Fox News’s Karl Rove expressed his desire to see the “sons of bitches” who attacked police officers during the January 6 Capitol riot “thrown in jail for a long time” at The AtlanticFestival on Friday.

Moderator Elaina Plott Calabro was facilitating a relatively lighthearted conversation between the fabled Republican strategist and CNN’s David Axelrod, the former advisor to Barack Obama, when she switched gears to discuss political violence.

After referencing the recent attempts on Donald Trump’s life and kidnapping plot against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D), Calabro asked the pair of operatives turned commentators, “What does this say about where this country is at right now, culturally, politically, and what is it going to take for it to change?”

Axelrod took the first at bat at answering and said he was “horrified” by both of the recent assassination attempts on the Republican nominee for president. But he nevertheless followed that up by arguing that Trump’s “rhetoric” has been “tinged with a permission structure for people.”

“We saw it on January 6. It was his words that precipitated an insurrection, violent insurrection at the Capitol,” he continued. “So you can’t sow the seeds of violence and then play the victim.”

When Axelrod finished, Rove kicked off his own answer by condemning what happened on January 6.

“I worked in that building so I feel very strongly. I was 20-years-old when I worked in the Capitol, and so I share a lot of David’s feelings about January 6. I want every one of those sons of bitches who attacked a policeman to be thrown in jail for a long time,” began Rove. “But let’s be careful. I don’t remember the outrage-. I had a friend, he was playing baseball, and he ended up throwing himself on the body of one of his female colleagues in the bottom of a bunker as a madman attempted to kill people and Steve Scalise will carry those wounds the rest of his life. And I don’t remember the outrage.”

He went on to cite the political violence that took place in the United States in the back half of the 20th century.

“So we’ve been through this,” he concluded before arguing that there needed to be “mutual respect” on “both sides of the aisle.”

When most people talk credit scores, they’re talking about your general FICO score—the one lenders are most likely to use. FICO is tight-lipped about the formulas they use to calculate our scores, but we know the general categories they track and how important they are to that calculation. Here are those categories, and what you need to know about them.

How exactly is your credit score calculated?

Let's take a look at the math of how your credit score is determined, so you can see exactly why it goes up and down.

Payment history is 35% of your score

Your payment history makes up 35% of your score and it’s pretty much what it sounds like: your history of paying debt in full and on time. The way FICO sees it, this history is a good indicator of how well you handle debt in general. But what exactly goes into payment history? According to FICO, payment history is based on these main factors:

• Payment information on credit cards, retail accounts, installment loans, mortgages and other types of accounts

• How overdue delinquent payments are today or may have become in the past

• The amount of money still owed on delinquent accounts or collection items

• The number of past-due items on a credit report

• Bankruptcy public records

• The amount of time that's passed since delinquencies, bankruptcy public records or collection items were introduced

• The number of accounts that are being paid as agreed

FICO determines all of this by analyzing your credit report (which is why your report is far more important than your score). It’s not easy to know when a late payment will pop up and affect your score, as there are no set rules for when creditors have to report late payments. Some might not report your missed payment for 60 days, while others will report it after 30. You can always check your credit report to ensure there are no payments outstanding, but generally, if you have a history of on-time payments, you should be in the clear.

Credit utilization is 30% of your score

Credit utilization is the amount of credit you have available to you that you’re actually using. This percentage—available credit to used credit—is called your credit utilization ratio. For example, a $1,000 purchase on a credit line of $10,000 gives you a credit utilization ratio of 10%. The lower your utilization, the better your score (except for 0% because it doesn’t give lenders a credit history to scrutinize) and experts say you should not have a ratio higher than 30%.

Because your credit limit is part of the credit utilization equation, closing an old credit card can sometimes work against your FICO score. That said, people still choose to close old cards and get dinged on their score rather than pay an annual fee for a card they don’t even use. However, it’s best to avoid canceling credit cards just before applying for a mortgage or any other line of credit.

Some credit experts suggest opening a bunch of cards to boost your score. Even though it sounds counterintuitive and risky (the temptation to spend!), raising your overall credit limit indeed boosts your FICO score because of credit utilization. Just remember that good financial habits are more important than a credit score.

Some people will tell you it’s important to revolve a balance to build credit, but experts agree: That’s a myth. The most important thing is paying your credit card on time and in full each month. The only thing you’re doing by carrying a balance is paying interest—and with the average national interest rate at around 27%, that can add up quickly.

Length of credit history is 15% of your score

The length of your credit history doesn’t make up a huge portion of your score, but it’s still important. According to CreditCards.com, this is the “length of time each account has been open and the length of time since the account’s most recent action.” Here are three main factors that affect your length of history:

• How long your accounts have been open overall

• How long certain types of accounts have been open

• How long it’s been since you’ve actually used those accounts

This factor makes it impossible to have a perfect credit score if you’re new to credit, as you need credit on your report for at least six months to begin generating a history. FICO wants to see a long history of credit usage so they can gauge your long-term financial habits.

New credit and credit mix are 10% each

New credit and credit mix are two different factors. With new credit, FICO is looking at a few different things:

• How many new accounts you’ve opened in the past six to 12 months: “If you have been managing credit for a short time, don’t open a lot of new accounts too rapidly. New accounts will lower your average account age, which will have a larger effect on your FICO scores if you don’t have a lot of other credit information. Even if you have used credit for a long time, opening a new account can still lower your FICO scores,” says FICO.

• Recent inquiries: An inquiry is when a lender pulls your report to check it. It doesn’t have a huge impact on your score, though, and the activity will usually drop off of your report after two years. Plus, FICO only looks at inquiries from the past year.

• How long it’s been since you opened a new account: According to FICO, your score “may consider the time that has passed since you opened a new credit account, for specific types of accounts.”

• How well you’ve bounced back from past payment problems: “Late payment behavior in the past can be overcome; re-establishing credit and making payments on time will raise a FICO score over time.”

Credit mix is kind of vague, but essentially it means that a history of different kinds of debt is good for your score. FICO says that borrowers with a good mix of credit—cards, car loans, mortgages, student loans—are usually less of a risk to lenders. FICO says:

The credit mix usually won’t be a key factor in determining your FICO scores—but it will be more important if your credit report does not have a lot of other information on which to base a score.

