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Tuesday night’s vice-presidential debate offered a refreshing change from the combative tone that has plagued our political discourse over the past eight years. 

For many viewers, it was a relief to witness a civil exchange between two candidates who, surprisingly, seemed to respect one another. Sen. JD Vance showcased his skills as both an orator and debater, garnering a more favorable opinion from many voters. 

On the other hand, Gov. Tim Walz, while appearing somewhat nervous and lackluster, managed to connect with viewers through his likability and relatability. The unfortunate reality, however, is that neither candidate did enough to change any votes.

VANCE VS. WALZ DEBATE LEAVES AMERICANS WITH THIS BIG TAKEAWAY

So, what can we take away from this debate?

1. Address Real Issues: Frustration arose when candidates failed to answer direct questions. While skillful pivots are common in debates, ignoring a question won’t allow candidates to move on effectively. Vance faced tough questions about January 6th, while Walz stumbled through responses related to his affiliation with the CCP, leaving voters dissatisfied.
2. Speak to Their Truth: Both candidates found their best moments when they used language that resonated with the other side. Vance framed his argument using the left’s language, referring to “a family model that makes choice possible” and linking gun violence to mental health. Conversely, Walz spoke to conservative voters by emphasizing his respect for the Second Amendment and asserting, “I am not pro-abortion.”
3. Address Major Concerns: To shift perspectives, candidates must directly tackle the biggest concerns on voters’ minds. For Vance, his toughest moment came when discussing January 6th. For Walz, the challenge lies in clearly explaining how he and Kamala Harris plan to address economic issues, especially inflation.
4. Focus on Relevant Issues: Voters wanted more detailed discussions on the current strikes and their broader impacts, relations with Iran and Israel, climate change, and cost of living concerns. With significant challenges facing the nation, voters were disappointed that moderators didn’t push the candidates to address these pressing topics more thoroughly.
5. Effective Storytelling: While storytelling can create a connection with voters, there is a fine line between relatable anecdotes and contrived narratives. Vance’s attempts to connect with voters through personal stories—about his Appalachian roots and family struggles—felt a bit forced to some, echoing Kamala Harris’s often-criticized narrative about her middle-class upbringing. Stories work best when they connect to relevant issues instead of serving as a distraction from answering tough questions.

Despite various pundits highlighting the strengths of the two vice presidential candidates, Tuesday night’s debate ultimately had little impact on undecided voters. While Walz’s performance had its successes, his nervous start and notable gaffes left much to be desired. In the end, both candidates offered a little something for everyone—but for those still weighing their options, there were no compelling reasons to change their minds. 

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As we approach the final stretch of the presidential election, the challenge for both candidates and their running mates is clear: how can they win over undecided voters in just 33 days? The answer lies in two crucial areas:

First, they must instill confidence in their ability to combat inflation and the rising cost of living 

Given the current economic climate, this task may be easier for former President Donald Trump, especially in light of the anticipated repercussions from the port strike and escalating energy prices due to turmoil in the Middle East.

Second, they need to provide reassurance that tomorrow is going to be better than today

That there is a leader in office who has their backs.  Voters are understandably anxious about the future, and both candidates have already tapped into this concern—Vice President Kamala Harris and Walz highlighting the threats to democracy and Trump and Vance focused on the difficulties we face with the economy and immigration. 

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Yet, what Americans urgently need now is assurance: a promise that if they cast their vote for the right candidate, life will improve once again. In turbulent times marked by international conflicts, rising prices, and the aftermath of natural disasters, that message of hope and stability is not just important; it is essential. 

As the clock ticks down to Election Day, the ability to inspire confidence and reassure voters will determine the next leader of this nation.

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Travelers onboard cruise ships around the world are taking a new approach to souvenirs by bringing — and leaving — rubber ducks around boats. 

The trend has people purchasing rubber ducks and hiding them in spots around cruise ships. Over the last year alone, TikTok videos garnering thousands of views show users hiding and finding ducks like it’s a game.

In one Facebook group, named “Cruising Ducks,” which has more than 284,000 members, the trend is described as a “cute and entertaining way to have a blast on cruises and to brighten others’ days.”

