The Latest News from the Institute for Free Speech February 8, 2023 Click here to subscribe to the Daily Media Update. This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Congress Washington Post: Newly empowered Republicans are coming for Big Tech, alleging collusion By Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima .....On Wednesday, Musk’s “Twitter Files” will take center stage in a Capitol Hill hearing where GOP leaders will try to advance their campaign to turn Twitter’s decision to briefly block sharing a story about the president’s son into evidence of a broad conspiracy. Conservatives have long argued that Silicon Valley favors Democrats by systematically suppressing right-wing viewpoints on social media. These allegations have evolved in nearly a half-decade of warnings, as politicians in Washington and beyond fixate on the industry’s communications with Democratic leaders, seeking to cast the opposing party as against free speech. The Courts Washington Post: Live-streaming traffic stop is free speech, but protecting it is a challenge By Rachel Weiner .....A federal appeals court ruled this week that live-streaming traffic stops is protected speech under the First Amendment after a North Carolina man challenged police’s claims that doing so is barred for safety reasons. “Recording police encounters creates information that contributes to discussion about governmental affairs. So too does livestreaming disseminate that information, often creating its own record. We thus hold that livestreaming a police traffic stop is speech protected by the First Amendment,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday. Online Speech Platforms New York Times: The People Onscreen Are Fake. The Disinformation Is Real. By Adam Satariano and Paul Mozur .....With few laws to manage the spread of the technology, disinformation experts have long warned that deepfake videos could further sever people’s ability to discern reality from forgeries online, potentially being misused to set off unrest or incept a political scandal. Those predictions have now become reality. Although the use of deepfakes in the recently discovered pro-China disinformation campaign was ham-handed, it opens a new chapter in information warfare. In recent weeks, another video using similar A.I. technology was uncovered online, showing fictitious people who described themselves as Americans, promoting support for the government of Burkina Faso, which faces scrutiny for links to Russia. Candidates and Campaigns OpenSecrets: “Midterm spending spree”: Cost of 2022 federal elections tops $8.9 billion, a new midterm record By Taylor Giorno .....The 2022 federal election cost more than $8.9 billion, blowing past the inflation-adjusted $7.1 billion spent on the 2018 midterm elections, a new OpenSecrets analysis of year-end disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission found… “The ever-escalating spending race between political parties means the price of admission to Congress keeps climbing,” said OpenSecrets Executive Director Sheila Krumholz. “But all of that money had hardly left American voters more or better informed. “This midterm spending spree was preceded by years of lax campaign finance regulations and oversight following the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United, and I anticipate more federal election spending records will be smashed in 2024,” Krumholz said. Raw Story: Crime spree hits one of Trump's top supporters in Congress By Dave Levinthal .....Another Republican congressman — one of former President Donald Trump’s top supporters — has lost gobs of campaign cash to cyberthieves. The re-election campaign of two-term Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas reported that someone on July 7 made an “unauthorized” withdrawal from its campaign account, according to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by Raw Story. The money went to an outfit listed as “Misty J Productions,” although there’s no evidence in federal campaign or corporate organization records that such a firm exists. Total amount taken from the Nehls for Congress committee: $157,626. Roll Call: Not couch cushion money: Former members sitting on $54 million By Kate Ackley and Herb Jackson .....Members of the 117th Congress who have since left Capitol Hill still hold nearly $54 million in leftover political money — cash they may tap to make contributions as lobbyists or bank for future runs. The States NBC Montana: House committee hears 2 bills that would revise campaign laws By Joshua Margolis .....The House State Administration Committee heard a pair of bills on Tuesday that would revise laws relating to political campaigns. House Bill 341 would revise the rules regarding “paid for by” attributions in political advertising. The bill’s passage would mean only the name and address of a committee would need to be attributed for political advertising financed by a political committee or joint fundraising committee. Currently, additional information is required, including the name of at least one member of the committee. The bill also tosses out requiring the name of a CEO or equivalent for advertisements financed by a political committee that is a corporation or union. Read an article you think we would be interested in? Send it to Tiffany Donnelly at [email protected]. For email filters, the subject of this email will always begin with "Institute for Free Speech Media Update." The Institute for Free Speech is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and defends the First Amendment rights to freely speak, assemble, publish, and petition the government. Please support the Institute's mission by clicking here. For further information, visit www.ifs.org. Follow the Institute for Free Speech ‌ ‌ ‌ The Institute for Free Speech | 1150 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]