Tree stump at DC golf course

The default approach to any news story since last January is that if President Trump does something, it must be wrong. Dismissing conflicting data and facts has been the reporting code during Trump-2.0, and at the Washington Post, they hold to this standard, even with the most innocuous of stories.

Now Trump is chopping down cherry trees, like he is George Washington going off his meds. This weekend we were all supposed to feel the outrage, courtesy of sports reporter Rick Maese.

It may seem odd that Maese is on the tree-felling beat, but since most of the alleged arboreal murder takes place along a golf course, it may be justified. The horror detailed is that improvements have been taking place along the course of the East Potomac Golf Links.

The president has pledged that he would begin improvements on the course with a start date of September 1; however, dozens of trees have been seen cut down and removed. This would be where the Washington Post suggests we are to become enraged.

Of course, since the administration is undertaking – well, anything – there has been a lawsuit brought forward. This, even as Maese asserted that tree removal is a common practice with course renovations. Regardless, a legal challenge was brought in February to halt any progress on the plans.

Initially, the filing was about debris from the White House East Wing being placed in the park where the course rests, but it also addressed the plans to renovate the three courses and bring those up to championship standards. This…was considered bad.

The group also argues that the administration’s plans to convert East Potomac into a golf course suitable for professional tournaments would produce a venue with inflated maintenance costs that is beyond the skill of most recreational players. The envisioned course would be of a piece with the numerous championship-style golf courses that President Trump, who fancies himself an avid golfer, owns elsewhere, the lawsuit states. “Predictably, the cost of a tee time at such a venue would inflate accordingly.”

This has already been swept aside. A new agreement was forged so the trust that operates the golf courses would remain in control, and the price point for hacks on the links would not spike.

The other dose of outrage concerns the removal of trees in the process. But even in presenting this upfront as a problem, Maese eventually concludes much of the work was justified. “Tree removal is common in major golf course renovations, often to widen playing corridors, improve sight lines, and allow more sunlight and air to reach the turf.”

An administration official also noted that many of the trees were problematic. They asserted it was “selective removal of hazard trees, non-native invasive trees, and declining and dying trees that cannot be brought back to good health through any degree of intervention.” Rick Maese even confirmed this to be the case.

Many of the remaining stumps were visibly hollow or showed signs of decay. In other areas, the stumps had already been ground down, leaving only circles of dirt. On the 13th hole of the Blue Course, a crew took down a large tree that showed clear signs of decay.

The press has been excitable over the removal of the famed cherry blossom trees, and Maese somewhat confirms this to be the case. “Among the most conspicuous was a cherry tree near the 14th green of the Blue Course.” That would be – one. And as the press this summer had been rather frothing over the timber attacks, what was rarely, if ever, noted were the details, of course.

The supposed historical offense committed by the president had to elide the small detail that cherry blossom trees carry an average lifespan of 30-40 years. So no, any trees planted by First Lady Helen Taft cannot be affected. There is one additional fact that every one of these barking bromides from the press had to avoid.

The nation had been gifted 250 new cherry blossom trees from the nation of Japan for our nation’s 250th celebrations. The Washington Post has known this.  That sure sounds like welcome, beneficial, and positive news on the landscape. But as we know, that type of reporting concerning this administration is not permitted.

The post Washington Post Uprooted by Trump Cutting Down Trees for DC Golf Course Improvement first appeared on Mediaite.

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The Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+ and Blink Chime bundle is currently $59.99, down from $109.98 as part of Amazon’s early Labor Day sale. That works out to a 45% discount and brings the bundle to its lowest price yet, according to price trackers. For someone who wants to keep an eye on the front door without running new wiring or spending much upfront, this is a fairly simple setup: The doorbell can run on batteries, the included Chime lets you hear visitors inside the house without checking your phone, and the Sync Module Core ties everything together.

Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+

with Blink Chime (newest model)

$59.99 at Amazon

$109.98 Save $49.99

Get Deal

Get Deal

$59.99 at Amazon

$109.98 Save $49.99

The 2K camera also gives you a head-to-toe view, which is more useful in practice than another long list of camera specs. You can see who’s standing at the door while still keeping packages near the ground in frame, and two-way audio lets you speak to a delivery driver when you’re upstairs or away from home. PCMag’s review of the Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+ highlighted the sharper video and wider framing, although battery life will depend heavily on how busy your doorway is and how often the camera records.

