Iran-Lebanon War: Ceasefire Reached as U.S. and Iran Edge Closer to Nuclear Deal 
U.S. and Philippines to Build 4,000-Acre Tech Hub Under Pax Silica Initiative 
Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Attempting to Block Hawaii's Climate Case Against Oil Giants 
Pentagon Taps Auto Giants to Supercharge U.S. Weapons Production 
Ukraine Advances With Drone-Infantry Warfare Model, Reclaims Territory in the South 
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons to Exit Federal Government at End of May 
Chile's Kast Unveils 40-Point Economic Reform Package to Boost Growth 
Brazil's Former Intelligence Chief Alexandre Ramagem Released from U.S. Immigration Custody 
House Republicans Near Deal on FISA Extension with Limited Reforms 
Trump Administration Moves to Deport Iranian Academic Yousof Azizi Over Alleged Visa Fraud 
U.S. Weapons Delays to Europe Amid Ongoing Iran Conflict 
Trump Warns Iran on Nuclear Weapons Amid Ongoing Feud with Pope Leo 
Trump Administration Eyes Erica Schwartz as Next CDC Director Amid Leadership Overhaul 
Russia Launches Deadly Missile and Drone Strikes Across Ukraine, Killing Three Including a Child 
China Navigates Diplomatic Tightrope Between Iran Peace Efforts and Trump Summit 
U.S. Signals Opposition to Bachelet's UN Secretary-General Bid 
Iran Offers Partial Strait of Hormuz Access Amid U.S. Peace Talks 
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers this week introduced legislation that would allow news outlets to negotiate with major online platforms. The new bill comes after its previous version was opposed by two technology groups that included the platforms that Facebook and Google are part of.
Four lawmakers of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees unveiled their legislation named the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act Monday, which would allow for negotiations between news outlets and major platforms like Google and Facebook. The bill is a revised version of the legislation that was first introduced in March last year but ran into opposition from tech trade groups that Facebook and Google are part of.
The bill would remove “legal obstacles to news organizations’ ability to negotiate collectively and secure fair terms from gatekeeper platforms that regularly access news content without paying for its value.” Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, Republican Senator John Kennedy, Democratic Rep. David Cicilline, and Republican Rep. Ken Buck introduced the bill.
The revised legislation would cover news outlets that have less than 1,500 full-time employees and non-network news broadcasters. The bill would also allow them to coordinate to negotiate better deals with Facebook, Google, and other major platforms.
The legislation introduced last year, would have applied to any print, broadcast, or digital news outlet with an editorial staff that published content at least on a weekly basis.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the decision by the Biden administration to forgive student loan debt as early as Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter. This comes as the current pause on student loan payments is set to expire at the end of August, with borrower balances frozen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Several advocates for student loan cancellation expect the Biden administration to extend its current pause on student loan payments until the end of the year, while also announcing plans to cancel as much as $10,000 in student debt for those whose income is less than $125,000 a year.
The issue is likely to come up in the midterm elections in November, especially among younger voters, most of whom tend to lean Democratic.
