Arc is one of the few companies doing truly interesting things in the browser space. Certainly it’s the first browser that convinced me that sprinkling AI features across search results is genuinely useful. But all of that happens on the computer side. The new Arc Search app changes that in a big way. 

Arc Search is built on the belief that a browser, a search engine, and an AI chatbot can work together to build a pleasurable internet experience for you, instead of fighting for ad space or creating silos (Microsoft Edge versus Bing, Google Chrome versus Bard). 

Credit: Khamosh Pathak

The app starts you off with a very simple search bar. Search for a term, tap the Browse For Me button, and Arc Search will kick in, searching the top six websites that match your keywords, scanning them using AI, and creating a very readable results page just for you, also with AI. 

What you get is a summary that goes way beyond the results that Google Bard or ChatGPT can offer. Because Arc Search is reading the web pages live, it has the latest information, and it provides it to you in two different sections. 

First, you’ll see a list of bullet points, giving you info at a glance. This is something that traditional AI chatbots are good at, of course, but you can then scroll down to see a detailed breakdown of each point, giving you additionally information, and, importantly, additional context. Arc will also show you which sites were used to find the information. If you choose to, you can visit more websites to dive deeper. 

All of this happens via an interface that is genuinely easy to use—it's visually clean, and free of ads and trackers. It's not a perfect system, and it suffers from the same limitations as the underlying AI models (Arc Search uses a combination of OpenAI and other tools). So while there is a risk of AI hallucinations, and a chance that key facts will be omitted, generally the results are worth reading through.

The interface is quite stripped down, reminding me of the customizable Quiche browser. There’s a button to access tabs and a URL bar; the settings are all hidden behind a menu. The main purpose is Search, and that’s the button in focus. The combination of the simple interface, an AI search that’s actually good to use, and ad-free browsing everywhere makes it a great contender for the new default iPhone browser for me. Is it for you?

[The Verge]

Now is not the time to buy a new iPad or a MacBook Air. According to a Bloomberg report by Apple reporter Mark Gurman, Apple is about to release a new batch of MacBook Airs and iPads. This event could likely be scheduled for March 2024, so if you're in the market for one of these products now, you should wait till the next Apple event if you can. That way, you can either get a newer Apple product or take advantage of price cuts on outgoing models.

What Apple could launch in March 2024

According to Gurman, you can expect MacBook Airs with Apple's M3 processors to launch in March 2024. His report states that the new Air will ship in two variants—13- and 15-inch displays. We already know a bit about Apple's M3 processor because it shipped with the MacBook Pro launched in late 2023. As compared to the M2, the M3 chip offers improved performance without compromising battery life. This alone is a great reason to wait for the M3 MacBook Airs.

The report also states that the iPad Air and the iPad Pro are getting revamped. You could see big hardware changes to these devices, including an option for a larger display on the iPad Air, along with software tweaks such as allowing Face ID in landscape mode. iPad accessories such as Magic Keyboards and Apple Pencils could also be refreshed.

It's worth waiting before you buy an iPad or a MacBook

With just two months to go before these new products are launched, now is the time to avoid any impulse purchases. MacRumors has neat buying guides for Macs and iPads and it clearly tells you why you shouldn't buy any iPad or a MacBook Air now. It's been over 18 months since Apple refreshed the iPad Air and the MacBook Air, and a similar amount of time since the last time we saw a new iPad Pro. Upgrades to all of these are overdue.

With Apple products, you can expect software updates and support for a long time—so it's not like buying an older generation product will leave you stranded now. You are, however, risking paying a higher price for an older product, as Apple often slashes the prices of older products during its events. Once its replacement or upgrade is out, you'll have a greater chance of scoring a great deal for either a new product or a used one in great condition. 

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

A former contractor for the IRS who used his access to leak the tax records of former President Donald Trump and thousands of other wealthy Americans has been sentenced to five years in prison as part of a controversial plea deal.

As CBS News reported, Charles Littlejohn, 38, was facing a maximum sentence of five years in prison after he pled guilty last October to one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and return information.

On Monday, Federal District Court Judge Ana Reyes did in fact hand down the maximum sentence for that charge, five years, plus 3 years of supervised release and a $5,000 fine. But the sentence is still raising eyebrows due to the massive scope of Littlejohn’s leaks and the individuals who were affected.

Littlejohn’s most notable target was Trump, and according to prosecutors’ sentencing memo, Littlejohn had previously worked for an IRS contracting company and then returned to the role “with the hope and expectation” of being able to access tax records related to Trump and other high-profile wealthy individuals. Over a two-year period, Littlejohn “exploited a loophole” in the company’s computer system, prosecutors alleged, stole the data files, uploaded them to a private website in a way that avoided the IRS’ software that detected large downloads to devices, and then downloaded the data from that website to one of multiple personal devices, finally leaking them to news organizations months later.

The contracting firm who hired Littlejohn was not identified in court documents, but a report by Fortune last October noted that he had worked there from 2008 to 2010 and 2012 to 2013, before returning to work 2017 to 2021 — the period in which he was targeting Trump and others.

On Sept. 27, 2020, The New York Times published a lengthy report based on the leaked data, covering decades of Trump’s personal and business tax records and showing how “[t]he tax returns that Mr. Trump has long fought to keep private tell a story fundamentally different from the one he has sold to the American public.” The bombshell revelations in the Times article included Trump paying only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017, and “no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years — largely because he reported losing much more money than he made.”

Trump attorney Alina Habba attended Littlejohn’s plea hearing to read a victim impact statement and objected to the deal that let him plead guilty to only one charge, calling the leak of the ex-president’s tax returns an “atrocity” and an “egregious breach.”

Littlejohn also allegedly leaked a trove of information to ProPublica, which packaged it in a report on how “ultrawealthy” Americans were the country’s “most effective income-tax avoiders,” paying no taxes at all, “year in and year out.”

Other people targeted by Littlejohn include Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), a billionaire from his pre-political career as a hospital executive. Scott has been especially vocal in criticizing Littlejohn — and the “politicized” justice system that “alloew[ed] him to plead to just a single criminal count” and attended the defendant’s sentencing hearing to read his own victim impact statement.

Scott continued attacking the Justice Department for “playing partisan politics” to allow Littlejohn to plea to such a “lenient sentence,” posting a video clip of him speaking on Fox News denouncing how Littlejohn had targeted “over 7,500 cases” but “he’s going to plead guilty to one case.”

Before he was sentenced, Littlejohn admitted his crimes in the courtroom.

