Sipa USA via AP, AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

House Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) denounced controversial streamer Hasan Piker on Monday for claiming American Jews are “making antisemitism worse” by supporting Israel.

Piker made the comments during a nearly seven-hour Twitch stream last week.

“In his stream, Piker directly discussed and targeted Michigan State Senator Jeremy Moss, showing his picture while stating that, ‘eventually someone will come around and take action not against Israel, but against American Jews,'” Scholten wrote on X.

“Hasan Piker’s calls for violence against American Jews, and directly naming a Michigan elected official (and future Congressional colleague) Jeremy Moss are unacceptable. Full stop,” Scholten wrote. “Piker is a hack who thrives on hate, shock and awe because he lacks substance. It’s dangerous for everyone. We should all be calling out this disgusting rhetoric so it loses it’s [sic] grip on our politics once and for all. It has no place in Michigan, and no place in our country.”

According to Jewish Insider, about two hours into his stream, Piker said, “People don’t f*ck with Israel any longer. If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action, not against the State of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.”

“I don’t know how people don’t recognize how dangerous this predicament is, how dangerous this is for Jews,” Piker said. “You’re running around basically tying your entire identity to a country that inevitably will be seen as Jewish ISIS and you’re saying, as Jews, this is all we care about. You’re making antisemitism worse.”

Piker, who has a history of inflammatory antisemitic rhetoric, was recently seen campaigning with Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.

When asked about Piker’s reputation, El-Sayed told CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe, “Look, I want to reach out to his viewers,” adding that he “disagrees” with Piker on some issues, including the streamer’s comments that he had “no issue with Hezbollah.”

Piker has also justified Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel, and said that he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every single time,” describing the terror organization as “a thousand times better than a fascist settler colonial apartheid state.”

The post House Democrat Denounces Hasan Piker’s ‘Calls for Violence Against American Jews’: ‘Unacceptable. Full Stop.’ first appeared on Mediaite.

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Amazon has a four-pack of Apple’s second-generation AirTag for $79.99 (down from $99)— its lowest price so far, according to price trackers. That brings the cost down to $20 per tracker, which is a better deal than buying them individually—a single AirTag is currently listed on Amazon for $24.

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The biggest upgrade you’ll find over the first-generation AirTag is Apple’s newer Ultra Wideband chip, which the company says gives Precision Finding up to 50% more range than before. That means your iPhone can start pointing you toward a nearby AirTag from farther away, using on-screen arrows, haptic feedback, and sound as you get closer. Apple has also made the built-in speaker 50% louder, which can be especially helpful once Precision Finding has guided you into the right area—a stronger sound makes the AirTag easier to pinpoint when it is buried under clothes, tucked inside a bag, or wedged between couch cushions.

Apple Watch owners get a nice upgrade too, as Precision Finding now works with the Apple Watch Series 9 and newer and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and newer, allowing you to track down a nearby AirTag directly from your wrist without reaching for your iPhone. Once your trackers are set up, you can get even more out of them with a few lesser-known tricks, which we cover in our AirTag hacks guide.

That said, the rest of the experience is largely unchanged—it still uses a replaceable CR2032 battery, carries the same IP67 water- and dust-resistance rating, and keeps the same dimensions, so holders and keychains should continue to fit. Owners of the original AirTag probably will not find enough here to justify an upgrade, but for first-time buyers, this $79.99 four-pack is an affordable way to get the newer model without spending much more than older AirTag multipacks have typically cost.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he had no idea what was going on when Fox News anchor and senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked him about Jared Kushner covertly meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Sunday, hours after The New York Times reported it.

The Times report said Kushner — President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser — had met privately with Jeffries in recent weeks to discuss “potential areas of common ground” as the 2026 midterms approach. Johnson said he was clueless and had just heard about it for the first time on Sunday, before downplaying Kushner’s role within the Trump Administration when Doocy asked him about the story.

“Does any part of you think the White House might be trying to figure out which Democrats they can work with, if Democrats win the House, and that is why they would send Jared Kushner to meet with Jeffries?” Doocy asked.

“I don’t know what that’s about,” Johnson said. “I know Jared has interests and lots of other things going on, he’s not really directly involved in the admin, at least in the day-to-day, of the White House.”

Johnson then pivoted to talking about his push to help Republicans campaign and keep their House majority.

His answer seemed to dismiss Kushner has been one of Trump’s go-to negotiators, with Kushner and Steve Witkoff playing a key role in the Israel-Hamas peace deal signed last year; Kushner has now been helping the administration try to hammer out an agreement with Iran — although the president recently contradicted him and said talks were toast, one day after Kushner said Iran’s theocratic leaders wanted to “finish” a deal.

Doocy brought it back to the NYT report one more time, saying perhaps Trump was using Kushner to talk to the “really hard people to deal with.”

Johnson took it as a chance to skewer Jeffries a bit, saying that was assuming Jeffries does not get pushed out by the democratic socialists who are rising within the Democratic Party.

Watch above via The Sunday Briefing.

