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YouTube will offer creators a way to rejoin the streaming platform if they were banned for violating COVID-19 and election misinformation policies that are no longer in effect, its parent company Alphabet said Tuesday. In a letter submitted in response to subpoenas from the House Judiciary Committee, attorneys for Alphabet said the decision to bring back banned accounts reflected the company’s commitment to free speech. It said the company values conservative voices on its platform and recognizes their reach and important role in civic discourse. No matter the political atmosphere, YouTube will continue to enable free expression on its platform, particularly as it relates to issues subject to political debate, the letter read. The move is the latest in a cascade of content moderation rollbacks from tech companies, who cracked down on false information during the pandemic and after the 2020 election but have since faced pressure from President Donald Trump and other conservatives who argue they unlawfully stifled right-wing voices in the process. It comes as tech CEOs, including Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, have sought a closer relationship with the Republican president, including through high-dollar donations to his campaign and attending events in Washington. YouTube in 2023 phased out its policy to remove content that falsely claims the 2020 election, or other past U.S. presidential elections, were marred by widespread fraud, errors or glitches.” The platform in 2024 also retired its standalone COVID-19 content restrictions, allowing various treatments for the disease to be discussed. COVID-19 misinformation now falls under YouTube’s broader medical misinformation policy. Among the creators who have been banned from YouTube under the now-expired policies are prominent conservative influencers, including Dan Bongino, who now serves as deputy director of the FBI. For people who make money on social media, access to monetization on YouTube can be significant, earning them large sums through ad revenue. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and other congressional Republicans have pressured tech companies to reverse content moderation policies created under former President Joe Biden and accused Biden’s administration of unfairly wielding its power over the companies to chill lawful online speech. In Tuesday’s letter, Alphabet’s lawyers said senior Biden administration officials conducted repeated and sustained outreach to coerce the company to remove pandemic-related YouTube videos that did not violate company policies. It is unacceptable and wrong when any government, including the Biden Administration, attempts to dictate how the Company moderates content, and the Company has consistently fought against those efforts on First Amendment grounds, the letter said. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also accused the Biden administration of pressuring employees to inappropriately censor content during the COVID-19 pandemic. Elon Musk, the owner of the social platform X, has accused the FBI of illegally coercing Twitter before his tenure to suppress a story about Hunter Biden. The Supreme Court last year sided with former President Joe Bidens administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security. Asked for more information about the reinstatement process, a spokesperson for YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ali Swenson, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
Kroger is celebrating National Chocolate Milk Day, which, by the way, is a real holiday that falls on Sept. 27, in the best way. They’re giving away free chocolate milk to loyal customers. Or, at least customers who log-on and grab the coupon in time. The Kroger Co., which serves over 11 million customers daily through its e-commerce and retail food stores, is offering up free half-gallons of Kroger Chocolate Milk over two days this month. “Chocolate milk may be the original after school treat, but Kroger Brand Chocolate Milk has grown into so much more it’s a top-rated favorite among customers of all ages,” said Ann Reed, Group Vice President of Our Brands at Kroger, in a press release. Reed added, “We’re excited to toast National Chocolate Milk Day by sharing this special delight for free with a limited-time offer.” The event kicks off this weekend. On both Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27 you can snag your own half gallon free of charge. Per the release, Kroger says that customers can download a single-use digital coupon at Kroger.com to use online, or print out to use in stores. But chocolate-milk-lovers should hurry, as the coupon will only be available for redemption on the aforementioned dates starting at 12 a.m. EST, while supplies last. According to the announcement, the offer excludes certain divisions and stores “where dairy laws apply”. Those areas include: Delta, Nashville, Mid-Atlantic, King Soopers, Ralphs, Food 4 Less in California, Louisiana (Houston and Dallas), Missouri (Dillons), and Nevada (Smith’s). However, those subject to the exclusion can still use the coupon to snag a free box of Kroger Brand Cereal with a purchase of Kroger Chocolate Milk. The giveaway comes shortly after Kroger announced it would cut nearly 1,000 jobs from its corporate workforce in August. Earlier in the year, a failed merger between Kroger and Albertsons, valued at $25 billion, was blocked by a federal judge. The company also said it would shutter around 60 stores in 2025. Kroger’s giveaway also falls within the brand’s customer appreciation week, which runs from Sept. 24 through the 30th. The company says many grocery item prices have been knocked down in the name of saying thanks.