The bigger consideration is Blink’s subscription model. You can still use live view and get basic motion notifications without paying every month, but cloud recording and more specific person or vehicle alerts require a paid plan (starting at $3.99 per month). That makes the ongoing cost worth factoring in, especially if you want to keep a history of what happened at your door instead of just checking it in real time. For someone who mainly wants an inexpensive way to see and speak to visitors, though, the basic features may be enough.

When do Labor Day sales start?

Early Labor Day sales have already started. More retailers are likely to start their own sales leading up to the holiday on Monday, Sept. 7.

Are Labor Day sales worth it?

Labor Day has traditionally been a good time to find deals in many categories, but whether they're worth it or not depends entirely on what you're looking for. Compared to sales like Black Friday or Prime Day, Labor Day falls short on volume and quality of discounts, but you might still find a good price on tech or kitchen appliances that will match those holiday prices—or even beat them. (We use price-tracking tools to let you know if a deal is worth it or not.)

What other stores have Labor Day sales?

So far, Home Depot, Amazon, and Wayfair have started their early Labor Day sales. Target, Walmart, and Best Buy are likely to follow. (Lifehacker will be rounding up deals for all of these sales.)

Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared “no one” will be following President Donald Trump’s lead and calling it Lake America — even though Google just changed the name and many Americans seem to be digging the rechristening of Lake Ontario.

The Canadian politician griped about the name swap during a Sunday interview on ABC’s This Week. Ford vented he didn’t see the “purpose” in Trump signing an executive order on Thursday, directing the Interior Department to make the name change official on government systems.

“It’s absolutely backwards. It was like something out of Saturday Night Live when he signed documents saying change it to Lake America,” Ford said. “No one is going to call it Lake of America. It’s been Lake Ontario for hundreds of years, it’s going to continue being Lake Ontario, and it’s just so, so disappointing.”

One person who apparently agrees with him: This Week co-host Martha Raddatz. She introduced Ford by saying he was joining the show “from the shores of Lake Ontario.”

But Google went ahead and changed the name for American users late on Saturday — a move which was celebrated by members of the White House. And while the name change has riled up many liberals over the last week, a ton of MAGA fans hailed the move by saying it was elite trolling by Trump. So it’s tough to imagine “no one” will be calling it Lake America from now on, as Ford insisted.

The whole Lake America-Lake Ontario hubbub started after a trade deal between the two nations collapsed last week. Trump kept the jabs at Canada coming on Saturday by posting a video of machine gun-wielding Canadian geese patrolling the lake on his behalf; the president dubbed the birds “Donald Ducks.”

He followed the geese video up a bit later with an AI clip of himself kicking over a sign reading “Lake Ontario” and planting a Lake America sign in its place. The president then broke into his trademark “YMCA” dance in the video.

Watch above.

The post Ontario Premier Doug Ford Declares ‘No One’ Is Going to Call It Lake America… Right After Google Changed the Name first appeared on Mediaite.

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) said he regrets supporting Clarence Thomas after he publicly lobbied for the conservative judge to join the Supreme Court back in 1991, with Clyburn suggesting Thomas has betrayed his Black ancestors with his high court decisions.

Clyburn made the remark after being asked during a Sunday interview on Meet the Press whether he stood by his decision to vote to confirm Thomas.

“Absolutely not. I have made mistakes in my life,” he told moderator Kristen Welker. “And that’s one that I made, and I will own up to that mistake.”

Clyburn continued:

“The fact of the matter is, I had faith and confidence in the fact that his background and experiences would instruct him in his professionalism, especially sitting on the bench. We had worked together when he was chair of the Equal Opportunity Commission and of course I was running the state agency here in South Carolina.

“We had differences over how that agency should run, but I also thought that he believed in precedence of the law. And I felt sure that he would be there upholding those precedents set down in 1954 in the Brown v. Board of Education decision. I thought he would follow those court decisions that upheld the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act.”

He then said, “I had no idea that Clarence Thomas would rebel the way he has against his own background and experiences. He was raised by his grandfather and he has shown very little sensitivity to the environment his grandfather grew up in Pin Point, Georgia.”

