A far-right candidate was expected to win Romania’s presidential race and then the election was abruptly cancelled — amid concerns that Russia was paying TikTok influencers to boost his campaign. And would you believe it, things only get crazier from there. POLITICO host Steven Overly dives into the latest in Bucharest with Andrei Popoviciu, a Romanian freelance investigative journalist who has been covering this story for POLITICO.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-elect Donald Trump has lashed out at TV broadcasters and tech companies, accusing them of unfair news coverage or censoring conservative speech. And soon, his Federal Communications Commission may try to penalize them. Outgoing FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, fears the agency’s independence could be in jeopardy. On POLITICO Tech, Rosenworcel joins host Steven Overly to discuss her tenure atop the agency and its future in the next administration.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While U.S. lawmakers debate kids’ online safety legislation, elected officials in Australia have already taken bold action — banning minors under age 16 from social media altogether. Now, Australian officials will spend the next year figuring out how to implement the law. Among them is eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, an American and former tech executive who oversees online safety regulation in Australia. On POLITICO Tech, Inman Grant tells host Steven Overly about Australia’s new social media experiment and why the whole world is watching.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patent lawyers at Google had a question: How many of the company’s big, new ideas were developed using artificial intelligence? The patent world has been grappling for years with whether or not AI can be considered an inventor, and Google needed to know how the technology is being used today. On POLITICO Tech, Google’s head of patent policy, Laura Sheridan, joins host Steven Overly to explain the findings and why the company doesn’t think AI counts as an inventor.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Technology has made it so that we’re always connected. And for many of us, that means the boss can text or email anytime. But several countries are cracking down on after-work communication by enacting so-called “right-to-disconnect" laws. So far, two states in the U.S. have introduced such bills — with more expected to follow. But the Society of Human Resource Management argues the government shouldn’t be dictating work-life balance. On the show today, the association’s head of government affairs, Emily Dickens, joins host Steven Overly to explain the opposition to right-to-disconnect laws.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was looking like Congress had few plans to take up tech bills before the end of the year. But in Washington, one weekend and a couple of tweets can make a world of difference. Senators struck a deal to pony up money for key tech and telecom programs. And a major kids online safety bill may have gotten a much-needed boost from Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr. On POLITICO Tech, health tech reporter Ruth Reader joins to discuss whether Trump world support can get that bill over the finish line.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The government’s plan to potentially ban TikTok next month is still on schedule, at least for now. A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that Congress can legally force its parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app or be shut down because of concerns about its ties to China. On POLITICO Tech, national security attorney Carrie Cordero from the Center for a New American Security joins host Steven Overly to parse through the ruling, and discuss what comes next as TikTok looks to the Supreme Court and President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chinese hackers have infiltrated major telecommunications networks, gaining access to the call logs and data of millions of Americans, including President-elect Donald Trump. But while the breach was first detected back in the spring, U.S. officials acknowledged this week that they’ve not yet been able to stop it. On POLITICO Tech, cybersecurity reporter Maggie Miller joins host Steven Overly to explain why the attack has been so hard to contain and how people can protect their information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Romanians head to the polls for a final round of voting on Sunday and European tech regulators will be watching. The candidate expected to win is a far-right politician named Călin Georgescu, who catapulted himself to the top in part due to his popularity on TikTok. But some regulators and researchers question whether Georgescu has gotten a boost from fake accounts and paid influencers — allegations that have put TikTok in the hot seat. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Pieter Haeck gives host Steven Overly the download on the drama unfolding from Bucharest to Brussels.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen made headlines for backing Donald Trump in the 2024 election, and now stands to gain new levels of influence with Trump’s return to the White House. In a recent interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Andreesen outlined his views on the changing political and media landscape, as well as his outlook for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. On POLITICO Tech, Digital Future Daily author Derek Robertson joins host Steven Overly to talk through the big takeaways and what they reveal about tech’s likely influence in Trump’s Washington.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices