The Daily Signal - Louisiana AG: Big Tech Has Become 'Arm of the Government’

Episode Date: May 11, 2022

The Biden administration’s “Disinformation Governance Board” provided momentum for two states to sue the federal government that alleges pressure on and collusion with Big Tech companies to censor political content that challenges the government line.  Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt last week filed a federal lawsuit that alleges top-ranking government officials worked with social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to censors free speech and truthful information regarding COVID-19, election integrity and other matters. The lawsuit by Louisiana and Missouri names President Joe Biden, White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, Disinformation Governance Board Director Nina Jankowicz, and other administration officials. Landry, Louisiana's attorney general, joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about the lawsuit and whether the Biden administration is outsourcing censorship to Big Tech.  Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Wednesday, May 11th. I'm Virginia Allen. And I'm Doug Blair. Big Tech censorship continues to be an issue for Americans who are attempting to express their First Amendment rights online. In Louisiana, Attorney General Jeff Landry has taken steps to protect those rights. He recently filed a lawsuit against President Biden, amongst others, for allegedly working with Big Tech to censor conservatives.

He joins Fred Lucas today to discuss that lawsuit. But before we get to Fred's conversation with Attorney General, Jeff Blandrie, let's hit our top news stories of the day. Responding to massive price hikes for everyday essentials, President Biden on Tuesday delivered a speech on his plans to relieve Americans from inflation. Here's Biden via Bloomberg. I know the families all across America are hurting because of inflation. I understand what it feels like. I come from a family where when the price of gas or food went up, we felt it.

It was a discussion at the kitchen table. I want every American to know that I'm taking inflation very seriously and it's my top for domestic priority. Biden assigned blame for rising inflation to both the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Biden also blamed congressional Republicans for failing to pass his agenda and targeted Florida Senator Rick Scott, whom he incorrectly referred to as being from Wisconsin, in particular via CNBC. They've made their intentions perfectly clear. Senator Rick Scott, Wisconsin, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, laid it all out. And a plan is the ultra-maga agenda.

Their plan is to raise taxes on 75 million American families, over 95% of who make less than $100,000 a year total income. The average tax increase would be about $1,500 per family. They've got it backwards in my view. Scott released a statement excoriating the president prior to Biden's speech, saying it's simple. The most effective thing Joe Biden can do to solve the inflation crisis he created is resign. He's the problem. Getting him out of office is a quick and easy solution. Scott continued, let's be honest here.

Joe Biden is unwell. He's unfit for office. He's incoherent, incapacitated, and confused. He doesn't know where he is half the time. He's incapable of leaning and he's incapable of carrying out his duties, period. Mickey Mouse and the folks over at Disney have been the center of some controversy recently, and it's continuing this week. Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley has introduced a bill to limit copyright protections for major companies,

including Walt Disney. The Copyright Clause Restriction Act of 2020 would limit copyright protections to 50, years for big businesses just like Disney. Fox reports that under old law, which has been known as Mickey Mouse Protection Act, copyrights for corporations have extended up to 120 years. Holly tells Fox News that he is introducing the bill to limit copyright protections because the age of Republican handouts to big business is over. And he added that thanks to special copyright protections from Congress, whoope corporations like Disney have earned. earned billions while increasingly pandering to woke activists.

It's time to take away Disney's special privileges and open up a new air of creativity and innovation. The introduction of the bill comes after Disney actively protested Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' new parental rights legislation that restricts teaching pro-LGBQ curriculum in kindergarten through third grade. The Senate has taken measures to increase protection for the Supreme Court justices. On Monday, the body passed legislation to bolster security for the justices in light of ongoing protests surrounding a vote on Roe v. Wade. The legislation marks a technical change, allowing court law enforcement to provide 24-hour security to the justice's immediate family members.

The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Senator Chris Coons, Democrat from Delaware, as well as Senator John Cornyn, Republican from Texas. It passed via a voice vote with no objections. In a press release before the vote, court. and said, we must act to ensure justices and their families are protected from those who wish to cause them harm by extending Supreme Court police security to family members. The bill now moves to the House for a later vote. Has abortion now become an economic debate? That is the question South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott posed a Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Tuesday. Scott asked Yellen to clarify remarks she made.

