Former Mitt Romney strategist Stuart Stevens is senior adviser of the Lincoln Project‚ a never-Trump “Republican” outfit whose pathetic anti-GOP stunts and scandals have discredited it everywhere but in the mainstream media‚ where it remains a reliable source for smears of the modern-day Republican party as fascistic. Stuart took his familiar act to Tuesday’s edition of Amanpour &; Co.‚ which airs on PBS. Host Christiane Amanpour used Steven’s spicy quote in her show opener: Stuart Stevens: Now‚ it's been a lot of sleepless nights trying to come to grips with it‚ but the Republican Party now is an autocratic movement. (Stevens is a popular “Republican” in PBS-land. In October 2023 he pumped his then-new book The Conspiracy to End America on the PBS NewsHour comparing his old party to Nazis.) Stevens was interviewed by co-host Walter Isaacson‚ who identified Stewart as “part of the anti-Trump movement in the Republican Party.” What&;#63; He's a former Republican. Isaacson asked him if Trump being on trial would hurt or help his presidential campaign. Stevens had to admit the optics of Trump on trial could work in the candidate’s favor: &;quot;It's the grievance campaign. I am your retribution. The deep state is out to get us. What better proof that the deep state is out to get us than the deep state has me on trial.” Prompted by Isaacson‚ Stevens alleged Trump supported Russian dictator Vladimir Putin before getting to the money quote. Stevens: “And I've spent a lot of sleepless nights trying to come to grips with it‚ but the Republican Party now is an autocratic movement. And I think what you see in front of the Supreme Court‚ where they're actually trying to make the case that a president is above the law‚ it's just further proof that. It's why they -- the conservative movement is in love with Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin.” Isaacson quoted from Stevens saying the Biden team has to be amazed at &;quot;how is this guy still in the race&;#63;&;quot; Stevens painted the GOP as racist. Stevens: You know‚ a lot of this ultimately has to do with race‚ Walter. We're a country that's headed to becoming a minority-majority country. If you're 16 years and under in America‚ you -- the majority are nonwhite. Trump's base is 85 percent white. And it's that reality that drives so much of the Republican Party's efforts to change election laws and to sort of curate the election.” Prodded by Isaacson‚ Stevens got more and more worked up‚ and‚ yes &;quot;alarmist.&;quot; Stevens: ….it's difficult to talk about this without sounding alarmist‚ and language is one of the issues that‚ you know‚ we struggle with. But I think if Donald Trump wins this election‚ it will be the last election that we can recognize as a normal American election. I know these people. As bad as you think they are‚ they are worse. They want a different America‚ and they're open about it when you really listen to them‚ and that's why they embrace Russia so much. They look at Russia‚ and they say‚ OK. Russia‚ no nonwhite people in power. Putin says there's no gays in Russia. There's no women in power. Elections are performative‚ but not decisive. That looks pretty good. And they embrace that…. Excepting a question about anti-Trumpers‚ including Sen. Liz Cheney‚ journalist Isaacson just facilitated Stevens and his long‚ broad smear of one of America’s two main political parties. A transcript is available‚ click “Expand.” Amanpour &; Co. 5/1/24 2:03:04 a.m. (ET) CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR‚ HOST‚ AMANPOUR AND CO.: Stuart Stevens‚ a former Republican strategist‚ admits that he's still coming to grips today's GOP and its embrace of a man facing 91 criminal charges‚ and the grand old party's creeping authoritarian character‚ as he explains with Walter Isaacson. WALTER ISAACSON‚ CO-HOST‚ AMANPOUR AND CO.: Thank you‚ Christiane. And‚ Stuart Stevens‚ welcome back to the show. STUART STEVENS‚ SENIOR ADVISER‚ THE LINCOLN PROJECT AND AUTHOR‚ &;quot;IT WAS ALL A LIE&;quot;: Great to see you‚ Walter. Thanks. ISAACSON: You've been a Republican strategist most of your life‚ worked for George Bush‚ Mitt Romney‚ and then have been part of the anti-Trump movement in the Republican Party. Now‚ you're watching him on trial. In some ways‚ he's running on the notion of grievance and persecution. Does this trial help him or hurt him&;#63; STEVENS: Well‚ you know‚ I mean‚ I think that the sort of headline on this is that Trump is still a viable candidate and he's on trial. That in itself is extraordinary. Look‚ I think if you're one of the smart people running the Trump campaign‚ and they do have smart professionals now‚ this isn't what your ideal scenario would have been. But at the same time‚ it's not disqualifying for Trump‚ which it would be for any other candidate I can think of. And what -- the essence of that is that Trump's campaign‚ particularly in this cycle‚ is based on being a victim. It's the grievance campaign. I am your retribution. The deep state is out to get us. What better proof that the deep state is