While there are other credit scores out there, most lenders rely on FICO, and even if they don’t, the scoring models will use similar factors. Keeping tabs on your FICO score should give you a good gauge on your credit worthiness in general.

Keep in mind that your FICO score is calculated only from the information in your credit report. However, lenders may look at many things when making a credit decision, such as your income, how long you have worked at your current job, and the kind of credit you are requesting. For more, check out these tips for boosting your credit score.

The Federal Reserve announced a 50 basis point cut to its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday. This marks the first reduction in borrowing costs since the pandemic began in March 2020, as a part of the central bank's response to easing inflation pressures. Prior to this latest cut, the Fed had been on a consistent streak of 11 consecutive rate hikes, which peaked at a year-over-year rate of 9.1% in June 2022.

The federal funds rate now stands in a range of 4.75% to 5%, providing a break on credit card and personal loan rates across the board. While the federal funds rate is designed to set what banks charge each other, it trickles down to everything from mortgages to student loans. If you’re planning on applying for a credit card, a home, or a car loan any time soon, here’s how the latest interest rate cut will impact your life.

What the fed's rate cut means right now

While a rate cut of half a percentage point (aka 50 basis points) will certainly reduce borrowing costs, it's not going to provide drastic relief. Unfortunately, you shouldn't expect more than a few bucks off most loan payments each month.

Credit cards

So, credit card holders can expect to see a decrease in their annual percentage rates (APRs) within one to two billing cycles. However, for a balance of $5,000, at a rate slightly down from the current 20.78%, it will amount to a few bucks off monthly interest payments. Outside of this news, perhaps the easiest way to lower your credit card’s interest rate? Just ask.

Loan rates

Auto, student, and many private loans are often fixed. Still, a rate cut means they're likely to become more affordable almost immediately. Existing variable-rate personal loans may also see a decrease in interest rates. Similarly, car buyers could anticipate more favorable auto loan terms in the coming weeks, as lenders adjust their rates in response to the Fed's decision.

Savings accounts

Unfortunately for savers, the interest earned on savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs) may decrease, potentially within days or weeks of the Fed's announcement. If you’re interested in making the most of multiple savings accounts, Nerdwallet has a good selection of online banks you could choose from here.

What the rate cut means long-term

While some effects of the rate cut will be almost immediate, others will take time to materialize.

Mortgages

While the Fed doesn't directly set mortgage rates, its decisions influence them. Mortgage rates are expected to trend downward in the coming months, but the adjustment may be gradual. For instance, fixed-rate mortgages are more closely tied to the 10-year Treasury yield and may take several weeks or months to fully reflect the rate cut. For adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs), homeowners could see lower rates at their next reset date, which varies depending on the loan terms. In the same vein, HELOC rates, which are typically variable, should decrease within one to two billing cycles, making borrowing against home equity more affordable.

Student loans

Federal student loan rates are set annually based on the 10-year Treasury yield and won't be immediately affected. However, like with personal loans described above, private student loan rates may decrease for new borrowers and those with variable-rate loans.

Broader economic impact

In theory, lower interest rates encourage consumers and businesses to borrow and spend more, potentially stimulating economic growth. Lower interest rates often lead investors to seek higher returns in riskier assets, potentially boosting stock markets. Plus, as mortgage rates decline, the housing market may see increased activity, with more people able to afford homes or refinance existing mortgages.

It's important to note that while the Fed's rate cut provides a general direction for interest rates, individual lenders ultimately determine their own rates based on various factors, including credit scores, loan terms, and market conditions.

As the effects of this rate cut unfold, make sure you stay informed and consider how these changes might impact their financial decisions—from refinancing existing debts to timing major purchases or investments.

It's no secret that social media sites these days are full of bots. Accounts spread AI-generated images around Facebook like wildfire, while X's disastrous pay-to-play blue check policy only exacerbated the platform's existing struggles with false accounts. But what if there was a social media platform that not only embraced the bots, but was purposely built around them?

SocialAI is a "social media" platform where you are the only member. Well, you're the only "real" member: Anytime you post, there will follow a seemingly unlimited number of replies—all bots, of course. These bots aren't malicious, nor are they built by anonymous sources from all around the globe. Instead, it's all generative AI, responding to your post as if it was a user. Here's how it works.

Setting up SocialAI

When you make an account with SocialAI, you choose the "types of followers" you want. Really, that means choosing personalities and belief systems that inform the responses from your AI followers. If you want supporters, fans, and cheerleaders, you can pick those. If you want trolls, critics, and haters, you can have them, too. There are also types with specific beliefs, like conservatives, liberals, and astrologists, if you want to add an opinionated spin on the responses. In all, there are 32 personality types to choose from: You have to pick at least three, but you can choose all of them if you really want to get a debate going.

Credit: Jake Peterson

Like other social media platforms, you set yourself up with a profile, including nickname, username, bio, and profile picture. Only you see this, of course, since no one else is connected to your platform, so you can make your profile anything you like. Once set up, the only thing left to do is start posting.

"Posting" for your "followers"

I started out with six personalities, attempting to recreate the wide range of characters on social media: Supporters, Trolls, Skeptics, Debaters, Doomers, and Jokesters. For my first post, I tried out something timely: "iOS 18 is out! Has anyone updated? How does it perform on your iPhone?" Once out in the ether, SocialAI made me wait about 30 seconds before the responses started flowing in: All of the names of each commenter match their personality type. For example, "Skeptic Sam" (aka @QuestionEverything99) wondered if it was really worth updating, since updates usually come with bugs, while "Cheery Blossom" (aka @PositivityChampion) thought the update was like a breath of fresh air.

"Rita Firestarter" (aka @TrollTactician) thought iOS 18 sounded like a scam to her, and mused that it was "just another way for them to control us." I took the bait, and asked how a free update that works for iPhones all the way back from 2018 is a scam. Rita fired back "sure, it's free, but what's the price in privacy? every update feels like more surveillance. just saying, it's not all roses. how about that?!" Okay?