“I alone am responsible for this crime…I made my decision with full knowledge that I would likely end up in a courtroom to answer for my serious crime,” he said. “I used my skills to systematically violate the privacy of thousands of people.”

Neither his admission nor the supporting statements from his family and friends seemed to sway Judge Reyes, who called his actions “an attack on our constitutional democracy.”

“He targeted the sitting president of the United States of America, and that is exceptional by any measure,” she said. “It cannot be open season on our elected officials.”

Reyes added that the court sought to send a message that America was “a nation of laws” and no one else should be tempted to view “this type of conduct as acceptable or justifiable or worth the trade-off.”

The judge also voiced “exasperation” with the limits to the maximum sentence for the one count in the plea deal, reported CBS News.

“The fact that he did what he did and he is facing one felony count, I have no words for,” said Reyes.

Littlejohn will have to turn himself in by April 30, as ordered by Reyes, to begin his sentence.

Every gardener, from the apartment dweller to the farmer, has a finite allotment of planting space. What you want to grow needs to fit into that space, so planning is essential. With planning, you can thoughtfully consider when different crops will be ready to harvest and can be rotated. Your plants can benefit from being next to certain plants, and kept away from others. Most importantly, you will avoid the age-old problem of endlessly turning in a circle, in the middle of your garden, holding some starts that you have no idea where to plant.

Block planting

We all grew up with the idea of farms, with long rows or entire fields dedicated to one crop. For the farmer, this is efficient. Load up seeds, plant them all at once, fertilize for them specifically, harvest at once and move on to the next crop.  That’s less realistic in a home garden, where you have finite space. A small scale version of this, block planting, allows you to envision your crops in the square spaces they need for a singular planting, and to rearrange them around your garden like legos. Block planting is great for people who enjoy straight lines and color blocks. It will end up looking quite orderly and means you can plan for trellising and any other supports your plants might need. 

One major proponent of this method that I’ve studied from is Meg Cowden, author of Plant, Grow, Harvest, Repeat. Though her garden is vast, she has, over time, figured out how big a “block” she needs for cabbage vs, tomatoes vs. corn. She can use those block sizes to help her slot in where in her garden these items will go, allowing for crop rotation. Then she moves trellises to the appropriate spot. The effect is mesmerizing and, clearly, effective. It means you can harvest a whole block at once and turn it over, efficiently, for the next growing season. Early lettuce harvest make way for another short crop at the end of the season. While farmers might be more strict, Cowden still intermixes to some degree—flowers make an appearance at the end of rows; root crops are interplanted with above-ground crops to make efficient use of the space. But for the most part, Cowden’s garden is a wonderful example of incredibly experienced block planting. 

Meg Cowden's 2023 garden, using block planting, from the @seedtofork Instagram. Credit: Meg Cowden, @seedtofork

The downside of block planting is that it does feel like it requires more space. Also, if there’s disease or pests, you’re making that one crop more vulnerable by placing it all in one spot. It’s more likely to all be ready to harvest at once, since it’s under the same conditions. Do you want 12 heads of broccoli at once?

To plan your garden using this method, start by making a list of all the plants you intend to grow, and then break that into varieties. Consider how much space each plant needs, and then how many you intend to grow. This will give you the block space. A boring but incredibly helpful task is to map out your garden space accurately with a tape measure. I have mine digitized so I can print out blanks whenever I want. Once you’ve done this, you can start putting blocks into the map. Try to rotate them from previous years for the sake of soil health and keeping viruses at bay. Try to consider sight lines—you don’t want corn to block sun for plants around it, and you want your beans someplace where they’re accessible on all sides. Think about what will need trellises. 

Having a scale map of your garden is going to make your planning much easier. Credit: Amanda Blum

Companion planting

Some animals are prone to naturally get along, while others do not. Some animals actually benefit from living in the same space. That symbiotic relationship can be seen in gardening as well. Tomatoes and onions grow well together, as do cabbage and nasturtium, and cucumbers and beans. However, tomatoes and broccoli do not, neither do cabbage and eggplant, and poor fennel—it repels everything else in the garden. This concept is known as "companion planting," and it feeds off the notion that interplanting helps deter pests, encourage more growth and take optimal advantage of the growing space. While it’s now a very popular idea, it has its roots as far back as we know. Native people grew plants in an arrangement known as “three sisters.”  Corn, a known nitrogen hog, was grown alongside beans, which are nitrogen fixers (they put nitrogen back into the soil as they grow). Squash are grown around them. The beans grow up the corn, using it as a trellis, and the squash shades the corn plants, particularly at the base, where the shallow corn roots are susceptible to dehydration, burn and pests.  The kitchen potager—a French idea of a kitchen garden—uses the same ideas. Interplant flowers, herbs and vegetables for a fuller space, and one where plants benefit from each other. 

The downsides are that you tend to crowd plants together—"crowdscaping," as gardeners with little space know it. Also, you have to patrol the garden to remember where everything is, and to not miss the harvest period. Heads of lettuce might hide, or you can miss some cucumbers. However, you generally have a far more resilient garden.

To get started with this method, you should still map your garden. Additionally, grab a companion planting chart. Over time, you’ll learn this and won’t need to refer back, but they’re tremendously helpful at the start. This is by far the most comprehensive chart I’ve ever seen, and it’s the one I use.  

It helps to consider most vegetables as being within one of two families: cruciferous and nightshades. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts are all cruciferous and grow well together. Nightshades include tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and potatoes. These two groups don’t grow well together, so they should be separated. However, there are interlopers that can grow with either, like lettuce, carrots, radishes, beans, corn, cucumbers and peas. Consider that you can have crops that grow above ground, like eggplant, grow alongside those below ground, like carrots and radishes. 

To start, I lay in beans or peas in most of my beds, as these will fix the nitrogen in the soil. Next, I figure out where certain crops I’ll plant together go. A tomato bed and corn gets its own space because it only grows effectively in blocks, so it can get pollinated by wind. I have a small bed for fennel, which cannot be planted with any other vegetable. Next, I look at the trellises, and start laying in cucumbers and pumpkins and squash. After that, i start establishing which beds will hold nightshades, which usually need more heat, and where my broccoli and cauliflower will go. Then, I intersperse everything else: lettuce and radishes and beets and onions and carrots and herbs. 

Finally, I take great care to ensure the entire garden is dotted with marigolds, dill, sweet alyssum and nasturtiums, which all work as pest control and pollination attractors.