out to get us than the deep state has me on trial. ISAACSON: And you say these are really smart people running the campaign. Are they going to use this to help this politics of grievance&;#63; STEVENS: Yes‚ they're going to use it to try to eat as a proof point. You know‚ if you have -- you have to get inside their heads‚ Walter‚ the whole Trump thing. So‚ in their world‚ Trump won the presidency‚ the White House has been stolen. And the only way that they can stop Trump‚ who was the legally elected president‚ they say‚ from winning again is to put them in jail. So‚ this is just that process of the deep state trying to take away from you‚ the voter‚ your right to choose your president‚ and they would say‚ restore democracy. It's sort of like the aliens built the pyramids. Once you understand that‚ everything else makes a lot of sense. You know‚ the problem is aliens didn't build the pyramids. But that's how they see the world and this fits into that worldview. ISAACSON: If Trump were not on trial‚ if there had not been all of these indictments‚ would he be in a stronger or a weaker position&;#63; STEVENS: I think that the indictments helped him in the primary because it then became necessary to support Trump in the primary to prove that what the Democrats were saying and they put in the same Democrats in the deep state are exactly the same. I don't think it is going to help him in the general election. I think that there's something that is going to be disconcerting and wearing the people to see a potential president of the United States‚ a former president of the United States on trial in multiple jurisdictions. ISAACSON: But wait‚ haven't people been saying this for a year or two that eventually wear down&;#63; STEVENS: Yes. Yes. But the audience has been -- the audience that has been voting has been that primary audience. And it was fascinating to see the split in the primary electorate that pretty much the threshold belief that if you voted for Trump‚ you believe that he won the presidency last time. Very few of Nikki Haley's voters believe that. The majority of the country doesn't believe that. So‚ I just think that -- you know‚ I've compared the Trump candidacy to somebody walking around with a paper bag full of water. I don't think it's going to leak‚ but I think there's a very good chance it's going to go -- and when it goes‚ it's going to be very hard to put the water back in the bag.   ISAACSON: Were you surprised that the Republican Party‚ not just a hardcore base‚ but a majority of people in the primaries‚ rallied around him that way&;#63;   STEVENS: Oh‚ Walter‚ you know‚ I had a going out of business sale with any optimism in the Republican Party. I think that we've seen a complete collapse of any moral authority of the party. And the people to blame are not Donald Trump. Donald Trump is just being Donald Trump. It's all of the people that you and I know‚ and I helped elect a lot of them‚ who before Trump‚ they wouldn't have had lunch with Trump. They wouldn't let Trump in their house. They know that he's destructive to democracy. They know he's not a conservative. They know that Putin helped elect him. And yet‚ they still support him. ISAACSON: Why is that&;#63; STEVENS: That is a profound question. And I asked myself that. And that led me to write this book‚ &;quot;It Was All a Lie.&;quot; And what -- the only conclusion I come to that makes any sense to me‚ and I think it makes any sense at all‚ is that all of these things that we espoused as deep values‚ Walter‚ that the party held‚ character counts‚ strong on Soviet Union‚ strong on Russia‚ the deficit matters‚ all of these things‚ we said were values were in fact just marketing slogans. So‚ OK‚ that's not the case then. So‚ character really doesn't count. Sure‚ we'll support the candidate who supports Vladimir Putin in‚ you know‚ the largest war in Europe since World War II. I don't know how else to come to a conclusion because people don't abandon deeply held beliefs in a couple of years. And the party has just walked away from these.   You know‚ the Republican Party now doesn't really exist as a normal American political party in any kind of tradition. It exists to defeat Democrats. And‚ you know‚ that's how cartels operate. Nobody asks OPEC‚ what is your higher purpose&;#63; You sell oil. And‚ you know‚ it's not like a fun thing to admit. And I've spent a lot of sleepless nights trying to come to grips with it‚ but the Republican Party now is an autocratic movement. And I think what you see in front of the Supreme Court‚ where they're actually trying to make the case that a president is above the law‚ it's just further proof that. It's why they -- the conservative movement is in love with Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin. ISAACSON: There's a group of people in the Republican Party who have‚ of course‚ pushed back Liz Cheney‚ most prominent among them‚ even Senator Mitt Romney‚ Former Vice President Mike Pence. Do you see the possibility that more and more Republicans like that will come forward between now