Overnight Tech: Dems push Facebook, Twitter to investigate Russian bots | Record lobbying year for tech | Uber hires chief diversity officer | Feds probe Tesla autopilot crash

View in your browser     DEMS PRESS TWITTER, FACEBOOK ON RUSSIAN BOTS: Top-ranking Democrats in the House and the Senate are calling on Twitter and Facebook to launch investigations of potential Russian-linked accounts that are pushing for the release of a controversial congressional memo. The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), and the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey asking that they "provide a public report to Congress and the American public by January 26" on the matter. Facebook and Twitter confirmed receipt of the letter. "Twitter is committed to addressing malicious activity on our platform, and we take any assertions of such activity very seriously. We look forward to working closely with Senator Feinstein and Congressman Schiff to address their questions," a Twitter spokesperson said. The memo in question was drafted by House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and is believed by some Republicans to show political bias in the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) probe of potential links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Schiff and Feinstein in their letter cited data by the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for Securing Democracy, which found that Russian bots on Twitter were advocating for legislators to make the memo public. A source familiar with Twitter's analytics, though, said "the hashtags appear to be organically trending," and not the result of a Russian-led influence campaign. The senators expressed concern that attempts by Russian actors to influence the release of the memo "are intended to influence congressional action and undermine Special Counsel [Robert] Mueller's investigation," of the possible Trump campaign ties to Russia. "It is critically important that the Special Counsel's investigation be allowed to proceed without interference from inside or outside the United States," the California lawmakers wrote. "That is why we seek your assistance in our efforts to counter Russia's continuing efforts to manipulate public opinion and undermine American democracy and the rule of law." Read more here.   Please send your tips, comments and compliments 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.   UK REGULATOR LOOKS TO BLOCK MURDOCH TAKEOVER OF SKY NEWS: United Kingdom (U.K.) regulators are recommending that the government block 21st Century Fox from taking over Sky TV, dealing a major blow to billionaire Rupert Murdoch's media empire. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced Tuesday that it found the $15.4 billion bid to be "not in the public interest" because it would give the Murdoch family trust "too much control" over news and public opinion in the U.K., according to a statement from the agency. "Due to its control of News Corp, the Murdoch family already has significant influence over public opinion and full ownership of Sky by Fox would strengthen this even further," the watchdog said in the release, adding that Murdoch's outlets are "watched, read or heard by nearly a third of the UK's population." Read more here.   TECH GIANTS HAD RECORD LOBBYING YEAR: The five biggest tech companies in the U.S. collectively spent nearly $60 million on federal lobbying in 2017. Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft combined spent a record $58 million on advocacy in Washington during a year in which the sector was heavily scrutinized over its size and influence. Google led the pack, spending $18 million lobbying on everything from copyright law to wind power to internet privacy -- up from $15.4 million in 2016. The internet giant also advocated on antitrust issues as it was hit with a record $2.9 billion fine from the European Union for favoring its own comparison shopping service in its search results. Read more here.   FEDS TO PROBE TESLA CRASH: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Tuesday announced it will dispatch two investigators to launch a field probe into a crash involving a Tesla vehicle reportedly operating on autopilot. The safety agency said the investigation will focus on "driver and vehicle factors." The investigators are expected to arrive in Culver City, Calif., the site of the crash on Wednesday. According to The Mercury News, a Tesla Model S crashed into a parked fire truck while traveling on Interstate 405 on Monday. The Culver City Firefighters union wrote on Twitter that the driver in the Tesla said the vehicle was operating on Autopilot. Read more here.   UBER HIRES CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER: Uber is hiring Bo Young Lee to be its first-ever chief diversity and inclusion officer. Lee is currently the global head of diversity and inclusion at financial services firm Marsh & McLennan. She is slated to fill the new role at Uber in March, according to the company, and will work out of Uber's New York office. She is the third executive hired under new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, following chief legal officer Tony West and chief operating officer Barney Harford, and represents another step forward as the company rebuilds its top ranks. Read more here.   