Richard Blumenthal Archives - The Michigan Star

Senate Rejects Bill Stripping Section 230 Protections for AI in Landmark Vote

December 14, 2023 Michigan Star Staff

The Senate shot down a bipartisan bill Wednesday aimed at stripping legal liability protections for artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal first introduced their No Section 230 Immunity for AI Act in June and Hawley put it up for an unanimous consent vote on Wednesday. The bill would have eliminated Section 230 protections that currently grant tech platforms immunity from liability for the text and visual content their AI produces, enabling Americans to file lawsuits against them.

Wisconsin U.S. Senator Ron Johnson Leads Efforts to Seek Records on Saudi Arabia’s Role In 9/11 Attacks

September 11, 2023 M.D. Kittle

On this 22nd anniversary of 9/11, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) is demanding the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation turn over the complete, unredacted records of Saudi Arabia\’s role in the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Biden Promises More Abortions If Democrats Win Midterm Elections

October 19, 2022October 18, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Joe Biden attempted to lure voters with the bait of more abortions by promising to enshrine Roe v. Wade into federal law if Democrats win the mid-term elections and keep control of Congress.

“Your right to choose rests with you,” Biden said in a speech Tuesday hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Washington, DC, reported CNBC.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal Urges Biden Administration to Declare ‘Public Health Emergency’ After Supreme Court’s Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade

July 7, 2022July 6, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) was at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Waterbury, Connecticut, Tuesday to urge Biden Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to declare a “public health emergency” in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that returns issues about abortion to the states.

“We’re pressing President Biden to use whatever authority he has, to the maximum extent to explore the possibility of a national emergency that would enable telemedicine prescription, which could then result in medication abortion through the mail,” Blumenthal said, according to the Stamford Advocate.

Democrats Quietly Scrub Abortion Bill Language Saying Men Can Get Pregnant

May 8, 2022May 7, 2022 Admin

The latest version of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), which would effectively make abortion a statutory right, scrubbed references to transgender and nonbinary people’s pregnancies as well as language related to “reproductive justice.”

Earlier versions of the bill used language tying race and transgenderism to the issue of abortion in its non-binding “Findings” section. Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the bill’s sponsor, told Politico the language had been removed from the bill due to objections from some Democrats.

Google Accuses Microsoft of ‘Carving Out’ Exception in Anti-Big Tech Bill

February 8, 2022February 7, 2022 Michigan Star Staff

Google’s Chief Legal Officer and President of Global Affairs Kent Walker accused Microsoft on Friday of “carving out” an exception to a bill targeting app stores operated by Google and Apple.

The Open App Markets Act, introduced by Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in a near-unanimous vote Thursday. Microsoft president Brad Smith applauded the passage of the bill in tweet shortly after, writing that the legislation “would promote competition, and ensure fairness and innovation in the app economy.”

Walker responded to Smith’s tweet accusing the software company of “carving out” an exception in the legislation favoring Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console and service.

Commentary: The Data Mining of America’s Kids Should Be a National Scandal

October 28, 2021October 27, 2021 RealClearWire

As U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland sat down for his first hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, denying a conflict of interest in his decision to investigate parents for “domestic terrorism,” there is a mother in the quiet suburb of Annandale, N.J., who found his answers lacking. And she has questions she wants asked at Garland’s hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee this Wednesday.

On a recent Saturday night, Caroline Licwinko, a mother of three, a law school student and the coach to her daughter’s cheerleading squad, sat in front of her laptop and tapped three words into an internet search engine: “Panorama. Survey. Results.”

Facebook Suspends ‘Instagram Kids’ Following Investigation Into Platform’s Effect on Teens

September 28, 2021September 27, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

Facebook has paused development of a version of its image-sharing platform Instagram specifically geared towards children, the company announced Monday.

The tech giant decided to suspend work on the project in order to “work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators,” and “demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today,” Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, wrote in a statement Monday.

States, Not Congress, Could Pose the Biggest Threat to Tech Companies

August 31, 2021August 30, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

Despite calls for increased regulation of the tech industry, Congress has yet to pass any major legislation, leaving it up to the states to take action curbing tech companies’ power and influence.

Meanwhile, state legislatures have introduced and enacted legislation on data privacy, antitrust, and content moderation, while state attorneys general have issued a number of legal challenges alleging anticompetitive business practices.