and the election&;#63; STEVENS: I don't think there's many Republicans like them. I think if Trump is convicted it might make a difference with some. You know what – I think it's very interesting to look at‚ say‚ Chris Christie‚ who was a former client of mine. Loved the guy. Could not believe he endorsed Donald Trump in 2016. I remember standing at Atlanta Airport and seeing‚ you know‚ CNN and literally tears came to my eyes. It was like‚ how is this person that I love doing this. And I think he would say it was a mistake now‚ which is good. What he's going out there and saying now is what should have been said. But when you listen to Chris Christie‚ how do you come to any other conclusion but you have to support Joe Biden&;#63; Same with Asa Hutchinson‚ who ran in the Republican primary‚ former governor of Arkansas‚ another former client of mine‚ a really good and decent human being‚ and you may not agree with his politics. He has to support. Liz Cheney has to support Biden. Mitt Romney will support Biden. I think --   ISAACSON: Well‚ you think or he should -- STEVENS: I think they will. I think those two definitely will. ISAACSON: Do you think that Biden -- and Biden hadn't called them yet&;#63; Do you think Biden should reach out to all of them and create a Republicans for Biden committee&;#63; STEVENS: Sure. When the time is right. You know‚ if a prominent Republican came to me and said‚ I want to endorse Joe Biden‚ my advice‚ as wearing my political consultant hat‚ would be‚ that's great. I would wait. Because if you do it now‚ it's not going to mean as much as if you do it‚ say‚ during the Democratic Convention. And timing is pretty much everything in politics. So‚ I hope this will happen. If Trump is convicted‚ it may make that entry ramp a little smoother. But really‚ you don't need a conviction in any of these trials to know that Donald Trump should not be president. So‚ you know‚ it's just -- I mean‚ think about it‚ Walter‚ the Republican Party doesn't have room for a Cheney&;#63; Really&;#63; A Cheney&;#63; What do you do with that&;#63; And there is no Republican Party to go back to. And people just have to come to grips with that. There's a kind of false hope that somehow we can just look beyond Trump‚ and McConnell expressed a lot of this‚ and a lot of these sort of gentry Republicans have held their nose and say‚ well‚ you know‚ we're just going to be able to put Trump behind us. No‚ no. The party -- there is a need for a center right conservative party in America. That cannot be the Republican Party as it's currently construed.   ISAACSON: So‚ wait. What happens if there's a need for a center right party and the Republican Party has abandoned that&;#63; What do you see down the road&;#63;   STEVENS: I think 2032 is the best hope that you could have a sane center right party that will emerge. You know‚ pain is the best teacher in politics. Arguably‚ maybe the only teacher. And what needs to happen is Republicans need to lose‚ and they need to lose again and again. And then‚ out of some sense of survival‚ you could see a sane party emerging. You know‚ a lot of this ultimately has to do with race‚ Walter. We're a country that's headed to becoming a minority majority country. If you're 16 years and under in America‚ you -- the majority are nonwhite. Trump's base is 85 percent white. And it's that reality that drives so much of the Republican Party's efforts to change election laws and to sort of curate the election. ISAACSON: You talk about the politics of grievance and of anti-corporate‚ anti-state feelings. How does Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fit into this equation&;#63; STEVENS: It's a great question. I think it comes down to who RFK. Jr. is. If come October‚ and RFK Jr. is defined as a crusading environmentalist lawyer that took on big corporations‚ that guy's going to hurt Joe Biden. If RFK Jr. is defined as this wacky conspiracy nut who has said that there is no safe vaccine‚ which means he's basically the‚ you know‚ anti-polio vaccine candidate who believes -- has expressed these conspiracies about the CIA killing his father and how‚ you know‚ Prozac leads to school shootings‚ I think that guy will probably hurt Trump more. But‚ you know‚ if it was up to me‚ I would rather just have a straight race with no third-party candidates. It's a cleaner race. You have to make it a choice between Trump and Biden. And there are voters out there who don't like Trump‚ who are uncomfortable with Biden. If you give them any sort of socially accepted off ramp‚ my fear is that they'll take them. That was a great fallacy of a No Labels candidate. And all the candidates they talked about definitely would have just helped elect Donald Trump‚ which maybe is one of the reasons that ultimately‚ they didn't go forward. But‚ you know‚ in The Lincoln Project‚ we're out there defining Robert Kennedy for what he is‚ a conspiracy nut who's anti-vaxxer. I think that's what needs to be done. And I hope that's who he is in October. ISAACSON: The last few lines of your op-ed‚ let me quote