Kathleen Rice takes it to @Jack 

Daily Point

The only thing fiercer than Rice’s comeback is her wallpaper

The heads of Facebook, Twitter and Google were bombarded with invective and a few probing questions at a Congressional hearing Thursday afternoon about the role of social media in provoking violence, especially around the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Clearly, if the big three wanted a substantive debate, it was a frustrating experience. But only one expressed such frustration in real time. Twitter’s Jack Dorsey was retweeting critics of the lawmakers and then made the bold move of posting a simple Twitter poll: "?" and the choice of a "yes" or "no" answer.

Enter former prosecutor Kathleen Rice, of CD4. Dorsey’s insolence had been passed around among the House committee members and staff and it was flagged for Rice. When her turn came to get the Zoom microphone, Rice surprised Dorsey by acknowledging his subtweets. "Who’s winning the poll," she asked a startled Dorsey who mumbled "Yes," and then smiled at being called out.

"Your multitasking skills are quite impressive," an irked Rice shot back.

Rice then went on to ask the CEOs prepared questions, quizzing Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook about disinformation campaigns that "radicalize" veterans and requesting more specific information about what steps they were taking to stop it.

But Rice’s exchange with @Jack won the moment on Twitter almost as much as the bright wallpaper of flowers and insects in her Garden City apartment that was the background for her Zoom call.

—Rita Ciolli @ritaciolli

Talking Point

Where was Rick Cotton in March 2020?

The news that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration arranged for priority COVID-19 testing for family members and others early in the pandemic reminded The Point of where its attention was last March – and of information for which we’re still waiting.

Among the individuals who received special access to COVID-19 tests were Rick Cotton, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and his wife. Cotton tested positive for the coronavirus in early March of 2020, in what was one of the first cases of a high-profile figure testing positive.

When Cotton’s positive test was announced on March 9, 2020, The Point immediately wondered where he had been and with whom he had been in contact. So, we submitted a Freedom of Information request, also dated March 9, 2020, seeking Cotton’s public schedule for the month of February and the first nine days of March. We asked for – "any and all travel, along with a full detailing of all meetings – including where they were held and who they were with – and any events he attended."

Then we waited. And waited. And waited.

The Point has received several letters since the initial request, each saying that "additional time is needed to process the request."

The last communications from the Port Authority, sent in February, said a response would be sent by April 19, 2021.

After Cotton’s positive COVID-19 test emerged as part of a larger prioritized testing effort, The Point reached out again about the lengthy wait for its FOIL response.

The Port, a spokesman said, "acknowledged and apologized for the extensive delay and noted that the request should have been responded to by now."

"We’ll look to fulfill the request as soon as possible," the spokesman told The Point.

—Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall

Pencil Point

Abnormal

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/cartoons

Final Point

Santos, unmasked, poses for photo at recent fundraiser

What to make of the picture from a George Santos fundraiser shared on social media by the New York Young Republican Club and the Log Cabin Republicans of New York?

The image of the Tuesday event in Manhattan depicted eight people posing shoulder to shoulder, indoors, none of them wearing masks.

Santos, the once and apparently future Congressional hopeful who lost his 2020 bid against Rep. Tom Suozzi in CD3, had told The Point before the fundraiser that attendee limits, masks and social distancing would be required. He had previously been at a somewhat infamous New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago from which mask-free pictures emerged.

Reached on Thursday, the Whitestone Republican said the fundraiser ended up having a 40-person limit due to slightly loosened regulations; he said that people generally sat and ate other than getting up for food; and he wore a mask "the entire fundraiser" with the "sole exception" of taking it off for pictures. He sent photos showing him masked and mingling.

None of the people posing for the shared group picture appear to be displaying masks, however, and a man in the background who isn’t posing isn’t wearing one, either.

It’s hardly the first time New York Republicans declined masks in public gatherings during the pandemic, or flaunted their annoyance with restrictions. When the Young Republican Club posted the fundraiser picture, they included the hashtags #thinkforyourself and #genfree. The Log Cabin Republicans, who represent gay conservatives and their allies, have repeatedly made fun of masks on their Twitter account, including a joke about how "gays" wear masks to "stop the spread" even post-vaccination but also say, "I don’t need to wear a condom, I’m on PrEP" — medication to prevent HIV.

Santos said he did not think there was a political disparity on masks. He said he had had COVID-19 already and has been vaccinated, and wears masks to the gym and in confined spaces: "I have no problem following the rules."

As for others: "Those around me, I don’t speak for them."

Not all Republicans shrug off masks and it could be a point of contention in a GOP CD3 primary. Kevin Surdi, a nurse who launched his own campaign for the GOP nod in the eastern Queens, North Shore Long Island district earlier this month, says on his website, "Until this pandemic has passed, we have to continue to wash our hands, wear masks, and stay socially responsible."

Surdi campaign spokesman Chapin Fay said in a statement: "As an ER nurse, Kevin has been on the frontlines of this pandemic and will of course enforce all appropriate COVID-19 safety protocols at his events, unlike those who have a history of irresponsibility throughout this pandemic."

Asked for comment about the unmasked picture at Santos’ fundraiser, Suozzi campaign spokeswoman Kim Devlin said in a text, "Hope it doesn’t become a super-spreader event ...although with his past events it likely won’t be ‘super’ anything."

—Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano