals and entities responsible for human rights abuses against the minority Uighur Muslim population in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, and requires various reports on the issue.

Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoPresidents and ‘presidents’ The Hill’s Morning Report – Trump mobilizes military against ‘angry mob,’ holds controversial photo op The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden addresses protests over George Floyd’s death MORE on Tuesday criticized Chinese and Hong Kong authorities for banning a vigil marking the 1989 massacre of pro-Democracy protesters on Tiananmen Square, one day after President TrumpDonald John TrumpSessions accepts ‘Fox News Sunday’ invitation to debate, Tuberville declines Priest among those police cleared from St. John’s Church patio for Trump visit Trump criticizes CNN on split-screen audio of Rose Garden address, protesters clashing with police MORE oversaw a crackdown on protesters outside the White House.

“It starts; so soon,” Pompeo tweeted. “For the first time in 30 years, Hong Kong authorities denied permission to hold the #TiananmenVigil. If there is any doubt about Beijing’s intent, it is to deny Hong Kongers a voice and a choice, making them the same as mainlanders. So much for two systems.”

The secretary is expected to meet with Tiananmen Square survivors, according to the State Department.

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Pompeo has focused intense criticism on the Chinese Communist Party over the spread of the novel coronavirus and condemned Beijing’s actions with respect to Hong Kong, most recently certifying the territory as no longer autonomous from mainland China and laying the groundwork for Trump to impose sanctions and visa restrictions and end bilateral agreements with the U.S.

Hong Kong officials denied organizers for the Tiananmen square vigil permission, citing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

Only the semi-autonomous territories of Hong Kong and Macau have been allowed to hold annual vigils marking the events of June 3 and June 4. The approximate numbers of those killed and injured are unknown, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand.

The June 1989 crackdown on pro-Democracy demonstrators in the plaza of Tiananmen Square is viewed as one China’s bloodiest assaults on protesters and is considered an ongoing miscarriage of justice, as ruling Chinese leaders have effectively erased the moment from the national conscious.

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Pompeo’s meeting with pro-Democracy Chinese protesters comes amid increased calls by Trump for law enforcement to “dominate” the streets and crack down on rioting and looting that have occurred among largely peaceful protests over the course of the week.

The protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man seen in a video saying he couldn’t breathe as a white police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck. He later died in police custody. The protests, however, are part of a larger call to end racial disparities and violence against African Americans.

On Monday, the president had federal law enforcement outside the White House fire tear gas and rubber bullets and use physical force to disperse peaceful protests, clearing a path for the president to cross the street for a photo outside a church that had been vandalized earlier.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpDonald Trump and Joe Biden create different narratives for the election The hollowing out of the CDC Poll: Biden widens lead over Trump to 10 points MORE’s rapid push for a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year may be playing into the hands of the anti-vaccine community, which has already used the coronavirus crisis to further its conspiracy claims about the safety of vaccines.

The Trump administration is racing to get a vaccine to the market quickly with “Operation Warp Speed.” 

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The project’s goal is to have 300 million vaccine doses available by January, an accelerated version of the administration’s previous projections of needing 12 to 18 months to get a vaccine ready for the public.

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“That means big and it means fast,” Trump said when he announced the initiative earlier this month. “A massive scientific, industrial and logistical endeavor unlike anything our country has seen since the Manhattan Project.”

The anti-vaccine community has worked for decades to cast doubt on the safety of vaccines, arguing without evidence that there is a link between childhood vaccinations and autism.

Since the novel coronavirus began sweeping through the country, members of the anti-vaccine movement have found common cause with people protesting stay-at-home measures, and have shown up at multiple rallies. 

Earlier this month, Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms removed a widely circulated video titled “Plandemic” produced by anti-vaccine activist Judy Mikovits. It spread conspiracy theories about the coronavirus, including that it was invented in a laboratory in order to promote vaccinations.

Public health experts such as Peter Hotez, a vaccine expert and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, say Operation Warp Speed can be used by the anti-vaccine movement to spread misinformation because it plays to arguments they are already making: Vaccines are being rushed without enough attention on all of their effects.

The idea that vaccines are rushed to the market without enough scrutiny, Hotez said in a recent interview, is a tenet of the anti-vaccine movement.

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Anthony FauciAnthony FauciOvernight Defense: Trump extends deployment of National Guard troops to aid with coronavirus response | Pentagon considers reducing quarantine to 10 days | Lawmakers push for removal of Nazi headstones from VA cemeteries Don’t move the COVID-19 goalpost Overnight Health Care: Sewage testing gives clues of coronavirus | White House says Trump would take hydroxychloroquine again | Trump marks ‘very sad milestone’ of 100K virus deaths MORE, the administration’s top infectious disease doctor, also has criticized the “Warp Speed” name, saying it could feed misconceptions.

“I’m a little concerned by that name because it can imply by warp speed that you’re going so fast that you’re skipping over important steps and are not paying enough attention to safety, which is absolutely not the case,” Fauci said in a recent interview with The Hill.

Fauci emphasized the entire process of developing a successful vaccine requires “good attention to safety and scientific integrity.”

Companies have announced plans to manufacture vaccines even as they are being studied in the hopes of delivering a coronavirus vaccine more quickly. Companies are pursuing multiple steps at once, making investments in trial sites and manufacturing processes before they even know if a vaccine candidate works. 

Fauci said this does put a financial risk on the companies developing the vaccines, but that it should not suggest that patient safety is being compromised.

“When you start manufacturing them ahead of time, then the risk is financial, because if it works, you’ve saved a lot of time. If it doesn’t, then you’ve invested money you’re not going to recoup,” Fauci said.   

Other experts have noted that even at “warp speed,” a vaccine could still take years to develop.

Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University, said that it is “overly optimistic” to think a vaccine will be available by the end of the year.

The anti-vaccine movement has found success in part through distributing misinformation on social media to specific groups of Americans. 

For example, the movement targeted Orthodox Jews in New York and Somali Americans in Minnesota with information arguing against vaccinations. Last year, the U.S. nearly lost its measles elimination status, something critics have attributed to the movement.

Anti-vaccine leaders have accused the government of hiding a link between vaccines and autism, something that science has repeatedly disproven. 

One of the most prominent myths is that vaccines are a scam, pushed by the government in order to enrich Big Pharma, which results in forcing people to take dangerous vaccines.

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Experts have said the administration did not do itself any favors by naming Moncef Slaoui, a venture capitalist and former executive at GlaxoSmithKline, to lead Operation Warp Speed.

Slaoui has been on the job for only a few weeks but has come under fire from Democrats and watchdog groups over potential conflicts of interest. Slaoui has extensive industry ties, including at least two companies that are working on vaccines, Moderna and SutroVax. He resigned from the board of directors of Moderna when he took the government post, but he remains on the board of SutroVax.

Adalja said the administration has obstacles to overcome and needs to be aggressive in combating vaccine misinformation to make sure people take a vaccine when it becomes available. 

Others think that most people will be willing to take a vaccine for the coronavirus given the dramatic impact it has had on the nation. The country this week passed the ugly milestone of 100,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Vikram Bakhru, a physician and chief operating officer at health technology company ConsejoSano, said the unknown nature of the virus, and the desire to get back to pre-pandemic life, will make the public much more willing to take a COVID-19 vaccine.

Bakhru said he thinks Americans will want to move as quickly as possible. 

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“People are scared, people are worried, people don’t understand exactly how this virus evolves,” Bakhru said. 

He said Americans will understand moving quickly on developing a vaccine is “related to our ability to live our daily lives, and to be a connected society, as we had been before this pandemic.”

At the same time, a Yahoo/YouGov poll from earlier in May suggested the anti-vaccine movement is having an effect on public opinion. It found that nearly 1 in 5 people were hesitant about getting a coronavirus vaccine.

The European Union’s top diplomat on Tuesday said the U.S. is within its rights as the host of the upcoming Group of Seven (G-7) meeting to invite Russia as a guest, but cannot have Moscow return as a permanent member.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s minister for foreign affairs, said the host country of the G-7, the annual meeting of the world’s most advanced economies, can invite other governments as guests and that it reflects the agenda of the host.

“I would also like to stress the fact that it’s the prerogative of the G-7 chair — in this case the United States — to issue guest invitations, which reflects the host’s priorities,” Borrell said in a briefing with reporters, but said the U.S. holds no powers to change the number of members.