them to you. You say‚ we should not normalize how extraordinary it is that Mr. Trump is still a viable candidate for president. The Biden campaign will watch the spectacle unfold asking‚ how is this guy still in the race&;#63; So‚ let me ask you‚ how is this guy still in the race&;#63; STEVENS: It goes‚ I think‚ to a fundamental hollowness that existed within the Republican Party that Trump brought to light. ISAACSON: But also‚ the American electorate&;#63; STEVENS: Well‚ you look at among Democrats‚ Trump is‚ you know‚ not getting a lot of support. But yes‚ you would have to say he is appealing to a dark side of America. And we've had other candidates who did that. George Wallace did it. We just didn't have him nominated by a major political party. The Democratic Party rejected George Wallace. The Republican Party embraced it. You know‚ I think that there has been‚ by the establishment of the Republican Party embracing Trump‚ it has given a permission structure for people who are troubled by a lot of Trump to say‚ well‚ he couldn't -- he must not be that bad. I think he's a little weird and all this‚ but‚ hey‚ my governor -- I know my governor better. My Senator‚ they're normal humans. They support Trump. And that is the failure of the party not to stand up to Trump. But look‚ if you're going to ask me if Donald Trump wins his next race‚ does it say something that's very‚ very troubling about the future of democracy&;#63; My answer overwhelmingly is yes. You know‚ it's difficult to talk about this without sounding alarmist‚ and language is one of the issues that‚ you know‚ we struggle with. But I think if Donald Trump wins this election‚ it will be the last election that we can recognize as a normal American election. I know these people. As bad as you think they are‚ they are worse. They want a different America‚ and they're open about it when you really listen to them‚ and that's why they embrace Russia so much. They look at Russia‚ and they say‚ OK. Russia‚ no nonwhite people in power. Putin says there's no gays in Russia. There's no women in power. Elections are performative‚ but not decisive. That looks pretty good. And they embrace that. So‚ the idea‚ you know‚ America is rapidly changing‚ non-college educated white voters have the largest declining demographic in the country‚ and they find it unsettling and troubling and they would like to stop that. And they will -- they are about the business of trying to change elections so that they reduce the power of those who see a different America. And that's -- the Electoral College facilitates that. Biden won by 7 million votes‚ but it's 45‚000 votes to change hands in just exactly the right places Trump would still win. So‚ I think it's a race about the future of America. I think the cliche this is the most important race of our lifetime has never been more true. ISAACSON: Stuart Stevens‚ thank you so much for joining us again. STEVENS: Thank you‚ Walter. AMANPOUR: So‚ that was two Republicans‚ two former Republicans‚ talking about their party today.

With all the focus on Joe Biden's decline in mental acuity‚ have we overlooked the possibility that his phone buddy Joe Scarborough is also suffering some short-term memory loss&;#63; The question arises in light of this comment Scarborough--now in his seventh decade--made on today's Morning Joe. &;quot;You know‚ Jen [Palmieri]‚ there is a stereotype of the Trump voter that the media does. Oh‚ people are stumbling drunk out of their trailer park and‚ you know‚ shooting raccoons or something like that. No‚ it's bankers. It's lawyers. It's people with advanced degrees.&;quot; So Scarborough rips the MSM for stereotyping MAGA as people &;quot;stumbling drunk out of their trailer park‚ shooting raccoons&;#63;&;quot; Really‚ Joe&;#63; This from the man we recently caught mocking Jim Comer‚ the Republican chairman of the House Investigations Committee as saying in a stereotypical southern accent‚ apropos of his committee's investigation of Hunter Biden: &;quot;We ain't got nuthin' but a squirrel fryer and a hound dog. &;quot; Scarborough‚ who claimed: &;quot;Comer and his gang are running for the hills. In their coon hats‚ holding a squirrel fryer in their left hand and a shotgun in the right&;#33;&;quot; The same Scarborough who we caught putting on a heavy Southern accent to mock Speaker Mike Johnson's belief in the Bible. In reality‚ as Scarborough surely knows‚ Johnson sounds more like a newsreader from Nebraska than anything resembling the typical native of his Shreveport‚ Louisiana home town. More recently‚ we noted Scarborough indulging a negative stereotype of Southerners‚ describing legislators who had adopted a pro-life law as &;quot;old‚ fat‚ white men in Mississippi.&;quot; So yeah‚ Joe. The media really does mischaracterize Trump voters and the people they elect -- just have a look in the mirror. Note: Instead of rednecks‚ Scarborough blamed &;quot;billionaires&;quot; for making the election of Trump possible‚ and he said they're &;quot;not understanding that this is not just a threat to democracy‚ but this is a threat to capitalism.