Deregulator: Alive since '85!

In a bit of a surprise, the Facebook Oversight Board  refused to restore  Donald Trump’s Facebook account. It was suspended after the former president posted comments on Facebook and Instagram encouraging the insurrectionists who looted the Capitol January 6. The comments and videos violated Facebook’s Community Standards, grounds for blocking Trump’s account. The oversight board agreed that Trump violated those standards when he “praised and supported people involved in a continuing riot where people died, lawmakers were put at serious risk of harm, and a key democratic process [certification of electoral votes] was disrupted.” But Facebook made a mistake when it made the suspension indefinite. Facebook must provide “an opportunity of rehabilitation,” or disable Trump’s account permanently. Since it did neither, Facebook must return to the board in six months and reinstate the former president or kick him off permanently, and defend its decision. Trump, who launched his own w...

Congressional Democrats’ top priority for the 117th Congress: seizing most election management from state governments. The first bill introduced in the House and Senate was the “For the People Act,” a measure I discussed  a few days  after launching this newsletter. I’ve  returned   to  it  often   since   then  — not  only   at   Deregulator . Two months after H.R.1 passed the House with no Republican votes, the bill’s Senate companion S.1 is stuck. It’s as dead in the water as the  Ever Given  was in the Suez Canal. And there aren’t enough senators (Republican or Democrat) willing to change sides and let this barge float. (Tortured metaphor over.) Politico  reported  this morning that Democratic backers of S.1 aren’t sure what to do. What’s at stake is not only the party’s promise on a key issue, but also potentially the future Democratic majorities. Many in the party privately worry that frontline Democra...