The post WATCH: Fox’s Peter Doocy Grills Mike Johnson on Secret Jeffries-Kushner Summit first appeared on Mediaite.

NBC News’s Kristen Welker repeatedly noted to Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) that the Trump administration has been in charge of the economy for the past 19 months, after he continued to blame Joe Biden for the nation’s financial woes.

“Let’s look back at the original sin of cost in America in the last eight years,” Scott said when talking about Trump’s tariffs and affordability on Sunday’s Meet The Press. “It goes to Joe Biden, who took inflation up 21% while he was president.”

“Wait! President Trump has been in office for two years!” Welker interjected.

“Let me finish, let me finish!” Scott said, pushing back. “President Trump has brought inflation from a sky-high 21% over the Biden years down to under 5% and right now hovering near 4%.”

“Wait, inflation was at 3% when President Biden left office. It’s at 3.4% right now,” Welker spoke over Scott. “And the average household as paid $1,000 more in 2025 due to the tariffs, Senator.”

“Let’s not forget. Let’s not forget the truth,” Scott shot back, continuing:

The truth tells a great story. On the first piece of legislation in 2021, the Inflation Reduction Act that we should all laugh at, took inflation to 9% in July of 2021. Cumulate the weight of inflation at the end of the Biden years, over $1,100 of lost spending power. President Trump inherited a weak economy and has built a resilient, strong economy with our wages going up and our costs flattening, finally. Every single Democrat in the Senate voted — this is really important, Kristen — voted to take money out of the pockets of senior citizens last year. Voted to stop helping people working over time by letting them keep more of their money. Voted to take money — not out of the rich people, but out of the working-class waitresses.

“But, hold on, Senator. These are the facts. When President Trump took office, inflation was at 3%. It’s now at 3.4%. Gas prices are over $4 a gallon, up over a dollar from a year ago. President Trump’s tariffs have cost American households nearly $2,000. He promised he was going to bring prices down on day one. Did he break that promise? Prices have gone up!”

“The good news is you don’t disagree with the fact that Joe Biden brought 21% extra cost on the American families. We —”

“But we’re not talking about Joe Biden, though,” Welker maintained. “The Biden administration is over! This is the —— we’re two years into the Trump administration!”

Watch the clip above via NBC News.

The post ‘The Biden Administration is Over!’ Kristen Welker Calls Out Tim Scott Blaming Economic Woes on Trump’s Predecessor in Heated Exchange first appeared on Mediaite.

Democratic strategist Yemisi Egbewole threw a CNN panel for a loop when she declared Democrats are “hot again.”

On Saturday’s Table for Five, Abby Phillip and her guests tackled an Axios article declaring Democrats are entering their “thirst trap era,” noting younger politicians are more frequently posting to social media and their use of “sex appeal” not typically seen from politicians.

“There’s also, by the way, the trend of some of these folks who are probably running, growing facial hair to look a little bit more manly, so there’s a lot of stuff going on here. Are they trying to sort of like put on a picture of youthful, you know, vigor?” Phillip asked.

“Yeah, Dems are hot again. They’re coming out of the closet as hot people and I’m so excited,” Egbewole declared, cracking up Phillip and The Fifth Column podcast co-host Kmele Foster.

“Oh my God,” a shocked Phillip said.

Conservative pundit Pete Seat joined in on the laughter when he threw a sarcastic jab Egbewole’s way.

“Forget the policies! They’re nice to look at!” he said.

Egbewole argued Democrats are learning from President Donald Trump in prioritizing “entertainment.”

“I think they’re learning from Trump. Entertainment really sells,” she said.

Commentator Geoff Duncan responded, “I wouldn’t call Trump hot, just for the record.”

Egbewole clarified her remarks:

For the record, I did not say physical attractiveness. Entertainment really sells it and it captured people, particularly, I think Trump’s relationship to young white men was something that people paid attention to. He went on podcasts that are less policy and more entertaining, and it showed Democrats, okay, maybe we do need to loosen up in some ways.

And there is also another generation coming in finally, that is trying to take a little bit of the mantle, and they are more attuned to this economy, which is an attention economy. I’m sorry, but people don’t watch three hours of CSPAN anymore or the Senate floor. It is 15 to 20 second increments. And in that small moment, you have to capture people’s attention. So, frankly, if you don’t get elected, who even cares about the policy? I think it’s really time for Democrats to engage.

Watch above via CNN.

The post CNN Panel Loses It After Strategist Declares Dems are ‘Coming Out of the Closet as Hot People’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Veteran conservative pundit Victor Davis Hanson ended up in a rant about Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s sexual orientation while pushing back on theories that Democrats are headed for a major win in the Lone Star State.

On Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words, Hanson declared, “Texas is not going to flip in the near future,” as experts have described Talarico’s race against Republican Ken Paxton as a toss up, with the pair polling in a dead heat.

Hanson argued Sen. John Cornyn (D-TX) would have “easily” won the race against Talarico. Cornyn, who has held his Senate seat since 2002, lost in the Republican primary to Paxton after Paxton received a late endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Hanson acknowledged that Paxton is plenty “controversial,” but predicted Talarico is being over-hyped and Republicans will still come out and support Paxton.