&;quot; At least Joe didn't point the finger at the Rothschilds. And a nervous Scarborough noted Trump &;quot;way ahead&;quot; in a number of swing-state polls.  Here's the transcript. MSNBC Morning Joe 5/2/24 6:13 am EDT JOE SCARBOROUGH: You know‚ Jen‚ there‚ there's a stereotype of the Trump voter that the media does. Oh‚ it's‚ people are stumbling drunk out of their trailer park and‚ you know‚ shooting raccoons‚ or something like that. No&;#33; It's bankers. It's lawyers. It's people with advanced degrees. This is something Anne Applebaum brought out so masterfully in her book‚ The Twilight of Democracy. Which is‚ it's‚ it's‚ the elites make this possible.  Think about all the billionaires that said‚ Oh‚ I'll never vote for Trump. Now‚ it's like‚ yeah‚ I'll vote for Donald Trump. They know this. They read this. They read that Donald Trump says that there's going to be mass deportation. He's going to force prosecutors to arrest political enemies. He's going to execute generals that don't follow his commands. He's able to use SEAL Team Six to execute political opponents. And he says‚ you can't arrest me for that.  You can go down the list. He's going to be a dictator from day one. He's going to terminate the Constitution. On and on‚ they've heard all of this. They heard what he said to Time magazine a couple of days ago. It is a dark‚ autocratic vision of America. And these people‚ these educated people with advanced degrees‚ are the ones saying‚ yeah‚ I'll support Donald Trump again. Thinking‚ oh‚ you know what&;#63; Maybe my investments will go‚ or maybe he won't tax me 3%. Not understanding that this is not just a threat to democracy‚ but this is a threat to capitalism. JEN PALMIERI: Right. Well‚ I mean‚ that's the thing that makes me think maybe they will reconsider if they continue to hear him -- DONNY DEUTSCH: No. They don't get that. PALMIERI: They don't‚ they don't‚ they will not make that connection&;#63; DEUTSCH: What Joe just said: they don't get how it could affect them negatively. PALMIERI: They don't think that that's going to affect affect business&;#63; But there are the 20% of people in Republican primaries who still are not voting for him. And there's the people that say that they were worried about Jan 6th. There's people that‚ you know‚ the Republicans Against Trump‚ those videos about people who voted for him twice but‚ because of January 6th‚ won't do it a third time. And‚ you know‚ keep doing these interviews‚ keep saying this‚ it's like‚ Proud Boys‚ stand back and stand by. SCARBOROUGH: You look at the polls‚ though. PALMIERI: I know‚ I know. SCARBOROUGH: I mean‚ a lot of swing-state polls‚ if you're talking about Nevada‚ if you're talking about Georgia‚ if you're talking about North Carolina‚ they're not even close. Trump way ahead.

Smartphones have often been called the new cigarettes due to their addictive nature. Yet smartphones aren’t as easy to restrict as cigarettes (nor half as cool). They’re jam-packed with distractions like games and social media‚ but they’re also darn useful. Many of us rely on our smartphones to look up important (and not-so-important) information‚ contact friends‚ find directions‚ take photos‚ and even pay for goods and services. How do we balance the benefits of smartphones and the demonic distractions that fill our heads with nonsense and steal time away from those around us&;#63; The market has responded with a slew of solutions.Some products like the Light Phone aim to replicate the best parts of a smartphone while discarding the distractions. Some even try going back to flip phones. Many of my friends have tried things like this‚ but they never seem to stick. Smartphone ecosystems are chock-full of useful tools that these products can’t hope to imitate‚ and many of them are also great cameras. I have many lovely photos of my kids that I wouldn’t otherwise have if not for my iPhone. Apple and Google have introduced their own solutions. Apple’s answer is called Screen Time‚ but it’s a feature designed to look good on paper and not work in reality. If you set a daily limit on an app like Facebook‚ bypassing it is as easy as tapping Ignore Limit. Whatever intentions Apple may have‚ the company is incentivized to have you using your iPhone as much as possible. Screenshot One startup hopes to improve upon Apple’s foundation by creating self-imposed screen restrictions that aren’t so easy to ignore: Brick. Brick is both a hardware and software product: The Brick app ties into Apple’s Screen Time feature to lock you out of distracting apps. The Brick‚ well‚ brick‚ which is a $49 hardware device you use to “brick” and “unbrick” your iPhone. The app is free‚ subsidized by purchasing the required Brick hardware. The device itself is incredibly simple. It’s a small 3D-printed box with an NFC tag and a magnet inside — the magnet is there so you can stick the Brick to your fridge. Josh Centers When you want to lock out distracting apps‚ you open the Brick app‚ tap the Brick button‚ and then place the tip of the iPhone