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“But changing the membership or changing the format on a permanent basis is not a prerogative of the G-7 chair,” he said.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpSessions accepts ‘Fox News Sunday’ invitation to debate, Tuberville declines Priest among those police cleared from St. John’s Church patio for Trump visit Trump criticizes CNN on split-screen audio of Rose Garden address, protesters clashing with police MORE has said he wants Russia, along with Australia, South Korea and India, to participate at an in-person gathering in the U.S. of the G-7, which the president has postponed from June until September.

Russia was a member of the group until 2014, then called the G-8, but was removed after Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine.

“Russia’s participation in the — at that time — G-8 has been suspended until Russia changes course and the environment allows for the G-8 to again have a meaningful discussion. This is not currently the case,” Borrell told reporters Tuesday. “I think I have to address you to the Hague Declaration from March 2014 explaining why the G-8 became the G-7 and why it is still difficult to believe that in the current circumstances it can again become the G-8.”

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The Hague Declaration was a statement by the other permanent members — the U.S., Canada, France Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom — condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine and ended cooperation with Moscow, changing the G-8 to the G-7.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin TrudeauJustin Pierre James TrudeauCanada’s Trudeau responds to Trump: Russia not welcome in G-7 Trump, Putin talk G-7 plans German chancellor says she ‘cannot confirm’ she’ll attend possible G7 summit MORE on Monday said Russia should continued to be excluded from the meeting for its ongoing occupation of Crimea.

“Russia was excluded from the G-7 after it invaded Crimea a number of years ago, and its continued disrespect and flaunting of international rules and norms is why it remains outside of the G-7, and it will continue to remain out,” Trudeau said during his daily news conference.

Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill’s newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you don’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter with this LINK.

Welcome! Follow our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech reporter, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills), for more coverage.

ZUCKERBERG UNDER FIRE: A group of civil rights organizations criticized Facebook on Monday for its inaction on posts from President TrumpDonald John TrumpSessions accepts ‘Fox News Sunday’ invitation to debate, Tuberville declines Priest among those police cleared from St. John’s Church patio for Trump visit Trump criticizes CNN on split-screen audio of Rose Garden address, protesters clashing with police MORE about police brutality in Minnesota. 

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Several leaders of the organizations held a call with Facebook CEO Mark ZuckerbergMark Elliot ZuckerbergHillicon Valley: Facebook employees speak up against content decisions | Trump’s social media executive order on weak legal ground | Order divides conservatives Facebook employees criticize company position on Trump’s George Floyd posts Zuckerberg expressed concern to Trump over rhetoric amid protests: Axios MORE and COO Sheryl Sandberg about the post where Trump said “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” in response to protests against the death of George Floyd.

Vanita Gupta, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, said they were “disappointed and stunned by Mark’s incomprehensible explanations for allowing the Trump posts to remain up.”

“He did not demonstrate understanding of historic or modern-day voter suppression and he refuses to acknowledge how Facebook is facilitating Trump’s call for violence against protesters,” they said.

“Mark is setting a very dangerous precedent for other voices who would say similar harmful things on Facebook,” they said. 

Zuckerberg and Facebook have been under intense criticism since keeping up Trump’s post about protesters demonstrating against the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man who died last week while in Minneapolis police custody.

Video of the incident that surfaced last week showed a police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, while Floyd pleaded for air. 

The former officer, Derek Chauvin, was charged Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Earlier in the week, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo fired Chauvin and three other officers who were on the scene.

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While Twitter placed a warning on a similar tweet from Trump claiming that it glorified violence, Facebook left it untouched. The post has received more than 254,000 reactions and 71,000 shares.

Read more.

 

TWO ENGINEERS QUIT: At least two Facebook software engineers have left the social media company over its decision not to flag inflammatory posts President Trump has made on the platform.

“I cannot stand by Facebook’s continued refusal to act on the president’s bigoted messages aimed at radicalizing the American public,” Timothy Aveni wrote in a LinkedIn post. “I’m scared for my country, and I’m watching my company do nothing to challenge the increasingly dangerous status quo.”

Another employee, Owen Anderson, announced his departure from the company on Twitter.

The moves by Aveni and Anderson reflect escalating tensions between Facebook and its employees.

Read more.

 

ZUCKERBERG HOLDS FIRM: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday defended the company’s decision not to take action against President Trump’s controversial posts about protests that have swept the nation in response to the death of George Floyd. 

During a virtual question-and-answer session with employees, Zuckerberg said that Facebook’s policies and principles in regard to free speech showed that “the right action” was to leave the posts up, according to audio of the call heard by The New York Times. 