Clyburn’s condemnation came a moment after Welker played a clip of the lawmaker advocating for Thomas to make the Supreme Court in ’91.

“It’s a pleasure for me to be here today to present testimony in favor of my good friend Clarence Thomas,” Clyburn told a panel of senators at the time. “I have known Clarence for 10 years, and I consider him to be a personal and professional friend, in spite of the fact that he shares a conservative Republican philosophy.”

Clyburn then went on to say he supported expanding the Supreme Court to having a “baker’s dozen” justices. Other Democrats like ex-Vice President Kamala Harris have recently called for adding more justices to the Supreme Court as well.

Watch above.

The post James Clyburn Regrets Confirming Clarence Thomas: I Had No Idea He Would ‘Rebel’ Against ‘His Own Background’ first appeared on Mediaite.

New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman responded to President Donald Trump’s personal insults over the upcoming ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11 — dismissing the White House’s denial that he was skipping the New York City event because he wouldn’t be allowed to make a speech.

Haberman joined MS NOW’s The Weekend where Jacqueline Alemany brought up Trump’s Truth Social post this week blasting Haberman. Alemany would not repeat the president’s insults, saying she refused to “dignify” them.

Haberman said she and the Times were “transparent” about their reporting on Trump skipping a 9/11 ceremony in New York in part due to his desire to give a speech. Speeches are barred at the annual event.

She said:

Look, we stand by the reporting and the Times put out a statement explaining that this is based on multiple sources. We went to the White House. We were quite transparent with them about what we were reporting, including the part about that part of the reason why he was not going to New York was because he did want to speak, and the White House did not say anything, pushing back on what we were reporting. And then 24 hours later, the president started attacking the piece. You know, so readers can make their own assessment about a denial that comes a day later.

The White House claimed in a statement to MS NOW that Trump was only skipping the ceremony because Vice President JD Vance is attending, and they cannot be in the same place at the same time. Trump will mark the somber occasion instead at the Pentagon.

Haberman, author of Regime Change, a behind the scenes look at the start Trump’s second administration, dismissed the statement and argued Trump skipping the event on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is “objectively news.” She also noted he attended the event in 2024 shortly after he was shot during an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Haberman said:

It’s not because, Jacqui, Vance is going to New York. That plan changed. Vance was not — you know, Trump was going to New York. That was everybody’s understanding. And then he wasn’t. And there may be multiple reasons why. Obviously, they’re all very security-minded right now. I know that the White House, amid all the threats from Iran and its proxies, the White House is very, very rattled, understandably, by the video about Barron Trump and the threats against him. And so I do understand all of that.

Trump blasted Haberman as a “fake reporter” in his Truth Social tirade.

“Maggot Hagerman, the Fake Reporter from The Failing New York Times, an unattractive person both inside and out, and who knows less about me than most reporters on the beat (She’s a SCAMMER!), made up a story that on September 11th, I’m not going to the World Trade Center, in New York City, because they won’t let me make a speech, and I’m going to the Pentagon in D.C., because I’m a featured speaker,” he wrote. “This is more Corrupt News, I’ve been to New York many times over the years, and no one ever speaks, it’s a ‘solemn ceremony!”

Watch above via MS NOW.

The post Maggie Haberman Hits Back at Trump’s Personal Insults By Tearing Apart WH Claim About Her 9/11 Report first appeared on Mediaite.

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You can’t turn off Strava’s AI summaries anymore. Sometime in July or August, the feature, called “Athlete Intelligence,” became a built-in part of premium subscriptions. If you have a free account, you still won’t see it, but if you subscribe to Strava Premium, you’ll now have the summaries stuck onto all of your workouts. 

What is Strava's "Athlete Intelligence"?

Athlete Intelligence, conveniently abbreviated AI, is a Strava feature that gives text responses to your workouts. It’s only available for premium subscribers. Strava refers to “insights” in these responses, but as far as I can tell, they just seem to regurgitate the information from the workout description, sometimes with added errors. 

I used the feature briefly, around the time it launched (I was a premium subscriber then), but quickly turned it off when I realized it wasn’t telling me anything interesting. I asked my colleague Meredith Dietz, who has a premium subscription, whether she had seen anything useful in her Athlete Intelligence. She said, “They’re usually positive, so that’s nice. But ultimately: useless.” 