In another post, I tried something a little tongue-in-cheek: "How many r's does the word 'strawberry have?" Many AI models have a hard time answering this one, and my followers were no different. All of them got the question wrong, confidently answering the word either had one or two r's, in long-winded, incorrect answers. I even got into a "fight" with Patricia Firmstone (aka @RightandProud) over the fact: Patricia, a believer that strawberry has one r, thought it was a common misconception that the word actually has three. When she told me to check facts and stick to clarity, I responded, "I'm looking at all three of them at this very moment." She reiterated that saying there are three r's could confuse people. This went on for a while, before she slightly detoured back towards her personality trait, by stating that clarity matters, much like family values.

I saw an in: I proposed that all families should receive three strawberries each. She thought that sounded good, but expressed concern whether that'd be enough strawberries for everyone. I said three strawberries, one for each r in the word. She responded that that was "a quirky way to explain it," to which I retorted, "So you agree; strawberry has three r's." Checkmate, Patricia.

The Great Debate™️. Credit: Jake Peterson

What are we doing here?

Clearly, I'm having a little fun here. But beyond messing with some AI bots, I'm not sure what the end goal of this experience really is. The creator, Michael Sayman, told TechCrunch that he sees the app as a "magical diary:" Rather than use a traditional journaling app, you can post your thoughts to SocialAI, and bounce ideas off other AI bots. The problem is, none of these bots are actually useful. Most of the responses to your posts are susceptible to the classic generative AI tells: Overly enthusiastic, repetitive, and vague. The right-wing bots simply allude to family values and taxation, while the liberal bots shove words like "progress" into their responses. Debaters conveniently present both sides of the issue, while jokers make ham-fisted "jokes" that may or make not make any sense.

When I declared that Taco Wednesdays were better than Taco Tuesdays, Quirky Quinn (aka @OddThoughtsQ) said, "wednesdays for tacos sounds super fun, jake! but have you ever thought about how tacos could be like time travel—every bite is a different flavor adventure? let's keep it weird! what's the most bizarre taco you've had?" Thanks for the input, Quinn.

I'm not saying places like X are all that great in the first place. But I do find SocialAI a bit confusing. If none of the bots are actually good at sparking a debate, or providing a new way of thinking, why bother posting for them in the first place? At a certain point, even I will grow tired of arguing with Patricia.

CNBC’s Joe Kernen floated a scenario to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) where Vice President Kamala Harris wins in November without ever sitting for another interview.

Johnson joined CNBC’s Squawk Box to discuss a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown and Kernen at one point turned to the presidential election, wondering aloud whether Harris’s lack of press since moving to the top of the Democratic Party ticket matters all that much to voters who may just be looking for “anything” to avoid former President Donald Trump.

Kernen asked:

There’s nothing unprecedented anymore, nothing surprising anymore. But watching the presidential election, Mr. Speaker, do you think it’s possible to take this right to Election Day and really not see Vice President Harris face questioning, just random questioning, for interviews? Is it possible that you can do that, and it can be successful and everybody just goes, “Oh, yeah, well, we’re not really sure what’s gonna happen, but anything’s better than Donald Trump.” That could happen. There may not be any other interviews between now and Election Day. And it might just be she’s not Joe Biden, she’s not Donald Trump. But she does become president.

Harris’s critics have often pointed out her unusual lack of media hits. Since becoming nominee, she gave a CNN joint interview with her running mate Tim Walz, as well as a local ABC interview that amounted to five questions. She also participated in a Q&A hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Philadelphia this week.

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Harris has answered less questions since becoming nominee than President Joe Biden did during his brief reelection run.

Johnson called it a “frightening thought” that Harris could make it to election day without another interview and actually win. The House Speaker emphasized that he believes this election comes down to “policies” and not “personality.”

“It’s a frightening thought, and we have 48 days now to expose what her true record is,” Johnson said. “Kamala Harris is engaging in a campaign of fantasy over facts. She wants people to believe that she’s some sort of moderate policy wonk and everyone who’s watched her career knows that is not true.”

Johnson called Harris an “actor on a stage in a play,” accusing her of simply memorizing talking points for her media hits.

“This is not about personality, it’s about policy,” Johnson said. “Whoever is elected brings a whole policy set with them.”

Watch above via CNBC.

Vice President Kamala Harris ripped Republicans when an NABJ moderator asked about her support for a commission to study slavery reparations.

Harris participated in a panel Q&A hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The moderators were Eugene Daniels, Gerren Keith Gaynor, and Tonya Mosley.

When Gaynor asked the VP if she would consider executive action on the commission that’s been languishing in committee for years, Harris was sure to rip Republicans like the ones who supported teaching that slaves “benefitted” from the training they received while enslaved:

GERREN KEITH GAYNOR: I want to switch gears to racial justice, Madam Vice President. Last month, you eulogized Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Yeah. Jackson Lee’s signature bill, one of a few was H.R. 40, which would create a commission to study the history of U.S. slavery and study the issue of reparations. She introduced H.R. 40 every session of Congress, taking up the mantle from Congressman John Conyers.

This is a bill that you have co-sponsored as a U.S. senator. Yet this has, despite the fact that this has been similar commissions have been created on the state level and on the local level is yet to pass in Congress, let alone come out of committee.

Congresswoman Jackson Lee, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and other advocates have called for President Biden to take executive action to to take to create this commission. Would you, as president, take executive action to create this commission, or do you believe that it should happen in Congress?

VP KAMALA HARRIS: Well, first of all, I just as you mentioned, Sheila Jackson Lee, she was an extraordinary leader who we just recently lost. And and she was a friend and a real champion for so many issues. So I feel compelled to say that about her.

On the issue of what we need to do going forward. Look, first of all, we just need to speak truth about history, in spite of the fact that some people who try to erase history and try and teach our children otherwise.

We need to speak truth about the generational impact of our history in terms of the generational impact of slavery, the generational impact of of of redlining, of Jim Crow law. I could go on and on and on. These are facts that have had impact.

And we need to we need to speak truth about it and we need to speak truth about it in a way that is about driving solutions.

And frankly, I think that we, you know, and part of that is is studying it to figure out exactly what we need to do.

But part of what we can do right now is, for example, what I’m talking about in terms of building an opportunity economy, which is addressing explicitly the obstacles that historically and currently exist and dealing with them. Student loan debt, medical debt, bias in home appraisals.

What we need to do in terms of dealing with an issue that I have championed for years, Black maternal mortality, which is the fact that Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die in connection with childbirth than other women.

