(Photo credit: @TheSocialMovie on X)

Wait, is this supposed to make Mark Zuckerberg look good?

That’s what a whole lot of people thought after watching the latest trailer for The Social Reckoning on Thursday, which is built around a hyper-serious lecture about why the Facebook boss should have censored political ads before and after President Donald Trump won the 2016 election. The stern talking-to is delivered by a hysterical Bill Burr, who is playing the role of “Charlie,” a fake member of Zuckerberg’s legal team.

“You’re not fact checking politial ads?! ” Charlie whines as the ad kicks off.

“It’s a democracy. I believe in free speech,” Zuckerberg, played by ex-Succession star Jeremy Strong, responds stiffly.

“Yeah, everybody does. This can’t be your answer,” Charlie fires back. He then says, “You’re like a crossing guard standing out in front of a school, but you’re not doing anything with your arms. So the cars are just plowing down the children, because it’s a democracy.”

“The voters aren’t children. They don’t need to be told to eat their vegetables,” Zuckerberg retorts.

“And how about just telling us which ones are vegetables, and which ones are clumps of dirt in the shape of a carrot,” Charlie tells him, as dramatic music plays in the background.

If writer Aaron Sorkin was aiming to get people to hate Zuckerberg for it, it didn’t seem to work. Instead, many on X said the sequel to The Social Network makes it look like Zuckerberg is a “based” First Amendment warrior.

That’s obvious when checking out some of the reactions on X, where the new trailer has been viewed more than 7 million times by Friday afternoon.

“I wish Zuck DID say this fake speech because this fictional version of him is totally right!” Reporter Taylor Lorenz posted. “It’s not Meta or [Zuckerberg’s] job to police speech and decide what the facts are or who the public should be able to hear from.”

Left-leaning pundit Armand Domalewski wondered, “How did a ‘tech billionaire should decide what politicians are allowed to say to voters’ somehow become the left wing position in this argument”?

And plenty of others got a kick out of the trailer seeming to backfire and make Zuckerberg way more likable than Sorkin was intending.

On a similar note, Zuckerberg claimed last year ex-President Joe Biden’s administration “basically pushed” Meta to censor Covid-19 posts which went against the government’s suggestions. He also told Joe Rogan the third-party fact checkers the company had used were “too biased” — which ultimately led him to scrapping the whole operation.

The flick, if you’re itching to see it, even just for unintentional comedy purposes, comes out on Oct. 9.

The post The Social Reckoning Trailer Gets Totally Clowned for Absurdly Serious Pro-Censorship Speech: ‘Making Zuckerberg Sympathetic…’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Longtime conservative journalist Bill O’Reilly took exception to CNN’s Jake Tapper’s assessment of his position on the White House press ban — accusing Tapper of making him out to be a “hypocrite.”

Tapper had invoked an attempt by former President Barack Obama’s administration to exclude Fox News from the White House, and noted how the O’Reilly and other high profile journalists fought against it at the time.

But the CNN anchor then apparently irked O’Reilly by adding, “Bill O’Reilly was absolutely right then, although he has the opposite take now. If you stand for principles only when they benefit you, you’re not actually in possession of those principles… It is disappointing how few voices there are in conservative media who are protesting President Trump on any of this.”

President Donald Trump caused a political firestorm on Friday by abruptly banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House before a judge forced the administration to restore access to the outlets.

O’Reilly had a lot to say during his Wednesday podcast, playing a tidbit from Tapper’s piece on the subject that included Tapper’s comment before going on to slam the anchor for portraying him as a hypocrite:

That’s false.

That’s just not true, OK? I don’t have the opposite take now.

What I have is new information that the situation has gotten so wildly out of control because of President Trump, the hatred — that it’s a whole different story than it was back when Barack Obama was whining about Fox News.

And as an aside, Obama treated me very well. I interviewed him three times. I had number of phone conversations and and one thing drove me absolutely nuts, again, that’s in the book, but he wasn’t aggressive toward me at all. Sean Hannity, he was.

And Hannity and I discussed this today on this radio program. It’s on BillO’Reilly.com. But Tapper says “although he has the opposite take now.” That’s just not true.

