(Photo by Andrew Thomas/NurPhoto via AP)

A judge extended the temporary block on President Donald Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico until at least Tuesday.

During a federal court hearing Thursday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly extended his temporary order allowing the outlets to enter the grounds of the White House, according to a Thursday report from CNN.

Trump took to Truth Social on Sept. 18, announcing he had banned the outlets from covering events at the White House over what he deemed to be biased, negative reporting of his administration.

The abrupt ban set off a political firestorm and a subsequent boycott when CNN was later prevented from carrying out its duties in the White House press corp television pool.

The ban prompted a lawsuit from the three news organizations which resulted in a temporary restraining order from Kelly allowing them back inside the White House — but correspondents from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were turned away at the door and even had their press badges revoked after the judge’s order.

Even after the judge’s initial temporary restraining order, the White House has at separate times barred CNN and Politico from Air Force One.

Additional reporting from Politico’s Kyle Cheney suggested that Kelly was also leaning toward a “longer-term” block on Trump’s ban. Cheney said:

Judge Kelly appears inclined to grant longer-term block on President Trump’s ban of POLITICO, CNN and MSNOW from the White House. He seems most bothered by the lack of due process preceding the ban but is also weighing First Amendment concerns. Details TK

During the hearing an attorney for the Department of Justice claimed it’s “within the discretion of the president” to remove reporters or news outlets from the White House — and said Trump “doesn’t mind negative press stories if he deserves them,” according to CNN.

The post CNN, MS NOW and Politico Keep Access to White House — For Now first appeared on Mediaite.

Last month's Apple event was a big one. The company announced (and subsequently released) the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, and Apple Watch Ultra 4. It also announced the iPhone Duo, though the company's first foldable phone still isn't out yet. Despite all these new products, Apple apparently wasn't finished. Next week, the company will host another product announcement, titled "Welcome Home." Here's what we know.

What will Apple announce at its "Welcome Home" event?

Apple's product announcement hints are usually pretty subtle. This time, it isn't. "Welcome Home" is almost assuredly referencing Apple's long-rumored smart home devices. Sure, the company makes some smart devices, like the HomePod and HomePod mini, but leaks suggest the company has some big updates up its sleeve.

Perhaps no announcement will be bigger than its smart home hub. This device, according to the rumor mill, will be a mix between an iPad and a HomePod, competing with similar devices from companies like Amazon and Google. It may ship with a six-inch display (some reports suggest the screen is a square), but it won't be like an iPad on a stand. Instead, the experience seems more focused, letting you control smart home devices, make and receive FaceTime calls, watch videos, display the news and water data, and check your calendar. Of course, it will likely work with Siri AI, the company's new AI-powered assistant.

Apple may even expect users to buy more than one of these hubs. The idea could be to have multiple hubs throughout your house, which could let you use them like intercoms. (Apple currently offers a similar feature with its HomePods.) If the rumors are to be believed, the smart hub will understand the voice of whoever is talking to it, and tailor the experience to that user personally. If you have guests over, you could switch to a "visitor mode" to avoid revealing sensitive information.

While the smart home hub may steal the show, Apple is planning some updates to existing devices as well. The HomePod mini may come in new colors, and is expected to get both the N1 chip for improvements to wifi and Bluetooth, as well as an upgraded S-series chip for Siri AI. Apple may also update the Apple TV 4K with the A19 or A19 Pro chip, as well as that new N1 chip, and a new Siri remote. Apple may take this opportunity to reveal its new OLED iPad mini, but the company may keep the focus on smart home specifically.

When is Apple's "Welcome Home" event?

According to Apple's announcement, "Welcome Home" kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 9 a.m. ET (6 a.m. PT). That's an early start time, considering the company is based in California, though it seems Apple is hosting the event in New York City this time around. For context, Apple's events usually kick off at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) when the company hosts them in Cupertino. It's not yet clear if there will be a livestream of the event, or if it will be exclusive for invited members of the media.

MS NOW contributor Elise Jordan found a surprising amount of support for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed among voters who supported President Donald Trump, while the Trump-backed Mike Rogers got no love in the room.

Jordan joined Peter Alexander on State of Play on Tuesday, where she shared a focus group discussion from Michigan where El-Sayed and Rogers are in the midst of a tense midterm battle. Recent polling has shown El-Sayed with a narrow lead over Rogers.

Jordan spoke with a group of Trump voters, many of whom expressed “buyer’s remorse” over their previous votes for the president.

“I think a lot of people looked at his 2016 win and how much better the country was before Covid, and hoped that it would replicate that. And it doesn’t. I mean, to me, it doesn’t seem like it has,” one man said.

A woman called Trump a “good liar,” and another said she feels like her vote “bit” her “in the butt.”

When Jordan asked about how everyone was voting in the Michigan Senate race, six of the 10 voters said they had decided which candidate they are backing. Five of those six voters said they’ll be throwing their support behind El-Sayed. Just one said she will vote Rogers, but she’s “not happy about it.”

Another woman said she’s leaning Rogers “heavily,” but said she remains undecided.

“I’m still reading and deciding. I have not definitively decided. And I may not until I get to the voting booth. I’ve done that before,” she said, adding she “might be trying to talk” herself “out of it.”

The others remained undecided on where their support will land.

“I was surprised that there wasn’t more support or more leaning Rogers in that group… but then you look at some of the polling, and El-Sayed is pulling more from Trump voters,” Jordan told Alexander after the focus group.

Jordan was referencing a Fox News poll last week that showed 8% of Trump voters backing El-Sayed. It also found 6% of voters for former Vice President Kamala Harris are backing Rogers.

MS NOW also held a focus group this week in Michigan with Black voters, who expressed more doubts about the candidate.

Watch above via MS NOW.

The post MS NOW Finds Surprising El-Sayed Support Among Trump Voter Focus Group, While Mike Rogers Gets No Love first appeared on Mediaite.

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It shouldn't come as a surprise that Amazon collects data about you based on what you buy. And now, you can get a direct look at what the company has concluded from all that activity.

Amazon's "About You" page, currently in beta after launching this May, uses data from customers' activity to generate details about them in categories like Product Preferences, Interests & Hobbies, and Home & Family. Amazon uses those details to personalize the shopping experience. Here's how to navigate and personalize your "About You" page in your Amazon account.

What Amazon thinks it knows about you

The results can be oddly specific. My editor-in-chief, Jordan Calhoun, shared his page, which includes these entries:

• "Likely has 2 adults"

• "Owns a PlayStation 5 console"

• "Prioritizes plant-based meat alternatives over traditional options"

• "Subscribes to multiple streaming services continually"

• "Owns a large dog"

• "Likely has a cat"

Full disclosure: I try to never use Amazon personally. I pretty much exclusively use it to round up deals for you, my dear reader. That being said, here's what Amazon thinks it knows about me: "Values durable travel gear," "prefers athletic and casual clothing styles," "practices yoga regularly," and "listens to music frequently."

What counts as data

In its Privacy Notice, Amazon lists every activity that provides user data to the company. That includes the obvious, like searching for items and placing orders. It also includes actions you may not realize are being tracked, like interacting with Alexa Voice Service, participating in discussion boards, or linking an Amazon account to a third-party business.

How to view your own "About you" page

On desktop:

1. Hover over where Amazon says "Hello, [your name]" in the upper right corner.

2. Under the "Your Account" section, click "Account."

3. Under the "Ordering and shopping preferences" section, click "Your Shopping preferences."

From here, you can add information of your own, like your shoe size, interests, and dietary preferences. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and you'll see a blue hyperlinked option that says, "Manage your information." Click it, and you'll see what dirt Amazon has on you.

On the mobile app:

Tap the hamburger icon in the bottom menu bar, then go to Account > Shopping preferences > About you.

You can edit it, but not opt out

Shoppers can't directly opt out of the "About you" feature. They can, however, customize the data by adding details they want Amazon to know and deleting assumptions they consider inaccurate or too personal.

Importing data from other AI chatbots

On the "About you" page, customers also have the option to "make Amazon even more personal to you" by importing personal data they've shared with other AI agents. Amazon provides a prompt for you to feed to your chatbot to generate a shopping profile, then asks you to copy the bot's response and paste it back into Amazon.

Whether that's worth doing is up to you. Given how much Amazon already infers from your browsing and buying, handing over a profile from another AI service is a choice worth thinking through. Either way, taking a few minutes to review your page and delete anything inaccurate or too personal is a simple way to see and shape what Amazon knows about you.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

I love my AirPods Max, but I have a hard time recommending them. They sound great, pair seamlessly with my other Apple devices, and offer excellent Active Noise Cancellation, so they're my go-to for long flights and travel days. And yet, I can't in good conscience advise most people to buy them, because of the price. $549 is way too much for any pair of headphones, even if they are my favorite pair I've ever used.

I have good news, however. For October Prime Day, Amazon has discounted the latest model of the priciest AirPods. The AirPods Max 2 are now $429, down 22%, or $120, from the $549 list price. According to Keepa, that's the best price since August. While the headphones are still wildly expensive, it's much easier to recommend them at this price point than at their normal MSRP.

Apple AirPods Max 2 Active Noise Cancellation Wireless Headphones (Midnight)

$429.00 at Amazon

$549.00 Save $120.00

Get Deal

Get Deal

$429.00 at Amazon

$549.00 Save $120.00

The AirPods Max 2 aren't expensive for nothing. They come jam-packed with features that make them Apple's best over-the-ear headphones yet. Apple says these AirPods support up to 1.5 times more Active Noise Cancellation than the original AirPods Max, though the benefits also extend to Transparency mode. These are Apple's first AirPods Max to come with Adaptive Audio, which automatically adjusts the loudness of sounds coming in through Transparency mode, as well as Conversation Awareness, which lowers audio when your AirPods detect that you're speaking. (The audio levels rise once the headphones note you've stopped speaking for a length of time.)

While these headphones sound great when used wirelessly, they're worth using with a USB-C cable, too. With it, you can listen to lossless music through a service like Apple Music, which offers more detail than lossy music over a Bluetooth. Apple says you can expect 20 hours of battery life on one charge when using Active Noise Cancellation, and although the company doesn't specify, you can presumably extend that usage with ANC or Transparency mode turned off. You can also get 90 minutes of playback on just five minutes of charging.

Like all AirPods, these headphones work best when you already have other Apple products. That's personally my favorite thing about AirPods in general: You can use your AirPods Max with your iPhone, then play a video on your Mac, and your AirPods will automatically switch to the new audio source. They're also easy to pair with an Apple TV, which makes for a great way to watch movies and shows without bothering others around you.

AP Photo/NewsBase

As the crucial midterm elections approach, a new Gallup poll revealed that more Americans now identify as Democrats than at any point since 2009.

The quarterly poll showed that 50% of those polled said they are Democrats or “lean more” toward the Democratic Party, while 39% said the same about the Republican Party — the highest margin for the Democrats since the first quarter of 2009.

Gallup based the poll on telephone interviews with “random samples” of “3,000 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.” The margin of sampling error was ±2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, Gallup reported.

That could be bad news for Republicans, who are desperate to keep control of Congress when Americans head to the polls in November. President Donald Trump has even promised $5,000 to every adult if the GOP pulls out a victory.

But polling guru Nate Silver confirmed that’s not very likely.

“This is one of the more consistent elections that I’ve tried to forecast, in that sense that like, every indicator is bad for Republicans,” Silver said on a recent podcast. “Except maybe the outside money, that is the one thing they have going for them.”

In fact, Republicans showed no signs of closing in on the Democrats’ 9-percentage-point advantage — the party’s “largest lead yet in the race for Congress,” according to NBC News’s report on polling averages.

“The congressional average, which stands at 52% to 43% after adjusting to a likely voter scale, measures whether Americans prefer a Congress controlled by Democrats or Republicans before things like individual races and candidates come into play,” the report said.

The outlet explained why examining polling averages gives a more accurate picture of the situation:

Individual polls can bounce around, but an average gives a broad sense of where surveys are trending, and it controls for outliers, which is one reason NBC News released our averages now. At a time when a flurry of polling is released, such as in the homestretch of an election cycle, averages can be valuable tools for tracking what’s happening in the election and diving deeper into how Republicans, Democrats and independents view Trump and the battle for Congress.

Republicans have been trying to frame the midterms as a battle against socialism and communism, since seven congressional candidates are backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Other candidates, like progressive Abdul El-Sayed (D), who’s running for Senate in Michigan, do not identify as democratic socialists but have been painted as such by Republicans.

Despite the dire predictions for the GOP, Trump predicted at an Ohio rally last week, “They’re in for a big surprise. It’s very simple: You gotta get out and vote. You gotta get out. You gotta vote for these guys,” Trump urged. “If you do that, we’re gonna win and we’re gonna win big.”

“And we’re gonna shove it up their a**, okay?” Trump added.

The post New Poll: More Americans Now Identify as Democrats Than at Any Point Since 2009 first appeared on Mediaite.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) ratcheted up his feud with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday morning by accusing him of firing military members for racist and sexist reasons.

The progressive lawmaker made the inflammatory accusation during an interview on Face the Nation. Host Margaret Brennan mentioned Hegseth is planning to cut the number of generals and admirals by 20%, before asking if Kelly had any “insight” into who he would fired or if Democrats can “stop it,” if they retake control of Congress after the midterm elections.

“Well, he often fires people because of the color of their skin or because they’re women,” Kelly said.

“He would deny that,” Brennan said.

“Of course he would deny that. I think anybody would deny that,” Kelly continued. “But it’s pretty obvious, when you have a list of seven people who don’t promote from one star to two star and five of ’em are either Black or women, it’s pretty obvious.”

Kelly went on, saying Hegseth has shown a “pattern” of targeting troops based on their race and gender. He pointed to CQ Brown, a Black Air Force General and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, getting fired soon after President Donald Trump returned to the White House as a prime example.

His claims about Hegseth come as the defense secretary has been focused on weeding out DEI initiatives from the military. Hegseth reiterated his plan during a speech last week, saying the Pentagon was no longer the “woke department.” 

“Simple translation of that — no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors. Just tough, ready, committed troops,” Hegseth continued. “The War Department, as you know, is color-blind, gender-neutral, and merit-based.”

He added, “Or, as the president says to me, “Pete, central casting. I want central casting.” The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top.”

Watch above via CBS.

The post Mark Kelly Accuses Pete Hegseth of Firing People for Racist and Sexist Reasons first appeared on Mediaite.