Meredith has written more about why AI fitness summaries are mostly useless, and Strava’s AI checks every box: it doesn’t use enough context to understand what’s going on, it presents generic advice as if it were personal, and it’s overconfident in its incomplete data. She showed me a recent Athlete Intelligence summary that said a run was both a “recovery run” and included her “fastest pace in two weeks.” Those are simply not compatible statements. Another message complimented her “solid half-marathon effort” on a run that Meredith says was “not even close to a half-marathon effort.” 

What happened behind the scenes? 

You used to be able to turn off the AI. When Strava launched Athlete Intelligence in October 2024, it was a “beta” feature available to premium users only. Since then—as far as I can remember—Strava’s support page had instructions for opting out of Athlete Intelligence. 

But that changed recently. The last Wayback Machine snapshot that included those instructions is from June 30, 2026. A snapshot from Aug. 4 removed both the question and answer about opting out. On Aug. 26, I noticed a Reddit thread where users were wondering where the opt-out feature went. The support page currently says, “There isn’t an option to opt out of Athlete Intelligence.” 

I asked what happened, and received an answer from a Strava spokesperson: “As was standard practice for experimental features, Athlete Intelligence launched with a "turn off" mechanism scoped to its initial beta period. Given the feature’s formal exit from beta, that mechanism is no longer available. We invite all subscribers to tap Give Feedback to help us improve the insights they see.”

Athlete Intelligence officially left beta in February of last year. If the support page was kept up to date over the subsequent year and a half, then it seems the opt-out was removed much later. (The instructions used to say to click “leave beta” and then changed to “leave Athlete Intelligence” sometime before June 21 this year.) I asked Strava for clarification on the timeline, and got the answer: “Thanks for the follow up, we're not able to provide additional information.”

Why “Athlete Intelligence” has been such a disappointment

Strava claimed in its February 2025 announcement that over 80% of users found Athlete Intelligence useful. That seems hard to believe, given the weaknesses that both Meredith and I noticed in our own AI summaries. For all my browsing of Strava user forums, I’ve often seen people complaining about the AI’s tone or pointing out its mistakes; I’m really not seeing anyone praising it for being insightful or for helping to analyze or plan training. 

Meredith finds the summaries easy to ignore. I found they annoyed me, so I hid them while it was still possible to do so. So far I’m not seeing anybody who opted out complaining that the summaries are back; it’s possible they will remain hidden. But the option to turn them off is no longer available. You can still “leave feedback” on a given response, but there used to be an option to leave Athlete Intelligence altogether. That option is no longer there, and given Strava’s statement, it doesn’t seem likely it will come back.

X screenshot

Lyons, Illinois Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg shared a surveillance video that shows her being kissed by Bridgeview Mayor Steven Landek — an act she insists was a “lighthearted, friendly and non-romantic moment among colleagues.”

Hoffenberg is currently running for Cook County Commissioner.

The kiss between the pair has been the subject of what she told the Daily Mail was an “extortion attempt” by “political opponents.

Hoffenberg also told Patch the liplock was “inappropriate and unprofessional.”

Elyse is married to Jeff Hoffenberg, “a managing partner at Chicago-based law firm Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC and a commissioner on the Village of La Grange Plan Commission,” the Daily Mail reported, adding that “the pair are understood to have multiple children together.”

She’s accused Republican Liz Gorman of being the culprit behind the video leak, and said that Lyons Township supervisor Chris Getty was part of the plan.

Elyse also told the Mail she was told the pair would “drop their threats to release [the video] if I end my campaign.”

She added:

My political opponents attempted to extort me regarding this video, saying they would drop their threats to release it if I end my campaign. I am certain that our community will find this kind of old-school politics of harassment abhorrent, and I won’t be bullied. While the video lacks proper context to make it clear what is happening, what it shows is a lighthearted, friendly and non-romantic moment among colleagues. I am staying focused on my campaign to bring strong leadership to this community, and I look forward to continuing this work.

Gorman denied the allegations and told the Mail, “I categorically deny that I extorted Elyse Hoffenberg. I have never spoken with Elyse or anyone from her campaign about this matter, and I have never demanded anything from her in exchange for not releasing or doing anything with the video.”