And anybody researching a story would know that. But that doesn’t fit into Tapper’s narrative that I’m a hypocrite, OK? That’s what he wanted to establish and that’s what he tells his viewers.

And how would his viewers know?

That’s fake news. That’s what is in play along with the suppression and the coupling of the media as I said with the Democratic party. Fascinating story.

Watch above via YouTube.

The post ‘Not True!’ Bill O’Reilly Claps Back at Jake Tapper for Framing Him as ‘Hypocrite’ on Trump’s Press Ban first appeared on Mediaite.

Screenshot via The Boston Globe YouTube (L)/Image Photo by Quinn Daedal via Flickr under CC BY-SA 2.0 Creative Commons License.

There may be growing concerns about the future of media and the rise of AI, but one local outlet is currently shattering records and laughing all the way to the bank.

The Boston Globe just published its “best performing story of the year” and it’s currently on pace to “shatter all sorts of Globe records,” Semafor’s Max Tani reported on Wednesday.

“Per a note to Boston Globe staff today, the lesbian bar story generated 1,000 subscriptions to the paper yesterday. The Globe’s managing editor said it was ‘by far our best performing story of the year,’ and appears to be ‘on pace to shatter all sorts of Globe records,'” Tani wrote on X.

The story, titled “Greenfield lesbian bar Last Ditch faces mask-rule backlash,” is a rabbit hole of a story that simply gets crazier and crazier. A Greenfield lesbian bar called Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue is currently on its last financial legs and facing major backlash after they lifted their mask mandate for one night a week (Saturdays) in an effort to generate more revenue.

The bars rules and anti-capitalist business model included, “Nobody will be barred from entry due to lack of funds,” and “Poor and unhoused people are welcome in the space.”

“It is with love we inform our immunocompromised disabled divas we will be opening Saturday nights as mask optional,” Last Ditch wrote on Instagram at the end of August, sparking intense messages accusing the bar of potentially killing disabled people.

Some even threatened the bar.

“I hope your venue gets firebombed for robbing my fellow immunocompromised people of their Saturday plans just to scrape extra revenue from ablists,” one commenter wrote on the original post, according to the Boston Globe.

“People like you kill disabled people in the name of your own leisure and convenience,” another commenter wrote.

Another added, “Just say you’re being complicit in a mass disabling event and get it over with.”

“Does COVlD not disable people on Saturday nights?” one commenter asked.

The bar tried cleaning up their original post, writing, “We are sorry for our passive and dismissive tone of our change to the norms and schedule impacting the most intersectional of us,” but that didn’t appear to help matters.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Last Ditch (@lastditchbar)

Also seemingly of zero help to the bar are its heavy left-wing leanings. On top of a mask mandate in a bar and a town that hasn’t seen a Covid case for months, other rules for the bar include “Nobody will be barred from entry due to lack of funds” and “Poor and unhoused people are welcome in the space.”

The bar has reportedly been empty on Saturday nights amid its mask rule change. On one Saturday, a lone patron reportedly suggested a Lady Gaga-themed party to drum up business, but was immediately shut down by the bartender.

“Gaga is canceled,” the bartender said. “Gaga is Zionist.”

Things spun more out of control during a monthly “community meeting” on September 11. Some joined virtually and trolled and blasted the bar, while owner Jackie Matellian broke down and revealed she’s been working multiple jobs and living in her car to support the bar and its mission. She said she was stuck with a $50,000 bar and left in charge after two friends left the endeavor, which she admitted is not her “passion project.”

The other owners left months ago, one being a drag performer and the other currently in clown school.

“I never really wanted this,” Matellian said. “I don’t think I’m doing a very good job.”

The show of emotion only led to more backlash, with one commenter slamming it as somehow racist.

“You chose to use your time to spill tears and center your feelings,” the commenter wrote. “This is incredibly racist and deflecting behavior.”

The meeting was also derailed by the fact that many were upset the chosen mediator was a White therapist.

“A lot of people are calling for an acknowledgment of harm and I’m hearing a WHITE therapist … center[ing] the feelings of a majority white and white adjacent staff,” one person commented, according to the Globe.