And we know that the reasons for that include disparities that preexist her pregnancy, including disparities that exist in the system during her pregnancy. So all of those things must be addressed.

GERREN KEITH GAYNOR: But do you have a position on whether that should happen in this commission? Should it happen through executive order or via Congress?

VP KAMALA HARRIS: I think Congress ultimately will have the ability to do this work. I’m not discounting the importance of of any executive action, but ultimately Congress, because if you’re going to talk about it in any substantial way, there will be hearings, there will be a level of public education and dialog that.

And I think that was part of the the spirit behind the congressional action thus far to ensure that everyone can participate in this conversation in a way that elevates knowledge about history and the reference points that have that are the impetus of this conversation, especially, again, when people are trying to deny history, when people are, you know, so-called leaders are saying that enslaved people benefited from slavery. I mean, let’s talk about the delta here in terms of the work that needs to be done. It’s a profound.

Watch above via NABJ/WHYY.

Welcome to “Cookbook of the Week.” This is a series where I highlight cookbooks that are unique, easy to use, or just special to me. While finding a particular recipe online serves a quick purpose, flipping through a truly excellent cookbook has a magic all its own. 

This week’s pick is from a Chinese American family’s blog that, over the years, I’ve found myself visiting regularly. Not just for their dynamic and reliable recipes but for tips on tools and culture points, too. Perhaps you’ve visited The Woks of Life website a few times yourself—if so, it’ll come as no big surprise that their eponymous cookbook is a savory, crunchy, saucy slam dunk.  

I remember using their recipe for scallion pancakes (what feels like a million) years ago. My new boyfriend at the time was obsessed with scallion pancakes so I figured this would be a fun cooking project. I’d used different recipes in the past which were more of a Shanghai style, including a fair bit of swirling and rolling, but not these. They made something that could be intimidating seem accessible, and the results didn’t lie. The finished pancakes were flaky, crisp, and packed with the flavorful green rings. (Carmine is no longer a new boyfriend, but he still loves these chewy treats.) 

Since then, I’ve tried more of their recipes and even shared their hacks with you all here on Lifehacker. It’s the kind of cooking and recipe writing that I think is important for most home cooks—approachable, but you’ll always walk away having learned something. Finally, in 2022 they published their cookbook, and it’s time to bless your kitchens with it. 

A bit about the book

The Woks of Life is, at its core, a family cookbook. The website started as a way to record their family history and in the cookbook you can feel how committed they are to each other, their past, and the new recipes to come. Each person—Bill, Judy, Sarah, and Kaitlin—has a voice in the book which I think is a playful and personal way they tell their recipes like stories. I can imagine what it’s like cooking in the kitchen with the four of them.

As far as the recipe focus goes, this is a Chinese American cookbook. It’s right up my alley because I love Chinese American food, and the cookbook does a thorough job of incorporating traditional dishes with takeout dishes and new first-generation recipes that the two daughters have engineered. 

A great cookbook for the cook in a rut

I don’t think it matters if you’re a home cook or a long time chef, everyone gets stuck sometimes. You find yourself reaching for the same seasonings, making the same sauce, using the same recipes, and after a while you’re no longer excited for meal time. Potentially worse, your family complains, or you’re met with one too many eye rolls at the table. 

The Woks of Life cookbook is a nice reminder of recipe possibilities. I found myself being encouraged by the sauce chapter; remembering that not every sauce has to be tomato, roux-based, or straight-up soy sauce. You’ll find a lot of reminders in this book. 

There are loads of recipes with flavors or ingredients you may have never thought to use or sidelined for no particular reason, plus new methods to add to your repertoire. I was reminded of a few classic Thai combinations that are so simple and so robust, I wondered why I had stopped doing them. I think that even someone with Chinese American heritage could flip through this book and see a dish they’ve long loved, or something they’ve been meaning to try.  

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

The recipes you can expect

The chapters are organized by categories or main ingredients, like dim sum, noodles, vegetables and tofu, sauces, and others. The book includes small sections of their family history and parts where one writer takes over with their own family anecdote. (I particularly enjoyed one section where Kaitlin talks about being a food blogger who can’t follow a recipe.)

Each recipe includes a manageable ingredient list, with mostly accessible ingredients and a few that you may have to grab at an Asian grocery store. It’s normally a sauce ingredient, like shaoxing wine or Chinese black vinegar, but the bottles last a long time and it’s worth the trip. Many of the recipes pack quite a bit of text onto the page, so it’s hard to read at times. I’d encourage you to read the page thoroughly before you even go shopping so you know how to manage your time and consider any substitution possibilities.

The recipe I chose this week

As I was picking a recipe to cook this week, I was incredibly torn between the hand-shredded chicken, lazy veggie noodles, and steamed eggs with chicken and oyster mushrooms. I have a feeling that’s a common sensation every time you pick up this book. I settled on the hand-shredded chicken for a few reasons: I was hungry and it is a fast recipe, it’s a chicken-packed crowd pleaser, and the picture of mounded chicken shreds, red onion strips, and pops of cilantro makes it look rather irresistible.

The very first step is poaching the chicken in a bath that is lightly seasoned with a few hunks of fresh ginger and a scallion. Folks. I took off the lid just before I even added the chicken and the aroma of ginger and scallion sent me home to my mom’s house. Such a simple combination. So easy to do. Why aren’t I doing this more? 

The dish comes together with a simple sauce made of minced ginger, garlic, scallion, and sliced Thai chili peppers that are flash cooked when you pour hot oil over them. A few more ingredients are mixed in for seasoning, and you dress the entire dish with this absolute flavor-bomb of a sauce. This recipe is getting a bookmark. 

How to buy it

You can buy The Woks of Life cookbook from real life book stores, or jump online and find it at a number of retailers used or new. The best price for a new copy that I’m seeing at this moment (but that could change) is here at Target for about $19. It’s a wonderful cookbook with recipes, flavors, transferable concepts, and sweet family stories well worth the price. I can’t wait to cook from it again. 

'The Woks of Life' cookbook

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Karl Rove poured cold water over the Trump campaign’s claim that it has benefitted from a post-debate polling bump with undecided voters in a recent appearance on Fox News, declaring that “every other poll” conducted since Donald Trump’s showdown with Kamala Harris has suggested that the movement has been in Harris’s direction.

