Rachel Maddow often announces MSNBC won't air live speeches from Donald Trump because "There is a cost to us‚ as a news organization‚ of knowingly broadcasting untrue things." But that never stops the Madcow speeches about the "rise of fascism in this country‚" as she uncorked during Iowa caucus coverage in the 9pm hour. MSNBC host and former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki revved up Rachel by noting a Des Moines Register/NBC poll found 50 percent said of Iowa GOP voters said they were more likely to back Trump when hearing Trump's promise to authorize "sweeping raids‚ giant camps and mass deportations” to deal with the border‚ and 43 percent were more likely to vote Trump over his statement “The radical left thugs that live like vermin in the U.S. need to be rooted out.” They think agreeing with this is Fascism on the Rise: RACHEL MADDOW: The big picture take away from that -- and I don't mean to be‚ again‚ too dark‚ as you said‚ on this. But‚ it is not -- if we are worried about the rise of authoritarianism in this country‚ we are worried about the potential rise of fascism in this country‚ worried about our democracy falling to an authoritarian and potentially fascist form of government‚ the leader who is trying to do that is part of that equation. But people wanting that is a much bigger part of that equation. And the American electorate is made up of two major parties. One of those parties has been flirting with extremism on the ultra-right for a very long time. They've brought them in in a way that they haven't been central to Republican electoral politics ever before. Once you have radicalized one major party so that those are the preferences of the people who adhere to your party‚ the leader's interchangeable. And yes‚ Trumpism is sometimes what we call it‚ the MAGA movement is probably a better way to do it. But there isn't an authoritarian movement inside Republican politics that isn't being bamboozled by Trump. They are pushing Trump to get more and more extreme because the more extreme things he says‚ the more they adhere. And that is coming from a very large proportion of the American right that adheres to the Republican Party. That's why this is a Republican Party problem more than it is the problem of one man... Ari Melber babbled something about how Trump voters display "religious zeal without religion‚" and Maddow doubled down: "Or you call it religion when really you want strongman government and getting rid of democracy."

With the dreaded 2024 election year upon us‚ it becomes necessary to consider the main issues that will determine who wins at the ballot box. Will it be the economy? Immigration? Foreign policy? Political corruption? Maybe it will be none of those. Because Joe Biden has an abysmal record‚ he and his supporters in the corporate media will be forced to circumvent this reality and keep Democrat voters in the dark. Moreover‚ they will fabricate issues to demoralize and further confuse the left and the right. Ideally‚ this two-pronged approach will soothe Democrats into blissful ignorance as they vote for the same terrible politicians while it provokes Republican voters into endless squabbles. A perfect example of how this works can be found in two recent op-eds in Newsweek. In the first essay‚ “Why 2024 Could Totally Rule!” college professor David Faris optimistically predicts that some “lucky breaks” at home and abroad will lead to the triumph of Biden and the Democratic Party along with the fall of Donald Trump and the GOP. Taking the same political angle but predicting doom‚ “2024 Is Another Year of Living Dangerously” by former Associated Press editor Dan Perry rules out those lucky breaks‚ predicting a second Trump term and a world on fire. More than what they argue‚ what makes these two essays notable is what they leave out. If most Americans are misinformed and distracted‚ Biden and the Democratic Party will win the next election and seize more power. Even though the biggest issue in any election is the economy‚ both Faris and Perry address it in the most oblique and dishonest manner. For no reason at all‚ Faris asserts‚ “With interest rates falling‚ inflation back to pre-pandemic levels‚ and stocks roaring past all-time highs‚ there will be little left to pin on President Biden and the Democrats.” Oh? Considering the federal government’s continued profligate spending‚ there is every reason to believe inflation will continue impoverishing Americans. The only other way to change that would be to raise interest rates‚ but this could trigger a recession‚ which Democrats must delay until after November at all costs. This is to say nothing of the swelling debt that will eventually require steep tax hikes and spending cuts. Rather than expecting a “soft landing” and sustained economic recovery‚ Americans can expect to be slowly but surely crushed by rising prices and stagnating wages. For his part‚ Perry frets over artificial intelligence‚ which will “replace many of the white collar functions that have enabled non-geniuses with a bit of education to bring home the bacon.” Like most AI pessimists‚ Perry offers few details of how this actually happens. Most jobs‚ even seemingly monotonous ones‚ require human judgment‚ which AI lacks. Someone will always need to set the parameters‚ review the product‚ and consider what further actions are necessary. If anything‚ AI will supplement what white-collar workers do and make them more productive‚ not replace them and make them redundant. As conservative columnist Kurt Schlichter concludes in his case against artificial intelligence‚ “AI is a tool and a gimmick‚ but it will be useful for some functions.” Projection‚ Biden-style Faris and Perry also address Biden’s corruption‚ albeit in bad faith. Faris uses the typical leftist tactic of calling the accusations of Biden’s influence-peddling a “farce” with no “credible” evidence to support it. Perry takes the other popular leftist tactic of shameless projection: “[Trump] coddled anti-democratic rulers‚ tried to use the presidency to enrich himself‚ was impeached for shaking down Ukraine for dirt on Joe Biden and then for egging on a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.” Contrary to these claims‚ evidence shows how the Biden family grew rich from Joe’s willingness to make deals with the world’s worst people. Ironically‚ this has caused him — not Trump — to be the one to coddle anti-democratic rulers‚ including Volodymyr Zelenskyy‚ Xi Jinping‚ and now Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. As for illegal immigration and the military failures of Afghanistan and Ukraine‚ Faris and Perry have almost nothing to say since there’s just no way to spin them positively. The mass influx of illegal immigrants will continue to burden all levels of government with a swelling class of dependents in need of health care‚ housing‚ education‚ and protection‚ as well as flood the labor market with cheap‚ unskilled workers — in effect‚ Americans can expect to see the proliferation of slums and shantytowns everywhere. On the foreign policy front‚ even before Biden’s disastrous withdrawal in the summer of 2021‚ the war in Afghanistan had proven to be a pointless effort that wasted thousands of lives and billions of dollars. Nevertheless‚ the Biden administration entered another wasteful conflict less than a year later in Ukraine. Although it seems like this war might finally end with a peace deal in the near future‚ this outcome could have been reached long before all the death and destruction of the past two years. Abortion now‚ abortion forever But rather than concede any of this‚ Faris and Perry instead stoke unwarranted fears of a Trump “dictatorship” and potential limits on abortion. As Faris looks forward to a “codification of Roe” and the demise of Trump’s “bizarre antics and increasingly authoritarian rhetoric‚" Perry fears more “abortion ban talk” and the possibility that “Trump will again alienate America’s allies and trash America’s brand as he takes steps to rule as an authoritarian to whatever degree the system will allow.” So long as reality doesn’t assert itself‚ the arguments of Faris and Perry — and those of the left generally — might well prevail. Sure enough‚ Biden announced his re-election campaign would be predicated on attacking Trump and trumpeting abortion. If most Americans are misinformed and distracted‚ and Republicans tie themselves in knots explaining how they’re not fascists‚ Biden and the Democratic Party will win the next election and seize more power. So it falls on Americans not to take the bait and to fight the falsehoods. More than ever‚ the case for the American left is remarkably weak‚ and conservatives have an opportunity to win back the country in a big way. They just have to focus‚ keep it real‚ and help others to do the same.