Matellian is currently behind on rent and said her landlord is demanding $3900 by the end of the month.

The post Wild Lesbian Bar Story Drives Up Boston Globes Subscriptions, Likely to ‘Shatter’ Paper Records first appeared on Mediaite.

uBlock Origin is lightweight, effective, and free from shady business practices. Unfortunately, Google's move to Manifest V3 for browser extensions has hobbled ad blockers somewhat. In response, uBlock has split into two products—uBlock Origin and uBlock Origin Lite. The "Lite" version works with most Chromium-based browsers and Safari for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The full version of uBlock Origin primarily works in Firefox for desktops, laptops, and Android. With those differences highlighted, here are the 10 uBlock Origin (and uBlock Origin Lite) hacks you should know about.

Use uBlock Origin Lite's basic filters to block ads without giving it tab access

Credit: Pranay Parab

When you use uBlock Origin Lite in Chrome or Safari, it allows you to choose one of three filtering levels: Basic, Optimal, and Complete. The "Basic" filters won't block as many ads as the others, but it also doesn't require access to your tabs and data. These days, most extensions require access to every one of your tabs, which makes uBlock Origin Lite's "Basic" filters an exception that accesses as little of your data as possible.

Enable these filters to get rid of cookie banners

uBlock Origin and its Lite version both have built-in filters that let you block annoying cookie notices on most websites. To access this in uBlock Origin on any browser, click the extension's icon in the browser's toolbar, and select the gear icon. This will open uBlock Origin's settings page. Under "Filter lists," enable EasyList/uBO - Cookie Notices. This should automatically hide most cookie banners on the internet.

Use the element zapper to remove distracting elements

If you see a distracting element on a webpage, you can use uBlock Origin's element zapper to quickly hide it. To use it, click the extension's icon in any browser, and select the lightning icon. You can now click the distracting element, and the extension will immediately hide it from the webpage. In the Firefox version of uBlock Origin, you can also use the picker tool to select an element, and choose from a list of elements to block. For instance, if you want to block a sponsored results widget, the picker tool lets you click the element and choose from different tags associated with the widget. This allows for more precise blocking without having to click the exact spot on the page where the full widget is highlighted.

To use it in Firefox, click the uBlock Origin icon in the toolbar, and select the eyedropper tool. You can select an element, and use the drop-down menu in the blocker pop-up to choose from a list of classes to hide on the page.

Use this button to disable JavaScript and enhance privacy on Firefox

In uBlock Origin for Firefox, you have a one-click method to disable JavaScript on any webpage. You can use this to block trackers, annoying features that hijack scrolling, and in general, enhance your privacy. The risk is that blocking JavaScript can also break webpages, which is why you want to try it on individual webpages as opposed to disabling it at the browser level. To try this in uBlock Origin for Firefox, open a webpage and click the extension's toolbar icon. You can then click the > icon to disable JavaScript on the webpage. Reload the page, and Firefox will load it without JavaScript.

Try these shortcuts to disable uBlock Origin on a single page in Firefox

In Firefox, you can disable uBlock Origin for a single webpage. This is useful when the ad blocker breaks a webpage or doesn't load some elements correctly. To do this, click the extension's icon in the toolbar, and hold the Ctrl key on the keyboard while clicking the power button icon. Reload the page, and uBlock Origin will be disabled on that specific webpage.

Block large media elements to reduce data usage in Firefox

uBlock Origin for Firefox lets you block large media elements on all sites (or single pages). This allows you to reduce data usage on a metered connection. You can use it to block media elements above a custom size threshold like 10KB, 20KB, etc. To try this on a single webpage, click uBlock Origin's toolbar icon, and then click the film reel icon. Reload the page, and you'll notice that certain elements won't load. To set a custom size threshold for these elements, go to uBlock Origin settings in Firefox. Visit the Settings tab, and scroll down to "Default behavior." Enable Block media elements larger than, and use the text box next to it to set the size threshold (in kilobytes).

Try this blocklist to hide Google's AI-generated search summaries

Credit: Pranay Parab

uBlock Origin and its Lite version have a built-in AI blocker, which includes Google's AI-generated search summaries. To enable this feature, click the uBlock Origin toolbar icon, select the gear icon, and go to Filter lists. You can enable EasyList — AI Widgets. Now, search for anything in Google, and you'll notice that the AI-generated slop no longer appears up top.

Use the back up feature to sync uBlock Origin settings across browsers and devices

uBlock Origin for Firefox has a built-in sync feature that uses your Firefox account to sync settings across devices, but it's not available in uBlock Origin Lite. In Firefox, you can go to uBlock Origin settings, and turn on Enable cloud storage support. Your uBlock Origin settings will then sync to every device where you're logged in with the same Firefox account.

There's also a manual sync feature that works in both versions of uBlock Origin. Head to the extension's settings, navigate to the Settings tab, and select the Back up button. This will back up your uBlock Origin settings to a file and save it to your device. You can use the Restore button on the same settings page to load saved settings to any browser running uBlock Origin. The only restriction is that you can sync uBlock Origin Lite settings with other browsers running the Lite version, while the Firefox version of uBlock Origin can only sync with other instances of Firefox.

Use uBlock Origin's tracking link blocker to stop sites from tracking your clicks

Many websites add trackers to links you copy. Sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Threads use sharing links to trace which profile shared the links with you. Luckily, uBlock Origin can block most of these types of trackers. In uBlock Origin settings, go to Filter lists, and enable AdGuard/uBO — URL Tracking Protection. That said, I recommend that you check the URLs before sharing them with others. Sometimes, you may have to manually strip tracking data because no anti-tracking feature is completely foolproof.

Reduce tracking on international websites with region-specific blocklists

uBlock Origin also ships with region-specific blocklists that target trackers from different locations across the world. If you find yourself accessing many websites from foreign countries, you should enable these blockers from uBlock Origin's settings. In the Filter lists tab, click the Regions, languages button to expand the list. This will reveal all country or region-specific blocklists. Enable the ones you need, and you're all set.

(Kent Nishimura/Pool Photo via AP)

Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force is set to oust more than half a million Americans from their Obamacare health insurance, according to a report.

Vance’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud claims the 760,000 Affordable Care Act accounts being targeted are either people who don’t actually meet eligibility requirements — or people who don’t exist, The Wall Street Journal reported.

It is the largest purges of the insurance exchange since President Donald Trump’s administration began tackling fraud last year, the outlet noted.

The task force said eliminating the subsidies for the allegedly fraudulent enrollees would save an estimated $2.2 billion in taxpayer dollars.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, headed by administrator Mehmet Oz, was also expected to cut off hundreds of brokers and agents who get paid each time they sign up a new enrollee for government health insurance, The Journal reported.

Officials said 40 insurance agents and brokers were responsible for creating 50,000 fake accounts at a cost of $45 million — and CMS had already axed 66 agnets from its system.

The agency also intends to shed 469 additional agents, according to the report.

Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance program more than doubled during former President Joe Biden’s administration, from about 10 million to a whopping 22 million.

The agency also intends to factor immigration status into its assessments and plans to end a Biden policy that gave enrollees subsidies each month even after they failed to provide documentation of who they were, and their eligibility, according to the report.

The post JD Vance’s Anti-Fraud Task Force to Boot More Than Half a Million Americans From Obamacare: Report first appeared on Mediaite.

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Forget the Kindle Colorsoft—the release of the Xteink X4 last fall felt like the first truly interesting thing to happen to e-readers in years. A cheap, slightly clunky Chinese device with a 4.3-inch screen, its perfectly pocketable size (and a smart marketing gimmick—"You can attach it to the back of your phone with a magnet! Never mind that that isn't really a practical or sensible way to read!") quickly attracted an online cult following of tinkerers.

Xteink has since translated its viral social media success into mainstream awareness (including coverage in The New York Times), quickly releasing a flurry of new devices, including the Xteink X4 Pro, which brought familiar features like a front light and touchscreen into the mix. And the competition has definitely taken notice.

Xteink X4 Pro

$99.00 at Amazon

$109.00 Save $10.00

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$99.00 at Amazon

$109.00 Save $10.00

Boox, another Chinese company—albeit one that has been around for more than a decade—previously experienced a similar trajectory with the Palma, its own weirdly shaped e-reader. First released in 2023, that phone-shaped device appealed to readers who wanted something that was easier to carry than a full-sized Kindle and didn't tie them to the Amazon ecosystem. Yet even as the company prepares for the launch of the Palma 3 this fall, it's clearly not willing to let Xteink eat its lunch—hence the release of its own itty-bitty e-reader, the 3.97-inch Boox Picco.

Why all tiny e-readers are so similar

First revealed in a surprise announcement back in July, the Picco is clearly modeled on Xteink's success—and with good reason, considering in many ways, the devices are identical by necessity. All e-reader screens are made by the same company, E-Ink, which means that all of these micro-readers—the Xteink X4, the X3, the X4 Pro, and, yes, the Picco—use the same screen with the same 480x800 resolution. They also run on similar, simple ESP32 processors (though there's a bit more variation between models there) and make similar trade-offs, like abandoning onboard storage in favor of a microSD card slot. Like the X4 Pro, the Picco includes a temperature-adjustable front light and a touchscreen for navigation.

Firmware isn't even really a differentiating factor: Part of the reason for Xteink's early success was the fact that its simplicity made it easy to hack. No sooner had it found a following than a group of fans developed a custom firmware, called CrossPoint, that corrects most of the issues with Xteink's undeniably underbaked native operating system—there's even a website that makes flashing your reader with CrossPoint a matter of a single click. Early on, there was uncertainty about whether the Picco would run on Android like Boox's other devices, including the Palma. But no: Not only is Boox's device not a full-fledged Android device—it actually runs on a modified version of CrossPoint itself. Wild.

So, the components and firmware are darn similar on paper. How does the Boox Picco measure up in real life? Boox sent me a pre-release unit to test out, and after a day of messing around with it, I can report that it's pretty great. Do I like it more than the X4 Pro, its closest competitor in terms of features? I haven't quite decided.

My initial thoughts about the Boox Picco

Credit: Joel Cunningham

Whatever their interior similarities, the Picco and the X4 Pro are pretty different at a glance. The Picco initially looks and feels much more refined, with a two-toned back panel and an aluminum frame and buttons that recall the iPhone 5, of all things. With a 3.97-inch display, it's slightly larger than the 3.7-inch Xteink X3 but smaller than the 4.3-inch X4 and X4 Pro. Its 5.1mm thickness also sits between those devices (the X3 is 5.1mm thick, and the X4 Pro, 5.95mm). These differences are mostly inconsequential, though: Depending on your settings, all will display about the same number of words onscreen at the same time, and all will disappear easily into any pocket.

Credit: Joel Cunningham

Personally, I'm still trying to decide if I like the feel and form factor of the Picco—its straighter edges don't sit in my hand quite as comfortably as the Xteink devices, and I prefer the button placement on the X3 and X4 Pro that places forward and back page turn buttons on opposite sides of the device to the Picco's single right-side rocker button, which is small enough that I occasionally click to go back a page when I mean to go forward. One unique touch: A switch on the left-hand side offers manual control over the front light (also adjustable in the on-screen menus), though you can also map it to turn on dark mode.

The Picco is also a lot lighter than the X4 Pro—58g versus 72g. It feels almost too light to me. Most of the weight difference is likely down to the fact that the Picco lacks the X4 Pro's internal magnets; the Boox device won't be able to snap into a magnetic case or clip to the back of your phone (though, again, I question why you'd want to do that), but whatever the reason, the lighter build makes the Picco feel slightly insubstantial to me.

Yes, the Boox Picco has USB-C

Judging by the ongoing turmoil in the r/xteink subreddit, the biggest differentiating factor for many users will be the fact that the Picco charges and transfers files via a standard USB-C port, a feature Xteink has since dropped from all of its devices in favor of magnetic pogo pins, which requires a separate cable or an adapter. Considering their battery life is measured in weeks even with daily reading, this wasn't a big deal to me, but lots of people really care about it. Opting for USB-C was definitely a good call on Boox's end.

The Picco has better native firmware—but does that matter?

Credit: Joel Cunningham

While the X4 Pro can easily be flashed to run CrossPoint, it currently ships with Xteink's own operating system, which is still a bit of a work in progress. Out of the box, the Picco is immediately much more usable, owing both to Boox's experience at building devices for a global market and to the fact that it's just a variant on CrossPoint, which most everyone who has used one of these wee readers already loves.

While the fun thing about CrossPoint is that there are hundreds of different forks that add or take away features to suit every user, the version that comes on the Picco is pretty darn good, all things considered. It displays your books well; it includes thoughtful options like a dark mode and the option to turn off the touchscreen; and it offers multiple options for getting files onto the device, including via connecting to a smartphone that's on the same wifi network, via the new BooxTile website/cloud app (not yet launched as of this writing), or by plugging it into your computer to act as an external USB drive.

While the Picco does support Bluetooth connections, there are no menu options for it in the current firmware, which means you cannot (yet) connect to peripherals like the Boox Tappy remote page turner. There is, however, a menu of basic apps, including a basic pomodoro timer, some reading stats (including daily reading time and a graph charting your reading sessions over time), a to-do list, and a timer. I can't imagine using any of these myself save the stats, but they're there if you want them.

There are limited options to customize things to your liking, including remapping the buttons to trigger different actions with a short or long press (like choosing to jump to the next chapter rather than the next page). You can also remap the touchscreen, though the options are limited to changing where to tap to change pages or open the in-book settings menu.

Credit: Joel Cunningham

It's not yet clear how much it will matter that the Picco has nicer firmware, however. Given it uses the same basic processor as the Xteink line (though one that is a bit less powerful than that in the X4 Pro, which has dual cores and 2GB of onboard RAM), it's very likely the Picco will also be flashable with custom software. In theory, this will mean that you will soon be able to pick and choose your own features from any number of options readily available online.

How to buy the Boox Picco

Whether you're interested in comparing the Picco to your Xteink device or are looking to buy your first tiny e-reader, you'll have to be patient: The Picco is not yet available for pre-order, directly from Boox or anywhere else. Rumors suggest a November release, though Boox has yet to provide a date. In the meantime, you can pick up the X4 Pro on Amazon. Whichever you choose, you'll be paying the same: Both devices come in at $99, around $50 less than the entry-level Kindle.

There appear to be some cracks in President Donald Trump’s press ban already.

CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter reported on Monday that First Lady Melania Trump’s office has approved a credential for CNN senior reporter Betsy Klein to cover an event at the United Nations, just days after the president hit the outlet — as well as MS NOW and Politico — with his ban.

“We’re going to see reporters get creative. That’s what we do sometimes when we have to. We’re going to see reporters try and get credentialed in other ways. I’m told, for example, a CNN reporter has already been approved by the office of the First Lady to cover an event with Melania Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. tomorrow,” Stelter reported.

He continued, “I’m expecting more of those sorts of things to happen. There will still be coverage of what the president and first lady are doing, but it’s not going to be through the official pool, because Trump has instituted this ban.”

Stelter’s report coincided with the White House expanding the press ban and yanking CNN off its scheduled TV pool assignment on Monday. Trump defended the ban in a morning post on Truth Social, saying the free press is “something which I cherish” — but he viewed the outlets as nothing more than “FAKE NEWS” peddlers.

“It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Soon after, the three outlets banded together and sued the White House over the ban. The filing claimed the ban “brazenly discriminates based on editorial viewpoint” and has already caused “irreparable harm” to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.

Stelter pointed out Trump’s social media post during his appearance on The Situation Room, saying it likely came after the president was told he’s “probably going to lose in court.” He said Trump played one of his usual hits, which was trying to “wrap himself under this claim about national security,” which he said Trump has used in the past to argue in favor of his White House Ballroom. 

Watch above.

The post JUST IN: CNN Reports Melania Trump’s Office Has Credentialed One of Its Reporters Amid Trump WH Ban first appeared on Mediaite.