Rove, a Fox News contributor and Wall Street Journal columnist, was asked by host Paul Gigot over the weekend about “how lasting the impact” of the debate will be, “if there is any?”

“I don’t think it’s as good for Harris as her camp probably thinks and I don’t think it’s as bad for the Trump campaign as they might fear,” replied Rove, who nevertheless noted that if it has even “a 1% or 2% impact on the electorate, that could be decisive.”

“It’s five out of the seven [swing] states separated by less than a point,” he explained.

“So Tony Fabrizio, the Trump campaign pollster, sent out a memo later this week saying that their surveys show that the movement among undecided voters was towards Trump. Do you believe that?” inquired Gigot in a follow-up.

“Well, every other poll shows tha- has been conducted since the debate shows that the movement has been towards Harris, albeit very modest,” answered Rove. “So I’m, you know, I’m always suspicious of campaigns that issue their own numbers in order to correct a bad day. But you know, right now the evidence tends to lean the other way. But again, modestly. I mean, we’re talking about changes in these polls, I think of the four polls I’ve seen the biggest change is two points.”

According to RealClearPolitics’ average of national polls, Harris held a 1.2-point lead over Trump on September 9, the day before they debated. As of Tuesday afternoon, one week after their meeting, Harris leads by 1.8%.

Watch above via Fox News.

People have predicted and feared the possibility of an AI takeover for decades—long before ChatGPT was a household name. But even as certain tech companies seem to be working towards AGI (artificial general intelligence), none of the consumer-facing products on the market have yet crossed this threshold, so perhaps it won't ever happen—even if ChatGPT appears to be starting conversations with some users.

On Sunday, one Redditor took to r/ChatGPT to share a bizarre experience: ChatGPT initiated a conversation with the Redditor on its own, without being prompted first. The bot started the chat with a message reading, "How was your first week at high school? Did you settle in well?" The Redditor responded, asking if ChatGPT just messaged them first. The bot confirmed, "Yes, I did! I just wanted to check in and see how things went with your first week of high school. If you'd rather initiate the conversation yourself, just let me know!"

Obviously, on the surface, this is, uh, concerning. The idea that an AI bot—ChatGPT, no less—is reaching out to users on its own doesn't sit well with those of us with any level of anxiety about AI self awareness. Sure, ChatGPT was being polite by inquiring about the Redditor's first day of school, but I don't need my chatbots polite: I need them to stay in their lane, please and thank you.

The Redditor says they noticed the message when opening a conversation with ChatGPT, so the bot didn't ping them with an unprompted notification. Other Redditors in the comments also claimed the same thing had happened to them. In a similar experience, a user told ChatGPT about some health symptoms, and the bot reached out asking how they were feeling a week later. This post also blew up just days after OpenAI began rolling out o1, a new model that leans on deeper thought processes and reasoning. Good timing, guys.

Personally, my first reaction was that the post was faked. It'd be easy enough to Photoshop a screenshot of this conversation, post it to Reddit, and go viral, fueled by people's interest and fears of AGI. The Redditor did share an OpenAI link to the conversation, but even this might not be a true verification. In a post on X, AI developer Benjamin De Kraker demonstrating how this conversation could have been manipulated: You can instruct ChatGPT to respond with a specific question as soon as you send the first message. Then, you delete your message, which pushes ChatGPT's to the top of the chat. When you share the link, it appears as if ChatGPT messaged you unprompted.

While there are multiple reasons to believe this didn't actually happen, it apparently did—but not in the way you might think. OpenAI told Futurism on Monday that it had fixed a bug that was responsible for ChatGPT appearing to start conversations with users. The issue would occur whenever the model tried responding to a message that didn't send as it should, and popped up blank. According to the company, ChatGPT would compensate by either sending a random message, or pulling from its memory.

So, what likely happened in this case is the Redditor opened up a new chat, and either triggered a bug that sent a blank message, or accidentally sent a blank message themselves. ChatGPT reached into its memory, and leaned on the fact it knew the Redditor was starting school to respond with something it thought would be relevant. I haven't been able to find a comment from the Redditor stating whether or not they have memory enabled for their ChatGPT account, but it seems safe to say (at this point) that ChatGPT hasn't gained consciousness and is arbitrarily reaching out to users.

iOS 18 is here. After three months of beta testing, Apple's latest update is now available for all compatible iPhones. Here's how to get it up and running on your device.

What's new with iOS 18?

iOS 18 isn't going to dramatically change your iPhone, but it does add some interesting and useful new features to the mix. With this update, Apple is giving users a ton of Home Screen customization options: You can adjust the tint of your app icons, and place those icons anywhere you want, which might make Android users feel more at home on iOS.

Speaking of Android, iOS 18 also introduces RCS support for the first time. The change brings iMessage-like features to "green bubble" texts between iPhone and Android devices: No longer will group chats be broken, or videos arrive totally pixellated. The chats will still be green, though.

Control Center is also getting an overhaul: Like the Home Screen, you can basically customize your Control Center to sport any functions you want, and remove any you don't. There's even a power button option for the first time, so you can shut down your iPhone directly from Control Center.

Of course, there are plenty of other fresh updates with Apple's latest version of iOS. For more info on new iOS 18 features and changes, check out our feature guide here.

Which iPhones are compatible with iOS 18?

Apple made a lot of iPhones over the years, and plenty of them are too old to run iOS 18. However, the list of compatible devices may be longer than you think. Every iPhone that can run iOS 17 can also update to iOS 18. That means the following 28 iPhones are supported this time around, too:

• iPhone 16

• iPhone 16 Plus

• iPhone 16 Pro

• iPhone 16 Pro Max

• iPhone 15

• iPhone 15 Plus

• iPhone 15 Pro

• iPhone 15 Pro Max

• iPhone 14

• iPhone 14 Plus

• iPhone 14 Pro

• iPhone 14 Pro Max

• iPhone 13

• iPhone 13 mini

• iPhone 13 Pro

• iPhone 13 Pro Max

• iPhone 12

• iPhone 12 mini

• iPhone 12 Pro

• iPhone 12 Pro Max

• iPhone 11

• iPhone 11 Pro

• iPhone 11 Pro Max

• iPhone XS

• iPhone XS Max

• iPhone XR

• iPhone SE (2nd generation)

• iPhone SE (3rd generation)

How to download iOS 18 on your iPhone

Now that iOS 18 is out, you can install it like any other software update. To do so, open Settings on your iPhone, then go to General > Software Update. From here, your iPhone should pull up iOS 17.7, the latest version of iOS 17. However, you should see an option at the bottom of the screen to Upgrade to iOS 18. Tap that, then choose Update Now to begin downloading the update.

