The FBI does have national security concerns about [TikTok]. Its parent company is controlled by the Chinese government…. It gives them the ability to control the recommendation algorithm, which allows them to manipulate content and—if they want to—use it for influence operations which are a lot more worrisome in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party than whether or not you're steering somebody as an influencer to one product or another.
Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI. 2022 Josh Rosenthal Memorial Lecture, December 2, 2022.
I wish every policymaker would spend a day in court, because we're talking about people. It's very easy in the policy space to crunch numbers or write a really good article. Go see what happens in a courtroom or in a prison...having the experience of a sentencing where a defendant speaks for himself and the victims speak for themselves. Go to these places and meet the people who are impacted by the policy that you're making.
Judge Laurel Beatty Blunt, Ohio's 10th District Court of Appeals and Towsley Policymaker in Residence. "What policymakers need to know about the criminal justice system," December 8, 2022.
Les Moonves said that Trump was 'bad for America but great for CBS.' Beyond the cynicism of the statement, it assumed that the press and American democracy were at opposite ends. That we had different interests. That something could be good for the press while being bad for democracy is a contention I reject.
Jelani Cobb, Columbia Journalism School and The New Yorker. "The half-life of freedom: Notes on race, media, and democracy," January 24, 2023.
The biggest threat to young people right now in this country is gun violence. And in combination with a mental health crisis, we can see how serious this moment is.
Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan. In conversation with CNN Anchor Chris Wallace, March 8, 2023.
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