Cristina Marcos

House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) suggested that Americans ignore information they see from the “liberal media.” In a brief speech on the House floor, Chairman Smith cited recent Gallup polling that found 55 percent of Americans think news reports are “often inaccurate.” The same poll also shows that 62 percent of Americans think the media favors a particular political party, an increase largely fueled by Republicans.

“Commonsense, reasonable Americans would do well to discount the liberal media since they don’t provide fair and objective information,” Chairman Smith said. He suggested that President Trump’s approval rating, which currently hovers around 40 percent, is historically low because of negative media coverage. He cited a report from the conservative Media Research Center that concluded coverage of President Trump by the three major broadcast networks — ABC, CBS and NBC — was 88 percent negative. “Is it any wonder that half of Americans disapprove of the job President Trump is doing? The real wonder is that it’s not greater given what the public hears and reads every day,” Chairman Smith said.

A group of Democratic Reps is turning to legislation to call out President Donald Trump and his White House for their history of false statements and disregarding the truth. Rep Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) introduced a resolution that calls for “opposing fake news and alternative facts.” Reps Ted Lieu (D-CA) and John Lewis (D-GA) signed on as co-sponsors. If adopted, the resolution would put the House on record as stating, “the United States should continue being a democracy, not an autocracy.” The measure establishes the sense of the House that “the president must immediately acknowledge his support of the First Amendment and express his support for United States democracy” and “White House spokespersons should not issue fake news.” “White House spokespersons who offer alternative or inaccurate facts should retract their statements immediately,” it adds.

Rep Mo Brooks (R-AL) took to the House floor Feb 7 to dismiss a Washington Post fact check about his claims of voter fraud as a “fake news hit piece.” Leaked tapes from the GOP retreat in Philadelphia in Jan that were given to the Post revealed Rep Brooks discussing voter fraud with Vice President Mike Pence. “In my first election in 1982, Democrats rigged about 25 percent of the voting machines to vote for everyone on the ballot but me. That’s 11 of 45 machines. The whole state was Democrat. Nothing was done to fix it,” Rep Brooks said during the private discussion. The Post conducted a fact check of Rep Brooks’s claims, but could not find any evidence to substantiate the charges.

The Post awarded Brooks its maximum of four Pinocchios, reserved for what it considers “whoppers.” Rep Brooks didn’t offer any additional evidence during his House floor speech. But he maintained the 11 machines failing to register votes for him statistically suggested some intentional foul play. “I proudly wear the Washington Post’s Four Pinocchios like a red badge of courage,” Rep Brooks declared.

Rep Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, blasted a New York Times column blaming climate change for the plight of starving children in Africa as “fake news.” In a brief House floor speech, Chairman Smith dismissed columnist Nicholas Kristof’s documentation of severe droughts in the island nation of Madagascar as hyperbole aimed at “climate alarmists.” “A good example of fake news appeared in Sunday’s New York Times. It’s a column headlined, ‘As Trump Denies Climate Change, These Kids Die,’ ” Chairman Smith said. “This may be a new high, or maybe a new low, for climate alarmists and their exaggerations.”

The House passed an annual intelligence policy authorization bill Nov 30 that includes a provision to increase scrutiny of Russia's attempts to exert covert influence around the world, after the country was accused of meddling in 2016's US presidential election. Tucked into the 93-page unclassified portion of the legislation, approved by a vote of 390-30, is a measure establishing an interagency committee to counter Russian meddling in foreign countries that's often taken the form of media manipulation and spreading disinformation.

Another provision of the bill limits the travel of Russian diplomatic personnel in the US to a maximum of 25 miles from their official posts unless the FBI certifies to Congress that it didn't find evidence of wrongdoing by those individuals. In 2016, independent researchers also found that a Russian propaganda campaign created and spread fake news meant to boost Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Some stories promoting misinformation came from state-funded Russian information services or were spread on social media by Russian sites.

The House approved a proposal to prohibit funding for the Federal Communications Commission to implement regulations preempting state laws on Internet access.

Rep Blackburn (R-TN) said her amendment to the fiscal 2015 Financial Services appropriations bill that would keep regulators from modifying state laws would limit federal overreach. Rep. José Serrano (D-NY) -- the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Financial Services subcommittee -- said the amendment would have the opposite effect.

"Whatever happened to localism or local control? This amendment means the federal government will tell every local citizen, mayor, and county council member that they may not act in their own best interests," Rep Serrano said. "Any such amendment is an attack on the rights of individual citizens speaking through their local leaders to determine if their broadband needs are being met."

The House passed legislation to authorize intelligence activities through fiscal 2015.

Funding levels in the measure, passed 345-59, are classified. It would authorize spending for the CIA, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency (DNI).

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-MI), who is retiring, said that the controversies over NSA spying had mischaracterized American intelligence activities. "We have somehow decided over the last year that our intelligence services are the problem," Chairman Rogers said. "They are part of the solution."

"For the sake of vigorous oversight and accountability over all US intelligence agencies, I urge my colleagues to support this bill," said Rep Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) of the Intelligence Committee. Due to the classified nature of many of its provisions, the intelligence authorization is marked up in committee behind closed doors. But Chairman Rogers maintained that members of the committee had engaged in rigorous debate on overseeing the nation's intelligence programs.

"There is no love fest when those doors close," Chairman Rogers said.

Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) called on the Federal Communications Commission to reject proposed regulations governing consumers' Internet use. Sen Markey said that such changes to how Americans use the Internet would impede innovation.

Using C-SPAN as an example, he said that users could potentially see slower live streams. "Let's face it, the action in this deliberative body can sometimes feel a little bit slow," Sen Markey said. "Now imagine just a few companies deciding that C-SPAN.org will be put into a slow lane that public interest content streamed out to the world will be sent out at an even more deliberative pace, while kitten videos will get priority."

Sen Markey said that the proposed net neutrality rules would favor wealthy entrepreneurs. The Massachusetts Democrat further argued that different Internet speeds for certain companies would discourage creativity.