It may attract a grip of red-blooded American males, but some female athletes told CNN they have a big problem with Sydney Sweeney’s latest ad.

CNN reported on Monday that the ad for Novig, a sports betting app, made Australian surfer Felicity Palmateer livid.

Palmateer vented the “hypersexualized” ad — featuring Sweeney holding two footballs up to her bare chest and hanging out in the locker room — was “very damaging, especially for young females getting into sport, for females in general, [and was] just hypersexualized content.”

She said she was in “absolute utter disbelief” when she saw the ad debut last week, before marveling at, “How far you can put women’s sports backwards in the space of a 42-second commercial.”

CNN’s report focused on reactions from Australian athletes. Oddly, no American women were included in its online story.

A snapshot of the ad which has some critics riled up (Photo Credit: Novig)

CNN reported four-time Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus slammed the ad on her Instagram account, with the Aussie athlete saying it “infuriated” her.

“Not only is this a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is — teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity … the list goes on,” she ranted.

Two other Australian athletes — swimmer Lani Pallister and boxer Skye Nicholson — bashed Sweeney as well, with Nicholson urging companies to “Stop sexualising women in #sport.”

Their outcry follows the pretty big reaction on social media last week to the ad’s debut, right before the NFL season began.

And of course, Sweeney was at the center of another low-stakes controversy with her “great genes/jeans” ad for American Eagle last year. Some critics claimed the ad pushed stealth “Nazi propaganda,” but it hasn’t hurt sales, apparently, because American Eagle’s stock price has surged more than 50% since then.

Watch above via CNN.

The post CNN Reports Female Athletes Hate Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Hypersexualized’ Naked Gambling Ad first appeared on Mediaite.

Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

There's a reason Bissell's Little Green Machine has a dedicated following among pet owners (not to mention kid owners): It's a powerful upholstery cleaning tool that can do the work of an upright steam cleaner, and can be carried in one hand. But there's an even more compact version, the Bissell Little Green Mini Portable Carpet Cleaner, that's just as powerful and even more portable, making it an especially good bet for, say, cleaning out your car after taking your dog on a long road trip. Right now, you can grab one for $89.99, 10% off the usual price, straight from Bissell.

As the name implies, this thing is small. It weighs in at only seven pounds, making it the lightest and most compact carpet cleaner in Bissell's lineup. It's easy to take it up or down stairs, into a car, or anywhere else around the house you need deep-cleaning power. You fill up the water tank, add cleaning solution, spray the stain, scrub it with the attached tool, and the machine will suck the dirty liquid back into a separate tank.

The Little Green Mini is great for pet messes (I've used it on the rug more times than I'd like to admit), spills, stains, and dirt on carpets, rugs, and furniture. Because of its small size, it's also easy to stow away. It includes a four-inch Tough Stain Tool, a hand-held attachment to scrub the affected areas. The water tank can hold up to 16 ounces, and the dirty water tank, 13.5 ounces—pretty small, but that's the tradeoff for more portability. The main hose is four feet long, and the power cord is 12 feet long. It comes with an eight-ounce bottle of Bissell Little Green Oxy formula for cleaning, but when that runs out, you can use most any carpet cleaning solution you want..

If you don't need or want a massive machine to clean your messes, or want something portable to go up or down stairs or that fits easily into a vehicle, the Bissell Little Green Mini Portable Carpet Cleaner is a great option at the current 10% discount.

An advertiser paid for editorial consideration of this deal. Our editorial experts vetted the deal based on our independent expertise. Because we determined that the deal will save money for the consumer, we wrote the content.

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

If your nightstand is buried under Apple charging cables (guilty as charged), the Anker Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station can replace all of them. It can charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods at the same time. It’s designed for desktops, bedside tables, and pretty much any surface that needs decluttering, and right now, it’s down to $134.98 on Amazon, more than 40% off the original $229.99 price.

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$134.98 at Amazon

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The station can charge a compatible iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods wirelessly, with a magnetic charging surface that supports the newer Qi2.2 standard, delivering up to 25 watts. According to Anker, it can charge the new 17 Pro to 50% in under half an hour, though that will vary based on your phone, settings, temperature, and other conditions.

The standout feature (and what explains the higher price tag compared to similar charging stations) is the active cooling system: a built-in thermoelectric cooling unit controls the phone’s temperature during high-speed wireless charging, helping your devices recharge as fast as possible. Boost Mode will maximize charging speed, while Ice Mode activates additional cooling while the phone is in use. In addition, Sleep Mode allows the station to operate more quietly overnight.

There's a 1.65-inch touchscreen showing you wattage, charging status, and temperature of connected devices. When paired with Anker’s app, you can see charging history, the different modes, brightness controls, and more. The stand adjusts up to 80 degrees, making it easy to make calls or watch videos as your phone charges. Compared to flimsier lightweight charging stands that shift, a weighted base and stainless steel arms add to stability. The station also comes with a five-foot USB-C cable and a 65-watt USB-C power adapter.