“Cornyn would have won this race easily because the MAGA right had nowhere to go and I don’t think they would have sat home in Texas. Paxton, he’s more more Trumpian, but he has a checkered personal life and, you know, all sorts of bad accusations we don’t need to get into. The problem with it, Talarico makes Beto [O’Rourke] look like a conservative,” Hanson said.

O’Rourke is a former congressman who ran unsuccessful Senate and gubernatorial campaigns in 2018 and 2022.

Hanson doesn’t see the possibility of Talarico connecting with Texas voters, mocking him over some of his political ads and his supposed vegetarianism — Talarico has been seen eating meat, but Paxton and others have described him as a vegan.

The conservative pundit eventually questioned whether Talarico is heterosexual, claiming the candidate met his girlfriend in a “gay bar.” According to Talarico, he met his girlfriend when she was chief of staff in his Texas House office.

Hanson then went on to discuss Talarico further:

I mean, he believes, what, God is multi-gender and there’s six genders and he hates meat, he was a vegetarian in Texas. And there’s that one commercial where they show him and he drives up in a Ram truck and a cowboy hat and then he goes in, comes out with a Texas t-shirt. And then right after he made reality confirm myth because he cut a commercial where he’s out there welding or something, and he’s got a pick up, and he’s been seen in cowboy hats — he’s a left-wing liberationist Christian who lived with his mother a long time, never married, there’s a good chance he may not be heterosexual, which I have no problem with that. He says he met his girlfriend in a gay bar. Most women don’t go to gay bars to meet men, I’ll tell you that. And he’s got a squeaky little voice. He looks like he’s about 13 years old, and he’s a socialist in Texas, and he thinks he’s going to win.

Watch above via Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.

Jason Cohen contributed to this report.

The post ‘Texas Is Not Going to Flip’: Victor Davis Hanson Speculates James Talarico ‘May Not Be Heterosexual’ in Wild Rant first appeared on Mediaite.

We are going through the usual cycle anew now, with complaints that President Trump has been crude towards the media. The latest, courtesy of the Washington Post, concerns an exchange, and the subsequent social media post, involving CNN White House correspondent Kristen Holmes. The outrage is both expected and overblown, but then this is the press corps we are discussing.

Holmes was on her current kick of focusing on presidential aide Natalie Harp and asked the president a direct question about Senator John Ossoff’s mention of Natalie in a recent speech. Holmes delivered a profile on Harp for CNN Digital, and following her query of the president, a tense exchange developed.

President Trump reacted to her continuing to inject questions, the latter about North Korea, and he asked about her outlet and delivered his rebuke that CNN is “fake news.” What has touched off a firestorm was a social media post from the White House Rapid Response account that called out Holmes for her line of questioning and mentioned that her children may one day be embarrassed by her behavior.

.@KristenhCNN: Someday, your children will come across your disgusting and inhumane question. They will be sickened and embarrassed to have a parent be so callous and vindictive. It’s quite troubling. https://t.co/EWgPy7mXQP

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 17, 2026

It was an odd retort from the account, but the level of outrage did not exactly measure up to the comments. Scott Nover says that what they did was “invoking her children,” but that is a stretch. This was not an attack or commentary even of her kids, it was the White House account pointing out that, as a mother, they took issue with her questioning.

Again, it is a ham-fisted comment where one struggles to make a connection, but this was not an “attack” on the children of Kristen Holmes. Yet this is the impression delivered. There is a measure of hyperbole in all of this, and it defies the bold nature many reporters prefer to drape upon themselves.

It always sounds desperate when the press declares that Trump has “attacked” any of them with his harsh retorts. It has been said that this is unseemly and not the way a president should behave with the media, and most of it is unprecedented, as well as un-presidential. But mostly that is a result of Trump never having likened himself to a politician.

Conventions and decorum have long been waylaid with him, and he has refused to play by many of the rules in D.C. since he first took office. That is not a defense of his actions or words; it is stating the obvious. What is also in play is something the Washington Post and the rest of the media do not want to address: They are hardly blameless in these contretemps.

If you want to call out the president for graceless or vulgarian behavior, you will get no argument. But for the press to play it off as if they have no participation in the conflict is ridiculous. For years they have freely accused the president of any worst-case accusation, all while labeling him everything from a “Nazi” to “fascist” and “pedophile.” For them to then follow with gasps and swooning over likewise responses is too precious to digest.

The current fainting couch reactions also undercut the usual narratives self-applied by journalists of their bold, warrior-like status. It is a tough sell to claim to be in possession of stern character and then turn around and let out “how DARE he!” responses to name-calling.

Both sides of this conflict are acting in what most consider an unacceptable fashion. The press needs to either acknowledge that they are just as culpable in the tensions being created, or they need to remember their claims of possessing spines of titanium. Wailing over crude responses is not the reaction of the bold.

The post The President and the Press On Kristen Holmes: Two Sides with Crude Behavior While Only One Can Be Offended first appeared on Mediaite.