FACEBOOK EXEC TO RETIRE, HELP DEMS IN MIDTERMS: A top Facebook executive announced this week that he would be stepping down from the company in part to focus on helping Democrats in this year's midterm elections. Gary Briggs, Facebook's chief marketing officer (CMO), wrote in a post on Monday that he also plans to advise some companies and will consider teaching in his retirement. "We're going to travel some and start to split our time in and out of the Bay Area and Seattle," Briggs wrote, referring to his family's plans. "And I plan to help the Democratic Party on some efforts leading up to the US midterms this year through to 2020." Read more here.   ON TAP: The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a field hearing on automotive innovation at the Washington Convention Center at 10 a.m.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Financial Times: European advertisers urge Facebook and Google to set up standards body Bloomberg: Twitter COO Anthony Noto resigns to become chief executive of SoFi Reuters: Tesla sets massive stock awards for Musk based on boosting market value The Wall Street Journal: What if children should be spending more time with screens? Axios: Comcast-NBC merger conditions expire, raising anti-competitive fears         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Technology Newsletters     Forward Technology Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Regulation: Trump’s former chemical safety nominee leaving EPA | Senate confirms Powell as Fed chair | NTSB investigating Tesla crash

View in your browser     Welcome to Overnight Regulation, your daily rundown of news from the federal agencies, Capitol Hill, the courts and beyond. It's Tuesday evening, and the government is open. Listen to our HillCast PM View, where host Niv Ellis brings you the latest on the immigration debate, which is flaring up after the shutdown.   THE BIG STORY President Trump's former nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) chemical safety office is leaving his job at the agency. Michael Dourson was hired as a senior adviser to Administrator Scott Pruitt last October after a fiery confirmation hearing. The hire angered Democrats, who accused Pruitt and Dourson of trying to do an end-run around the Senate's responsibility to confirm high-ranking government officials. He withdrew from the confirmation process in December after a handful of GOP senators announced their opposition to him, dooming his nomination, but he stayed on in an advisory role. Now, Dourson will leave that job in the coming weeks. "We wish him continued success in his future endeavors," EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox said. Democrats vocally objected to Dourson, who worked as a toxicologist for two decades, throughout his confirmation process, citing his history of working on behalf of the chemical industries as an insurmountable conflict of interest. Timothy Cama has the story.   ON TAP FOR WEDNESDAY The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing to examine judicial nominees and Adam I. Klein to be chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.   REG ROUNDUP Finance: The Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell as the next chairman of the central bank by an overwhelming bipartisan margin. The vote on Powell's confirmation quickly cleared the simple majority of senators necessary to confirm him to replace Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen on Feb. 3. The final count stood at 85 to 12, one of the widest margins of confirmation for a Trump nominee. Nearly all Republicans and a vast majority of Democrats supported Powell's confirmation. Those opposed included conservative GOP Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Rand Paul (Ky.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), and Mike Lee (Utah), and potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Kamala Harris (Calif.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Trump nominated Powell to replace Yellen as chair in November. Powell had served on the Fed board since his appointment by former President Barack Obama in 2012. The Senate Banking Committee approved Powell's nomination by a near-unanimous vote in December, with only Warren opposing him. More from Sylvan Lane here.   Transportation: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is evaluating a crash in Southern California involving a Tesla vehicle reportedly operating the Autopilot feature. NTSB says investigators will launch a field investigation focusing on "driver and vehicle factors." The investigators are expected to arrive Wednesday, the safety agency said. The Culver City Firefighters union confirmed on Twitter on Monday that a Tesla had hit one of its trucks. The union said the Tesla was going 65 mph at the time of the crash and no one was injured. Mallory Shelbourne reports.   Finance: The Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday grilled three of President Trump's major financial regulatory nominees, all of which are expected to be confirmed by the full chamber. The Banking panel hosted Trump's nominees for chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), a Federal Reserve governorship and the Financial Stability Oversight Council's (FSOC) member from the insurance industry. Republicans were supportive of the entire slate, while Democrats honed in on Marvin Goodfriend, Trump's nominee to the Fed board. Sylvan with the story again.   Technology: United Kingdom (U.K.) regulators are recommending that the government block 21st Century Fox from taking over Sky TV, dealing a major blow to billionaire Rupert Murdoch's media empire. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced Tuesday that it found the $15.4 billion bid to be "not in the public interest" because it would give the Murdoch family trust "too much control" over news and public opinion in the U.K., according to a statement from the agency. "Due to its control of News Corp, the Murdoch family already has significant influence over public opinion and full ownership of Sky by Fox would strengthen this even further," the watchdog said in the release, adding that Murdoch's outlets are "watched, read or heard by nearly a third of the UK's population." Avery Anapol has the rundown.   Environment: The Trump administration is waiving dozens of environmental regulations to speed up construction of President Trump's proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a notice published in the Federal Register that she was waiving the rules to accelerate construction on part of the wall in New Mexico. The waiver excludes rules from major laws including the National Environment Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and the Antiquities Act, among others. But lawsuits could be on the horizon. The Center for Biological Diversity, which sued the administration over the wall last year, said that it was considering taking further legal action over the new waiver. Jacqueline Thomsen reports.   Finance: President Trump on Monday imposed tariffs on imports of residential washing machines and solar panel technology as part of a promise to crack down on trading partners the industry argues hurt U.S. manufacturers. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the president agreed to levy a 20 percent tariff on washing machines and a 30 percent tariff on solar cells and modules in the Section 201 case. "The [International Trade Commission] found that U.S. producers had been seriously injured by imports and made several recommendations to the president," Lighthizer said in a statement. Vicki Needham has the rundown.   SEC: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) head Jay Clayton said the agency is closely scrutinizing companies who have switched their names and business models to take advantage of mushroomed interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Clayton disparaged the recent trend in a speech he gave on Monday at the Securities Regulation Institute. "The SEC is looking closely at the disclosures of public companies that shift their business models to capitalize on the perceived promise of distributed ledger technology and whether the disclosures comply with the securities laws, particularly in the case of an offering," Clayton said. Ali Breland with the story.   IN OTHER NEWS: Big east coast refiner files for bankruptcy, blaming regulation (The Wall Street Journal) South Korea's cryptocurrency crackdown isn't stopping this bitcoin exchange's launch (The Wall Street Journal) Trump pick for FDIC vows to address 'hold-up' of non-bank licenses (Reuters) Qualcomm set to be sanctioned by European antitrust watchdog (Financial Times) Trump's latest regulatory overhaul raises food safety fears (NBC News) IG goes to battle over plans for tough EU retail trading rules (Financial Times) Send tips and comments, compliments and coffee, to rroubein@thehill.com and follow me on Twitter @rachel_roubein.         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Regulation Newsletters     Forward Regulation Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Cybersecurity: Mueller interviewed Sessions in Russia probe | Comey met investigators last year | Dems demand social media firms probe Russian bots | Missing FBI text messages anger Republicans

View in your browser       Welcome to OVERNIGHT CYBERSECURITY, your daily rundown of the biggest news in the world of hacking and data privacy. We're here to connect the dots as leaders in government, policy and industry try to counter the rise in cyber threats. What lies ahead for Congress, the administration and the latest company under siege? Whether you're a consumer, a techie or a D.C. lifer, we're here to give you ...   THE BIG STORIES: --MUELLER INTERVIEWS SESSIONS: Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed last week by special counsel Robert Mueller's team as part of the Justice Department's investigation into Russian election meddling. The Justice Department confirmed a report in The New York Times that Sessions was questioned for several hours. It is the first time that Mueller's team has interviewed a member of President Trump's Cabinet. Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation in March, despite criticism from Trump. It was reported earlier this month that Trump ordered White House counsel Don McGahn to block Sessions from recusing himself, but the attorney general refused. It is likely that Mueller questioned Sessions about Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey and whether the president obstructed justice. To read the rest of our piece, click here. --AND REPORTEDLY INTERVIEWED COMEY LAST YEAR: Comey was reportedly interviewed last year as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference. The New York Times reported Tuesday that the interview with Comey included discussion of the memos he wrote about his interactions with President Trump. Trump fired Comey last May. The move helped trigger events leading to Mueller's probe into Russian election interference, which is looking at links between the Trump campaign and Russia. Comey last year testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee that Trump had asked for his loyalty during a January dinner at the White House. He also testified that Trump pressured him during an Oval Office meeting in February to end the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Trump has denied both claims and attacked Comey, calling him a leaker. Flynn pleaded guilty last year to making false statements to the FBI. He is now cooperating with Mueller's investigation. To read the rest of our piece, click here.   