“I knew that I would have to separate out my personal opinion,” Zuckerberg said. “Knowing that when we made this decision we made, it was going to lead to a lot of people upset inside the company, and the media criticism we were going to get.”

A Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill that “open and honest discussion has always been a part of Facebook’s culture. Mark had an open discussion with employees today, as he has regularly over the years.”

“He’s grateful for their feedback,” the spokesperson added.

Read more.

 

TWITTER RESTRICTS GAETZ POST: Twitter has restricted a Monday tweet from Rep. Matt GaetzMatthew (Matt) GaetzTwitter restricts tweet from Gaetz for glorifying violence Trump signs order targeting social media firms’ legal protections Trump to order review of law protecting social media firms after Twitter spat: report MORE (R-Fla.), saying it glorifies violence, a move that comes after also cracking down on some of President Trump’s tweets last week. 

The Florida lawmaker and vocal Trump ally tweeted in response to Trump’s Sunday announcement on Twitter that anti-facist activists, or antifa, would be formally designated as a terrorist organization. 

“Now that we clearly see Antifa as terrorists, can we hunt them down like we do those in the Middle East?” Gaetz posted.

Twitter restricted the tweet, preventing it from being liked, replied to or retweeted. Before the social media platform’s action, the tweet had been retweeted more than 12,000 times, The Verge reported.

A Twitter spokesperson told The Hill in a statement that the “public interest notice” was placed on the tweet because it was “in violation of our glorification of violence policy,” which forbids the threatening of violence against an individual or group.

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Read more.

 

USTR INVESTIGATES DIGITAL TAXES: The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday announced that it is opening investigations into digital services taxes that have been adopted or are under consideration in a host of trading partners to determine whether they are discriminatory and burden U.S. commerce.

The investigations, which will take place under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, will examine taxes that have been adopted in Austria, India, Indonesia, Italy and Turkey and that are under consideration in Brazil, the Czech Republic, the European Union, Spain and the United Kingdom. Findings that the taxes are discriminatory and burdensome could result in the U.S. imposing tariffs. 

USTR said in a notice in the Federal Register that the investigations will initially focus on concerns that digital services taxes are discriminatory against U.S. companies, retroactive and potentially unreasonable tax policy. The agency said that the taxes may diverge from U.S. and international tax norms, such as taxing revenue rather than income and having a “purpose of penalizing particular technology companies for their commercial success.”

“President Trump is concerned that many of our trading partners are adopting tax schemes designed to unfairly target our companies,” USTR Robert LighthizerRobert (Bob) Emmet LighthizerGOP senator warns quick vote on new NAFTA would be ‘huge mistake’ Pelosi casts doubt on USMCA deal in 2019 Pelosi sounds hopeful on new NAFTA deal despite tensions with White House MORE said in a statement. “We are prepared to take all appropriate action to defend our businesses and workers against any such discrimination.”

Many countries have been adopting or considering digital services taxes in an effort to collect revenue from large tech companies that have a lot of users in their jurisdictions but pay little in taxes there.

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U.S. policymakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as major tech companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Google, have raised concerns about other countries’ efforts, arguing that they unfairly target American businesses. U.S. policymakers and industry groups argue that countries should not take unilateral action to impose a tax and instead should address tax issues arising from the digitalization of the economy through multilateral efforts spearheaded by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

In December, USTR determined that a digital tax adopted by France discriminates against U.S. companies, and proposed tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion of French products. The following month, the U.S. and France reached an agreement under which France has paused the tax and the U.S. is holding off on imposing tariffs while the OECD talks are ongoing.

Read more.

 

GRINDR REMOVES ETHNICITY FILTER: The gay dating and hook-up app Grindr announced Monday that it will remove its ethnicity filter as part of its “zero-tolerance policy for racism.”

Grindr posted on Twitter that the decision was made based on feedback and to show its commitment to fighting racism and hate speech. The company said it will be making a donation to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute and Black Lives Matter and encouraged others “to do the same if you can.”

“We stand in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the hundreds of thousands of queer people of color who log in to our app every day,” the tweeted statement began.

“We will continue to fight racism on Grindr, both through dialogue with our community and a zero-tolerance policy for racism and hate speech on our platform,” it added. “As part of this commitment, and based on your feedback, we have decided to remove the ethnicity filter from our next release.”

Read more.