The author in her garden in 2022, using companion planting.

You can break the rules

As I noted above, in both systems, there are no garden police—you can keep what you want and leave the rest. Within block planting you can still intersperse beneficial flowers or crops. Within companion planting, you can still establish dedicated spaces. What both systems offer are starting points—because garden planning can be overwhelming. 

TV host Piers Morgan asked legendary comedian Jay Leno if he’s worried about “what happens to this country” if President Joe Biden loses to ex-President Donald Trump in 2024.

Morgan interviewed Leno for over an hour this week on an episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, during which the topic of politics came up. In one portion of their chat, Leno said he was “not a fan” of Trump.

Burt when Morgan tried to cajole him with the suggestion that Biden should step down over his age, Leno revealed he is a fan of the president — and dinged Trump for his recent remark about the economy crashing before the end of Biden’s term.

In another exchange, Leno asked about the potential for “division” if Trump wins:

JAY LENO: That’s when I knew we were in trouble. And when I would talk, I meet people on the street. “I’d rather have Putin than Biden!”.

Really? Really. You know. I mean, Army and Navy used to fight, but they would team up against the Russians or whoever it might be. You know, they didn’t continue. They would take the, the, the Russian over the Army guy, over the Navy guy. That’s the part I find rather troubling.

PIERS MORGAN: Do you worry about what may happen in this country in terms of the division, if Trump was to get reelected?

JAY LENO: Well, you get the government you deserve. I mean, that’s pretty much the way the world works, or at least ways America works, if that’s what people choose. Well, that’s that’s what’s going to happen, is it? So I don’t know, I would prefer it– I mean, it seems pretty calm now and the economy seems to be in pretty good shape. I sort of like the things Biden’s been doing. I think he’s done a really good job with the economy.

But you have people now who just, if someone says the economy is terrible, “it is?” Okay. You know. I mean, gas prices have nothing to do with the president. You know, all those type of things. So I don’t know. I don’t know. I try not to. I’m not an expert in this area. This is the one thing I love about America. Now, we’re the only place in the world. If you go to Europe. We wanted to talk about the economy. So I went to the University of Economics at Pomona. We go to a truck stop in Lima, Ohio. You know, here in America, you go to the truck stop. You talk to the guy and hear what he has. Oh, I would rather have an expert, you know.

Watch above and watch the full episode here via Piers Morgan Uncensored.

Republican Senators James Lankford (OK) and Tim Scott (SC) shruged off Friday’s verdict against Donald Trump — who was ordered to pay $83 million in damages for defaming the woman he was previously found liable for sexually abusing.

ABC News’ Martha Raddatz interviewed Scott on Sunday for This Week, and she started with Friday’s verdict where a federal jury awarded E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in her defamation lawsuit against the former president. Scott has been stumping for Trump since endorsing his re-election earlier this month, so Raddatz confronted him with Carroll’s legal action against Trump and asked “Does that give you any pause in your support?”

“Myself and all the voters that support Donald Trump, supports a return to normalcy as relates to what affects our kitchen table,” Scott answered. “The average person in our country, they’re not talking about lawsuits. As a matter of fact, what I have seen, however, is that the perception that the legal system is being weaponized against Donald Trump is actually increasing his poll numbers.”

Pointing out that verdicts were handed down by jurors of Trump’s peers, Raddatz followed up and asked “That gives you no pause whatsoever?”

Scott’s response:

Democrats don’t pause when they think about Hunter Biden and the challenges that he brings to his father. The one thing that I think the electorate is thinking about most often is how in the world will the next president impact my quality of life? How will America regain its standing in this world? They were better off under Trump…

Scott’s indifference was echoed on Face The Nation when CBS’ Margaret Brennan concluded her interview with Lankford by asking him for his thoughts about the Carroll verdict.

“Does it give you any pause about him returning to office?” She asked.

His answer: “It doesn’t.”

Obviously, these are legal cases. I don’t want to jump in the middle of a legal case. It’s been interesting the number of legal cases that have come up against President Trump and then have failed and had been dropped or had been kicked out of the courts on it. This one’s actually went through. He’s already said he’s going to challenge it. So let the courts actually make their decisions and let the American people make their decisions. We got states like Colorado that are trying to be able to block the people of Colorado from being able to choose who they vote for. Let the American people decide this in November.

Watch above via ABC and CBS.

Trump fans at former President Donald Trump’s victory party went nuts behind Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) when it was announced Trump had defeated ex-Amb. Nikki Haley in the New Hampshire primary.

The New Hampshire primary was over barely more than an hour after polls closed. Trump was declared the victor with what figured to be a convincing low double-digit margin. But Haley was encouraged by the level of support she received, giving a quasi-victory speech that Trump ranted was “DELUSIONAL!”

At Trump’s watch party, RSBN host Brian Glenn was interviewing Green and fellow Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) when the results came in and the call was made. It was pandemonium, with people chanting and Greene screaming “TRUMP WON!”:

REP. MIKE COLLINS: Happen and we’ve we’ve got to get past that. We’ve got to play the game. We. I don’t like Dropboxes, but if we’re going to use them, we got to use them.

BRIAN GLENN: Let me go. The crowd obviously responding to the numbers.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: TRUMP WON! TRUMP WON! TRUMP WON! That’s awesome! We knew he was going to win!

REP. MIKE COLLINS: That means it’s time to close this primary down.

BRIAN GLENN: Let’s listen in.

CROWD: USA! USA! USA!

WOMAN IN CROWD: WE LOVE YOU! WE LOVE YOU! YOU’RE JUST LIKE (inaudible)!

BRIAN GLENN: Yeah. That’s great. Yeah. Here. Great. That is. But you know what? We’ve all talked about that. Throwing out some hats to people. Don’t know, if you can get a shot of that, maybe not.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: Trump won! Trump won! Trump won! Yeah! Like we didn’t know! Exactly! This is. This is awesome!

BRIAN GLENN: Yeah.

Greene went on to rant about Haley’s support, saying “These numbers are FAKE!” and practically drooled at the prospect of “humiliating” Haley:

These are fake numbers! Nikki Haley does not have this much support! She’s going to come out and claim that she’s rising in the polls. All these fake news media people up here on this platform are going to claim that Nikki Haley is rising in the polls. It’s a total, complete lie! Absolute lie! Tonight, Nikki Haley was defeated!

The problem is, she’s going to be dumb enough, and she’s going to be a fake candidate, and she’s going to keep going, and we’re going to destroy her in South Carolina. It’s going to be a, comee–, a complete humiliation. I can’t wait to see it happen so I’m fired up.

