Liberal and conservative bloggers have flooded Las Vegas this weekend for Netroots Nation, a liberal social media conference, and RightOnline, its conservative counterpart. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will visit Netroots Nation, which runs from Thursday through Sunday.

RightOnline, running Friday and Saturday, will featured FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell and Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Mike Pence (R-Ind.).

The goal of both conferences is to arm activists with the tools and knowledge to influence the 2010 elections using new media tools.

The MSNBC anchor tweets: "Yeah, they want to go more liberal" in response to question about merger.

A controversial note by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was removed from Facebook on Thursday, prompting questions of censorship in the conservative blogosphere.

The note in question did not violate the site’s content standards and was simply removed by an automated system, the company said.

“We’re always working to improve our processes and we apologize for any inconvenience this caused,” said Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes. 

Palin’s note argued that building a mosque near ground zero in New York City would violate “common moral sense.” 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised a provision in the financial overhaul aimed at forcing manufacturers to reconsider the use of minerals that could be fueling violence in Congo.

The provision will affect high-tech manufacturers who use the minerals in consumer electronic devices. Activists who lobbied for the amendment charge that warlords make millions off American technology companies by controlling mines that contain minerals used in cell phones, computers, DVD players and other consumer electronics products.

Clinton said this week that conflict minerals have “funded a cycle of conflict [in Congo] that has left more than 5 million people dead since 1998, displaced countless more, and spawned an epidemic of sexual and gender-based violence.” She noted that the country has formally expressed its support for the measure. 

Good morning!

ISSA: DEMS GIVING WHITE HOUSE A 'FREE PASS' ON GOOGLE TIES

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee questioned the administration's ties to Google at a hearing Thursday, with Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) moving to subpoena testimony from a White House witness.

McHenry, ranking member of the Information Policy Subcommittee, called on the committee to ask for White House input about the administration's Deputy Chief Technology Officer Andrew McLaughlin.

McLaughlin is a former Google employee who was reprimanded by the White House in May for what it deemed were incidental violations of the administration’s ethics code. It had come to light that he exchanged e-mails with people who still work at Google.

McHenry motioned to collect White House testimony, a move that failed along party lines. He then motioned to adjourn the hearing, which also failed.

Subcommittee Chairman Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) questioned the relevance of the McLaughlin incident to the topic of the hearing: how the Web, including social networking sites, impacts federal record-keeping.

"There's continuing controversy about an old story: That is whether an administration official used his personal e-mail account in violation of the Presidential Records Act," Clay said. He added that McLaughlin broke only an ethics pledge and not the law. McHenry insisted a law might have been breached.

Clay said the McLaughlin issue was "examined, dealt with and closed."

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), ranking member of the full panel, issued a statement afterward praising McHenry's effort.

“Ranking Member McHenry was right to hold the majority accountable for trying to give the Obama administration a free pass on violations of record keeping laws as a result of communicating with lobbyists through personal e-mails,” Issa said.

He continued, “Just two years ago, Democrats expressed outrage about Presidential Records Act violations under the Bush administration while saying they were serious about efforts to address problems. Under the Obama administration, they now appear more than willing to offer the Obama White House a free pass on violations.”

REPUBLICANS: PRIVACY BILLS MUST NOT MAKE FTC TOO POWERFUL

Republican members of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee expressed concern Thursday that online privacy legislation under consideration in the House could harm businesses if the bills give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) too much power over how businesses use consumers' information. “We need to ensure that by expanding the authority of a government agency, that there are no unintended consequences on e-commerce,” Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) said.

A bill introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and a draft proposal from Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) would require companies to get consent from individuals before collecting their personal information ranging from names and addresses to passport numbers. Violating either measure would result in penalties from the states or the FTC. Rush's bill includes a potential $5 million fine for companies that fail to comply. The FTC would be charged with implementing key provisions. --P.K.

SCALISE, STEARNS: KEEP RECLASSIFICATION OFF SEPTEMBER FCC AGENDA

Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) urged the FCC at a hearing Thursday to keep reclassification off its September meeting agenda because more time is needed to review the large volume of comments the agency has received about the proceeding.