HUGE RUBBER DUCK APPEARS IN MAINE HARBOR, AMUSES RESIDENTS: ‘IT’S WONDERFUL’

Reports say that a young girl named Abby Davis started the Easter-egg-like idea — and it has since taken off. 

Cruise ship travelers are taking rubber ducks onboard and hiding them in an online game of hide and go seek.  (iStock)

The Facebook group explains, “Our goal is to see how far our ducks will travel and where their journey might take them. Keep or hide, you decide, but please post your ducks’ travels here so everyone can enjoy.”

Members are then asked to post a photo of their rubber duck onboard a ship and to specify which cruise line they are on. 

TRAVELERS REFLECT ON VIRAL 9-MONTH-LONG WORLD CRUISE THAT TOOK OVER TIKTOK

In the last month, roughly 3,500 posts have been featured on the Facebook page. 

Players online have posted photos and number counts of how many ducks they’ve collected on their trip — some upwards of 100 ducks.  (iStock)

One person posted a photo of their children, writing, “Kids came back with 20ish ducks. They loved finding them! Carnival Dream, September 21-29.”

Another person posted a photo of their 113 ducks found on the Carnival Cruise Lines Jubilee in September, saying they had five “active hunters” on the boat and brought over 400 to hide themselves. 

TRAVEL EXPERTS REVEAL BEST TIME TO FLY BEFORE A CRUISE AND WHY

The trend has made its way to Reddit as well, with one traveler posting on the “r/royalcaribbean” subreddit, saying they paid for a carry on just for their rubber duckies. 

While on board, cruisers can post a photo of their duck and the ship they’re on to a Facebook page to play the game.  (iStock)

Reddit users took to the comments to weigh in on the offbeat trend, with one person writing, “I hate to be a killjoy, but there’s really no reason for it. Just go on the cruise and enjoy what’s already there.”

Another user explained that hiding and finding ducks on the ship was a fun activity for their kids on sea days when the boat didn’t stop at ports.

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“My daughter works on the Utopia of the Seas and loves finding these! When her contract finishes, she plans to hide all the ducks she has collected around the ship,” another Reddit user commented. 

A game of hide-and-seek with ducks has taken over cruise ships, and passengers are sharing photos of their squeaky finds online. (iStock)

Cruising Ducks also has its own line of rubber ducks that can be purchased to take onboard cruise ships.

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For anywhere from $14 to $26, customers can purchase different types of themed ducks — Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch, “The Godfather” and even Donald Trump. 

Several theories online claim that some cruise ships discourage guests from hiding ducks on board.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Cruising Ducks, Carnival Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean for comment.

Ever since former President Donald Trump became the GOP presidential nominee in 2016, there has been a small but loud group of so-called Republicans in the media and the halls of power who have fervently dreamed of the day when he loses his hold on the party. 

Until the vice-presidential debate, these MSNBC “conservative” pundits and figures such as former Rep. Liz Cheney and Sen. Mitt Romney could have hoped that if Trump face plants this year, the GOP will finally come back to its senses and put them back in charge.  

Sen. JD Vance put that theory squarely to bed onstage in New York City. 

WHY VANCE EASILY BEAT WALZ IN DEBATE, SOFTENING HIS IMAGE IN THE PROCESS

Though polling varies, by most accounts, Vance scored a win over Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (not to mention the wildly biased moderators) with his command of the issues and a surprising affability that even seemed to have Walz charmed at times. 

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks during the vice-presidential debate at CBS Studios on October 1, 2024, in New York, N.Y. Most pundits agree he defeated his opponent, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

But it was the substance, not the style of Vance’s answers that should worry the Never Trump crowd. Because Vance, for maybe the first time, is a major political figure who is not Donald Trump, but who can explain and embody Trump’s populism even in the loftiest forums. 

The cover of Time magazine this week acknowledged this with a portrait of Vance and the words, “The New Right,” which is, in fact, another term for the changes that Trump has wrought in the GOP. 

Trumpian populism, or the New Right, has four essential pillars erected by Trump: anti-globalism, a strong border, energy independence and taking the fight to wokeness. On all four, Vance made the case. 

The Ohio senator spoke of bringing manufacturing home with smart tariffs, balancing climate change with the need for cheap fuel, aggressive deportations of illegal immigrants, and has throughout his career been a strong voice against the excesses of wokeness in areas like education and gender. 