The post Illinois Lawmaker Released Clip of Her Smooching Mayor in the Face of ‘Extortion’ Attempts: ‘Non-Romantic Moment’ first appeared on Mediaite.

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

We are looking at the case of insistence taking over from reporting. As we are closing the second full week of Natalie Harp coverage, one prevailing reality looms over the reporting: What is the story?

Since the day that John Ossoff dropped her name in a speech filled with innuendo, Natalie has been on the minds and the lips of the media. Yet the quotidian utterance of her name has never delivered anything substantive to justify the energy.

That lack of substance continues with one of CNN’s White House correspondents. Alejandra Jaramillo shared a photograph she took from inside the Oval Office. In it, we can see Harp positioned at the wall. Sort of.

Spotted Trump aide Natalie Harp in the back of the Oval Office today: pic.twitter.com/jL2HtUbUqs

— Alejandra Jaramillo (@AlejandraJMillo) August 27, 2026

That…is breaking news?! We see her head, barely, above a lampshade. Apparently, Ms. Jaramillo felt it was trenchant news coverage to let the public know that a White House aide had been spotted inside the White House, apparently doing her job.

Why this woman has grown into the near-obsessive focus of the press defies explanation. She has been working alongside the president since his 2020 reelection campaign, with no pertinent interest to be seen. But Ossoff’s throwaway line in a speech has set the media on fire, yet they cannot get this story to ignite.

It has become a case of the press “harping” on the woman in President Trump’s cabinet with the confidence that something will turn up if they keep turning up the volume. We still await that success.

CNN in particular has been supremely focused on the staffer, even after Ossoff softened his words following the hysteria he himself ignited. There was the report of Natalie “jumping into the trunk of a motorcade SUV”; no indication was given why this was even a story.

Erin Burnett brought on Natalie Harp’s brother for a “scathing” interview, as her sibling managed to deliver nothing of substance. He was so bereft of content that when asked about her SUV dash, he was surprised by the question, as he had never heard that story. Good thing they brought him on the air!

At The U.K.’s Daily Mirror, they obtained what was said to be an EXCLUSIVE: They had a photograph of Harp running alongside golf carts in Scotland during a golf outing. From three years ago.

EXCLUSIVE

THE HUMAN SPRINTER

First known pictures of NATALIE HARP chasing after Donald Trump’s golf cart in Scotland pic.twitter.com/vfQ6xk3hbD

— Mikey Smith (@mikeysmith) August 21, 2026

And now we get the latest breaking news, that she was standing against a wall during a press event.

This is the level of detail the all-consuming press has about Natalie Harp. They insist the coverage of this White House staffer is due to all of the interest in her. One of these days they might actually come up with some content that is actually interesting.

The post CNN Is Still Harping on Natalie, With No Clear Reason for Trump Aide Crusade first appeared on Mediaite.

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If, like me, you let some of your fitness goals fall by the wayside this summer, Labor Day is the perfect time to build out your home gym and revitalize your exercise routine. And you don't even have to wait for the long weekend to start seeking out some excellent Labor Day deals, because Amazon's sale has already started. Below, I've collected my favorite fitness deals so far from Amazon's early Labor Day sale—and I'll keep adding more as the holiday weekend gets closer.

The best early Labor Day sales on cardio equipment

• All of the NordicTrack T Series is all on sale, with the T10 in particular catching my eye: Normally $1,299, it's currently discounted to $999. For cardio, your options get trickier in an apartment setting or a home without a ton of extra space, but foldable equipment like this is a nice solution.

• The YOSUDA Friction 1.0 bike is $178.99, down from $249.99.

• This MERACH exercise bike is $399.98, down from $599.99.

• This walking pad is $79.98, normally $106.80. This is a simple, straightforward option if you've been looking to get your steps in while working at a standing desk.

• If you're looking for more than just a bare-bones option, this fancier walking pad reaches speeds of up to 6.2 mph and a 5% incline, and it's also foldable for storage. It's currently on sale for $119.98 (normally $199.99).

(A word of caution: When you're browsing walking pads, remember you really cannot trust those product pictures.)