asking her, did you say that ending the life of a child is good for the labor force participation rate? Percy Spinn. To make it sound like it's just another 0.4% added to our labor force participation as a result of the issue of abortion just to me seems harsh. Well, I certainly don't mean to say what I think the, effects are in a manner that's harsh. What we're talking about is whether or not women will have the ability to regulate their reproductive situation in ways that will enable them to plan lives that are fulfilling and satisfying for them. Yellen said that one aspect of a satisfying life is being able to feel that you have the financial resources to raise a child, that the children

you bring into the world are wanted, and that you have the ability to take care of them. The senator responded by sharing a little of his own story, saying, as a man who was raised by a black mom in abject poverty, I'm thankful to be here. Better fill up your gas tank now. Gas prices are reaching new record highs. Tuesday marked yet another record high for fuel costs as the average price for a gallon of gas hit $4.37, according to AAA. This average overtakes the previous high of $4.33 set last March. Western states have been hit particularly hard,

and National Review reports that California, Nevada, and Hawaii all have an average price per gallon of more than $5. Gas prices had originally begun to sink in April, but unfortunately have reached and again in May. Now stay tuned for Fred Lucas's conversation with Attorney General Jeff Landry. And then be sure to stay tuned after that interview because Doug and I are going to break down some of the debates and protests that are happening at the homes of the Supreme Court justices. As conservatives, sometimes it feels like we're constantly on defense against bad ideas. Bad philosophy, revisionist history, junk science, and divisive politics.

But here's something I've come to understand. When faced with bad ideas, it's not enough to just defend. If we want to save this country, then it's time to go on offense. Conservative principles are ideas that work, individual responsibility, strong local communities, and belief in the American dream. As a former college professor and current president of the Heritage Foundation, my life's mission is to learn, educate, and take action. My podcast, The Kevin Roberts Show, is my opportunity to share that journey with you. I'll be diving into the critical issues that plague our nation, having deep conversations with high-profile guests, some of whom may surprise you. And I want to ensure freedom for the next generation.

Find the Kevin Roberts Show, wherever you get your podcast. We're joined today by Attorney General Jeff Landry of Louisiana. Thanks for joining us, sir. Well, thank you. Thank you for having me. Yeah. So I want to jump right into this lawsuit that you and the Attorney General of Missouri have brought against the Biden administration. administration dealing with, essentially, it seems like you're accusing the Biden administration of outsourcing censorship through the tech companies.

Well, yeah, exactly. You know, when the government, when the government strong arms are basically forces a company to do something that they, that the government would, it would be unconstitutional for them to do, then basically what happens is, is that those companies, then become an arm of the government. Like I'll give you an example in a criminal context. The police can't say, oh, if they want to go into your house thinking that you are pedaling drugs, they can't go to your friend and say, could you just go in there and tell us whether or not there's drugs in there? In other words, they can't co-opt a private person or an entity in order to do that under which they normally couldn't do. And so that's what this suit does, because what we found is that the government has gone out. out there and basically force these companies to censor information that really the American

people should have a right to know that sometimes down the road we found out has actually been true. Like, where did COVID-19 actually originate from? How did it come? Remember, you know, it came from a bad. It came from an open market. We know a lot more now than we did back then. But think about all of the censoring they did for that, right?

And then you look at the Hunterbine's laptop. Same thing. And so what happens is this is a way under which our federal government is censoring information that American people should have access to. I think the lawsuit talks about these social media companies are facing pressure from the government, also that there's collusion. Do you think there's a little bit of both? And do you think it's, I guess, is it hiding in plain sight or is it more secretive? what's amazing is they've been pretty brazen. I mean, Vasaki's done, I mean,

Jen's going out there and said it, basically, that they've worked with some of the big tech companies in order to censor information. And then, and then, I mean, think about this. Think about DHS's disinformation agency. I mean, on its face, that's a violation of the First Amendment for the government to basically have a branch of the government that goes out there and determines what,

information is true in which is not. I mean, American people are certainly capable of being able to decide that for themselves. Right, yeah. I was actually going to ask you about that as well. How do you think this entire lawsuit, the topic of this lawsuit, ties in with this government disinformation board that was announced the prior week? Well, I think that if we would have tried to bring this lawsuit two or three months ago,

I think they would have laughed us out of court. But I think that today, if you look at where we are today, people are really starting to raise their eyebrows, and it's mostly because of this disinformation branch. In other words, the government and big tech have become basically brazen in the fact of in the face of the American people saying, we are going to give you the information that we deem you need. You mentioned that the government's been pretty brazen.

You've had folks like Jin Saki, even the president at times have talked about, they expect these social media companies to have a certain responsibility and whatnot. Do you think it's going to require a lot of discovery to get into more of what's been said, memos, emails, and so forth, or do you think a lot can be relied on public statements that we're out there? Oh, no, no, no. We're going to use the public statements in order to go after the discovery of exactly what you look at it. I can't wait.

I cannot wait to lift the hood of that vehicle. and see what's underneath it. I can tell you it'll be extremely interesting. And again, the interesting part is that all of the information in the communication between the government and big tech is certainly a matter of, it should be a matter of public record, right? And so they should have been archiving that we should know about it. It'll be absolutely interesting.