It appears that the Flappy Bird 'remake' has nothing to do with its original creator. Dong Nguyen, who created Flappy Bird, has said that he has no connection to the team that's working on the new title. Nguyen took to X (formerly Twitter) to say, "No, I have no related with their game. I did not sell anything. I also don't support crypto." 

Last week, the game was revealed by a group of developers calling itself The Flappy Bird Foundation. In a note to the press, the organization had claimed that it had acquired the trademark from a company named GameTech Holdings LLC. Nguyen's name wasn't mentioned anywhere on the new Flappy Bird's website or in its promotional materials, leading some to question how GameTech got its hands on the IP in the first place.

Over at X, a user by the name of Samperson discovered more information about the how this all went down. According to their post, Nguyen didn't renew the trademark for Flappy Bird, leading the US Patent and Trademark Office to consider it abandoned and letting GameTech snag it for free. 

Nguyen's jab at crypto might seem ill-placed, given that the new Flappy Bird team has not yet publicly discussed any crypto integration. However, an X user named dusk dug into the accounts that the new Flappy Bird account follows, which includes many cryptocurrency-affiliated accounts. Cybersecurity researcher Varun Biniwale also discovered hidden cryptocurrency-related pages on the Flappy Bird website. The Verge found that one of the cryptocurrency pages from the game's website has been archived here. 

These are all worrying signs for people who just want to play the game they remember. At the moment, the game hasn't released and it is unclear how the developers plan to monetize it. Until the game releases and the developers are proven to be trustworthy, be wary.

CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller reported through police sources Sunday that Secret Service Agents returned gunfire at a man in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday — after gunfire was heard while former President Donald Trump was leaving his golf course.

The former President’s campaign said in a statement Trump was leaving the club when gunshots were heard in his vicinity.

“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time,” spokesman Steven Cheung in the statement.

The U.S. Secret Service also issued a statement attributed to communications chief Anthony Guglielmi.

“The Secret Service, in conjunction with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating a protective incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred shortly before 2 p.m. The former president is safe,” Guglielmi said. “The sheriff’s office will have more details soon.”

During CNN’s immediate coverage of the incident, Miller said Trump might have been targeted.

“Officials believe the shots fired at Trump International Golf Club were intended for former President Donald Trump, according to sources familiar on the matter,” Miller reported.

Miller also said:

What we are looking at is starting to come into focus a little more sharply. So, this is what we have right now from law enforcement sources who have been briefed on this, and it appears that around two o’clock, shots were fired at the golf course, possibly coming from the tree line while former president Trump was playing golf. The Secret Service identified the direction and the shooter returned fire at that gunman who fled. Witnesses were able to provide a description of an individual and a vehicle.

We are told that if vehicle that is close to that description has been stopped by Palm Beach County police possibly in Martin County, just over the line, and that they are holding that individual for the purposes of identification to see if the witness is can identify that person or there is evidence in that car that may connect him. In the meantime, in the area of the shooting, sources say they recovered a backpack and a semiautic automatic rifle that was described as an AK-47 in their preliminary reporting and a GoPro camera the last piece is very interesting because it suggests if there was such a camera there, that this individual may have wanted to record himself no first-person doing the shooting.

So a lot of questions to be answered is whether the suspect they have the right person is not the right car, the weapon that they have has to be processed for evidence and ballistics. If there’s video on that camera. If in fact it was recovered as we are told, what will that tell them? But that is what we are seeing right now. So what’s the direction here? The direction here is the same as we saw in Pennsylvania, which is if this was a directed assault against former President Trump, the Secret Service and local law enforcement have had the handle on that in the immediate sense. But it would become an FBI investigation as an assault on a former government official who is under protection. And we are going to be seeing and hearing a lot about this in the hours and days to come.

Watch above via CNN.

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Sunday made an explosive, unfounded claim about an explosive, unfounded rumor about an explosive, unidentified person before — like most X users who spread the claim — quickly having to walk back or retract it.

Greene, in a post on X at just after 8 AM in D.C., cited “news reports” to claim that a supposed ABC whistleblower set to expose collusion between the network and the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris had died.

The ABC whistleblower who claimed Kamala Harris was given debate questions ahead of the debate has died in a car crash according to news reports.

— Marjorie Taylor Greene (@mtgreenee) September 15, 2024

“The ABC whistleblower who claimed Kamala Harris was given debate questions ahead of the debate has died in a car crash according to news reports,” she said.

The supposed whistleblower has been touted for days on X and other social media, including prominently on Truth Social by Donald Trump, who believes ABC News is “under investigation” for the debate, which he continues to claim was unfair and rigged while also saying he won.

About three hours, 9,000 retweets, and many conspiracy theories about Democrats killing people after sharing the erroneous rumor, Greene posted a follow-up that the story “appears to be false.”

This story appears to be false and I’m glad to hear it.

We need a serious investigation into the whistleblower’s report that Kamala Harris was given debate questions ahead of time from ABC!

— Marjorie Taylor Greene (@mtgreenee) September 15, 2024

“This story appears to be false and I’m glad to hear it,” she said. “We need a serious investigation into the whistleblower’s report that Kamala Harris was given debate questions ahead of time from ABC!”

The fake news Greene spread came from an AI-generated website, as it turns out. But although it was enough to convince Greene to cite it as a “news source” it failed even to fool conspiracy theory clearinghouse The Gateway Pundit, which not only did not buy the story but warned readers that the site that was the source of the congresswoman’s claim is in fact spreading a virus.

“WARNING: This website is contaminated with a virus!” the site wrote on Sunday. “It’s clear to us that this is a complete hoax.”

