From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

Russian trolls and American thinking.

Hello again, I'm Robin Olney, and this is To the Point.

When Twitter, Facebook, and Google visited Capitol Hill this week, they got a barrage

of criticism from Republicans and Democrats. Politicians from both parties said their digital

business models facilitate Russian meddling with U.S. elections. But the politicians also got a lesson.

Russian disinformation is aimed more at creating chaos and discrediting democracy than it is at partisan politics.

We'll hear how fake news from St. Petersburg created real rallies in Houston,

while proposed solutions illustrate the yawning gap between Washington and Silicon Valley.

Later on today's talking point, wildfires and the toll on first responders.

First, here's the news.

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Hello again, Warren. I'll be back with To the Point. Big Tech was on the defensive this week on Capitol Hill.

Twitter, Facebook, and Google held back their famous CEOs and sent their lawyers to be grilled by members of both parties.

But Republicans and Democrats may have learned more than expected.

Russian disinformation is aimed at creating social upheaval, not just at partisan politics.

Today's talking point, wildfires are getting longer and hotter, and the toll on firefighters is rising.

One federal official says suicide rates have been astronomical.

First is news update. House Republicans finally released a tax plan today. Speaker Paul Ryan told

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