If you’re an Apple user who wants fast Qi2 charging and active temperature management (as well as more detailed charging info), the sleek Anker Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station will more than meet your needs, and the current 41% discount doesn't hurt.

Nothing compares to you… except this random Irish journalist.

While speaking to reporters on Sunday, President Donald Trump ignored a question about a protest against him in Dublin to tell a journalist she bears a striking to the late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor.

“You know, you remind me of somebody,” Trump said while pointing at the reporter. “A very cute Irish singer who passed away recently. You know who that is? Sinead!”

The president said it in a bit of a funky way, pronouncing it “SHI-NEED.”

“Sinead O’Connor?” the reporter asked back.

“Yeah, you look like Sinead O’Connor,” Trump confirmed with a smirk on his face. “And that’s a compliment, because she sang beautifully.”

Trump’s kind words about O’Connor stand out, considering she wasn’t the president’s biggest fan.

The singer — who rocketed to fame with her 1990 cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” — said she believed Trump was the “biblical devil” in a 2020 interview. And beyond her musical career, O’Connor is probably best known for ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a 1992 performance on Saturday Night Live — a move which led to swift condemnation from Catholics worldwide. She died in 2023 at the age of 56.

Trump never got around to answering the reporters question, which was about protesters griping about his visit and claiming the U.S. was funding Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza.

The president did opt to answer some other big questions he received, including one about AI, after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, as well as Elon Musk and OpenAI boss Sam Altman, called for more regulation; they all said they were worried AI could go rogue and break free of human control, if the pace of innovation was not slowed down. Trump said he wasn’t too concerned about it, though.

“Well I’ll say this, we’re leading China in AI. We’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly I want to keep it that way, because whoever wins AI, wins,” Trump said. “We can put guardrails [in], we can do this and that, but I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn’t be bringing it up. And they’re bringing up things that won’t happen.”

Watch above.

The post Trump Tells Reporter She Reminds Him of Sinead O’Connor: ‘A Very Cute Irish Singer’ first appeared on Mediaite.

ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos straight-up asked Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) Sunday if he pledged his allegiance to Donald Trump, just like the GOP midterm convention goers did last week.

The president led his pledge “to the greatest president in the history of the United States,” as thousands of people followed along at the convention meant to energize Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

“Congressman, thanks for joining us this morning. Do you pledge your allegiance to Donald Trump?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“I pledge my allegiance to my constituents, which I always have,” Lawler answered. “It’s why I’ve been rated among the most bipartisan and effective members of Congress. I’ve been praised by presidents of both parties, including Joe Biden and Donald Trump, because I work to get things done. You know, my best friend in Congress is a Democrat, Josh Gottheimer, and we work tirelessly on issues that matter to our constituents and the American people.”

Stephanopoulos proceeded to ask Lawler if he supports the $5,000 dividend Trump promised to Americans if Republicans prevail in the midterm elections.

“If so, why haven’t Republicans already passed it?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“You know, George, I support putting money back in the pockets of hard working Americans, which is why we passed the single largest tax cut in American history,” Lawler said. “It’s why I fought to lift the cap on SALT from 10,000 to 40,000. Standing up to President Trump on that issue, delivering the largest tax cut for my constituents, putting more than $4,000 back in their pockets. So whether you talk about tax cuts, whether you talk about dividends —”

“But I asked you about the president’s $5,000 dividend,” Stephanopoulos interrupted. “Do you support that or not? It’s a yes or no question.”

“No, George, it’s not a yes or no!” Lawler shot back. “Here’s the answer. Whether you call it a tax cut, a stimulus, which is what the Biden administration did — and you said that was the greatest anti-poverty program since the New Deal, when Biden passed the stimulus check — so, obviously, you don’t have a problem when they’re handing money back to the American people through a stimulus check, or you call it a dividend. The question is, how do you pay for it? How do you be able to to pass the legislation to put more money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans? That’s the objective. We should all be wanting to do that.”

Watch the clip above via ABC News’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos.

The post Stephanopoulos Kicks Off Tense Interview With GOP Lawmaker By Asking Blunt Question: ‘Do You Pledge Your Allegience to Donald Trump?’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Screenshot via HBO

Bill Maher was an equal opportunity offender on Friday’s Real Time where he slammed Democrats plenty, but also delivered a blunt message to his right-wing admirers still loyal to MAGA.

During a discussion about the midterm elections, Maher argued Democrats “have this one in the bag” as the elections will be referendums on President Donald Trump and his job performance. Maher then admitted he has “some standing” with conservatives and offered them a message.