It is a stark contrast to Trump’s former veep, the old guard, establishment-friendly Mike Pence, who notably, is not supporting his old boss this time around. 

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If Pence served as a drawbridge to traditional Republicans, Vance is like a high castle wall, protecting the core tenets of the New Right from would-be interlopers wishing to return to the days of Romney and Cheney. 

In Vance, we saw a future for Trumpian populism in the absence of its creator. And it’s not just JD, all of the up-and-comers on the GOP bench largely embody the substance of the New Right, if not exactly Trump’s tactics. 

When we look at businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; all essentially embrace the New Right. Even former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, whose supporters Democrats have hoped to pluck, realizes that the vast majority of Republican voters want Trump’s New Right policies. 

Former President Trump and vice presidential candidate U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, appear on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Notwithstanding the fact that the GOP’s turn to the populist side is now complete, we see groups like “Republicans for Harris” touring the country, doing Zoom calls, and they clearly have some real money behind them. What they lack is any semblance of popular support.  

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Today, we can see that Never Trumpism was never really about mean tweets, or womanizing, or threats to democracy. No, from the start, the stalwart Never Trumpers opposed Trump and the voters’ priorities and preferred policies. 

On immigration, they want compromise, not a strong border. On trade, they want big global deals, not protectionism. On energy, they seek to appease the alarmists. And when it comes to wokeness, well, they really just don’t want to talk about it. 

If you put aside the Never Trump movement’s weird sense of entitlement and nonstop moral outrage, you can understand why they are upset. Their brand of neoliberalism, the chamber of commerce GOP of the Bushes is no more. 

If Pence served as a drawbridge to traditional Republicans, Vance is like a high castle wall, protecting the core tenets of the New Right from would-be interlopers wishing to return to the days of Romney and Cheney. 

On its face, it would seem that the best options for the Republicans for Harris are to simply become Democrats and try to keep the party of Jefferson and Jackson from careening into a leftist ditch. That’s similar to the way they always played defense when they were in power in the GOP. 

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But, if they do that, they lose their value. They can no longer be used by the liberal media to pretend some large swath of conservative voters is against Trump. They become, in a word, irrelevant. 

After Vance’s performance against Walz, it is fair to say that irrelevance is already upon the Never Trumpers. They saw the future and it is not them. The fight is finally over. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DAVID MARCUS

Elder fraud is a growing concern in the United States, with criminals increasingly targeting individuals over the age of 60. 

Increasingly, data brokers have been identified as a favored tool among criminals, providing access to personal information that criminals use to improve their scamming schemes.

Elder fraud is a category of crime targeting people over 60. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Economic loss through scams continues to increase each year

Using data from the FBI for the calendar year 2023, researchers have found that economic losses from scams continue to increase. In addition to financial loss rising over time, scam complaints have risen for the first time since 2020. Americans over the age of 60 lost over $3.4 billion to scams in 2023 alone. They reported more than 101,000 scams, representing a 14.5% increase compared to the 88,000 reports filed in 2022.

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Americans over the age of 60 lost over $3.4 billion to scams in 2023. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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The states in which scammers stole the most

Residents of Hawaii who were 60 or older lost the most money to scammers in all 50 states, with more than 453 complaints filed and a total of $28 million lost, meaning the average amount lost per scam was $61,000. While Hawaiians were impacted the most, this is due to the state’s smaller population size. When we look at a large-population state such as California, we see more than 11,000 complaints filed, equaling a financial loss of $643 million.

A man working on his laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Which types of scams occur the most?

Tech support scams occurred the most in 2023. An example of these scams is those pesky phone calls you might receive telling you your iCloud account has been compromised. More than 17,000 tech-support scams were reported in 2023, which is also nearly the same number as reported in 2022. Behind tech-support scams were personal data breaches, which were reported 7,800 times in 2023.

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A man working on his laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

BEWARE OF SOCIAL SECURITY SCAMS BY CROOKS TRYING TO TRICK YOU

How do data brokers factor into scams?

Researchers found that elder abuse scams were made possible by personal data being available online. This happens largely thanks to data brokers, which are large companies that make money by selling personal information for the purpose of advertising.

