House Judiciary Committee May Hold Mark Zuckerberg In Contempt

With Congress on the cusp of its August recess, Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is looking to settle some scores.

Why Mark Zuckerberg Might Be Held In Contempt Of Congress

Billionaire Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg could be held in contempt of Congress as Republican lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee prepare a citation over an investigation into complaints the parent company of Facebook and Instagram intentionally censored conservative posts, reports Brian Bushard.

The committee scheduled a meeting for 2 p.m. Thursday on whether to hold the Meta CEO in contempt over what GOP lawmakers have for months argued amounts to a platform-wide censorship of Republican speech.

A committee report states Zuckerberg and Meta “willfully refused” to comply with a congressional subpoena in February related to the committee’s investigation in conjunction with the recently formed Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

From The News Desk

Fox News Ratings Surge 26% Amid Post-Tucker Carlson Shakeup—And Trump Interview

A reshuffled Fox News lineup helped the network’s primetime ratings jump 26% last week, Nielsen data shows, buoyed by an interview with former President Donald Trump and Jesse Watters’ shift into the 8 p.m. spot once held by Tucker Carlson, reports Mary Whitfill Roeloffs.

Fox News averaged 1.8 million primetime viewers for the week of July 17, up from 1.4 million in the previous week and in line with the channel’s year-to-date average of around 1.8 million—by comparison, MSNBC averaged almost 1.2 million in primetime last week (up 2% from a week earlier) and CNN averaged 653,000 (up 3%)…

The Tuesday episode of Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, which included the interview with Trump, was the No. 1 cable show in the week of July 17 with an average of 2.84 million viewers, followed by the NASCAR race at Pocono on the USA Network with 2.8 million.

Republicans Appeal New York Redistricting Decision That Could Give Democrats Advantage In 2024

A group of Republican voters is appealing a New York court’s decision from earlier this month that ruled the state’s Democrats could redraw the state’s congressional districts ahead of the 2024 election and replace the lines that favored Republicans in 2022 and allowed them to pick up congressional seats, reports Ana Faguy.

The group of voters, who filed the widely expected appeal on Tuesday, is objecting to New York appellate court Justice Peter Lynch’s order that the Independent Redistricting Commission submit a new congressional map.

By The Numbers

$30,000

The amount Rep. Cori Bush’s (D-Mo.) campaign paid her husband, Cortney Merritts, for security services and wage expenses in the first six months of 2023.

$942.19

The amount the campaign of Rep. Ronnie Jackson (R-Texas) paid the Amarillo Club in the second quarter of 2023. In 2021, the House Office of Congressional Ethics found “substantial reason to believe” Jackson’s previous use of political funds at the club violated the law barring lawmakers from using campaign money for personal expenses.

$32,394.25

The amount Rep. Mark Alford’s (R-Mo.) political committees spent in March at Mar-a-Lago, 1,400 miles from his home district.

Road To 2024

Forbes “Eye On Iowa” host Sarah Muller joins Brittany Lewis to discuss the 2024 GOP presidential primary field.

Tracking Trump

Trump Received Millions For Book That Largely Features Taxpayer-Funded Assets

Donald Trump received $5.75 million in royalties over the past 18 months for “Our Journey Together,” a coffee-table book of photos from his presidency. The former president used a private family company to publish a work of mostly taxpayer-subsidized material, then boosted sales with donor funds.

Trump Jr.-Backed Anti-‘Woke’ Online Marketplace Goes Public Via SPAC

For the last decade, Michael Seifert has listened to right-wing shoppers grumble when large corporations take vocal political stances they don’t agree with. Their only recourse—to boycott—struck him as insufficient, reports Lauren Debter.

So in 2021, the former marketing director created PublicSq. to offer those shoppers an alternative. The online marketplace has raised over $20 million from investors including Donald Trump Jr., according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Since launching nationwide on July 4, 2022, it says it has attracted 50,000 conservative-minded businesses and 1.1 million people who have created accounts but not necessarily purchased anything. Last week, it began trading on the New York Stock Exchange via a special purpose acquisition vehicle.