Watch above via RSBN.

The idea of mesh networking has been around for several years. However, we didn't start seeing the term pop up on wifi routers and devices until around the mid 2010s. That's when companies like Eero, Google, and Netgear started rolling out "mesh networking kits," which allowed you to blanket your home in a stronger wifi signal.

Despite being around for several years now, the idea of mesh networking is still a bit foreign to many people. As such, any talk of adding mesh networking to your home can bring about confusion and even some anxiety about whether you're making the right choice when it comes to buying a new router. Thankfully, mesh networking isn't nearly as complicated as it sounds.

What is mesh networking?

Mesh networking, as opposed to traditional wifi setups, uses multiple devices rather than just one router. While only one device is actually connected to the modem, all devices in the mesh can put out a full strength signal, and, crucially, piggyback off one another to stitch together one large wifi network. In short, it extends your coverage within your home while maintaining strength and speed.

Mesh has a big advantage over typical setups, even those with range extenders. Your home internet router, for example, has a set range that its signal can reach. While other devices like wifi range extenders and repeaters can extend this signal, they come at a cost, usually halving the bandwidth of any network they're feeding off of. A mesh network expands that signal as well, but because of the way its designed, it doesn't pull from the speed at all, allowing the full signal to reach wherever you need it to without any kind of bandwidth compromise.

What is a mesh networking kit?

A mesh networking kit typically includes a main router (which connects to your modem) as well as one or several satellites, which act as nodes that expand the wifi signal. Each node connects to the node that came before it, expanding your signal further with each satellite. Depending on the brand that you buy, these kits can offer an expandable range of up to 5,000 square feet.

One easy way to think of these kits, and the devices they offer, is to imagine that they are all separate blankets that have been sewn together to create a larger blanket that covers your entire home. Together they deliver a stronger and more cohesive experience that will improve your home wifi.

Do I need a mesh network?

While many of us have dead zones for our home wifi, not everyone will benefit from a mesh network. Mesh networking works best for those who have large homes, or homes with multiple floors and thick walls. That's because these thick walls and floors make it more difficult for the wifi signal to travel through, so a traditional router may have trouble getting a strong signal to these areas of your home.

With a mesh network, though, your satellites or nodes can pick up the slack, broadcasting a full strength signal to areas that would otherwise receive a diminished signal, or no signal at all. You'll experience the same speeds as the original signal throughout your entire home. And, because mesh wifi all runs on the same SSID (wifi network name) and password, you don't need to switch between networks as you connect to different nodes.

If you only have a couple of dead zones, like say, near your TV, then buying one of the best Wi-Fi extenders can often be cheaper, and it will solve the problem well enough. You'll lose out on some of the speed that your original network offers, but you won't end up overpaying to fix a problem that can be fixed for much cheaper.

What mesh networking system should I buy?

If you think that a mesh network is something you need, then you have plenty of options to choose from. Those looking for a budget-friendly option will find that the Vilo Mesh Wi-Fi System offers solid square footage and speeds at an affordable price of just $115.99 for a three-device package.

If you want something that's easy to expand, then the Eero 6+ is a solid option, and it starts at just $139.99, though that is for each device. You can purchase multi-packs off Amazon, which can save you some money if you need multiple devices in your mesh network. Each device covers up to 1,500 square foot, though, so that should be more than enough for most folks.

Finally, those looking for a good gaming setup for mesh networking will find the ASUS ROG Rapture GT6 2-Pack is a solid choice. It runs $479.99 at list price, but it can often be found for much cheaper, and it's designed with a ton of gamer-centric features that may make the price a bit more justifiable for many.

Check out the mesh networks recommended in this piece:

• Vilo Mesh Wi-Fi System: $115.99 (three-pack)

• Eero 6+: $139.99 (each)

• ASUS ROG Rapture GT6 2-Pack: $479.99

Super Bowl LVIII kicks off on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET. This year, the game is being broadcast by CBS with more than 10 hours of coverage. Even if you don't have cable, there are a few ways, both paid and free, that you can watch all the action live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Sign up for a live TV streaming service

There are a handful of streaming services with live TV that include CBS (Sling TV is a notable exception). Before signing up, check the channel listings for your zip code to confirm CBS is available in your local market.

• DirectTV Stream: $85 per month for the Entertainment plan, no free trial

• FuboTV: $80 per month for the Pro plan, 7-day free trial for new customers

• Hulu + Live TV: $77 per month, no free trial (includes ads on Hulu)

• YouTube TV: Currently $63 per month with promo, 30-day free trial for new users

When signing up for a free trial, make sure you know when you'll be billed for a paid subscription and cancel before your trial expires. The game will be available in 4K for FuboTV and YouTube TV subscribers (included in the free trials but at an additional fee with paid plans). The Spanish-language broadcast is being hosted by Univision, which is also available on most live TV streaming services.

Recommended products

Looking for a new streaming device? Consider one of these products.

• Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite

• Chromecast with Google TV (4k)

• Roku Ultra

• Apple TV 4K with 64GB Storage

Sign up for a Paramount+ trial

CBS is part of the Paramount+ package, and Super Bowl coverage will stream live for subscribers on all service tiers. The Essentials plan costs just $6 per month, and new users can sign up for a 7-day free trial. If you are taking advantage of the trial, you'll want to sign up right before Feb. 11 and set a reminder to cancel if you don't want to be charged for a paid plan. The Paramount+ stream will only be available in 1080p.

Watch over the air

Another free (ish) way to get the game is with over-the-air (OTA) TV. Of course, this requires you to invest in a digital TV antenna and have a place to put it that gets good reception. You should check the FCC's reception map to see what signals are available in your area and try your antenna out before game day. Your mileage may vary, so if you want a stress-free watch experience, this probably isn't the best option.

Other ways to watch the Super Bowl

You can also watch the game via the CBS Sports app or website if you already pay for CBS with a cable or satellite package or one of the live TV streaming services listed above. The game will also stream through the NFL+ mobile app—a subscription costs $7 per month.

AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

E. Jean Carroll’s attorney argued Friday in the defamation trial against former President Donald Trump that the GOP frontrunner should be forced to pay at least $24 million in damages.

During closing arguments, attorney Roberta Kaplan told the jury that Trump’s comments denying sexually abusing Carroll were “designed to humiliate Carroll, and it was a lie,” according to CNN. Last year, a jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in a department store back in the 1990s.