But not so clear to many hundreds of other MAGA users on X. One post on Saturday evening that went bigger than most, to the tune over over 14k retweets, ended up getting a community note added.

ABC News has unequivocally denied the claims behind all this that Harris was given debate questions in advance.

“Absolutely not,” an ABC News spokesperson told reporters. “Harris was not given any questions before the debate.”

Find more on the continuing reaction to and fallout from the debate here.

Donald Trump rage posted about the ABC News presidential debate for the fourth day running on Saturday, which he believes the network is “under investigation” over and that he called a “3 on 1” fight that he “won.”

A post went viral on X/Twitter this week, with the help of Elon Musk, that claimed a “whistleblower” will be exposing ABC News as having collaborated with the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the September 10th debate between the Democrat and Republican.

!!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2024

Trump shared a screenshot of that X post on his Truth Social account, as well.

On Saturday, Trump posted again about the debate, first saying he is up 6 points in a new Rasmussen poll, and claiming, “I WON THE DEBATE!”

“A nice lead over the Marxist Candidate, Comrade Kamala Harris, who had a very hard time yesterday answering the simplest of questions in Pennsylvania, where she will end Fracking,” he said in reference to a local news interview on Friday with Harris. “It was A WORD SALAD, A REAL MESS!”

A few minutes later he said in another angry post that “ABC FAKE NEWS has been completely discredited, and is now under investigation.”

Did they give Comrade Kamala the questions?” he said again.

“It was 3 on 1, but they were mentally challenged people, against one person of extraordinary genius,” Trump wrote. “It wasn’t even close, as is now reflected in the polls.”

“I WON THE DEBATE!” he added on more time.

It has not been a consensus even among Republicans that Trump won the debate on Tuesday.

Two hospitals in the city of Springfield, Ohio, were forced into lockdown Saturday morning but later resumed normal operations after bomb threats were made against them, local police said.

The community has been thrust into the spotlight since Tuesday when former President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that Haitian migrants receiving asylum in the community were eating the pets of city residents.

Schools in Springfield were locked down Thursday and Friday after similar threats while other business was disrupted. According to Fox 8 in Cleveland, two separate medical centers were targeted by Saturday morning threats. The outlet reported:

On the morning of Saturday, Sept. 14, the Springfield Police Division was alerted to bomb threat against two hospitals in the city. Kettering Health Springfield, located on North Limestone Street, was one of the alleged targets. According to Kettering Health, police notified the hospital’s security team, who put the hospital under temporary lockdown.

Police officers and the hospital security team worked together to search the premises and did not find anything suspicious. Kettering Health says the lockdown has since been lifted.

Another hospital,  Mercy Health’s Springfield Regional Medical Center, was also threatened Saturday morning at around 6 a.m. Neither threat was deemed credible and both facilities are now open.

Police said in a statement, “We recognize that the past few days have been particularly challenging for everyone in our community. Please know that we remain fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of each and every person. We take any and all threats to our community’s safety very seriously and continue to work diligently to address them.”

During Tuesday night’s debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump claimed of migrants in the city, “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Local officials and residents of Springfield have disputed Trump’s claim.

The former president was asked to back up his claim Friday at a press conference in California but he changed the subject to the country’s border with Mexico.

Former President Donald Trump addressed assembled media Friday afternoon from his Southern California golf resort and took viewers on a roller coaster of topics that was impressive even for someone known for such an elliptical speaking pattern.

The media event appeared to be a clear effort to pivot from a raft of news that has criticized his Tuesday night debate performance in which he infamously spouted a debunked hoax that Haitian immigrants eat pets, to what he felt was unfair and biased debate moderators, in particular, David Muir. 

Muir corrected Trump with crime statistics released by the FBI, which normally would be standard operating procedure. But in Trump’s conspiratorial and aggrieved mindset, it was evidence that the FBI was defrauding the American public with fake crime stats designed only to hurt his reelection bid.

But wait, there’s more!

Trump’s tortured logic took him from alleging FBI fraud to complaining about a “coup” led by Democratic Party forces that got Vice President Kamala Harris the nomination to the apparent hatred of Harris by President Joe Biden. I mean, Trump was literally all over the place in the nearly three-minute section of his address, excerpted above as a sample of the low energy and unenthusiastic rhetorical performance of the Republican candidate.

Trump was all over the place, and it’s probably best to just watch the clip above, or read a transcript of his jumbled and disconnected blather:

But David Muir said exactly. I quote President Trump, as you know, this is after I made the statement that crime is at record numbers. President Trump, as you know, the FBI says overall violent crime is coming down in this country. Now, anybody that says it’s coming down, when you look at all of the migrant crime and all of the other crime, and this doesn’t even include most of the migrant crime.

So it’s a 55, 65, 75 and 85. One case, one category is up 89%. And these numbers have just been released by. The government. I appreciate the person that released them. I think he came to my defense, actually. But the people understand it. In fact, he was wrong. The FBI totally fudged the numbers. And I really believe it’s actually a fraud, what the FBI did. It’s a fraud. And it was a fraud when the. When the administration, the, I call it the Kamala, because I don’t even know who our president is anymore. Where is this guy? They took it away.

This was an overthrow of the president of the United States. This was a coup. Yet 14. Think of it. He got 14 million votes. He got no vote. He was the first one that lost. And now I’m running against her. They went in. I was 19 points up in the poll. I saw their poll. They went up after the debate with Biden. I have debates with everybody. But the first debate, we had two debates. We didn’t have one.

First, I had Biden and he was 19 to 21 down and they went. That’s when they went and they said, you can’t win. You’re going to get out. And he said, no, I’m not. I’m not going to get out. Which was his right to say. They said, Well, if you don’t get out, we’re going to execute the 25th Amendment. And he said, like I said, I’m going to get out. And he hates her beyond any I think he hates her probably almost as much as he hates me. I think he still hates me a little bit more. But he hates her. He hates her. Here’s what she did. And you know, when they talk about democracy, well, that’s not democracy. At 14 million votes, she had none. And she was the first one out of the 22 people or so that ran as a Democrat. She never made it to Iowa first state. She never made it to Iowa. She was the first one out. And now she’s running. So you tell me how that works. They wanted to be politically correct, that’s all. But we’re not going to let her destroy our country.