So what can you do about it? Invest in personal data removal services. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.

Additional tips to protect against elder fraud scams

As elder fraud continues to rise, it’s crucial for seniors and their families to be proactive in safeguarding personal information and recognizing potential scams. Here are some additional actionable strategies to help mitigate the risks.

1. Monitor financial accounts regularly: Set up alerts for any unusual activity on bank accounts and credit cards. Review statements monthly and consider using financial management apps that can help track spending and detect anomalies.

2. Use strong, unique passwords: Create complex passwords that combine letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid using easily guessable information like birthdays. Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords.

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3. Enable two-factor authentication: Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification.

4. Limit sharing personal information: Be cautious about the information you share online and over the phone. Scammers often use social media to gather details about potential victims. Adjust privacy settings on social media accounts to limit who can see your information.

5. Verify before trusting: Always verify the identity of anyone requesting personal or financial information. Use official contact numbers to confirm the legitimacy of the request.

6. Be skeptical of unsolicited calls, emails or messages: Never click on links or download attachments from unknown or suspicious sources because they may contain malware or phishing attempts. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices. 

7. Report suspicious activity: If you suspect a scam, report it to local authorities or organizations like the Federal Trade Commission. Early reporting can help prevent others from falling victim to the same scam.

8. Stay connected with family and friends: Regular communication with loved ones can help reduce feelings of isolation, which scammers often exploit. Encourage seniors to stay socially active through community groups, clubs or regular family gatherings. Also, be sure to check out five ways tech can help you feel less alone.

DON’T FALL FOR THIS EMAIL SCAM THAT COST AN ELDERLY WOMAN $25,000

Kurt’s key takeaways

Data brokers and the entire system of selling personal information for advertising money have contributed to increased scams against all people in the last few decades. Elder Americans, specifically those aged 60 and over, tend to become victims more frequently due to a lack of tech savviness and higher degrees of income. It’s important to be cautious when giving your personal information out online, and we recommend finding a service that can help you keep track of it and remove personal information from the internet.

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Have you noticed an increase in scam attempts targeting you or elderly relatives recently? How have the tactics changed? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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The failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration gave America 40-year-high inflation, labor unrest, and now potentially the costliest strike in American history. By directing its 45,000 members to walk off the job, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union is crippling eastern seaboard ports and costing $5 billion per day. 

In October 2021, I warned that the tax-and-spend agenda of the Biden-Harris administration would set an inflationary fire and torch Americans’ finances, resulting in labor unrest. By the fall of 2023, we had the largest auto strike in history as the United Auto Workers (UAW) demanded higher wages to counter their losses from inflation. 

While the UAW strike was disruptive to the auto industry, it didn’t cause severe economic harm or noticeably impact the consumer. The ILA walk-off is an order of magnitude worse, with the potential for severe disruptions to the economy if it lasts more than just a few days. 

BALTIMORE RESTAURANT OWNER SAYS PORT STRIKE IS ALREADY IMPACTING BUSINESS: ‘IT REALLY HURTS’

The 36 ports on the Gulf and East coasts handle 55% of all U.S. container traffic and large volumes of exports, including about half of U.S. pork and almost three-quarters of U.S. poultry. About half of all imported fruits and vegetables come through these ports as well. In pharmaceuticals, nine out of 10 imports and seven out of 10 exports are being disrupted. 

Striking longshoremen walk in the rain at the Port of Baltimore as both sides jockey for position in negotiations. (FOX NEWS)

In short, America’s international trade has been severely hamstrung, with consumers and businesses alike about to get hit hard if this labor dispute isn’t resolved quickly. 

The primary reason for this and other labor unrest over the last three years has been the stratospheric rise in the cost of living, which stems directly from mismanagement by the Biden-Harris administration. 

Biden and Harris pushed for runaway federal deficits, fueled with newly created money from the Federal Reserve, destroyed one-fifth of the dollar’s value in less than four years. It also caused violent fluctuations in interest rates for everything from mortgages to credit cards. 

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The result has been a cost-of-living crisis with homeownership affordability plunging to some of the lowest levels on record, while families pay over $300 billion annually just in interest on their outstanding credit card balances. Despite the average American’s weekly paycheck being larger than ever before, it buys less than it did just four years ago. 