NordicTrack T10 Treadmill

$999.00 at Amazon

$1,299.00 Save $300.00

Get Deal

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$999.00 at Amazon

$1,299.00 Save $300.00

The best early Labor Day sales on dumbbells

• This CAP ADJUSTABELL adjustable dumbbell set is $249.99, normally $299.99. These can adjust from 10 to 55 pounds in 5-pound increments with a simple twist of the handle (no knobs, pins, or levers are involved).

• This CAP rubber-coated dumbbell weight set is $159.99, normally $189.99. While I'm a big proponent of adjustable dumbbells, you can't go wrong with a traditional vertical rack like this. It includes a pair of 5-pound, 10-pound, 15-pound, 20-pound, and 25-pound rubber hex dumbbells with a vertical dumbbell rack.

• These Feierdun adjustable dumbbells are $161.98 for the 90-pound set, down from $219.99. I'm especially drawn to how this system can configure the weights as fixed barbells, kettlebells, traditional dumbbells, or individual weight plates. Incorporating kettlebell swings and goblet squats without purchasing separate equipment? That's a steal.

CAP ADJUSTABELL set (55 lbs)

$249.99 at Amazon

$299.99 Save $50.00

Get Deal

Get Deal

$249.99 at Amazon

$299.99 Save $50.00

The best early Labor Day sales on other home gym staples

• These resistance bands are $18.99, normally $24.99. A solid pair of resistance bands like these will be the perfect addition to your home gym, and great for travel workouts, whether in the poolside gym or your hotel rooms.

• This FLYBIRD adjustable weight bench is $125.99, normally $139.99.

• This Yes4All kettlebell is $69.16 for the 45-pound option, normally $91.35. It's got a wide-grip handle and neoprene coating over the cast iron to reduce noise and protect your flooring.

FLYBIRD WB3 Adjustable Weight Bench

$125.99 at Amazon

$139.99 Save $14.00

Get Deal

Get Deal

$125.99 at Amazon

$139.99 Save $14.00

Donald Trump has vowed to help Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in his contentious U.S. Senate race against James Talarico (D).

Trump made the comments during an Oval Office executive order signing on Thursday, during which he proclaimed Lake Ontario was now “Lake America.”

“We’re going to Texas, and we’re working very hard, we wanna win that race. He’s running against a man who should not, never be — we have a very good candidate, Ken Paxton. And he’s running against ‘Tala-freako,’ they call him. because he is a little freaky,” Trump said.

“And that’s not a man that represents the value of Texas. So, I’m going to help Ken Paxton and I’m gonna spend a lot of time in Texas. I have the all-time highest vote in the history of Texas, also. And I’m going to spend some time there. We’re going tonight, some of you are going with me.”

Trump is heading to Texas Thursday evening for a private fundraising dinner in Houston, and to speak at the GOP Midterm Convention in Dallas .

Paxton became the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate after Trump backed him, and Paxton beat out Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Republican primary.

“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote on social media at the time.

Paxton has been the target of ethical and political scandals throughout his political career, including a 2023 impeachment trial on abuse of office and bribery charges. Although the Texas House voted to impeach Paxton, he was acquitted of all charges in the Texas Senate.

GOP donors slammed Trump for choosing the scandal-ridden Paxton over Cornyn, but have since pressured the president to “rescue” Paxton’s struggling campaign.

“The message to Trump world is, ‘You broke it, now you own it. You gotta spend some of your money to defend him because we’ve got bigger fish to fry,’ ” one GOP donor told Politico.

A new Texas Southern University poll revealed Talarico had a solid lead over Paxton in three congressional districts that Trump carried by double digits.

The post Trump Pledges to Help Ken Paxton in Senate Race Against James Talarico first appeared on Mediaite.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Iowa Gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand (D) isn’t eager for help from former President Joe Biden or former Vice President Kamala Harris, he told POLITICO in an interview published Wednesday.

Sand said that’s true even if Harris runs for president in 2028.

POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin said on X that Sand is the “first high-profile Dem to answer this question directly.”

He asked, “Would you want to have Joe Biden here campaign for you?” and followed that up with “How about Kamala Harris?”

Sand declined both, saying of Harris: “No, thanks. Let’s move on. We need some new leadership.”

After he was asked if Harris should run in 2028, Sand answered, “No.”

Martin also asked, “What is your view as to what the best option is for Democrats in 2020? You don’t have to name names. You can if you want. But should there be a governor, somebody not from D.C. as your nominee?”