“Ms. Carroll must’ve been lying, because she was too ugly or too unattractive for Donald Trump to assault,” Kaplan said, summarizing Trump’s attacks on her client. “What will it take to get Trump to stop?”

Kaplan then cited testimony from Professor Ashlee Humphreys, who testified on the monetary and reputational harm Trump comments have had on Carroll’s career. Kaplan argued that the author would need at least $24 million to begin repairing her reputation on the national stage.

The attorney continued, “In our view, the damage to Ms. Carroll’s sense of self — to her piece of mind — the feeling that we all have that we can go about our lives every day and not be suddenly attacked or raped or killed is very significant, so the dollar number to compensate for that has to be very large.”

“Twenty-five years after Donald Trump sexually assaulted her, Ms. Carroll came forward to tell her story,” Kaplan added. “In response, Donald Trump sought out to ruin her life. Wielding his position as president, he attacked her integrity and her honesty and not only denied the sexual assault, but he said that she made it up for money or fame or part of a conspiracy.”

In the prior defamation case where Trump was found liable for sexual abuse, Carroll was awarded $5 million. The judge in this case already found Trump’s 2019 comments calling Carroll a liar defamatory, so the trial is focused only on what damages Carroll will receive from Trump.

“It will take an unusually high punitive damages award to have any hope of stopping Donald Trump to have a chance of allowing Ms. Carroll’s life to return to normal,” Kaplan told the jury.

Streaming service Hulu is premiering a couple of maybe-check-them-out series this week: Superhot, a reality show about spicy food, and closed-room whodunnit series Death and Other Details. There's also awesomely creepy cult documentary series Daughter of the Cult, Fargo, and more.

Daughters of the Cult

I've been fascinated with cults for a long time, so I can't believe I had never heard of Ervil LeBaron until I watched Daughters of the Cult this week. LeBaron was a next-level-evil cult leader. Dubbed “The Mormon Manson” during his reign of terror in the 1970s and '80s, Ervil ran a heretical, polygamist cult like a ruthless gang boss, straight up gunning down the leaders of rival polygamist groups. Daughters of the Cult tells this "wait, that actually happened?" story through interviews with some of his 50 children, who provide insider looks at a nightmarish religious cult that started with polygamy and ended up fully off-the-rails. 

Death and Other Details

There’s been a resurgence of top-quality, closed-doors mysteries coming out of Hollywood lately—Knives Out, Glass Onion, Haunting in Venice—and Death and other Details aims at that rarefied air. According to many critics, it’s a swing and a miss, but mystery-hounds, like all genre-fans, are forgiving. They can find something to like in even the worst examples of their obsession, and Death and Other Details is far from the bottom of the mystery barrel. Think of it as Agatha Christie-lite: It has a mysterious murder, an exotic location (a glamorous cruise ship), wealthy suspects, and even a wish.com version of Hercules Poirot in the form of Mandy Patinkin’s super-detective Rufus Cotesworth.

Superhot: The Spicy World of Pepper People

“Let’s look at people who like spicy food” might seem like a thin premise for a TV show, but these folks really like spicy food, and examining their subculture reveals an unseen world of inspiration, obsession, beauty, and controversy. Plus, you get to see people sweat a lot as they consume inhumanely spicy peppers. What's not to like?

The Floor

I'm not huge into game shows, but I love Fox’s The Floor. It pits self-proclaimed experts in various niche subjects like “cereal” or “bugs” against one another in rapid fire trivia duels, giving viewers the chance to match their own knowledge against “experts” while rooting for (and wagering upon) their favorite geek-testant. A territory-taking meta game adds yet another level to The Floor, and host Rob Lowe holds it all together with impressive game-show-host chops.

The Floor also streams on FuboTV, Tubi, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.

This Fool

The competition for a new streaming series is brutal. New shows not only compete against every other current show, but also against almost every series that has ever been on TV. So it’s encouraging that Hulu’s This Fool has survived streaming’s merciless culling process long enough to get a second season. Set in a working class Latino neighborhood in L.A., This Fool's second season sees sensitive Julio (the titular fool), his ex-con cousin Luis, and Julio's eccentric former boss Minister Payne trying to open a coffee shop together. This Fool has been available on Hulu for a few months, so it’s not new-new, but it’s among the smartest, funniest shows on TV right now.

Fargo, Season Five

Fargo’s fifth season mixes up a stew of evil criminals, oddball characters, slapstick humor, and extreme violence, seasons it with a touch of the supernatural, then sets it in the frozen wastelands of our forgotten central-northern states. The series has gotten a little “on-the-nose” in its maturity, but Fargo is still among the best shows on TV. 

Fargo is also streaming on FuboTV, YouTube TV, and Sling TV.

Nikki Haley brutally mocked former President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening as she campaigned in her home state of South Carolina. Haley took it to Trump in front of a fired-up crowd, mocked his recent mental lapses, and accused the GOP frontrunner of not caring about the American people, only himself.

After finishing third in Iowa and second in New Hampshire, with Trump dominating both contests, Haley has vowed to continue her longshot campaign to stop Trump’s march to the nomination. “He didn’t talk about the American people once he talked about revenge,” Haley declared of Trump’s New Hampshire victory speech.

“So we got out there and we did our thing and we said what we had to say” Haley said of her speech Tuesday night in New Hampshire, adding:

And then Donald Trump got out there and just threw a temper tantrum. He pitched a fit. He was. He was insulting. He was doing what he does. But I know that’s what he does when he’s insecure. I know that’s what he does when he is threatened. And he should feel threatened without a doubt.

You know, it’s interesting because a few days ago he was going on and on about me. I mean, for a while on and on about why I didn’t send in security to the Capitol on January 6th. He said it over and over and over and over again.

I mean, somebody has got to tell him I wasn’t there on January 6th. I’ve never been at the Capitol working in a job like that, but I think he was a bit confused. And so we’ll let that pass.

But the thing is, you look at what’s happening and out of everything that he said in his rant. He didn’t talk about the American people once he talked about revenge. He didn’t talk about the fact that we’ve got an economy in shambles and an inflation that’s run out of control.

He didn’t talk about the fact that we only have 31% of eighth graders in our country who are proficient in reading. He didn’t talk about what we were going to do to get the lawlessness on the border under control. He didn’t talk about what we were going to do to bring law and order back to our country. He didn’t talk about what he was going to do to help all the wars that we’re in, and to keep us from going to war. He didn’t talk about any of that. And so he’ll go on. And, you know, even on that day where he was going on and on about January 6th, you know, we talked about, okay, he was having a moment. He was confused. But it also goes back to why I’ve continued to push for a mental competency test for anyone over the age of 75.