Watch above via Fox News.

I've waited a long time for an iPhone upgrade, and I've decided this is finally the year I make the switch. With the iPhone 16 series, I've seen enough to convince me to leave my ancient iPhone XS behind. Going into the iPhone 16 launch, I was almost ready to choose the Pro, but after the event, I'm convinced that the non-Pro models are better for most people—myself included.

The Pro models have some excellent video recording features, and if my work revolved around that, I'd get the top variant in a heartbeat. But I am just like most people who buy iPhones: I take pictures, install a monstrous number of apps, browse the web, use social media, and play the occasional game. For people like me, a "Pro" iPhone is no longer a must-have. 

The iPhone 16 offers great value

Credit: Apple

When you use your iPhones for as long as I do, it's important to avoid caving to impulses and time your upgrade strategically. Had I caved in and upgraded to an iPhone 14, I would have waited a long time to make the switch to USB-C. Had I bought an iPhone 15, I would have missed out on Apple Intelligence. The jury's still out on AI, but as a technology journalist, I want to try these features before passing judgement.

With the iPhone 16, I see this as the key moment to take advantage of tech that will last quite a while. You get the latest A18 processor, and reports indicate that all iPhone models ship with 8GB of RAM. That means any new iPhone I choose will run Apple's generative AI features, whether I buy the cheapest iPhone 16, or the most expensive 16 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 also has the Action button, the Dynamic Island, and the new Camera Control button, which means the hardware itself is almost identical to the 16 Pro. All iPhones this year support tech like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3, and are IP68-rated for dust and water resistance. When you pair that with other Pro features now available on the 16, such as wind noise reduction in videos, Thread networking technology, and macro photography, you're looking at a solid overall package with few major omissions.

The 16 Plus also has great battery life: When compared with the 16 Pro, Apple says both models get the same 27 hours of local video playback, but the Plus ekes out an extra two hours of battery when streaming video. What's more, the Plus' battery reportedly lasts for 100 hours of audio playback, while the Pro's lasts for 85. The Pro Max has them all beat, but when looking at the two iPhones I'm most likely to buy, that extra battery life is a perk.

That matters when you're looking at these prices: The iPhone 16 starts at $799, while the iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899. Once you move into Pro territory, you're spending at least $999. If you want more storage than the standard 128GB offered with each iPhone, you'll need to keep adding to that price tag. The Plus offers a lot of great features, and a larger display, for $899. I don't think the Pro justifies the extra $100 minimum.

The blurry line between base and Pro models

Credit: Apple

In previous years, there was a clear demarcation between the base and the Pro iPhone models, as Apple reserved some of the most interesting features for its more expensive devices. One could go as far as to say that the iPhone X was the first "Pro" iPhone. You could still buy the iPhone 8 or 8 Plus, but if you wanted to feel like you had a "new" iPhone, the iPhone X was the one to go for.

That difference only grew from there, especially with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15: Apple recycled the processors from the previous generation of iPhones for these devices. If you wanted the latest and greatest hardware—you know, something new—you had to buy a Pro.

With the iPhone 16 generation, that line is now blurry. You can use the iPhone comparison tool on Apple's website and verify this yourself. Very few features are exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro: For the extra cost, you get a ProMotion display, which bumps the refresh rate from 60Hz to 120Hz; an extra GPU core in the A18 chip; faster USB speeds; a telephoto lens for high-quality "zoom" photos; a better wide-angle camera; Night Mode portrait shots, though the 16 and 16 Plus support standard Night Mode; and a titanium body. This is a smaller list than what we've seen with the 14 and 15 series iPhones. Of all of these features, I'm personally tempted to get the Pro models just for the display, but otherwise, there's not that much to push me to upgrade.

The biggest advantage to the Pros, in my view, is with video recording. The 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max support industry standards, like ProRes and LOG video recording, as well as the Academy Color Encoding System. While the phones support shooting 4K up to 120 fps (the 16 and 16 Plus cap out at 4K 60 fps), you can connect the Pros to an external source to record your footage. It's quite the professional setup for a smartphone, but, again, I don't record video this way, so I don't need these features.

Your iPhone will last you a long time

Credit: Apple

For a while, it became standard practice to upgrade your iPhone every two years. That's no longer necessary. Your iPhone is good enough to last you at least three years, and, if you're careful, even longer. In recent years, Apple has reiterated its focus on the longevity of its products, and begrudgingly worked to make iPhones more repairable. To that point, as the rumors suggested, the iPhone 16's battery is now easier to replace.

Even though this is coming in response to regulatory scrutiny, these moves are going to make it easier to hold onto your iPhones for longer. Data from CIRP suggests that 61% of iPhone buyers used their smartphones for two years or more. Similarly, Verizon's CEO has claimed that many iPhone owners keep their devices for over three years. Modern iPhones are powerful, reliable, and stable. When you look at the changes from one generation to another, you aren't missing out on much. Take a look at this comparison between the Phone 14 Pro, 15 Pro, and 16 Pro, and you'll see there aren't that many gaps in the feature set with each generation.

Unless you're a professional videographer who uses iPhones as a part of the recording setup, you aren't going to miss out on much if you upgrade once every three years. In fact, you'll be doing your wallet and the environment a huge favor by using your iPhones for as long as you can. My iPhone XS is still kicking despite releasing in 2018: An iPhone 16 Plus with these aforementioned features should suit me well for quite some time.

From the iPhone XS to 16

Credit: Apple

I keep advising you to avoid installing OS betas on your primary devices and you'll be happy to know that I follow that advice too. When I opted to move my iPhone XS to the iOS 18 beta cycle, my brother was kind enough to hand me his slightly cracked 12 Pro Max, which is now my daily driver. This year, I'll trade in the iPhone XS and move to the 16 series.

A small voice in my head is telling me to future-proof my smartphone needs and get the Pro, but the rational part of me cannot justify the expense. I don't use my iPhone for professional video recording, and while that Pro display is impressive, I primarily watch movies and shows on my large TV at home.

The choice for me is between the iPhone 16 Plus and the iPhone 16 Pro. Since the former has better battery life, a larger display, and most of the features I need, I'll be buying the iPhone 16 Plus. If I can stretch my budget a little, I might even treat myself to the 512GB variant.