| DEM NET NEUTRALITY BILL CLEARS HURDLE: A Senate bill that would reverse the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) decision to repeal net neutrality received its 30th co-sponsor on Monday, ensuring it will receive a vote on the Senate floor. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) announced her support for the bill on Twitter, putting it over the top of a procedural requirement to bypass committee approval. The bill, which is being pushed by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), would use Congress's authority under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reverse the FCC's rollback of the popular net neutrality rules. "We've reached the magic number of 30 to secure a vote on the Senate floor, and that number will only continue to climb," Markey said in a statement Monday. "Republicans are faced with a choice -- be on the right side of history and stand with the American people who support a free and open internet, or hold hands with the special interests who want to control the internet for their own profit." Under the CRA, if a joint resolution of disapproval has enough support it can bypass committee review and be fast-tracked for a floor vote. If the bill is passed and signed into law, it would vacate the FCC's vote last month and prohibit the agency from ever trying to repeal the net neutrality rules in the future. Lawmakers have 60 legislative days after the FCC submits its regulations to Congress to pass the CRA. The repeal order is currently awaiting approval from the Office of Management and Budget. With Republicans in control of both the House and Senate, the bill faces long odds to win the simple majorities it needs to reach President Trump's desk. But Democrats and activists see a clear upside in forcing GOP lawmakers to take an official stance during an election year on the consumer internet protections, which polls find popular among voters. Read more here. Please send your tips, comments and bomb cyclone puns to Ali Breland (abreland@thehill.com) and Harper Neidig (hneidig@thehill.com) and follow us on Twitter: @alibreland and @hneidig. We're also on Signal and WhatsApp. Email or DM us for our numbers. APPLE INVESTORS PUSH COMPANY ON TEEN PHONE ADDICTION: Two of Apple's largest investors are pushing for the company to address the harms of children spending large amounts of time on electronic devices. Investing firm Jana Partners and The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) told Apple in an open letter on Monday that the technology firm needs to more seriously reflect on how its products can hurt children in the long term and that it should take action to prevent this. "We have reviewed the evidence and we believe there is a clear need for Apple to offer parents more choices and tools to help them ensure that young consumers are using your products in an optimal manner," the two wrote. "Apple can play a defining role in signaling to the industry that paying special attention to the health and development of the next generation is both good business and the right thing to do." The letter to Apple comes as some groups and individuals in Silicon Valley are beginning to acknowledge warnings from academics about technology's impact on children's health. Read more here. JAMES DAMORE SUES GOOGLE OVER DISCRIMINATION: James Damore, the programmer who was fired from Google last year after circulating a memo that argued women are less biologically suited for tech jobs, has filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, alleging that it discriminates against conservative white men. Damore and David Gudeman, another former Google engineer, filed the lawsuit in Santa Clara Superior Court on Monday on behalf of all current and former employees who have been discriminated against for being white, male, conservative or a combination of the three. "Damore, Gudeman, and other class members were ostracized, belittled, and punished for their heterodox political views, and for the added sin of their birth circumstances of being Caucasians and/or males," the 62-page lawsuit reads. "This is the essence of discrimination--Google formed opinions about and then treated Plaintiffs not based on their individual merits, but rather on their membership in groups with assumed characteristics." A Google spokesperson said in a statement, "We look forward to defending against Mr. Damore's lawsuit in court." Read more here. NEBRASKA INTRODUCES NET NEUTRALITY LEGISLATION: Nebraska is now the first Republican-controlled state to launch its own attempt to save net neutrality rules. On Friday, state Sen. Adam Morfeld (D) introduced legislation in the state legislature to enshrine net neutrality regulations in law on the state level. Morfeld's bill would keep broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast from slowing down or blocking internet content and from cutting deals with content companies to give them faster connection speeds. Read more here. FCC TO VOTE ON IMPROVING EMERGENCY ALERTS: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote later this month on a proposal to enhance wireless emergency alert systems following a string of natural disasters. The agency has not released details on the proposed rules, but Chairman Ajit Pai said providers who participate in the FCC's Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) program will be required to "deliver alerts in a more geographically targeted manner." "This would encourage more local officials to use these alerts during emergencies as well as lead Americans to take more seriously the alerts they receive on their mobile devices," Pai said in a statement. Read more here. ON TAP: The Carnegie Endowment for Peace will hold an event exploring "Iran's Cyber Threat" at 12:30 p.m. The Committee on Armed Services will hold a hearing at 2:00 p.m. on China's pursuit of emerging and exponential technologies IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Twitter allows apparent phishing scam to buy promoted tweet White House details demands as part of DACA deal Washington Monthly: An early Facebook investor's perspective on how to fix it Bloomberg: Bill Gates says private sector can profit from public health Reuters: French prosecutor launches probe into Apple products' planned obsolescence: judicial source Wired: Mark Zuckerberg essentially launched Facebook's reelection campaign | 