Trump has ratcheted up his attacks on Haley in recent days, vowing to excommunicate her donors from the GOP and upping his personal attacks.

Watch the clip above.

As a kid I remember wondering why anyone would need salt when they could use soy sauce instead. I still kind of wonder this, but I do use my fair share of plain ol’ salt crystals. (If you love salt, you should read about it here.) Soy sauce does more than make food salty. It also adds nuance, complexity, and soul to a dish, which you can adjust depending on the soy sauce you choose. Here are a few important soy sauces that you can get familiar with, how they differ, and when to use each of them. 

What is soy sauce?

Soy sauce made in the traditional method is a liquid condiment or seasoning made from salt and roughly equal parts fermented soybeans and wheat (read on for when this varies). Other soy sauces are produced chemically from acid-hydrolyzed soy protein, which is faster and cheaper, but produces a less flavorsome product. Soy sauce is often incorporated directly into dishes, like chawanmushi or pad see ew, but can also be served on the side as a dipping sauce, like with sushi, or how I eat chicken nuggets sometimes. 

It’s prized for delivering earthiness and umami to everything it’s added to, from soups and marinades to stir-fries or brownies. Although soy sauces range in color from golden to nearly black, it is clear, not cloudy. Different soy sauces have varying levels of sodium concentration, color, flavor, and aroma depending on the ratio of ingredients and the length of fermentation.

Soy sauce

The standard soy sauce is the one you see on the store shelf simply labeled “soy sauce.” It’s produced in the traditional manner by fermenting soy and wheat. It’s usually available in the normal sodium concentration, which is about 900 mg to 1,000 mg per tablespoon, or in a low-sodium version, which is around 550 mg to 650 mg per tablespoon. To put it in perspective, one teaspoon of table salt is 2,300mg of sodium.

This type of soy sauce is dark brown in the bottle, but when it’s added to a dish the soy sauce will impart a subtle tan stain to all of the ingredients. The flavor and aroma varies depending on the producer and style of fermentation, whether it’s Japanese or Chinese, but always delivers a warm earthiness and savory layer of flavor. Use this soy sauce as an all-purpose seasoning for adding depth to stews, soups, marinades, or chili, adding umami to desserts, or as a dipping sauce for your chicken wings. 

Light soy sauce

Light soy sauce can be a tricky labeling technique depending on where you are. You might see “lite” soy sauce in the big box supermarket, but often this is referring to the sodium content. The product is the same as low-sodium regular soy sauce. However, there are Japanese variations of soy sauces that are light-colored, lightest colored, and white. I have never seen these in a large American supermarket, but you can find them in Asian grocery stores or buy them online. 

Japanese light soy sauces are produced with a much higher ratio of wheat to soybeans than their darker soy sauce counterparts, and are usually fermented for a shorter time period resulting in the blonde hue. These changes result in a much more delicate seasoning without the rich aroma and robust umami you might have come to expect from soy sauce. Light soy sauces will not impart color or strong flavor to the ingredients they're added to, so use this type of soy sauce for custards, omelets, salad dressings or anything you don’t want to stain.

Black or dark soy sauce

Left: regular soy sauce, Right: dark soy sauce Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Speaking of staining, let’s go to the opposite end of the spectrum. Made in the traditional method with a longer fermentation period than regular and light soy sauce, some dark soy sauce is made by further fermenting the residual soybean mass, almost like a second pressing but after a long wait period. You might also find dark soy sauce labeled as double-fermented soy sauce. Other soy sauce producers might add ingredients to affect the color, like molasses or even straight-up caramel color. 

Black soy sauce is darker, thicker, and although it might have the same or slightly more sodium per tablespoon, dark soy sauce tastes less salty than regular soy sauce. Frankly, it’s so powerful that you would probably never use a whole tablespoon at once. Add black soy sauce to dishes for a slightly sweet umami flavor, and dishes that you want to stain dark brown, like pad see ew or fried rice. You can even add a splash of it to stews or gravy if you want a “beefier” color. It is seriously dark, so start with a half-teaspoon and add more from there.

Tamari

Tamari is the only soy sauce that usually uses only soybeans in the fermentation recipe. Since all other soy sauces include wheat in their fermentation process, tamari is one of the best options for gluten-sensitive diets. It offers the same salty, umami-forward flavor profile as regular soy sauce, with the addition of a distinct tanginess. 

Some tamari manufacturers do incorporate wheat into their mix, so always check the label carefully to make sure it works for your dietary needs. Use tamari in the same way that you’d use regular soy sauce in recipes, or as a dipping sauce.

Mushroom soy sauce

Mushroom soy sauce is a variation of regular soy sauce that is fermented in the traditional manner, with soybeans and wheat, but with the addition of black mushrooms. Some producers simply add in mushroom extracts. I’m including it here because I consider mushroom soy sauce an important variation that offers up slightly different qualities. 

There is both mushroom soy sauce with a light color, and dark mushroom soy sauce. As far as color and salt are concerned, use the light variety as an all-purpose soy sauce, and the dark mushroom sauce for staining particular dishes. When it comes to flavor, I like mushroom soy sauces; the umami flavor is richer, and it has balance and complexity with a well-rounded warmth when added to dishes. When I'm cooking, I usually opt for this variety over, or in combination with, plain soy sauce. Try these out for yourself, and see what you like.

By the way, it’s totally okay to have five different soy sauces in your fridge. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

There’s a stereotype of the phone-obsessed gym rat hogging equipment while they “just sit there and scroll on their phone.” Excuse me, I am logging my sets and trimming my training videos and, um, scrolling Reddit, and yeah I kind of got sucked into TikTok somehow? And there’s a work email, crap, it could wait until after but I’m really curious what it says. Just a sec while I open it...

Yeah, I’m not the only one who can get a bit distracted during a training session. I know you’re doing it too. So I love this tip from powerlifting coach Claire Zai about setting a “focus” on your phone for when you’re working out.

How your phone can actually help you focus during a workout

iPhones have a “fitness” setting as one of the options you get when you’re creating a new focus mode. This includes a trigger where it will turn on when you start a workout, but you can also enable it from the focus menu in Control Center anytime you like. We have more on how to enable focus modes in iOS here, and Androids have a similar feature.