You know, we are hoping that we can get to the discovery phrase. And like I said, you know, the easy part is to use their own public comments to drill down to exactly what happened behind the scene. Was there ever a consideration of naming Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, any of these media companies as defendants as well, or you're just entirely focused on the government right now? Well, again, you know, again, that has always been the weak link in trying to hold Big Tech accountable,

especially when you're leveling like a First Amendment claim. You know, the First Amendment only restricts the government, not a private entity. That's what we've been hearing for years, although I believe that these tech companies are operating a virtual public square. That's a discussion for another day. This is, and that's why this suit hones in on government action, whether or not the government cures, whether or not they colluded with, whether or not they pressured, or whether they joined hands in censoring information at the American people. people, that belong to the American people. Okay. And I did see that the lawsuit, it names the president, Biden, and also the press

secretary who mentioned earlier. Secretary Mayorkas mentions him. This new... Dr. Fauci. Right, right, Dr. Fauci, I think Jenkowitz as well, this new disinformation board chair. Is it possible the lawsuit could grow, name any other defendants as well within the government? I mean, look, once you get into litigation like that, and as we discuss it, be interested in to see what discovery will lead us. And, you know, sometimes as you get deeper and deeper into discovery, your litigation path takes you elsewhere.

And so we'll just have to see, see where it goes. Would you anticipate any other states joining you in this as plaintiffs or at least writing amicus briefs? Oh, I'm sure we will. I'm sure there will be some other states interested as well. there may be some private parties that end up intervening as well, because, again, that action, you know, the government's collusion affected some companies as well. You know, other conservative outlets, and they're certainly welcome to join that suit as well. I think that's most of the questions I had on this particular topic.

Anything else you would want to add? No, we look forward to seeing this litigation come to pass and get into the discovery phase and hopefully, you know, at the end of it, we'll get a good ruling in a free America. All right. I also want to ask you while I have you here. Last week, we didn't have three of your fellow Republican State Attorney's Generals. They announced that they were leaving the National Association of Attorneys General. Just want to get your thinking on that.

Is that something you would consider doing as well, or do you plan to stay in the organization? Well, look, I did see the letter just like y'all, and I got it about at the same time. Maybe y'all got it. You know, I think that there are some issues that I've been brewing at the National Association of Attorney General for quite some time. I know there are a number of members that are frustrated, including myself. I would hope that we could find a way to really reorganize that organization in a manner that truly serves in a very equal bipartisan fashion. the organization had, has done a lot of good in the past and as a big training site there as well. And so, you know, we'll see, we'll see if we can get this thing worked out or whether or not it gets further fractured.

All right. Well, thanks so much for joining us today. Okay. If you're tired of high taxes, fewer health care choices, and bigger and bigger government, it's time to partner with the most impactful conservative organization in America. We're the Heritage Foundation, and we're committed to solving the issues America faces. Together, we'll fight back against the rising tide of homegrown socialism, and we'll fight for conservative solutions that are making families more free and more prosperous. But we can't do it without you.

Please join us at heritage.org. After a draft version of the Supreme Court Justice's decision on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case was leaked to the public, pro-abortion protesters have begun marching to the homes of the court's conservative justices. On Saturday, I had the opportunity to follow some of these protests as they made their way from the houses of both Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. They started their journey at a small market in Chevy Chase, Maryland, before they made it to Justice John Roberts' house. While there, they were very angry, very upset. They yelled and they screamed. They said that they would never go back to prior times before Roe v. Wade.

It was really intense, but I did not know anything yet because they made it to Brett Kavanaugh's house and it went downhill from there. Yeah, so, Doug, talk a little bit about that. Share what exactly the differences were as you moved between the Justice's houses and how the tone of the crowd changed when you got to Justice Kavanaugh's house. You could feel a change in the air when you got from Justice John Roberts House to Justice Brett Kavanaugh's house. I think there was some prior resentment from his very tumultuous confirmation hearings. And so a lot of these people just don't believe he should be there at all, both for the fact that he's a conservative and for the fact that they believe he committed horrific crimes.

People were yelling and screaming at both houses, but there was definitely a sense of malice at the second house at Justice Kavanaugh's house that I just didn't feel at Justice John Roberts' house. Interesting. So fascinating. And the protest Monday night was to Justice Samuel Alito's home. And Justice Samuel Lito is the one who actually wrote that draft appeal. hang in. So this crowd was definitely fired up, but not as much, Doug, I know as the crowd that you witnessed on Saturday night, but what we still witnessed was a lot of people chanting,

shouting expletives. Let's take a listen on what that tone was Monday night. So as you can hear, they're shouting, F the courts and the legislature, we are not your incubator. This was one of many, many chants as they walked about half a month. mile from a parking lot nearby to Justice Samuel Lito's home, where then several speeches were given. And again, there was more chanting. The crowd was riled up. We want to give you a little bit of a sense of what some of those speeches were.

