Latest news with #MikeLee
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Texas governor signs app store age verification measure
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a bill Tuesday requiring app stores, such as those run by Apple and Google, to verify user ages amid a push to ramp up protections for children online. The Lone Star State is the second to pass a law putting the responsibility of age verification on app stores, following Utah's lead. The Texas law is set to go into effect Jan. 1. Apple has pushed back on the measure, emphasizing that it shares the 'goal of strengthening kids' online safety' but is concerned it 'threatens the privacy of all users' by requiring app stores to collect and keep sensitive personal information about users. 'We believe there are better proposals that help keep kids safe without requiring millions of people to turn over their personal information,' an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. The pushback reflects a wider debate over who bears responsibility for determining users' ages — apps themselves or app stores. Social media giants, like Meta, X and Snap, have voiced support for shifting the onus of age verification onto app stores, as the conversation comes to Washington. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. John James (R-Mich.) introduced a bill earlier this month that, much like the measure from Lee's home state, would require Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store to verify user ages. Meta is also part of a new lobbying group in Washington, the Coalition for Competitive Mobile Experience, pushing for app store age verification and raising concerns about Apple's app store practices. They argue that app stores are best suited to handle the issue because they already have age data. 'Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child's age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way,' Meta, X and Snap said in a joint statement following the Texas bill signing. 'The app store is the best place for it, and more than one-third of US states have introduced bills recognizing the central role app stores play,' they added. 'We applaud Texas for taking this important step and urge Congress to follow suit.' This story was updated at 7:09 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Texas governor signs app store age verification measure
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a bill Tuesday requiring app stores, such as those run by Apple and Google, to verify user ages amid a push to ramp up protections for children online. The Lone Star State is the second to pass a law putting the responsibility of age verification on app stores, following Utah's lead. The Texas law is set to go into effect Jan. 1. Apple has pushed back on the measure, emphasizing that it shares the 'goal of strengthening kids' online safety' but is concerned it 'threatens the privacy of all users' by requiring app stores to collect and keep sensitive personal information about users. 'We believe there are better proposals that help keep kids safe without requiring millions of people to turn over their personal information,' an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. The pushback reflects a wider debate over who bears responsibility for determining users' ages — apps themselves or app stores. Social media giants, like Meta, X and Snap, have voiced support for shifting the onus of age verification onto app stores, as the conversation comes to Washington. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. John James (R-Mich.) introduced a bill earlier this month that, much like the measure from Lee's home state, would require Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store to verify user ages. Meta is also part of a new lobbying group in Washington, The Coalition for Competitive Mobile Experience, pushing for app store age verification. They argue that app stores are best suited to handle the issue because they already have age data.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sen. Mike Lee proposes new protections for farmers
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced a bipartisan bill this week to protect farmers while cutting government spending. The bipartisan Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act would bring more transparency to checkoff programs, used to aid the marketing and development of agricultural products. Checkoff programs resulted in influential slogans like 'Got Milk?' and 'Beef. It's What's for Dinner' that allowed farmers to advertise large scale without any individual branding. Stakeholders like farmers, producers and importers pool their resources to fund the checkoff program, which are directed by multiple boards. The bipartisan bill has a mix of Democratic and Republican sponsors in addition to Lee, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rand Paul, R-Ky. But some programs 'exhibited fraudulent and unethical behavior' in their use of funds, a press release from Lee's office said. In one instance, an investigation found that a U.S. Department of Agriculture subcontractor used the program as a way to pay his employees unauthorized bonuses of approximately $302,000. A recent audit from the U.S. Government Accountability Office said the Agriculture Department fails to properly review its subcontractors and needs more oversight. Lee's bill would address these gaps by implementing accountability and transparency measures. 'America's farmers are being ripped off by federal checkoff programs that take farmers' money and play favorites with who they serve,' he said. 'These programs have a reputation for hurting farmers through financial fraud and deceptive practices.' Under this bill, checkoff programs with more than $20 million in revenue from government contracts would be prohibited from working for parties that influence government policy. An exception would be made for educational institutions. The OFF Act also prohibits checkoff program board members and employees from engaging in decisions that involve a conflict of interest or any anticompetitive, deceptive or disparaging practices. It also requires checkoff boards to release their budget and undergo periodic audits by the inspector general of the Agriculture Department and the comptroller general. 'Checkoff dollars too often get channeled to lobbying groups who advocate against the best interests of many of the farmers who are required to pay into the program,' Booker said in the press release. 