But the plunge in the dollar’s purchasing power has hit businesses every bit as hard as consumers, and the Biden-Harris administration’s own data proves it. Prices paid by firms and by customers have both increased 20% since January 2021, meaning businesses have merely passed on their cost increases to consumers. 

Inflation has massively increased both the cost of living and the cost of doing business, leaving no winners but government. So, while workers are demanding higher wages to combat today’s sky-high cost of living, management is desperate to control increases in the cost of doing business — and that includes labor costs. With such tight margins, any pay increases to workers will result in higher prices for customers. 

But that didn’t stop the Biden-Harris administration from weighing in and siding with the strikers, citing growth in corporate profits as somehow indicative of management’s misbehavior. Corporate profits have increased in the same sense that families’ paychecks have increased, but both buy less, on average, than they did four years ago because of the hidden tax of inflation. 

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Biden and Harris pushed for runaway federal deficits, fueled with newly created money from the Federal Reserve, destroyed one-fifth of the dollar’s value in less than four years. It also caused violent fluctuations in interest rates for everything from mortgages to credit cards. 

Of all the politicians in Washington, D.C., Vice President Kamala Harris owns a disproportionate amount of the blame for inflation over the last four years. Not only was she the biggest cheerleader of the president’s big-government agenda, but she also cast the tie-breaking vote on trillions of dollars in inflationary federal deficit spending. 

What’s particularly worrisome is that Harris hasn’t learned from her mistakes. She’s doubling down instead, proposing more of the same economic malfeasance that got America into this mess. If public policy continues down the path of the last three-and-a-half years, it will mean more inflation, more labor unrest, and evermore disruptive strikes. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM E.J. ANTONI 

In his speech before the United Nations General Assembly last week, President Biden proposed building a “more effective and more inclusive U.N.” by “bringing in new voices and new perspectives.” 

What he should have said instead is that the U.N. has lost its way, and it will need to be seriously reimagined if it is to remain relevant.

To be sure, the creation of the U.N. system to reconstruct global order after World War II was inspired, and its specialized agencies, such as the Food and Agricultural Organization, have done important work for decades.

A flag of the United Nations flies at its campus in Bonn, Germany, on Sept. 28, 2024. (Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images)

Today, however, the U.N. suffers from a fundamental flaw: it gives too much power to revisionist autocracies like China and Russia that want to tear down the U.S.-led global system. Beijing, Moscow and other revisionist authoritarians use their influence in the U.N. to turn the institution against its founding mission.

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The list of abuses is long. 

Russia chaired a U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine as it was launching an invasion of that country. China continues to prevent the World Health Organization from investigating COVID-19’s origins, making a future outbreak more likely. 

Russia and China also use their seats in the U.N. Security Council to weaken sanctions efforts against the illegal nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran. The U.N. Human Rights Council includes repressive regimes – such as China – ensuring that these countries escape scrutiny for their barbaric human rights records. 

And employees of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) participated in the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel. 

These are only the most prominent examples.

END US FUNDING FOR UN AGENCY GIVING IMMUNITY TO ITS MURDEROUS HAMAS MEMBERS

Nevertheless, the proceedings last week demonstrate that many still believe the U.N. remains the best possible forum to bring countries together to address shared global challenges.

This is wishful thinking.

Biden is right when he says we are at an inflection point in history, but we will only rise to this challenge if the United States and its allies can revitalize and adapt multilateral institutions to reflect new realities.

Instead of Biden’s platitudes about global cooperation, the next U.S. administration should acknowledge that America’s adversaries have transformed the U.N. into another arena for competition between free nations and an axis of revisionist autocracies. 

HAMAS LEADER KILLED IN LEBANON WAS UN EMPLOYEE, AGENCY CONFIRMS

They should use speeches at the General Assembly to call out the bad behavior of U.S. adversaries, such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela, and encourage close allies to join in the condemnation. They should be unrelenting in opposing this axis’ threats to their neighbors, their unfair trade practices and their abhorrent human rights abuses.

They should unrelentingly defend U.S. allies, like Israel, from unfair attacks, and acknowledge that the U.N. is becoming even more obsessively antisemitic. 

