This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected].  

By Bradley A. Smith and Gary M. Lawkowski

.....On July 10th, the Institute for Free Speech submitted comments to the Federal Election Commission in support of Agenda Document 23-13-A that would make changes to the FEC’s processes in regards to litigation.

Read a PDF of the comments here.

ABC News: Biden administration asks appeals court to block order limiting its contacts with social media

.....The Biden administration asked a federal appeals court Monday to temporarily block a lower court's order limiting executive branch officials' discussions with social media companies about controversial online posts.

EFF: Preliminary Injunction Limiting Government Communications with Platforms Tackles Illegal “Jawboning,” But Fails to Provide Guidance on What’s Unconstitutional

.....So, while the court order is notable as the first to hold the government accountable for unconstitutional jawboning of social media platforms, and appropriately recognizes the First Amendment right of persons to receive information online free of unlawful government interference, it is not the serious examination of jawboning issues that is sorely needed. The court did not distinguish between unconstitutional and constitutional interactions or provide guideposts for distinguishing between them in the future.

Axios: Scoop: GOP plan targets foreign dark money for 2024

By Hans Nichols and Stef W. Kight

.....House Republicans are working on new legislation to prevent foreign nationals from influencing America’s political process, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The last two presidential elections have been colored by allegations that foreign influence helped the GOP.

His hearing will draw on a new report from a conservative group, the Americans for Public Trust, which tries to show how Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire, has influenced U.S. elections and policy through two nonprofits he controls: The Wyss Foundation and the Berger Action Fund.

Washington Examiner: The ACE Act will strengthen America's democracy

By Rep. Bryan Steil

.....The final pillar of the bill is focused on protecting political speech. Many people have grown concerned that their First Amendment rights will be suppressed or that their beliefs will be weaponized against them. The ACE Act will permanently prohibit federal agencies, such as the IRS, from asking for nonprofit organizations’ donor lists, creating ad hoc standards, and applying them to ideologically opposed groups. This section of the bill will also bring greater transparency and accountability into the federal campaign finance system.

Washington Post: All the ways Trump, not his foes, sought to ‘weaponize’ the government

By Aaron Blake

.....The House GOP’s effort to rip the lid off what it sees as the “weaponization” of the U.S. government hasn’t exactly gone well. The theories remain thinly constructed. The allegations have often gone well beyond the available evidence or even been contradicted by it. Conservative grumbling about the work product began early on.

Washington Free Beacon: Documents Provide Rare Glimpse Into How Arabella Advisors Exerts Centralized Control Over a Vast Left-Wing Advocacy Network

By Andrew Kerr and Joseph Simonson

.....This is the first of two reports based on internal Arabella documents obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. They provide a rare window into the inner workings of the Left’s dark-money network, revealing just how centrally controlled a vast swath of activist organizations are by a central clearinghouse based in the nation’s capital—as well as the lengths to which Arabella’s leaders go to disguise that control and create the illusion of grassroots political activism.

Washington Post (Technology 202): Meta has its own ideas about AI regulation

By Will Oremus and Naomi Nix

.....In an interview with The Technology 202 on Tuesday, Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg argued that keeping AI models “under lock and key” is misguided — and that the industry doesn’t need a special licensing regime. He said the “existential threats” supposedly posed by supersmart AI systems are far-off and hypothetical...

The interview came as Meta seeks to establish itself as a champion of open-source approaches to AI with regulators in key markets. This morning, the Financial Times published a Clegg op-ed calling for AI policy that prioritizes transparency, self-regulation and independent testing of AI models rather than government controls...

CNBC: GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy offers 10% commission to his grassroots fundraisers

By Kevin Breuninger

.....Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is adding a novel incentive to his grassroots fundraising operation: paying supporters back a chunk of what they raise for his campaign…

Politico: Doug Burgum is about to drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on gift cards to qualify for the debate

.....Want free money? You’re in luck. GOP presidential candidate Doug Burgum has a gift card for you.

The North Dakota governor’s presidential campaign is offering $20 cards to donors who give his campaign as little as $1. It’s a bold and expensive fundraising tactic designed squarely to allow him to hit the donor threshold to qualify for the debate stage — while also raising a new set of legal questions.

Washington Post: Group forms to pressure 2024 candidates to turn down Big Tech money

By Cat Zakrzewski

.....A bipartisan group of tech critics on Tuesday morning launched the “No Big Tech Money” pledge, an effort to curb Silicon Valley’s influence over 2024 candidates…

Reason (Volokh Conspiracy): School Board Members Use "Anti-Doxing" Law to Sue Critics for Publicizing the Members' Employers

.....From DeHart v. Tofte, decided Thursday by the Oregon Court of Appeals (Judges Douglas Tookey, Jacqueline Kamins, and Erika Hadlock):

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