“I just… you got my gut reaction on a couple,” Sand replied. “I don’t know what the answer to that is. I mean, I got an election in 75 days.”

Sand’s campaign in Iowa has grown contentious in recent weeks.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported the candidate was followed and booed by “activists with the conservative organization Turning Point USA” last week. While speaking to reporters at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox Saturday, he said those who followed him were “kids.”

“I mean, I don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing, or how they think that’s effective,” Sand added. “I felt bad for all the people around us who were trying to enjoy the fair and having their experience disrupted. So that’s all I had to say about that.”

He also said his message for his supporters at the event and beyond is, “Don’t behave like the kids from Turning Point USA.”

Sand is running against Republican Zach Lahn, whose opponents have described him as a “part-time Iowan” because he frequently visits Kansas to see “some” of his children.

Watch the above via POLITICO/X.

The post ‘Move On!’ Iowa Democrat Goes After Biden and Harris — Bluntly Rejects Their Help in His Campaign first appeared on Mediaite.

Part of the fun of upgrading your phone is digging into all the new features and functions it offers, and it's no different with Google's recently unveiled Pixel 11 series. While there are hardware bumps in these phones, many of the most notable selling points are on the software side, with a bunch of upgrades related to AI and Android 17.

If you've invested in a Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, or Pixel 11 Pro Fold, then these are the best tricks to try out first. All of these hacks are exclusive to the 2026 flagships, though we might see some of them trickle down to older handsets over time (for now, Google isn't saying one way or the other).

Install this app to take full control of HiLight

HiLight is new to the Pixel 11, and uses a rear LED light to alert you to incoming calls from the most important people in your life—the idea being that it helps you cut out the rest of the noise associated with owning a smartphone in 2026.

You can configure HiLight from Settings by choosing System > HiLight, but there's not actually much configuring to do. It only works for Gemini chats and calls from contacts marked as favorites, with a simple toggle switch in both instances. You can choose different colors for different contacts, but that's about it.

To do more with HiLight, though, you can install HiLight Studio. This third-party tool unlocks HiLight for use with more apps on your phone, and gives you full control over the colors displayed, making HiLight much more useful.

Use Camera Looks filters to add imperfections to your photos

One of the Pixel 11 exclusives in the Camera app is what Google is calling Camera Looks. They work like subtle filters, similar to the Photographic Styles on iOS, with gentle adjustments to contrast and colors that give your images a different feel (and can remove the ultra-clean, over-processed vibe of Pixel photos in general).

Open the Camera and tap the controls button (lower right), then Looks. This gives you access to the four different options you can apply by default when snapping images: Original (the usual Pixel processing), Natural (for "relaxed details"), Shadows (for "deeper contrast"), and Vanilla (for "a warm, golden glow").

There are four Camera Looks to choose from. Credit: Lifehacker

Limit zooming to avoid AI-generated imagery

Here's a tip about not using a Pixel 11 feature. If you have the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro Fold you can go up to 30x with Super Zoom, while on the Pixel 11 Pro and the Pixel 11 Pro XL there's Pro Zoom up to an incredible 120x.

The Pro Zoom levels get you closer to the action, sure, but they also use generative AI to enhance what's in the photo. It's not just sharpening and enhancing; it's actually inventing new details based on the pixels that are already there (which is why you have to download a generative AI model the first time you use Pro Zoom).

The 30x Super Zoom uses AI too, but of a different type: Rather than generating details, it's combining photo frames and analyzing colors to sharpen up an image, like a traditional image editor filter. This applies up to a 30x zoom level, Google says, so you know where to stop if you don't want any AI elements being added in.

With Pro Zoom shots, Google Photos will save both the AI-enhanced version and the raw digital zoom version—you can switch between them in the app and choose the one you like best.

Use Magic Capture to automatically take photos while recording videos

It's the perennial problem of the modern age: How do you make sure you've got photo memories of an event while still staying present in the moment? Of course you'd like snaps of your kid's birthday party, but you don't want to spend the whole time glued to your phone.

This is where Magic Capture comes in: You can enable it from the Camera app by tapping the icon to the left of the photo icon, just under the main shutter button. You then tap the shutter button to start a video capture, and then let it record. You can focus on what's happening rather than looking at the Camera app and taking individual photos.