In both 2022 and 2023, the number of U.N. General Assembly resolutions condemning Israel exceeded the combined total of those condemning all other countries. Yet, the body refrained from condemning Hamas after the abhorrent Oct. 7 attack – even after it fired nine UNRWA employees for likely involvement in an act of war.

To counter the U.N.’s capture by cynical autocracies, Washington and its allies should use their diplomatic weight to place U.S. and allied officials in leadership institutions in key U.N. bodies, including the Human Rights Council.

WHY BIDEN’S SPEECH AT UNGA SHOULD SET OFF ALARM BELLS ACROSS THE GLOBE

The United States provides one-third of U.N. funding, giving it enormous potential influence if it is willing to use it. But the U.S. should move from mandatory assessments to voluntary contributions in order to prioritize programs that advance U.S. interests and defund others.

In addition, Washington should advance multilateralism by selectively routing around the U.N. system in favor of institutions that include America’s democratic allies and exclude authoritarian regimes such Russia and China. These groupings, like the G-7 and NATO, are often the only places where genuine international cooperation happens today. 

Finally, there is no need to cling to the preexisting system. After WWII, there was an explosion of creativity as Washington and its allies invented new bodies from scratch. The world needs a new burst of such innovative thinking now to design the multilateral frameworks necessary to meet contemporary challenges. 

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Priority should be given to frameworks that bring together U.S. allies in North America, Europe and the Indo-Pacific. NATO, the Quad, AUKUS, IP4 (Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea), and the American–Japanese–Korean trilateral pact are promising steps in this direction.

Last week’s U.N. proceedings show that hope for multilateral cooperation remains alive. But to transform that spirit into effective governance, Washington will need to reimagine the U.N. and other global institutions to return them to their founding mission of promoting peace, prosperity and freedom.

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Matthew Kroenig is vice president of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center, a professor at Georgetown, and a former Pentagon strategist. Dan Negrea is a former State Department special representative for commercial and business affairs and an Atlantic Council distinguished fellow. The authors write only in their personal capacity and not on behalf of any person or organization.

Apple’s iOS 18 brings a host of new features aimed at enhancing your accessibility. 

Among these, the upgraded Magnifier app stands out with its innovative Reader Mode, designed to assist you in reading small or dark text with ease.

A woman having trouble reading things (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Ensure you have iOS 18 installed

Before you can take advantage of the new features in the Magnifier app, make sure your device is running iOS 18. Follow these steps to check and update your iOS.

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Check your current iOS Version:

• Open the Settings app on your device
• Tap General
• Tap About, and you’ll see the version number next to Software Version.

Update to iOS 18:

• Go to Settings
• Tap General
• Tap Software Update
• If iOS 18 is available, tap Download and Install
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update

Steps to update to iOS 18 on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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The power of Magnifier’s Reader Mode

Have you ever struggled to read something small or in poor lighting? The new Reader Mode in iOS 18’s Magnifier app is here to help. By simply snapping a picture, this feature translates all the text in the image into a clear, easy-to-read page. Here are the steps to use Reader Mode.

• Launch the Magnifier app on your iOS device. You can do this by searching for it in the Spotlight search or accessing it via Control Center if you’ve added it there.
• Once inside the Magnifier app, tap on the Settings icon (or gear icon) in the top or bottom corner of the screen.
• In the settings menu, click Capture to enable Reader Mode by toggling the switch.
• Click the left-hand yellow arrow in the upper left of the screen to exit.
• Next, tap Done

Steps to use Magnifier Reader Mode (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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• Now, position your camera over the text you want to read and tap the Capture button to take a picture.
• After taking the picture, you’ll see an option to apply Reader Mode. Tap on the Reader Mode icon to convert the text into a clear, readable format.
• Customize your reading experience by adjusting font size, contrast and background color using the controls at the bottom of the screen. This helps improve readability, especially in low-light conditions or for small fonts.
• You can scroll up and down the screen to read the text.
• When you are done, just tap the X in the black circle in the upper right of the screen.
• Then tap the X in the yellow circle where it says close below it to completely exit.