against the Brick. Likewise‚ you repeat the process when you want to unbrick your iPhone. You can bypass this lockout without the Brick hardware‚ but there’s a catch: It uses one of your five emergency unbricks. And the app is clever enough to detect if you did something like turn off Screen Time to bypass Brick‚ and it counts against your emergency unbricks. I asked the company what happens when you run out of emergency unbricks: You can delete the Brick app entirely. Unless‚ that is‚ you put the Brick app into Strict Mode‚ which removes all of the workarounds. In that case‚ you can either contact Brick for help or buy another Brick device to unlock your iPhone. TJ at Brick said that they’ll probably offer additional emergency unlocks as an in-app purchase in the future. You can use the same Brick for every iPhone in your home. In fact‚ the company says that all Bricks are interchangeable‚ so you could brick your iPhone at home and then unbrick it at a friend’s house. I’ve been testing the Brick for a few weeks‚ and it’s quite effective. I can brick my iPhone before going to bed and lock myself out of my usual doom-scrolling apps like Facebook and X. I can no longer mindlessly scroll through these apps in bed unless I get up‚ walk downstairs‚ go to the fridge‚ and unbrick my iPhone‚ which usually isn’t worth the trouble‚ so I end up doing something more constructive like reading from my Bible app. However‚ the Brick has some catches and downsides to be aware of. Setup is a pain To set up the Brick‚ you select 50 apps‚ and those apps can either be the only apps you can use while your iPhone is bricked (allow list)‚ or the only apps not allowed when your iPhone is bricked (block list). You can create multiple app lists‚ but the allow/block list distinction applies to all of them‚ though you can change whether you’re allowing or blocking apps in your list at any time. screenshot The block list option is okay if you want to block a handful of particularly distracting apps. The other upside of the block list option is you can also block out websites‚ which is something you can’t do if you choose an allow list. However‚ if you truly want to turn your iPhone into a semi-dumb “brick‚” the allow list is the only way to go. But then the problem is figuring out exactly which 50 apps you need‚ which is a process of trial and error. I couldn’t tell you how many times I bricked my phone only to realize I needed an important app‚ like a banking app‚ and had to go unbrick my iPhone so I could add it to my app list. Eventually‚ I think I got this figured out‚ but then the other problem is that distracting websites are still a problem. Blocking Safari isn’t easy You can’t block websites when using the allow list option‚ and even worse‚ you can’t add Safari to your list of apps because of Apple’s restrictions. Many social networks have pretty rich mobile web apps these days‚ like X‚ so they’re every bit as addicting in Safari as they are in their native apps. This is another example of how Apple’s Screen Time almost seems designed to be ineffective. Thankfully‚ the Brick developers offer a workaround to block Safari‚ but it’s a bit thorny: You have to use the built-in Shortcuts app to add automation that detects when your iPhone is bricked‚ then sends you to the Brick app when you open Safari. Unfortunately‚ this is probably intimidating to the less technical. And there’s another problem: What if you actually need a web browser to look something up&;#63; I found a good solution for that: I simply use the Google and Perplexity apps to look up random things. Their in-app browsers aren’t suited to web apps‚ so it gives me access to instant knowledge while preventing me from getting sucked into online drama. You actually have to remember to use it Other than Apple’s own limitations‚ the drawback of the Brick is you. You actually have to remember to brick your iPhone‚ and that can be difficult. It’s not intuitive to purposelly cripple a device for which you spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars. And these social media apps‚ games‚ and other distractions are fun and enjoyable‚ which is why we can’t escape them. The Brick is trying to do something very difficult: overcome our own lack of discipline. If we had better control of ourselves‚ such a device wouldn’t be necessary‚ or we could at least use Apple’s Screen Time to keep tabs on how much time we’re spending with screens. The Brick certainly makes things easier — at least after the initial setup. But ultimately‚ the flaw is us and our passions‚ which are preyed upon by tech companies with teams of psychologists tasked with making their apps as addictive as possible. Devices like the Brick give support where we’re weak‚ and I applaud the team behind that‚ but it’s ultimately a crutch. Crutches are helpful‚ but you’re not meant to fumble around on them forever. Rather‚ they’re a tool to help a broken part heal. At best‚ perhaps the Brick can be your crutch to help relieve the burden of your own passions until you’re strong enough to walk on your own.