'This bipartisan bill will prohibit conflicts of interest and anti-competitive practices in these checkoff programs and will ensure that these programs work better for our farmers and ranchers.' The bill was endorsed by several organizations that represent 200,000 American farmers and ranchers, according to the press release. 'America's farmers and ranchers are fed up with their hard-earned money landing in the hands of corporate lobbyists,' said Farm Action Fund President and Missouri farmer Joe Maxwell. 'We face enough hurdles as it is; the last thing we need is our own dollars extracted against our will and then used to illegally lobby on behalf of the largest corporations that are already squeezing us out of the market. It's the USDA's job to prevent this abuse, and they continue to fail us.' He called the bill's provisions 'common sense reforms.' Kansas Cattleman's Association Founder Mike Schultz echoed Maxwell's sentiments. 'Scandal after scandal has proven the longterm corruption in the beef, dairy, and pork checkoff programs that continue to utilize our own tax dollars against us and the day of reckoning is here,' said Schultz. 'American family farmers are up in arms and are determined to see justice in the 119th Congress with the enactment of the OFF Act. Clean up decades of corruption.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sen Mike Lee accuses Chicago mayor — who called Trump a 'monster' — of 'bragging about' violating the law
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called President Donald Trump a "monster," and U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has accused the mayor of "bragging about" violating the law. Johnson accused the president of "animus towards women, people of color, [and] working people." "We have always known who he has been," he declared. "This is not a surprise. He's a monster, period. We have the most diverse administration in the history of Chicago, and he is threatened by that." Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Doj Launches Investigation Into Blue State City Over Alleged Race-based Hiring The mayor's fiery comments come in the context of the Justice Department launching a probe into whether Chicago is engaging in race-based discrimination. Read On The Fox News App "Our investigation is based on information suggesting that you have made hiring decisions solely on the basis of race," a letter signed by Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon declares. The letter points to comments the mayor made while speaking to Dr. Byron T. Brazier, pastor of the Apostolic Church of God. During the exchange, Johnson pointed to various roles occupied by Black individuals and said, "when you ask, how do we ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business, having people in my administration that will look out for the interest of everyone, and everyone means you have to look out for the interests of Black folks … that's how we ensure long-term sustainable growth …" Police Raid Dc Shooting Suspect Elias Rodriguez's Chicago Apartment Dhillon's message to the mayor notes that "we have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation." "Chicago's mayor is about to find out," Sen. Mike Lee declared in a post on X. "Racial discrimination is illegal." "There's no such thing as benevolently racist hiring policies," Lee said in another post. "Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is breaking the law And bragging about it Then calling Trump a monster because his administration won't tolerate that," Lee wrote, adding, "He's about to find out." Gianno Caldwell Seeks Justice For Brother Killed In Blue City 'Enamored With Criminals' Rights': Alderman The mayor's press office also did not respond to Fox News Digital's comment request by the time of article source: Sen Mike Lee accuses Chicago mayor — who called Trump a 'monster' — of 'bragging about' violating the law
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Sen Mike Lee accuses Chicago mayor — who called Trump a 'monster' — of 'bragging about' violating the law
Print Close By Alex Nitzberg Published May 23, 2025 Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called President Donald Trump a "monster," and U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has accused the mayor of "bragging about" violating the law. Johnson accused the president of "animus towards women, people of color, [and] working people." "We have always known who he has been," he declared. "This is not a surprise. He's a monster, period. We have the most diverse administration in the history of Chicago, and he is threatened by that." Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. DOJ LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO BLUE STATE CITY OVER ALLEGED RACE-BASED HIRING The mayor's fiery comments come in the context of the Justice Department launching a probe into whether Chicago is engaging in race-based discrimination. "Our investigation is based on information suggesting that you have made hiring decisions solely on the basis of race," a letter signed by Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon declares. The letter points to comments the mayor made while speaking to Dr. Byron T. Brazier, pastor of the Apostolic Church of God. During the exchange, Johnson pointed to various roles occupied by Black individuals and said, "when you ask, how do we ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business, having people in my administration that will look out for the interest of everyone, and everyone means you have to look out for the interests of Black folks … that's how we ensure long-term sustainable growth …" POLICE RAID DC SHOOTING SUSPECT ELIAS RODRIGUEZ'S CHICAGO APARTMENT Dhillon's message to the mayor notes that "we have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation." "Chicago's mayor is about to find out," Sen. Mike Lee declared in a post on X. "Racial discrimination is illegal." "There's no such thing as benevolently racist hiring policies," Lee said in another post. "Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is breaking the law And bragging about it Then calling Trump a monster because his administration won't tolerate that," Lee wrote, adding, "He's about to find out." GIANNO CALDWELL SEEKS JUSTICE FOR BROTHER KILLED IN BLUE CITY 'ENAMORED WITH CRIMINALS' RIGHTS': ALDERMAN CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The mayor's press office also did not respond to Fox News Digital's comment request by the time of publication. Print Close URL