A FEW CAPITOL HILL UPDATES: --TOP DEMS DEMAND SOCIAL MEDIA FIRMS INVESTIGATE RUSSIAN BOTS: Top-ranking Democrats in the House and the Senate are calling on Twitter and Facebook to launch investigations of potential Russian-linked accounts that are pushing for the release of a controversial congressional memo. The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), and the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey asking that they "provide a public report to Congress and the American public by January 26" on the matter. Facebook and Twitter confirmed receipt of the letter. "Twitter is committed to addressing malicious activity on our platform, and we take any assertions of such activity very seriously. We look forward to working closely with Senator Feinstein and Congressman Schiff to address their questions," a Twitter spokesperson said. The memo in question was drafted by House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and is believed by some Republicans to show political bias in the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) probe of potential links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. To read the rest of our piece, click here. --BIDEN BACKS ELECTION INTERFERENCE BILL: Former vice president Joe Biden on Tuesday expressed support for a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate that is aimed at deterring future foreign interference in U.S. elections. Biden voiced support for the "Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines (DETER) Act" during an appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations on Tuesday. "I think it is an appropriate step. I'm sure there are consequences that could flow that are ones we did not anticipate, but I cannot--I do not believe the failure--doing that equals the failure to take these steps in terms of our interests. And so I would--were I in the Senate, I'd be supporting that legislation," Biden said when asked specifically about the bill. The bill was introduced by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) one week ago. To read more about it, click here.   A LIGHTER CLICK:  Techies and celebs unite at Davos.   AN ACTION IN FOCUS:  STATE SETS UP CUBA 'INTERNET TASK FORCE': The State Department announced Tuesday that it will convene a Cuba Internet Task Force to promote the free flow of information in Cuba. "The Department of State is convening a Cuba Internet Task Force composed of U.S. government and non-governmental representatives to promote the free and unregulated flow of information in Cuba," the State Department said in a statement on Tuesday morning. "The task force will examine the technological challenges and opportunities for expanding internet access and independent media in Cuba." The task force was set up in response to a presidential memorandum signed last June. The State Department said that the first public meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 7, in Washington.   WHAT'S IN THE SPOTLIGHT:  FBI TEXT MESSAGES: Federal investigators are demanding answers from the FBI over missing text messages between agents accused of anti-Trump bias, leaving the nation's premier law enforcement agency scrambling to defend its reputation amid an explosion of criticism from the White House, Congress and conservative media. The DOJ has opened an investigation into how the FBI "failed to preserve" text messages sent between Peter Strzok, the FBI's top counterintelligence officer, and Lisa Page, a senior FBI lawyer. The FBI informed the DOJ's inspector general this week that the data was not retained because of "misconfiguration issues" related to software upgrades on the bureau's phone devices. President Trump on Tuesday called the revelation "one of the biggest stories in a long time," while White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the development "absolutely outrageous." "It looks like there could have been some really inappropriate and possibly illegal behavior," Sanders said at Tuesday's press briefing. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has vowed to leave "no stone unturned" in finding the missing messages. GOP lawmakers are calling for a second special counsel to investigate and have floated the possibility of issuing a subpoena to the bureau's cell carrier. To read more from our piece, click here.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Links from our blog, The Hill, and around the Web. FBI chief moves to fill key posts. (The Hill) Facebook exec to retire, help Dems in midterms. (The Hill) Dem presses Homeland Security for update on Kaspersky ban. (The Hill) Tech giants spent record sums on lobbying in 2017. (The Hill) CIA director: Trump grasps intelligence at same level as 25-year veteran. (The Hill) OP-ED: Better cybersecurity is critical to protecting future elections. (The Hill) OP-ED: After 'foreign surveillance' law, Congress must demand answers from intel community. (The Hill) Intel does not want customers to implement patches for Spectre, Meltdown. (CyberScoop) A case study of how Russia's propaganda, influence campaigns work. (Atlantic Council) British cyber official warns major cyberattack is a matter of 'when, not if.' (The Guardian) If you'd like to receive our newsletter in your inbox, please sign up here.           Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Cybersecurity Newsletters     Forward Cybersecurity Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.