Posted inPolitics

Internet giants say they are open to new political-ad rules

WASHINGTON — When it comes to disclosures about political ads, the Internet was like the Wild West, with few regulations that required them to lift the veil on those using social media to influence voters, a situation that allowed Russian operatives to meddle in U.S. elections last year. But that may be changing thanks to political pressure from lawmakers, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

Posted inJustice, Politics

Blumenthal asks Twitter, Facebook, about fake ads in Russian troll probe

WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday asked Twitter and Facebook executives what they knew about specific attempts by Russian trolls to disseminate information through fake ads and stories, and received little response. Facebook says as many as 126 million people may have seen content from accounts tied to Russian sources.

Posted inPolitics

Competing with Trump, a social worker speaks for Puerto Rico

Hurricane Maria announced its landfall near Yabucoa, P.R., with a terrible wailing. Sustained winds of 155 miles per hour shredded the electric grid, flattened trees, scoured gardens and ruined the back of the sturdy cement home of a retired Hartford school social worker, Janette Hernandez. “I still hear that sound in my head,” she said. Hernandez is back in Connecticut, giving voice to the stories of people she left behind.

Posted inPolitics

Tweet, Facebook post generate blowback at GOP

President Trump retweeted a cartoon image of a train running over a CNN reporter to his 35.9 million Twitter followers. Kyle Reyes, owner of a self-described “outrageous” Manchester marketing company, questioned in a Facebook video seen 36,000 times if the white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., actually were actors hired by the political left. Both caused problems for the GOP.

Posted inPolitics

Is the F-35 stealth fighter vulnerable to a Trump tweet?

One of Connecticut’s U.S. senators insists he won’t jump at every tweet by President-elect Donald J. Trump. But the other says he could not ignore what he took as Trump’s suggestion Monday that production of the F-35 fighter, the source of thousands of job in Connecticut and air superiority for the U.S. and its allies, might be reduced or abandoned.

Posted inMoney, Politics

CT budget talks remain gridlocked as pols jab via Twitter

State budget talks continued to stall Saturday as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration and Democratic legislative leaders remained at odds over how to resolve a nearly $1 billion shortfall in the fiscal year that begins July 1. And though talks — which bogged down late Friday — remained in limbo, Democratic legislative leaders insisted they are ready to resume talks with the governor at any time.

Posted inPolitics

Congressman Himes rode political roller-coaster in 113th Congress

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jim Himes faced some big challenges during the two years of the outgoing Congress and will find himself in a shrinking pool of centrists in the new session that is gaveled in after the New Year. (This is the fourth in a series of stories about the roles each member of the Connecticut congressional delegation played in the 113th Congress.)