The Hill

British lawmakers grilled Silicon Valley social media giants over the presence of “fake news” and Russian influence on their platforms in Washington (DC).  The British parliament members asked Twitter, Facebook and YouTube representatives pointed questions during a special US hearing over how hoax content disseminated from their websites may have swayed the 2016 British "Brexit" referendum on leaving the European Union.   The tech representatives downplayed those concerns, citing internal data they said found that accounts linked to Russians did not heavily use their platforms in the same w

A Puerto Rican journalists’ organization is suing the island’s Demographic Registry over what it says are under-reported death counts following Hurricane Maria. The Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI) filed the suit Feb 7, arguing that the registry did not provide statistical updates on the death count after the hurricane. The suit cites a right to “public information and high public interest for Puerto Rico."

A bipartisan budget deal announced by Senate leaders includes $20 billion for U.S. infrastructure programs, an investment plan that comes ahead of the Trump administration's highly anticipated rebuilding proposal. The funds would go toward “existing” projects for water and energy infrastructure as well as expanding broadband to rural regions and improving surface transportation said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY).

New Jersey will join nearly two dozen other states in a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration's contentious repeal of network neutrality rules, said Gov Phil Murphy (D-NJ). Gov Murphy also signed an executive order requiring internet providers hired by the state adhere to the principles of net neutrality.