 

Lighter click: 

An op-ed to chew on: COVID makes tech policy like CDA 230 more important than ever

NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB: 

Mark Zuckerberg on leaked audio: Trump’s looting and shooting reference “has no history of being read as a dog whistle” (Recode, Shirin Ghaffary)

Mass Protests Turn the Powerful Into Conspiracy Theorists (Verge / Anne Merlan)

Your Phone Is a Goldmine of Hidden Data for Cops. Here’s How to Fight Back (Gizmodo / Shoshanna Wodinsky)

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A slight majority of Americans in a survey released Monday by the National Research Group (NRG) favors Twitter’s decision to append a fact check to a tweet by President TrumpDonald John TrumpFauci says his meetings with Trump have ‘dramatically decreased’ McEnany criticizes DC mayor for not imposing earlier curfew amid protests Stopping Israel’s annexation is a US national security interest MORE attacking mail-in ballots.

Fifty-four percent of respondents supported the addition of the label, the first time the social media platform has taken such a step for one of the president’s tweets, according to the survey. Twenty-six percent were opposed, while 20 percent neither supported nor opposed it.

Among self-described liberals surveyed, 76 percent supported the move, compared to 12 percent who opposed it and 12 percent who neither supported nor opposed it.

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Thirty-five percent of self-described conservatives in the poll supported the move, while 44 percent opposed it and 21 percent neither supported nor opposed it.

Among respondents who described themselves as moderates, 58 percent supported Twitter’s action compared to 16 percent who opposed it and 26 percent who neither supported nor opposed it.

The NRG also polled respondents on Trump’s subsequent executive order targeting social media platforms, finding a plurality, 48 percent, opposed it, while 34 percent supported it and 18 percent neither supported nor opposed it.

Opinion on the order was similarly lopsided when broken down by political views, with 14 percent of liberals polled supporting it, 73 percent opposed and 12 percent neither supporting nor opposing it, while 62 percent of conservatives surveyed supported it, 23 percent were opposed, and 15 percent said neither. Fifty-six percent of moderates in the poll opposed the order compared to 18 percent supporting and 26 percent opted for neither.

Polled on what they viewed as the greater threat to society, 63 percent of respondents said “the ability for politicians to make potentially false statements through social media” while 37 percent said “the ability for social media companies to censor potentially false statements on social media.”

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Researchers polled 1,006 American adults between May 29 and May 30. NRG reports that, “Since the survey is conducted online of a national representative sample there is no margin of error to be referenced.”

Twitter has restricted a Monday tweet from Rep. Matt GaetzMatthew (Matt) GaetzTrump signs order targeting social media firms’ legal protections Trump to order review of law protecting social media firms after Twitter spat: report On The Money: US tops 100,000 coronavirus deaths with no end in sight | How lawmaker ties helped shape Fed chairman’s COVID-19 response | Tenants fear mass evictions MORE (R-Fla.), saying it glorifies violence, a move that comes after also cracking down on some of President TrumpDonald John TrumpFauci says his meetings with Trump have ‘dramatically decreased’ McEnany criticizes DC mayor for not imposing earlier curfew amid protests Stopping Israel’s annexation is a US national security interest MORE‘s tweets last week. 

The Florida lawmaker and vocal Trump ally tweeted in response to Trump’s Sunday announcement on Twitter that anti-facist activists, or antifa, would be formally designated as a terrorist organization. 

“Now that we clearly see Antifa as terrorists, can we hunt them down like we do those in the Middle East?” Gaetz posted.

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Twitter restricted the tweet, preventing it from being liked, replied to or retweeted. Before the social media platform’s action, the tweet had been retweeted more than 12,000 times, The Verge reported. 

A Twitter spokesperson told The Hill in a statement that the “public interest notice” was placed on the tweet because it was “in violation of our glorification of violence policy,” which forbids the threatening of violence against an individual or group. 

The social media platform placed warnings on some of the president’s tweets last week, including a couple containing “potentially misleading information” about mail-in voting. 

On Friday, Twitter accused some of Trump’s tweets of violating the glorification of violence policy by calling the protesters in response to George Floyd’s death “thugs” and appearing to threaten military intervention over the demonstrations that had turned violent. 

Antifa activists have grown in visibility since Trump won the election in 2016, but terrorism experts responded to his Sunday announcement by saying the decentralized movement is not an organization with defined leadership.