When you stop the recording, AI swings into action to pick out still images that look like highlights from the footage—so presumably someone blowing their candles out, raising a toast, or reaching the crest of a wave, depending on the scenario.

Use Pause Point to block distractions on your pixel

Every phone maker has come up with multiple ways to try and keep us from getting too addicted to our devices, and the latest digital well-being idea from Google is the Pause Point feature for the Pixel 11 phones.

It's pretty simple, which means it just might work: For the apps you specify, you get a mindfulness prompt every time you open them up. Those few seconds of thought and self-reflection could help you realize that no, you don't actually need to open up Instagram or X again today.

To set this up, go to Settings, tap Digital Wellbeing, and then Pause Point to pick the apps you'd like it to apply to. This doesn't seem to be live yet, however, despite Google announcing it and including it in its official support documentation. Keep an eye out for it appearing in updates over the next few weeks.

The Pixel 11 lets you set specific vibrations for specific contacts. Credit: Lifehacker

Set custom vibration patterns to identify specific contacts

Another way to reduce screen time is to create unique alerts for each contact, so you know who's getting in touch with you just from the way your phone pings or buzzes. The Pixel 11 phones help with this by letting you customize vibrations in a couple of handy ways.

First, you can set specific vibrations for specific contacts, as well as specific audible ringtones (which has long been an option). From the Contacts app, tap on a name, then Contact ringtone, and you can choose a vibration pattern as well as a sound.

You can also change the default vibration patterns for calls and notifications, which you couldn't before—though not on a per-app or per-contact basis. From Settings, pick Sound and vibration, then Ringtone or Notification.

Use the built-in teleprompter to create content directly on your pixel

Attention, content creators! If you're using your Pixel 11 to record video for public consumption, you can make use of a built-in teleprompter to read your scripts—no third-party app required.

From the Camera app, tap the video icon (to the right of the photo icon, under the shutter button), then tap the settings button up in the top left corner. If you switch to the Creator tab, you'll see there's a Teleprompter toggle switch you can turn on.

Once it's enabled, tap the Teleprompter icon on the capture window to enter your text (you can of course paste it in from somewhere else if you want). When the video recording starts, as you begin to talk through the script, it'll automatically advance for you.

Use the Pixel search bar to find your stuff faster

This is one of the more well-hidden new features on the Pixel 11 phones. Pixel Search is designed to make it easier to find stuff on your phone (like messages and files) from a single search bar, but it's not the search bar on the home screen.

Instead, it's the one above the app grid. Swipe up on the home screen to get to the app grid, then tap in the search box at the top. The first time you do this on your Pixel 11, you'll see an introduction to the feature, together with a Go to Settings link.

Follow that link, then Apps in search results, and you can choose the content that Pixel Search will dive into—across Google Calendar, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Photos, and Settings, for example.

You can choose which apps are included in Pixel Search. Credit: Lifehacker

Ask Rambler to edit dictated text

There's an exclusive Gboard add-on for Pixel 11 devices called Rambler, which Google has positioned as a super-smart upgrade on voice dictation. Phones have been able to turn speech into text for a long while now, but Rambler is better at dealing with natural speech rhythms, filler words, and pauses.

It's also better at editing. If you say "the meeting at 2pm... or rather 3pm" in your ramble, the "3pm" will make the finished transcript. If you're reviewing text Rambler has transcribed, you can launch Rambler again to make edits to it with natural prompts, too—something like "change the day from Friday to Saturday."

Load up Gboard on your Pixel 11 (any text input box will do), tap the microphone button, then read through the Rambler introduction and tap Get started. Once it's set up, it can be launched at any time through the microphone button.

You can go back to the standard voice dictation at any point, if you prefer it: From Gboard tap the menu button (the four squares on the left), then pick Settings > Voice typing.

Use this screensaver to turn your Pixel 11 into a bedside clock

You can use StandBy mode to turn an iPhone into a bedside clock, and the Pixel 11 handsets have something similar—sort of. From Settings, choose Display and touch > Screen saver, and you'll see there's a new Charge option there.

This displays a progress bar showing charge status, and a clock. Enable it, and if you hook your Pixel up to a magnetic wireless charger overnight, you've got a decent, minimal bedside display that works in portrait or landscape orientations.