A recent regulatory change by the Biden administration is so poorly designed‚ there’s no telling exactly how many workers will be hurt.

One of America’s essential liberties is now being assaulted by the government. 

There is no strong relationship between unemployment and inflation. The tradeoff doesn’t exist at all in any systematic way.

The endless saga continues in Washington‚ D.C.

Late last year‚ Apple announced it would stop selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the US as the International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a ban on the two devices. The watches were found to infringe pulse oximetry patents from Masimo‚ hence the ban. The Biden administration chose not to veto the ruling‚ and the ban seemed inevitable. However‚ the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit saved Apple by accepting an interim stay on the ban as the court reviewed Apple's request for a full stay for the duration of its appeal. Apple was free to resume Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 sales. Soon after news of the imminent ban came out‚ reports said Apple was already working on deploying a fix so it could continue to sell the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. Fast-forward to mid-January‚ and that fix might be something many fans could have foreseen. Apple will reportedly drop the Blood Oxygen app from the two Apple Watch models‚ removing the pulse oximetry feature from the wearable. But do we really need it in the first place? Continue reading... The post Apple may avoid Apple Watch ban by ditching blood oxygen readings – here’s why I don’t care appeared first on BGR. Trending Right Now: Star Wars release dates: Every announced movie and TV show

A change of strategy at Samsung headquarters made Apple and its iPhone the top-selling smartphone of 2023. At least‚ this is what research firm Canalys believes after revealing the preliminary numbers of smartphone shipments in Q4 2023. According to the study‚ worldwide smartphone shipments grew 8% yearly in the fourth quarter of 2023‚ reaching 320 million units. With the first growth in seven consecutive quarters‚ Apple led the market with a 24% share of shipments thanks to the new iPhone 15 series. On the other hand‚ Samsung took second place with 17%‚ followed by Xiaomi with over 20% growth‚ and Transsion in fourth place‚ benefiting from emerging market recovery. Canalys Research explained that Samsung's new focus on the mid-end to high-end market paid a price‚ as it won profitability but lost share in the low-end segment: “The top two players are eagerly looking for new growth drivers for their smartphone businesses as both suffered market share declines in Q4‚” said Canalys Research Manager Amber Liu. “In 2023‚ Samsung focused on the mid-to-high-end segment for profitability but lost share in the low-end segment and also its leading position in the global market. Its 2024 product launches‚ especially in the high-end segment with a focus on on-device AI (see Canalys blog: “On-device AI and Samsung’s role in the future smart ecosystem race”)‚ will support its rebound as an innovation leader in 2024.”  Image source: Canalys Apple‚ for example‚ has continued to drive solid demand in the high-end segment in the past two years. Despite the failure in the early sales of the iPhone 14 series‚ the new strategy for the iPhone 15 Pro Max with an exclusive feature and higher price point helped Apple be more profitable. Still‚ the company should worry about Huawei in China. "Apple showed resilience over the past two years‚ thanks to solid ongoing demand in the high-end segment. The expanded positioning of its iPhone 15 series has pointed to the future direction of Apple’s portfolio strategy to reach a broader range of consumer segments‚” said Liu. “But Huawei’s improving strength and looming local competition in mainland China will challenge Apple to sustain its growth trajectory in mainland China while high-end replacement demand in other major markets‚ such as North America and Europe‚ is leveling off. Apple must look to new market growth and ecosystem strength to reinvigorate its iPhone business.” Don't Miss: iPhone 15: Price‚ specs‚ features‚ A17 Pro‚ and more The post Apple crushes Samsung as iPhone outships Galaxy phones for the first time in 2023 appeared first on BGR. Trending Right Now: Star Wars release dates: Every announced movie and TV show

Former President Donald Trump secured a resounding win in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa on Monday‚ asserting his command over the party despite facing scores of criminal charges as he seeks an election rematch with President Joe Biden.