Inside the Beltway: Mark Zuckerberg’s Capitol Hill debut

NEWS AND OPINION:

Facebook must now face the music — and the news media. Capitol Hill will get particularly intense about mid-afternoon on Tuesday when “Facebook, Social Media Privacy, and the Use and Abuse of Data” gets underway. This much-anticipated hearing before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation features lone witness Facebook chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has undergone weeks of specialized coaching for the experience — deemed “Zuckerberg’s apology tour” by The New Yorker.

In his own Facebook post 72 hours ago, Mr. Zuckerberg outlined immediate new measures for his company.

“From now on, every advertiser who wants to run political or issue ads will need to be verified. To get verified, advertisers will need to confirm their identity and location. Any advertiser who doesn’t pass will be prohibited from running political or issue ads,” he vowed, promising to be transparent about who pays for political ads on Facebook, and to create a monitoring structure for such fare before the midterm election frenzy kicks in. Mr. Zuckerberg also appears before a House committee on Wednesday to explain the business practices at Facebook, which now hosts 2 billion users.

The New York Times says the appearances represent one of the biggest tests of Mr. Zuckerberg’s career, which is not a particularly lengthy one. According to his Forbes profile, the young CEO is a Harvard dropout who founded Facebook in 2004 at the age of 19 and is now worth $62.9 billion at the age of 33. He is ranked No. 5 on the Forbes “Three-Comma-Club” — a list of the world’s 2,208 billionaires, who are collectively worth $9.1 trillion.

And speaking of billionaires, who else is on this rarefied roster? Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is in first place with $112 billion, followed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates ($90 billion), uber-investor Warren Buffet ($84 billion) and Bernard Arnault ($72 billion) — the Frenchman who oversees and empire which spans Louis Vuitton, Sephora and 68 other brands.

Billionaires are not a dime a dozen. But there are a lot of them. A few other names and their standings on the list: business tycoon brothers Charles and David Koch are at No. 8, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg No. 11, philanthropist Sheldon Adelson No. 21, Elon Musk No. 54, media magnate Rupert Murdoch No. 94, philanthropist George Soros No. 190, and President Trump No. 766.

JUDGE JANINE GETS READY

The public is paying plenty of attention to April 17, the date when former FBI Director James B. Comey’s book “A Higher Loyalty” arrives, complete with a very high-profile national tour and multiple media appearances.

Now comes the buzz around June 19. That is when “Liars, Leakers and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy” by Judge Jeanine Pirro hits the shelves, and it is sure to rattle the public discourse.

“As host of her own show on Fox for many years, Judge Pirro has seen firsthand how narratives take form, whether they are based in truth or not. In her explosive new book, she will write about some of the most egregious lies she’s seen, and take on the liars, leakers, and liberals,” the publisher notes.

Indeed, the press has been chattering about the project since February — and that the candid and canny author is serious in her quest to counter the hostile barrage of criticism against Mr. Trump with the book, which will be her sixth.

MELANIA’S MOMENT

First lady Melania Trump has set aside some special time for a group of local middle students on Monday. Mrs. Trump plans a “listening session” with the children, and the White House has offered a straightforward description for the mid-afternoon event.

The students are there “to discuss some of the issues facing children today. They will have the opportunity to speak with the first lady about their day-to-day lives, including their personal triumphs and struggles,” the organizers note.

U.S. ECONOMIC FREEDOM ON AN UPSWING

The Heritage Foundation releases its 24th annual Index of Economic Freedom on Monday, which evaluates the positive impact of liberty and free markets on genuine economic freedom and progress in the U.S. and 185 other nations. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross Jr. will be on hand for the big reveal and a policy discussion, along with Heritage Foundation President Kay Coles James and Terry Miller, editor of the index itself.

Hong Kong is rated No. 1, followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia, Ireland, Estonia, United Kingdom, Canada and United Arab Emirates, to round out the top-10.

The U.S. is currently No. 18 on the list, but the its score has risen in the last year — “with a significant improvement in financial freedom,” which appears to reflect well on President Trump.

“The increase in its overall score would seem to indicate that the decade-long decline in America’s economic freedom may have been arrested. There are signs of renewed labor market dynamism and increased growth, and major regulatory and tax reforms are spurring business confidence and investment,” the analysis said, noting that the U.S. has one of the world’s “largest and most diversified economies,” and remains the world’s second-largest producer of manufactured goods and the leader in research and development.

Find the bodacious index itself at Heritage.org/index, and watch the event live at 3 p.m. on C-SPAN, or live streamed at Heritage.org.

POLL DU JOUR

• 72 percent of Americans think the federal government does not do enough to help the nation’s military veterans.

• 59 percent say funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs should be increased.

• 59 percent favor the federal government providing insurance of private medical care for vets.

• 41 percent say the government should operate special medical facilities for vets instead.

• 38 percent say the needs of vets should be served by private sector; 33 percent are not sure, 29 percent say it is the government’s job.

Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted April 1-3.

• Facts and chatter to jharper@washingtontimes.com