Category:
E-Commerce
President Donald Trumps second-term strengths look different from his first, according to recent polling. Once strengthened by economic issues, Trump’s approval is now relatively low on the economy and he’s leaning on his stronger issues of crime, border security, and immigration. Concerns about the economy and immigration helped propel him to the White House, but polling over the past year shows that Americans’ faith in the Republican president’s handling of the economy is low, particularly among independents, and his approval on immigration has fallen slightly. Now, Trump’s strongest issues are border security and crime, but there were signs of potential weakness on crime in the most recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. At the same time, Trumps overall approval has been fairly steady in AP-NORC polling since the beginning of his second term in January. This month, 39% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, which is back in line with his average approval rating after a slight uptick in August. There was a similar pattern during his first White House term, when his approval stayed within a narrow range. Here are the issues on which he’s been strongest and weakest in his second term: Trumps biggest strengths are border security and crime Trump has turned border security into a strength of his second term, a sharp reversal from his first term in office. Most U.S. adults approve of Trumps approach to border security, according to the poll. He gets higher marks on that than on his handling of the presidency overall or other issues that had previously been top strengths, including immigration and crime. This has also emerged as a unique strength of his second term. Only about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approved of Trumps approach to border security in 2019, during which time Trump was focused on securing money for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. His approval on immigration is slightly lower than it was early in his second term, but it remains a bit higher than his overall job approval. In March, about half of U.S. adults approved of his handling of immigration. The most recent measure found his approval on immigration at 43%, a tick higher than his overall approval rating. Even with the slight dip, immigration remains a strength in a way it was not in his first term, when closer to 4 in 10 U.S. adults approved of his immigration approach. When he started his second term, it was about half who approved. Trump has taken steps to deport immigrants who are living in the United States illegally, and the recent poll finds a sizable share of Americans about half say Trump has gone too far in pursuit of that goal. That is roughly the same share as held that stance in a poll conducted in April. His approval on how he is handling crime is down slightly to 46%, after reaching 53% in August as he deployed the National Guard in the District of Columbia. But that still exceeds his overall job approval, and it also is an advantage among certain groups such as independents. About 4 in 10 independents approve of Trumps approach to crime, compared with 25% who approve of his approach to the presidency overall. Trump is weaker on the economy with independents The economy is often a fraught point for presidents, and there are indications that Americans continue to be concerned about the countrys economic state. Just 37% of U.S. adults approve of Trumps handling of the economy. That is down slightly from August, when 43% approved, but broadly in line with his overall approval. The economy is a particularly weak issue for Trump among independents. Only about 2 in 10 independents approve of how Trump is handling the economy, much lower than the share who approve of his handling of border security and crime. In Trumps first term, closer to half of U.S. adults approved of his handling of the economy. This height of his success on this issue came at the beginning of 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic sparked an economic downturn. His approval on this issue varied throughout the pandemic, and about half of U.S. adults approved of his economic approach just before he lost the 2020 presidential election. At that point, however, more were more worried about the coronavirus pandemic than the economy. His approval has been consistently lower in his second term. When he came into office, only about 4 in 10 approved of how he handled the economy. Trumps lowest issues among Republicans: Trade and health care About 7 in 10 Republicans approve of Trumps approach to trade negotiations with other countries and health care, marking the lowest issue ratings among his base. While he has a majority approval among Republicans on those issues, it falls short of his much higher approvals on topics such as border security and crime. Overall, U.S. adults are not thrilled about how he is handling these issues, either. Only about one-third approve of how Trump is handling either trade negotiations with other countries or health care. These have been steadily low in recent AP-NORC polls but roughly track with Trumps overall approval. They were also similarly low in his first term. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say Trump has gone too far when it comes to imposing new tariffs on other countries. That includes about 9 in 10 Democrats but also roughly 6 in 10 independents and 3 in 10 Republicans. Very few people, including Republicans, want Trump to go further on imposing tariffs. Trump is earning lower marks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Some 37% of U.S. adults approve of the way Trump is handling the conflict between the sraelis and the Palestinians, down from the 44% who approved in March. Slightly fewer Republicans approve of how Trump is handling the conflict 72%, compared with 82% of Republicans who approved of the way Trump was handling the issue in March. Democrats are also slightly less likely to approve: 9% now, down from 14% in March. Despite this, Trump’s approval on foreign policy has been steady. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve, in line with April. ___ The AP-NORC poll of 1,183 adults was conducted Sept. 11-15, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. Linley Sanders, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
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