Armored officers with the Los Angeles Police Department and California State Police took control of the illegal encampment at the University of California‚ Los Angeles‚ early Thursday morning‚ busting through the Hamas-endorsed student radicals' barricades‚ flattening the occupiers' tents‚ and arresting some of those individuals who ignored their repeated warnings and invitations to leave. The LAPD and other law enforcement agencies responded Tuesday night to the UCLA campus after the leftist university pleaded for help in dealing with the fallout of the same ideas taught inside its classrooms. It was not until Thursday morning that they were able to successfully overwhelm the radicals in Dickson Plaza. Blaze News national correspondent Julio Rosas was on the scene as the pro-Hamas students‚ wearing masks and equipped with makeshift shields‚ faced off with the group of around 30 LAPD officers who initially breached the radicals' illegal encampment. The radicals can be heard taunting and castigating the officers‚ who had been flanked on both sides. Anti-Israel protesters inside the encampment at UCLA lined up with shields to face LAPD officers. — (@) Rosas indicated that the outnumbered officers ultimately withdrew. As the officers gave up hard-won ground‚ they had to fight off elements of the frenzied mob‚ which pursued them out of the encampment. &;quot;I'm not entirely sure what the reason was for them to make that first breach‚&;quot; Rosas told Blaze News. &;quot;But it wasn't a good one. Obviously.&;quot; Similar standoffs appear to have taken place around campus‚ where police apparently had difficulties making inroads largely on account of their incredible restraint. \ud83d\udea8California Highway Patrolmen in riot gear are attempting to breach one side of the UCLA encampment. Occupiers rushed with people and shields to push back against the officers. So far CHP has not broken through this route. — (@) Radicals pelted officers with rocks and attempted to disorient them with fire extinguisher blasts while desperately maintaining their barricades. The officers‚ in turn‚ used multiple flash-bangs. Absolute chaos right now. Occupiers are trying to hold the main makeshift wall as police repeatedly fire flashbangs. — (@) Evidently growing tired of the violent‚ selfie-taking mob's sporadic attacks‚ police began to push back in a big way around 3 a.m. PT. &;quot;That's when the California Highway Patrolmen in riot gear started to make multiple breaches at the main side of the encampment‚ the side with the makeshift barriers‚&;quot; said Rosas. &;quot;They were fighting each other. Protesters were using their bodies. They had a ton of shields and palettes and material to keep pushing up against the riot officers.&;quot; Some of the radicals attempted to form a human chain‚ but the police evidently found a few weak links. Rosas noted that roughly 20 of those in the chain were arrested after police kettled them. Rosas reported that around 3:30 a.m.‚ police began to successfully tear down the main makeshift wall bordering the illegal encampment. Upon doing so‚ it quickly became clear that police would soon be able to raze the encampment and clear out the remaining radicals therein. — (@) CHP riot police advanced on the camp from other directions as well‚ tearing down the radicals' agitprop and pushing occupiers out of the way. A CHP officer effectively signaled the radicals' defeat by flinging down the Palestinian flag at the heart of the illegal encampment. While pushing back occupiers at UCLA‚ a California Highway Patrolman removed the big Palestinian flag in the middle of the encampment and threw it on the ground. — (@) Before dawn‚ officers effectively controlled the camp‚ littered with leftist propaganda and other radical refuse. The encampment is almost cleared out. CHP is tearing down tents and pushing remaining occupiers out of the area. — (@) Rosas indicated that &;quot;it didn't need to come to this. ... If the encampment was cleared sooner‚ without giving the occupiers so much time to prepare for this‚ it would have been much easier for law enforcement to clear it out. But because this was allowed to take place for a while.&;quot; When asked about the rioters' initial success in repelling‚ Rosas suggested they &;quot;did a pretty good job at communicating with each other — to call for backup‚ call for materials‚ call for shields at different points of the border of the encampment. That's part of the reason why it took a while for police to take a significant foothold — because they were very flexible in putting manpower and material in their way.&;quot; This is a developing story and will be updated. Like Blaze News&;#63; Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here&;#33;

On Thursday morning‚ acting Justice Juan Merchan held another hearing regarding four additional alleged gag order violations made by Donald Trump. Earlier this week‚ the judge held Trump in contempt for prior alleged breaches of the order.Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's (D) prosecutors accused Trump of &;quot;persistent and escalating rhetoric.&;quot;&;quot;He's already been found to have violated the court's order nine times and he's done it again here‚&;quot; prosecutor Chris Conroy stated.The first alleged gag order violation presented by the prosecution during the Thursday hearing included comments Trump made during a news interview last week when he noted that the jury pool consisted of mostly Democrats.&;quot;That jury was picked so fast. 95% Democrats‚&;quot; Trump said.Conroy argued that the former president &;quot;used his platform here to criticize the seated jury in this case.&;quot;During a recent campaign stop‚ Trump called witness and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker &;quot;nice.