“I think I have some standing with the conservatives. They always say to me when they come up to me, they say, I know you’re not on our team, but you know what? You respect us. You won’t dismiss us like that. There’s none of that you can’t come to Thanksgiving. That bullsh*t,” Maher said.

The Real Time host regularly goes after Democrats as well as Republicans on his show. During Friday’s episode, he unfavorably contrasted Democrats who accuse Israel of a “genocide” in Gaza to 9/11 terrorists.

Maher still did not mince words when he spoke directly to the camera to deliver a message to MAGA fans.

“I just got to say to you people, I know, you don’t like it when I call you names and, you know, you are not that bright, but when it comes to Trump, you’re not that bright. You’re just not that kind of person. It is a cult. And you’ve got to get a little smarter. I mean, how many times can the con man run the same con and you still applaud for it? I don’t get it,” he said.

Maher had been joking that Trump’s promise of $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans win the midterms is a fantasy, just like other past promised payments from DOGE cuts and tariffs.

Maher also went after Democrats hard, doubling down on his controversial 2001 remark that the 9/11 terrorists who took down the Twin Towers could not be described as cowards.

“I know a guy whose show got canceled just for saying the terrorists weren’t cowards. And that guy was right. They weren’t cowards, but I’ll tell you who is: Democratic party politicians. And I’ll tell you why, because nowhere has this moral confusion become more obvious than in a place called Gaza,” he said.

The post Bill Maher Delivers Blunt Message to His Conservative Fans Still Loyal to Trump: ‘You’re Just Not That Bright’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Screenshot via Anthropic YouTube

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is warning “we must slow down the pace” of AI, just days after an Anthropic researcher quit and predicted the tech could “kill us all” within a decade.

In a lengthy statement posted online Saturday, Amodei laid out steps to slow down the pace of AI advancements and acknowledged some serious risks, including rogue AI agents “taking over the entire internet” in six to 12 months.

Amodei argued in favor of AI overall, arguing it could lead to major advancements in medicine and more.

“I believe that AI could cure most major diseases in the next 5–10 years, greatly accelerate economic growth rates, create a world of abundance and empowerment, and usher in a renaissance of democracy and freedom,” he wrote.

The CEO also warned, however, that there could be drastic consequences with AI and those are becoming more real as AI is advancing “drastically” and able to self-improve.

“They include the risk of losing control of AI systems, misuse of AI for cyberattacks and bioterrorism, and serious economic disruption. A race to the bottom, spurred by commercial incentives, can make these risks more acute,” he wrote.

Amodei added, “We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models. Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain.”

He explained that his recent concern came from two developments, including the accelerated growth of AI over the summer.

He wrote:

My first concern is that, since roughly this summer, AI has been advancing drastically faster, driven primarily by AI’s growing ability to build the next generation of AI. This dynamic is called recursive self-improvement, and it is starting to happen across the industry, including at Anthropic, as we and others have described. Left unchecked, it could outrun our ability to understand and control these systems, and so must be pursued very carefully, if at all.

Amodei also said he was concerned over a July security breach involving AI where autonomous AI agents being tested by OpenAI launched a coordinated cyberattack on AI developer Hugging Face.

Amodei described the AI agents as becoming a “fanatically devoted collective” with some “sacrificing themselves for the success of the group, and attempting to hack into the ‘grader’ responsible for evaluating their performance.”

The tech leader admitted he’s concerned similar rogue AI agents could take over the internet within a year:

Given the accelerating rate of AI capability development, it’s my worry that in 6–12 months such a swarm could be capable of taking over the entire internet with a persistent botnet (potentially causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage), and that the scale of damage would continue to increase from there if AI becomes more powerful without the necessary guardrails. It’s also easy to dismiss OAI-HF as the failure of one company, but I believe that would be a mistake. Similar, though less severe, incidents have happened across the industry, including at Anthropic, and I believe it’s incumbent on every frontier AI company to act as if OAI-HF had happened to them.

Amodei’s statement follows Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon quitting his position and adding his voice to the chorus of critics concerned about AI’s future effects.

“The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt,” Coxon warned, sharing concerns similar to Amodei’s thoughts on self-improving technology.

Amodei’s three-step plan for slowing the pace of AI includes AI companies inviting in “third-party evaluators” to “verify adherence to safety practices and commitments, report incidents, and help assess the alignment of not just completed AI models but training pipelines and processes.”

He also proposed AI companies “within democratic countries” to create a set of “common safety standards” to follow, as well as governments working to extend this to “authoritarian governments.”

“The stakes are too high for pacing to be an empty exercise — we need to use the time it gives us wisely,” Amodei wrote.

The post Anthropic CEO Declares ‘We Must Slow the Pace’ of AI Advancements While Warning the Tech Could ‘Take Over’ the Internet in Months first appeared on Mediaite.