"The FCC should definitely not rush any process that gives Congress little time to react after returning from recess. Over 8,000 pages of comments have been submitted to the FCC on this proposal, and the comment period is open to August 12. For reclassification to be on the September agenda, the other commissioners would have to receive the chairman's proposal by August 26, giving the commissioners only two weeks to review the thousands of comments. Clearly, we need to make sure that they have that ability to review those comments from the public," Scalise said.

Reclassification is a controversial plan that would boost the agency's authority over Internet service providers. The FCC says it might need more power in order to protect consumers and expand Internet access to all Americans.

TWITTER GETS VISIT FROM MEXICAN AMBASSADOR

Mexican ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan announced Thursday in a tweet that he visited the Twitter's San Francisco headquarters. His visit was the latest in several notable visits for the company, including one in late June from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Sarukhan's tweet read, "At Twitter HQ discussing important role of Twitter as a key public diplomacy, advocacy and outreach tool for 21st century diplomacy." He is an active Twitter user, writing from handle @Arturo_Sarukhan several times daily in English and Spanish. — Elise Viebeck

CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT FCC

The FCC bid farewell to Bruce Gottlieb last night in an event at Tabaq, while welcoming Rick Kaplan into Gottlieb's former position. Gottlieb was senior legal advisor to Chairman Julius Genachowski. He is heading to Atlantic Media Company as counsel. Kaplan was formerly chief of staff to Democratic Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: FCC CONFERENCE NEXT WEEK

A panel of healthcare, technology, government and academic experts will convene for a two-day conference at the FCC next week on ways the government can ensure the reliability of wireless devices used for healthcare and how to make them more available to providers. FCC Chairman Genachowski, FDA Commissioner Hamburg and White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra will take a tour of a vendor technology showcase, which will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday. (Event is Monday, July 26, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, July 27, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the FCC). --P.K.

CAN'T-MISS NEWS

Hill Notes

Long-awaited USF reform bill introduced. Rick Boucher (D- Va.), introduced a bill to alter the Universal Service Fund, a federal fund that subsidizes telecommunications costs in low-income and rural areas. The legislation has been awaited since November. The measure, written with Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.), "would expand the fund to include support for broadband service, widen the base of support for the USF and require the FCC to develop a new cost model for calculating high-cost support that includes the cost of providing both voice and broadband services. Currently, all telecommunications firms that provide voice service between states must contribute to the USF," Tech Daily Dose reports. 

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski on Monday expressing frustration that the chairman has not returned a letter he sent in May inquiring about the chairman's controversial plan to boost the agency's authority over broadband service providers.

"I find it wholly frustrating that Chairman Genachowski, after nearly two months, still has not responded to my questions about the classification of broadband Internet access services," Dingell said in his letter.

Dingell added that he has "serious concerns about the FCC's proposed course of action" and that Congress has "intense interest" in Genachowski's plans. 

In his May letter, Dingell had said he doubts Genachowski's plan despite his support for network neutrality rules, which the FCC hopes to enact under the authority it would gain through its administrative maneuver.

Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) wrote Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski on Monday to urge him to open a proceeding on the rules for negotiations between television broadcasters and the cable and satellite operators who redistribute their programming.

Blunt told Genachowski he is not choosing sides on the divisive issue, but the volume of comments the FCC has received on the retransmission consent suggests "this issue deserves further study and consideration."

Broadcasters would prefer to leave the rules as they are, but cable and satellite distributors want an overhaul. They say television broadcast stations have too much power in the talks because they can pull their content.

Broadcasters, meanwhile, argue that cable and satellite's dependence on their programming means that broadcasters deserve muscle to negotiate their compensation.

When negotiations break down, TV viewers can lose their programming. When Cablevision and Disney, for example, fought over fees around the retransmission of ABC shows, programming went down before the Oscars in March.

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-Va.) will unveil details on a bill to alter the Universal Service Fund, which subsidizes telecommunications services in low-income and rural areas.

The announcement comes after the pair released a draft legislation to alter the fund in November. The draft would have broadened the base of contributions to the fund, controlled distribution of the money and allowed the use of some of the funds for broadband deployment and service, rather than just phone service.

Details are expected at a news conference at 1 p.m. in 2187 Rayburn House Office Building.

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GOP TO QUESTION WHITE HOUSE TIES TO GOOGLE

At a hearing Thursday of the House Oversight Information Policy Subcommittee, ranking member Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) will question the White House's ties to Google, according to advance remarks obtained by The Hill.

“The White House staff has a disturbing habit of ignoring ethics and archives rules. Until the White House sends a staff member to explain why Andrew McLaughlin escaped with a small slap on the wrist, I have no confidence that they are taking the Presidential Records Act seriously,” the remarks say.

White House Deputy Chief Technology Officer Andrew McLaughlin is a former Google employee. He was reprimanded by the White House in May for what it deemed were “incidental” violations of the administration’s ethics code after he exchanged e-mails with people who still work at Google.

GOP members are unimpressed that the hearing will not include any White House witnesses. They had wanted to question whether rules forcing the White House to document e-mails could be easily breached if the aides use Google's e-mail system Gmail, among other issues. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), ranking member of the full committee, wrote to Google last month to raise concerns about the question.

Issa criticized the hearing arrangements for failing to include White House staff. “We are surprised that the majority decided against re-inviting a White House witness, since any real oversight hearing on the federal government’s use of Web 2.0 technology would seek answers to the growing list of serious questions raised by the White House’s reported violations of record-keeping and digital ethics laws," said Seamus Kraft, Issa's spokesman.

Consumer Watchdog's John Simpson, a vocal Google opponent, will bring up a few major Google privacy flaps, including the incidents surround its social networking tool "Buzz," and its Wi-Fi collection software code.

"Assurances from the likes of Google that the company can be trusted to respect consumers’ privacy because its corporate motto is “Don’t be evil” have been shown by recent events such as the “Wi-Spy” debacle to be unwarranted," he is expected to say, calling for Congress to enact meaningful privacy legislation.

The hearing is designed to look at how the Web, including social networking sites, impact federal record-keeping.

2 p.m. 2247 Rayburn House Office Building.

AT&T CEO VISITS FCC CHAIRMAN

AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson met with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski on Tuesday to urge him against FCC regulatory plans, according to an ex parte filing to be posted Thursday on the FCC website. He spoke to Genachowski about his so-called "reclassification" proposal, which would increase the agency's authority to regulate Internet service providers. Stephenson emphasized "the proposal would create significant regulatory uncertainty that would undermine investment in broadband networks."

Rockefeller deals blow to FCC proposal

Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) might have dealt a significant setback to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) on Wednesday when he announced he will introduce a bill creating a nationwide broadband network for first responders. The FCC shares the goal, but has spent considerable energy this year defending a proposal of its own, which differs from Rockefeller's on a major point: whether to auction a valuable chunk of spectrum known as the D-block.

Rockefeller's proposal was a letdown for small- and medium-sized broadband carriers such as T-Mobile, which believed the FCC proposal would foster more competition for providing service in the D-block. They expect Rockefellers plan to give Verizon and AT&T to have the best shot at getting that control.

States ask Google if it knew of software’s ‘Spy-Fi’ capabilities

Thirty-seven states asked Google for more information about a privacy breach Wednesday, firing off new questions about when the company figured out it collected user data running over Wi-Fi networks. Google said it mistakenly collected such data — possibly including e-mails and bank account numbers. Faulty software, it says, is the root of the problem.

The states' new line of questioning aims to corner Google on whether it knew the software had data collection capabilities before the company began using the programs. The states asked Google if it had tested the software.

CAN'T MISS NEWS

Hills Notes

Sen. Casey opposes FCC plan to boost its authority. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) has urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to back down from a proposal that many see as a regulatory power grab, telling commission chairman Julius Genachowski to find a “more targeted” answer to uncertainty over the agency's authority. In a June 15 letter obtained by The Hill, Casey staked out his opposition to an FCC regulatory maneuver known as “reclassification” and urged Genachowski to instead reach a deal on network regulation with key stakeholders. Casey also said a stakeholder deal would be preferable to waiting for a Congressional overhaul of telecommunications law to settle the legal landscape around net neutrality regulations.

Sen. DeMint introduces bill blocking net neutrality, perceived FCC overreach. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) introduced a bill Wednesday designed to block the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from imposing net neutrality and other regulations. The Freedom for Consumer Choice Act (FCC Act) would force the commission to prove consumers are being harmed by lack of choice before it can impose new rules. Original co-sponsors will include Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), John Ensign (R-Nev.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and John Thune (R-S.D.).