&;quot;&;quot;The defendant knows what he's doing‚&;quot; Conroy contended. He added that Trump &;quot;talks about the testifying witness‚ says nice things‚ does it in front of the cameras‚&;quot; which he claimed were &;quot;deliberate shots across the bow&;quot; to witnesses.Conroy also claimed that Trump violated the judge's order during an April 23 television interview. Trump called his former attorney Michael Cohen a &;quot;convicted liar.&;quot; Conroy argued that Trump was attempting to discredit the witness' testimony.The final alleged violation included statements Trump made to reporters outside of the New York trial on April 22. He said‚ &;quot;When are they going to look at all the lies that Cohen did in the last trial. He got caught lying in the last trial.&;quot;Conroy claimed that Trump is &;quot;doing everything he can to make this case&;quot; about politics‚ calling his comments &;quot;corrosive to this proceeding and the fair administration of justice.&;quot;The prosecution is requesting Merchan order Trump to pay $1‚000 per violation. Conroy noted that they &;quot;are not yet seeking jail.&;quot;Trump's attorney‚ Todd Blanche‚ argued that Cohen has repeatedly used his podcast to attack Trump.&;quot;Cohen has been inviting and almost daring President Trump to respond to almost everything he's saying‚&;quot; he said. &;quot;Personal attacks on his character. Mocking him for being on trial. And also his candidacy for president of the United States.&;quot;Blanche stated that Cohen &;quot;has started going on TikTok nightly and literally making money&;quot; attacking his client. He claimed that Trump's response to a question about Pecker's testimony was &;quot;very factual&;quot; and &;quot;neutral‚&;quot; noting that the former president &;quot;sidestepped&;quot; the inquiry to avoid violating the gag order.&;quot;There's no threatening‚ menacing statements‚&;quot; Blanche added.&;quot;He can't just say 'no comment' repeatedly. He's running for president‚&;quot; the attorney remarked.Merchan told Blanche that Trump's statements are &;quot;about what the other witnesses see.&;quot;&;quot;It affects those witnesses as well‚&;quot; he said.Blanche told Merchan‚ &;quot;We very much believe this is a political persecution.&;quot;The judge has not yet made a ruling on the new alleged violations. Earlier this week‚ the judge held Trump in contempt for allegedly violating the gag order on nine occasions‚ Blaze News previously reported. The former president was ordered to pay $1‚000 per violation and remove several social media posts and statements from his campaign website.Like Blaze News&;#63; Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here&;#33;

The next Helldivers 2 warbond has been revealed. The new battle pass track for the bombastic co-op game brings another round of upgrades to add to your loadout‚ and the weapons on show promise to be some real heavy hitters in the right hands. Along with those‚ the new pass includes a booster to deal with crowd control and a new grenade that can help you keep warm out on the coldest Helldivers 2 planets. Continue reading The next Helldivers 2 warbond is filled with frosty firepower MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Helldivers 2 weapons‚ Helldivers 2 servers‚ Helldivers 2 system requirements

We already knew that Intel was planning to drop the ‘Core ix’ branding with its next generation of Intel Arrow Lake desktop CPUs‚ but now we’ve got our first glimpse of what looks like the names of the new gaming CPUs. All of them have the Core Ultra branding we’ve already seen on Intel’s Meteor Lake laptop CPUs‚ but there are some interesting features in the names as well. Continue reading Intel’s new Arrow Lake gaming CPU range just got leaked MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Core i5 14600K review‚ Best gaming CPU‚ Core i9 14900K review

Nvidia is announcing improved GeForce Now support on Steam Deck‚ allowing some of the biggest and best PC games to run on the handheld without the need to worry about hardware limitations and compatibility ratings. While the Steam Deck is our pick for the best handheld gaming PC‚ we can also see its shortcomings when it comes to power‚ especially against competitors like the ROG Ally and Legion Go. Playing huge triple-A games is starting to become tricky‚ as seen in the Unsupported rating assigned to games like Horizon Forbidden West. As such‚ this increased support from Nvidia is welcome. Continue reading Nvidia just made it easier to play more games on Steam Deck MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GeForce RTX 4070 Super review‚ DLSS explained‚ Best graphics cards

Frostpunk 2 is one of the most anticipated new games of the year. Dark‚ bleak‚ and brooding‚ with intricate political systems and strategy gameplay‚ it promises a journey into the depths of social psychology. Appropriate then that its publisher‚ 11 bit‚ has just dropped one of the most original and strange games of 2024 so far. Combining Telltale’s The Walking Dead with decaying‚ dreary European landscapes that feel reminiscent of Stalker and The Witcher 3‚ it’s just hit Steam‚ and you can play it right now. Continue reading Frostpunk 2 publisher drops incredible new horror game‚ out right now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best horror games‚ Best story games‚ Best puzzle games

When the Sea Peoples are raiding your coastlines and civil wars are cropping up everywhere you look‚ Total War: Pharaoh can be a balancing act to try and navigate your faction through. That's all before you have to deal with religion‚ handling your court‚ all the while keeping to the traditions of your ancestors. If that wasn't enough on your plate‚ the newly announced update incoming for the game will introduce even more to keep your Egyptian eyes on. Continue reading Total War Pharaoh gets much bigger with huge free update MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Total War Pharaoh review‚ Total War Pharaoh factions‚ Total War Pharaoh leaders