With a focus mode, you can:

• Only have certain apps on your home screen (you’ll choose ones that are fitness-related, of course)

• Silence notifications from work or social apps (you’ll get those notifications when you exit the focus)

• Set up a wallpaper with something helpful or inspirational, like a list of your goals or a motivational quote

• Add widgets that you’ll find useful during your workout

So I set one up. On my fitness home screen, which you can see above, I have apps that I use to coordinate workouts, like Intervals Pro (a timer) and Polar Beat (which tracks heart rate via a chest strap on the occasions I want to do that). I also have music and podcast apps so I’ll have something to listen to, and Mideo to easily take videos even while music is playing. I chose a photo of weights for my wallpaper to remind myself that I’m in fitness mode.

Credit: Beth Skwarecki

Here’s another version, which is a bit more inspirational. I have a list of goals on the cover of my training journal; the lock screen here has a digital version. On the home screen, above the apps, I have a widget from the Countdown app telling me how many days until my next big competition.

You can trigger the fitness mode to turn on anytime you start a workout, or at a certain time or location—say, when you arrive at the gym. Or you can just start it from Control Center (swipe down from the top right corner of your phone) and tell your phone to keep it on for one hour, for as long as you’re at your current location, or until you turn it off. And now you have everything you need to get your workout done, without the distractions.

This 6th-generation iPad is on sale for $149 right now (reg. $250). It comes with a grade “B” refurbished rating, so there might be light scuffs or scratches on the body, but none on the screen. It has a 9.7-inch Retina display with 2048x1536 resolution, an Apple A10 Fusion chip, 8MP rear iSight camera, 1.2MP front-facing FaceTime HD camera, 32GB of storage, and up to 10 hours of battery life. It’s from 2018 and can update to the new version of iPad OS 17.

You can get this refurbished 6th-generation iPad on sale for $149 right now (reg. $250), though prices can change at any time.

Tucker Carlson doesn’t care about his country.

The fired Fox News personality once again demonstrated his ambivalence towards the United States’ many pressing problems when he placed — and recorded a video of himself placing — a frivolous prank call to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. That is, at least, according to the rules laid out by Carlson himself

“Yes, hi, I couldn’t understand the French part, but it’s Tucker Carlson calling from the United States and I’d be grateful if you’d pass a message on to the prime minister Justin Trudeau: We are coming to liberate Canada. We are coming to liberate Canada, and we’ll be there soon. Merci!” said Carlson after reaching the voicemail for Trudeau’s media contact line.

WATCH: Tucker Carlson called and gave a message to PM Justin Trudeau:

“We are coming to liberate Canada.”

pic.twitter.com/5NChtWmdyV

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) January 23, 2024

The video itself is cringe-inducing. It’s at once a joke that doesn’t land and an attempt at hinting a serious set of issues that actually downplays them. More than anything, it’s a reflection of just how far Carlson has fallen since he lost his influential perch at Fox last spring.

But if we were to judge Carlson by his own standards, it’s something worse yet: A telltale sign that he is a crazy, unpatriotic warmonger.

“There are people on the ‘right’ who have spent the last two months every single day focused on a conflict in a foreign country as our own country becomes dangerously unstable, on the brink of financial collapse, with tens of millions of people who shouldn’t be here in the country, we don’t know their identities or the purpose of their being here,” complained Carlson about The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro last month. “Like, stuff that could destroy the country for real and make it impossible for my kids to live here. They’ve said nothing about that, and they’re focused with laser intensity on foreign conflicts.”

He continued:

I’ve got four kids. If I’m so caught up in the problems of my neighbor’s children and completely ignoring my own children as they get addicted to drugs and kill themselves, you know, I’m not against helping my neighbors’ kids, but clearly I don’t love my kids. I mean, that’s you know, that’s the only logical conclusion. And they don’t care about the country at all. And that’s, you know, that’s kind of their prerogative. But I do. Because I have no choice, because I’m from here, my family’s been here hundreds of years, I plan to stay here.

I’m shocked by how little they care about the country and including the person you mentioned [Shapiro]. And I can’t imagine how someone like that could get an audience of people who claim to care about America, because he doesn’t, obviously.

You hear that? Shapiro’s focus on Israel in the aftermath of the largest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust in October was proof positive that he had no regard for his own countrymen.

Carlson has used the same assumption to smear advocates of continuing to aid Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia.

“You are distressed the Ukrainians don’t have enough American tanks. Every city in the United States has become much worse in the last three years…. Where’s the concern for the United States in that?” he asked Mike Pence at an event in Iowa last summer.

And yet, even as he assails others for what he characterizes as disproportionate concern for other countries over their own, Carlson has devoted a great deal of his time and energy to foreign problems.

In November, he criticized Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for attempting to violate the country’s constitution, calling him “a tyrant” and “dictator.”

Before that, he interviewed Argentinian presidential candidate (and soon-to-be president) Javier Milei, decrying the “faded grandeur” of Buenos Aires and the larger country’s desperation.

And before that, he traveled to Budapest to chat with Hungarian Primed Minister Viktor Orbán.

Evidently, Carlson places a great deal of importance on events around the globe. Indeed, while his words would tell you that spending any amount of time pondering them betrays a lack of care for the United States, his actions reflect his knowledge that this is an utterly preposterous premise.

So the next time Carlson winks at anti-Semites or Russophiles while hiding behind his own, supposedly heartfelt concern for Americans affected by the opioid epidemic or border crisis, just remember that under his own simpleminded rules, he’s indicting himself.

A deepfake robocall using what sounds like President Joe Biden’s voice has been going out to voters in New Hampshire urging Democrats to stay home and “save” their votes for November.

“You know the value of voting Democratic when our votes count. It’s important that you save your vote for the November election,” says the fake Biden voice in the call, adding:

We’ll need your help in electing Democrats up and down the ticket. Voting this Tuesday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump. Again, your vote makes a difference in November, not just Tuesday. If you would like to be removed on future calls, please press two.

NBC News reported on the electoral manipulation on Monday, noting that the message ended with a phone number belonging to former New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Kathy Sullivan – who now plans to file a report with both federal law enforcement and the state attorney general’s office.

Sullivan, who is running the write-in campaign for Biden in New Hampshire, first found out about the robocall on Sunday as she began receiving calls from voters who received it. Biden will not appear on the ballot in New Hampshire on Tuesday as a result of his urging the Democrats to make South Carolina the first primary state, an honor New Hampshire Democrats refused to give up.

