Hillicon Valley – Trump removed from his own media firm

Former President Trump and his son were kicked off the board of Trump’s social media company weeks before the organization was subpoenaed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a grand jury in Manhattan.  

In other news, a trio of Democrats introduced two bicameral bills aimed at boosting media literacy skills for students and veterans by providing funding for nationwide educational programs. 

This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Send tips to The Hill’s Rebecca Klar, Chris Mills Rodrigo and Ines Kagubare. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Trump off his own media company board

Former President Trump and his son were among six board members removed from the board of Trump’s social media company weeks before it was hit with federal subpoenas, according to state records.  

Florida state business records showed Trump, Donald Trump, Jr. and the four others were removed as board members of the Trump Media and Technology Group on June 8, based on a filing with the state’s Division of Corporations. Roughly three weeks later, the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and a grand jury in Manhattan subpoenaed the company. 

The news was first reported by The Herald-Tribune. 

Other board members removed include Wes Moss, Kashyap Patel, Andrew Northwall and Scott Glabe, according to the filing. 

A spokesperson for the Trump Media and Technology Group denied that Trump is no longer a board member in a statement posted on Truth Social, the social media app associated with Trump’s media company. 

Read more here. 

Dems seek to boost media literacy

A trio of Democrats introduced two bicameral bills aimed at boosting media literacy skills for students and veterans by providing funding for nationwide educational programs.  

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a lead sponsor of the bills in the Senate, said Thursday the effort will “help combat disinformation and misinformation campaigns that seek to manipulate perceptions and sow division.”  

“These bills will provide students and veterans with the skills they need to make informed decisions about online content and protect themselves from exploitation,” Klobuchar said in a statement.  

The bills, introduced with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and by Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) in the House, would together provide $40 million to federal agencies to fund education programs to improve media literacy for American students and veterans.  

Read more here.  

US, UK AGENCIES WARN AGAINST CHINESE ESPIONAGE

The heads of the FBI and the United Kingdom’s MI5 warned against what they described as a sweeping Chinese espionage threat during a rare joint appearance in London on Wednesday. 

FBI Director Christopher Wray and MI5 Director General Ken McCallum detailed the potential calamities before an audience of business and academic leaders, arguing China’s efforts to steal technology, maintain hidden investments and control business operations in China extend to companies of all sizes and industries. 

“The Chinese government poses an even more serious threat to Western businesses than even many sophisticated businesspeople realize,” Wray said. 

Wednesday’s appearance marked the first time the leaders of the FBI and MI5 shared a public platform, according to McCallum. 

Read more here.

BITS & PIECES

An op-ed to chew on: US needs to foster competition in the Cloud now 

Notable links from around the web: 

Siberia or Japan? Expert Google Maps Players Can Tell at a Glimpse. (The New York Times / Kellen Browning) 

Why business is booming for military AI startups (MIT Tech Review / Melissa Heikkilä) 

Netflix to Its Techies: Shut Up (Vulture and The Verge / Zöe Schiffer) 

Lighter click: Little shoes 🙂 

One more thing: Musk’s twins

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly had twins with a top executive at one of his companies last year, his eighth and ninth known children. 

Court documents obtained by Insider on Wednesday showed that Musk and the children’s mother, Shivon Zilis, filed a petition to change the twins’ names in order to “have their father’s last name and contain their mother’s last name as part of their middle name.” 

The order was then approved by a federal judge in May. Zilis purchased a home in the Austin, Texas, area in August, nearly three months before the twins were born, according to Insider. Musk also has a waterfront estate in the city. 

Read more here. 

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you tomorrow.

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