Let's go ahead and roll that. All those people who use the Bible and use religion to try and force their ideals on other people's bodies, this one's for you. Take a look in your Bible and see for yourself. Now, Virginia, to you, I was there with you, and I could tell that this particular remark, hit you hard. Can you maybe explain a little bit about why this bothered you so much? So it really was disturbing. And I actually tweeted out in response. So, you know, she refers to essentially Christians. She calls them Bible thumpers. And she made this argument that the Bible states

that life begins at birth, which, no, it doesn't. And a question that I kind of posed on Twitter was, I wonder what her response would be to Jeremiah 1-5, which is the passage. before I formed you in the womb. I knew you before you were born. I set you apart. And that's just one of several verses in the Bible that points to the fact that life begins in the womb. It begins at conception.

And for someone to try and twist those words to rile up a crowd for political reasons. It's just disgusting. Absolutely. That's some beautiful poetry almost from the Bible. We actually have a little bit more audio from that protest. Let's take a listen. So we heard those protesters chanting abort the court, abort the court over and over and over again.

It actually reminded me a lot of some of the chance that I heard when I was at the court on Monday when the decision was first released. There were calls to pack the court. This is a crowd that is very anti-government. They are against a lot of these institutions that are basically providing the structure by which we maintain the American society. Right? So we would hear things like pack the court, abolish the Senate. In this particular circumstance, it was abort the court. These leftists were not in favor of any institutions that went against their beliefs. So if it was getting rid of abortion, if it was getting rid of Roe, had to go. Well, and I think we repeatedly see this from the far left, that there's something that they don't like. And their answer is, let's just get rid of it. Let's defund it. Let's tear it down. Not because it's innate. corrupt or wrong, but just because it's not behaving like we want it to. Absolutely. And that is so dangerous. Now, I do want to take a minute to share one more clip with you all. I had the opportunity

to overhear a conversation that a reporter was having with one of the protesters. The only really words that I can use to describe her remarks are tragic. This is a woman who is discussing the fact that she was born before Roe v. Wade, that her mom didn't have a choice. She had to give birth to her. And she's, in many ways, she's lamenting that fact that she's alive today. It's my body, is my choice. As I said before, my mother didn't have a choice, so I'm here, but I had 57 years of misery. If she had a choice, she would have made different decisions, and I might not have been here, and nobody would have been wiser. Give her her her choice, but rather than she having a choice, a choice was made for her because she didn't have it,

and she brought to her anything to the world that she didn't want. do you want people to know? What do they have to know about a book? What's the number one message? My, buddy, my choice. That's the number one message. My body my choice. I'm not a second-class citizen. Yeah, just so sad. I was thinking about that clip after I got home. And I was like, man, I honestly just wish that I could or someone could just spend some time with that woman and remind her that she is a valuable human being, that she is loved, that there is a reason why she is on. on this earth. I think that is the message of the pro-life movement, that every life is sacred, every life has value, every life has purpose, no matter where you come from,

no matter what your background is. And we can't stray from that message because it's the truth. So we're gonna continue to keep you all updated on what is happening as this debate continues to unfold on Wednesday nights. There are going to be more protesters at the houses of the justices.

Doug tell us a little bit about that. Absolutely. So tonight we are going to see the culmination of all of these protests. These groups have planned a massive set of marches to every single conservative's house. We've only seen a couple so far. It's been Sam Alito, Justice John Roberts, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. But we're going to see the rest of the conservative justices get their house protested to. And as Virginia mentioned, the Daily Signal will be covering it.

So make sure you're following both The Daily Signal on Twitter as well as me at Douglas K. Blair and Virginia. Yeah, you can follow me on Twitter at Virginia underscore Allen 5. We are going to be out there posting lots of videos, clips, just to keep you all informed and to give you a picture of what's actually happening on the ground live as it's happening. And that's going to be all for today's show. Thank you again for listening to The Daily Signal Podcast. Be sure to subscribe if you haven't already to the Daily Signal podcast on your podcast listening app of choice. That's Google Play, Apple Podcast, Spotify, or IHeartRadio.

Also, leave us a review in a five-star radio on Apple Podcast. if you can and encourage others, friends and family, to subscribe. Thank you all again for listening. We'll see you right back here tomorrow morning. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. The executive producers are Rob Blewey and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia, Alan, and Doug Blair. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop.

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