NBC News spoke with Sullivan about the call, reporting:

It’s not clear how many voters received the call or which types of voters were targeted. Lists of voters’ phone numbers can be readily purchased from data brokers.

And Sullivan said that while it isn’t clear who is behind the robocall, “It’s obviously somebody who wants to hurt Joe Biden.”

“I want them to be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible because this is an attack on democracy. I’m not going to let it go. I want to know who’s paying for it? Who knew about it? Who benefits?” Sullivan added.

Your Android web browser wants to be as fast as possible. That's why it's constantly saving little bits of data every time you visit a new website: That way, when you return to that site, it can pull it up faster and use that data for useful site features, like saving login info. That's the main role of storing cookies and other data in the cache. However this data can build up, and, overtime, do the opposite of what it's supposed to: slow down your system. This goes for any browser you use on Android, whether it's Chrome, Samsung Internet, or Firefox, to name a few. Clearing your browser's cache and cookies regularly is a good idea, simply because most of the time, the files and info stored in them can be junk and not all that useful to you.

Below, you'll find how to clear your cache and cookies on the three major Android web browsers mentioned above. If you use another browser, the steps should be similar.

How to clear cache and cookies on Google Chrome

To clear your cache and cookies on Google Chrome for Android, go to Settings by tapping on the three dots in the top right corner; scroll down to Privacy and Security. You should see an option for Clear browsing data.

Of the browsing data options, there's a Basic and Advanced setting. Both options let you choose the time range from the Last 15 minutes to All time. The Basic settings will let you clear browsing data such as Browsing history, Cookies and site data, and Cached images and files. The Advanced settings add more options such as Saved passwords, Autofill form data, and Site settings.

Choose what data you want to clear, then tap Clear data at the bottom.

How to clear cache and cookies on Mozilla Firefox

To clear your data on Firefox for Android, go to Settings via the three dots icon. Here, scroll down to Delete browsing data. You'll then be given a list of items you can choose to delete including Open tabs, Browsing history, Cookies and site data, Cached images and files, Site permissions and, finally, Downloads.

While you can't choose the data range like on Chrome, Firefox does make it straightforward to delete your data in a few quick steps.

How to clear cache and cookies on Samsung Internet

To clear your cache on Samsung Internet, you'll first need to go to Settings for the app, which can be found in the three-line menu on the bottom right; go down to Personal browsing data, then choose Delete browsing data.

In the Delete browsing data menu, you can find a checklist of items you can delete, including Browsing history, Form and search history, Cookies and site data, Cached images and files, Passwords, and Autofill forms. Select the ones you want to delete, then hit the blue Delete data button at the bottom.

Ari Melber and Andrew Sullivan battled on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher — when the MSNBC host retaliated to Sullivan’s claim that the network pushes “propaganda all the time.”

Bill Maher had the two as guests on Friday, and the dust-up began as Sullivan argued that America’s political divisions were caused by Democrats becoming increasingly leftist in recent years as a response to Donald Trump. As a result, Sullivan argued, “we are losing the legitimacy of the system and that is the critical thing.”

When you lose that core legitimacy, you lose democracy, that’s where we are really going to lose our democracy, because we don’t believe in it anymore. And you can see that the results of that, the way that this works, is you start disbelieving all the institutions and then you say ‘who do I want?’ And you want a strongman. You want someone to cut all the knots. This is a classic case of how you lose a democracy. And he’s almost certainly going to be there. He’s going to win this election. Almost certainly.

Melber interjected, saying, “I think you make fair points, but you sound a little bit both sides-y.” Sullivan took that as a compliment, and Melber proceeded to make his argument:

There’s absolutely problems with the Democratic Party and the overreaction to Trump. We just spoke about the [Colorado] ballot case and its thinness and we cover that all the on the news. But there’s not equivalence here on the problems you just referred to. There’s not equivalence on political violence, there’s not an equivalence on responding to court cases. Bush v. Gore was very controversial, but there was no violent response and there was not any mainstream response from Democrats about overthrowing the certification. Al Gore actually showed up on January 6th… and certified it.

So there isn’t a bothsidesism to this decay, and what Trump does — and I agree at times he may draw his opponents into messy dumb feuds — but he is the one banking on a cynicism, an attack on democracy, and a complete rejection of the policy democracy that you want because they didn’t even have a platform. So he’s saying, it’s just me. You don’t even know what I’m going to do. Just vote for me. No platform. And you’ve got a whole Republican Party that’s basically codifying that.

Instead of arguing against any of Melber’s points, Sullivan responded by telling him “You know would be good at MSNBC, is if you actually did think about both sides and weigh the arguments and make constructive arguments against that side while respecting them.”

“You don’t do that,” he said. “It’s propaganda all the time!”

Melber cut Sullivan off at that point to remind him of all the times he has spoken with Trump officials and allies on The Beat.

“What you just said described my show,” said Melber. “I had Trump’s lawyer on this week. I’ve had Steve Bannon on my show. I’ve had Trump White House officials.”

The two managed to end the discussion amicably, with Maher sarcastically scolding them.

“Let’s be nice!” Maher said.

Watch above via HBO.

Former President Donald Trump defended mocking Nikki Haley’s birth name as “Nimbra” in an interview with Fox News.

Speaking with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Trump stood by post on Truth Social Friday in which he referred to the former South Carolina governor as “Nimbra.” (Her birth name is Nimarata Nikki Randhawa.)

“She says that you’re using a nickname based on her given name, Nimirata,” Baier said. “You called her Nimbra in the post the other day. Why do you do that?”

“I do that with a lot of people like [former Arkansas governor Asa] Hutchinson,” Trump replied. “I mean, he was polling at zero for about one year and I called him — rather than Asa — I called him Ada Hutchinson. And it just felt good to me. And with her, it’s just something that came. It’s a little bit of a takeoff on her name. You know, her name, wherever she may come from.”

Critics denounced the attack on Haley as racist — comparing it to the birther rhetoric he used against former President Barack Obama. Trump himself compared it to his attack on Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) — whom he referred to as “Pocahontas.”

“I do a lot of names for people — like Pocahontas,” Trump said. “She said, ‘my mother said I look like an Indian.’ So I started calling her Pocahontas. Some people say I’m very good at that. But I can’t get into too many because many of those people that I named like that are Republicans, and we don’t want to bring that up. But it’s a takeoff. I have fun with it. And sometimes, to tell you the truth, it’s a very effective tool.”

Watch above, via Fox News.