Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with Republican lawmakers who will probably lead committees that regulate the tech sector.
Republican representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio, Darrel Issa of California, and Cathy McMorris Rogers of Washington are among those with whom Cook has booked meetings.

The meetings were probably planned several weeks, if not months, beforehand. Top conservatives have criticized Apple since the beginning, and many of them have joined with Twitter CEO Elon Musk in their recent dispute with Apple.

Jordan has publicly expressed his support for Elon Musk, as Bloomberg notes.

When the GOP wins over the House in 2023, Jordan is also set to serve as chair of the House Judiciary Committee. The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s chairman is most likely to be McMorris Rodgers.

They both will play a key role in developing the GOP’s technology policy agenda for 2023.

What is particularly on the agenda is unclear. Even when he is not called to testify about big tech, Cook travels to Washington, DC, on several occasions each year.

The goal is to make sure marginalized people are considered in environmental decisions.

According to Reuters, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a new office to assist underserved communities in coping with the additional responsibilities of pollution and climate change. 200 EPA workers from the Washington headquarters and 10 regional bureaus will work in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights.

“The establishment of a new office dedicated to advancing environmental justice and civil rights at EPA will ensure the lived experiences of underserved communities are central to our decision-making while supporting community-driven solutions,” remarked Kamala Harris, vice president of the US.

As part of a $60 billion investment in environmental justice, one of the main responsibilities of the new office will be to supervise the distribution of $3 billion in grants for environmental justice that were made possible by the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, it will ensure that other EPA initiatives adhere to President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to ensure that 40% of certain government spending go to underserved communities. Finally, it will assist localities in obtaining funds, upholding human rights legislation, and resolving environmental disputes.

The opening of the new office took place in Warren County, North Carolina, the scene of demonstrations against the disposal of toxic waste there in 1982. While the 22-acre dump was not stopped as a result of the civil disobedience actions and arrests that followed, the current environmental justice movement was born. Participants remembered the protests’ 40th anniversary last week.

The Co-Founder of WhatsApp Jan Koum has announced his departure from Facebook. His leave of absence marks a very concerning hole in the WhatsApp development team. The main reason behind this decision is because of a conflict of interest regarding data sharing and encryption.

“It’s been almost a decade since Brian and I started WhatsApp, and it’s been an amazing journey with some of the best people. But it is time for me to move on. I’ve been blessed to work with such an incredibly small team and see how a crazy amount of focus can produce an app used by so many people all over the world,” Koum wrote in a Facebook post.

“I’m leaving at a time when people are using WhatsApp in more ways than I could have imagined. The team is stronger than ever and it’ll continue to do amazing things. I’ll still be cheering WhatsApp on – just from the outside. Thanks to everyone who has made this journey possible.”

The Washington Post has reported that Koum’s departure from Facebook is due to a disagreement over how WhatsApp manages its users’ personal data, which could weaken the app’s encryption feature.

For those who are unaware of the amount of backlash WhatsApp and Telegram have received against various government organizations. WhatsApp introduced end-to-end encryption for its mobile app back in 2016.

Of coruse, the recent Cambridge Analytica Scandal has pretty much put this deal of trust into question. So it seems like the people in WhatsApp have become a bit demoralized after the whole ordeal went public.

In fact, it’s not just Mr. Koum stepping down. A lot of employees have confirmed that they will be leaving Facebook in November. In other words, things are just going to get way worse.