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Steps to use Magnifier Reader Mode (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Text-to-speech functionality

In addition to visual adjustments, the Reader Mode also includes a text-to-speech option. This allows the app to read the text out loud, making it even more accessible for those with visual impairments or those who prefer auditory learning. Here’s how to use the Magnifier’s Reader Mode.

• Launch the Magnifier app on your iOS device. You can do this by searching for it in the Spotlight search or accessing it via Control Center if you’ve added it there.
• Now, position your camera over the text you want to read. Tap the Capture button to take a picture.
• After taking the picture, you’ll see an option to apply Reader Mode. Tap on the Reader Mode icon to convert the text into a clear, readable format.
• Customize your reading experience by adjusting font size, contrast and background color using the controls at the bottom of the screen. This helps improve readability, especially in low-light conditions or for small fonts.
• Then tap the Play button at the bottom of the screen to listen to the text.
• Tap the X at the top right of the screen to exit.
• If you want to keep the text for later or share it with someone, tap the Share icon to save or send the readable version of the text.
• When you want to exit, tap the yellow circle with the X in the center of it. 

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Steps to use text-to-speech functionality in Reader Mode (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Kurt’s key takeaways

The new Reader Mode in iOS 18’s Magnifier app is a game-changer for accessibility. By offering customizable reading options and text-to-speech functionality, Apple continues to lead the way in making technology more inclusive for everyone. Whether you’re reading small print or navigating low-light conditions, the Magnifier app ensures that you can access the information you need with ease.

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America’s political leaders have a spending problem. 

They know entitlement programs feature benefit promises far exceeding their tax base, but have done nothing to make them sound. Meanwhile, both parties demand more spending increases — despite the national debt soaring to $35 trillion, or more than $100,000 for each American, rich and poor alike. Under rosy assumptions, over $20 trillion in debt is projected to be added over the next decade.  

Yet despite the foreboding outlook, the major presidential campaigns have no plan to deal with current structural deficits and are outbidding each other to make them worse. For them, the buck stops elsewhere. That may be good short-run politics, but it will only make the inevitable bill bigger and even harder for everyday Americans to pay. 

TRUMP, HARRIS BLASTED FOR IGNORING EXPLODING BUDGET DEFICIT, AS ECONOMISTS PLEAD WITH BOTH TO ‘GET REAL’

Some argue tax cuts are to blame for the soaring debt. But as data from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office shows, revenue has remained largely stable while spending has grown significantly above prior levels.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump aren’t just competing to win the presidency. They are trying to outspend one another. (Getty Images)

Much of the growing debt is baked into the budgetary cake, and experts have long warned about rising costs when the Baby Boom generation retires. But growing Social Security payouts — long ago engineered to rise faster than prices — are only part of the problem. Soaring health spending, driven by the same demographic factors and compounded by exploding medical costs, is an even bigger challenge. 

America’s mountain of debt has been exacerbated by massive so-called emergency spending enacted by both parties. During the pandemic, legislation added over $5 trillion to the debt. Now the nearly $1 trillion in annual interest on the debt exceeds all federal spending on children, and defense spending, too. 

Efforts to balance the budget are repeatedly dismissed. As chairman of the House Budget Committee, one of us regularly proposed and passed balanced budgets, only to see hope for such discipline overcome by a desire for ever-greater spending. Important-sounding commissions (including one dubbed the “supercommittee”) issued detailed recommendations that were mostly ignored.  

Experts produced reams of data showing nations deep in debt inevitably reach a financial crisis, even as proponents of modern monetary theory (MMT) argued no amount of spending is too great. According to MMT advocates, the federal government can always print more money.    

Americans have already experienced where inaction and that illogic lead. During the pandemic, former Obama Treasury Secretary Larry Summers warned that massive new federal spending would lead to significant inflation, which is exactly what happened, with prices growing 20% since the start of the Biden-Harris administration.  

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The Federal Reserve’s response led to the highest interest rates in two decades, helping drive the monthly mortgage payment for a median-priced home up by over $1,000. Lower-income Americans spend a greater share of their income on housing, so such rising costs are just one example of why they tend to suffer most from inflation and higher interest rates. 

Yet despite expressing concerns about inflation, both presidential tickets propose even bigger deficits. In fact, they seem to be in a bidding war to make them worse. Former President Donald Trump proposed exempting tip income from federal taxes, and Vice President Kamala Harris quickly followed suit. Both ignored the 10-year costs of this proposal, which stretch into hundreds of billions of dollars.  

Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance suggested more than doubling today’s $2,000 child tax credit to $5,000, which Harris one-upped by proposing $6,000 payments in a child’s first year. Senator Vance hasn’t spelled out important details of his plan, but we know most of Harris’s plan comprises bigger benefit spending instead of tax relief. Both proposals would cost over $1 trillion during the next decade. 

Yet despite the foreboding outlook, the major presidential campaigns have no plan to deal with current structural deficits and are outbidding each other to make them worse. For them, the buck stops elsewhere. That may be good short-run politics, but it will only make the inevitable bill bigger and even harder for everyday Americans to pay. 

Neither campaign has a plan to cover the new costs. According to the Penn Wharton Budget Model, counting their economic effects, Trump’s plans would increase deficits by $4 trillion versus Harris’s $2 trillion. But that assumes Harris doesn’t revive the massive spending plans she promoted as one of the most liberal members of the Senate. Her plans included a ruinously expensive Medicare-for-all proposal, along with $2,000-per-month stimulus checks for most Americans costing $21 trillion. If you believe a Harris administration wouldn’t revive such proposals during the next economic crisis, you haven’t paid attention to recent Washington policymaking. 

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While both campaigns suggest we can have higher spending and debt alongside lower prices and interest rates, recent experience suggests otherwise. So where does the buck really stop? That is, who will ultimately pay for all this?  

The reality is every American will pay, especially those with modest incomes and younger Americans who will suffer the longest from higher taxes, inflation and interest rates. We should demand more from our leaders than promises of bigger giveaways, followed by empty handwringing about the soaring debt and financial pain that inevitably result.    

Matt Weidinger is the Rowe Fellow in poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute. He is a former deputy staff director of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

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The debate between the candidates for vice president — GOP nominee Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — was dominated by Vance, and all but a handful of hardened partisan pundits agree on that conclusion. 

Walz wobbled and panicked from the first question — which everyone in the world knew would be about Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel earlier in the day. Yet Walz still fumbled his response, and it got worse from there until the CBS moderators invoked the unwritten mercy rule for left-wing moderators watching the Democrat melt and tossed Walz some softballs on J6 at the debate’s close, by which time the internet was howling and laughing at the Minnesota governor. 

There were three important takeaways:  

NEW YORK POST CALLS OUT CBS FOR ‘RIDICULOUS’ FACT-CHECK OF JD VANCE: ‘SHAMEFUL MOMENT’

First, Vance is a superb and calm debater and a reassuring figure on the national stage. 

Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz showed a great deal about the competence of the presidential candidates who chose them.

Second, Walz is not, and he represents the one big decision Vice President Kamala Harris has had to make since President Joe Biden dropped out. It was a terrible decision. Imagine her Cabinet and White House staff if somehow, she wins.  

Third, legacy media is irretrievably broken and cannot be reclaimed from its lurch into rote leftism and extreme partisanship, or even pulled back to a minimum level of seriousness on big occasions.  

Do executives at these networks — ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC— not see what has happened? Americans don’t trust the news divisions at the legacy networks. It’s as if those divisions are run by a combination of fresh-from-campus-demonstration interns and hardened partisans from the Obama years.  

The CBS debate was not, however, as overtly biased against Vance as ABC’s earlier debate was against Trump, but it was still very, very biased against the center-right and conservative audience. Viewers saw the question set veer quickly from a world crisis and the border crisis to get to the left’s favorite issue of abortion.  

With the world tuning in only hours after Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, the moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan did open with an obligatory round of questions on that crisis. But, after 10 minutes, they plowed on to a quick exchange on immigration and the Biden-Harris massive fail on the relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s savaging of North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia in order to get to … abortion, which had been discussed at length in the ABC debate and about which there are zero mysteries.  

Three rounds of questions on abortion, really? And three rounds marked by the rote framing favored by the hard left? Predictable but still shocking.  

The debate ended in a morass of childcare questions and then the obligatory “Wasn’t January 6th terrible?” questions.  

What a farce. Not one question on China’s vast military build-up and its threat against Taiwan and the Philippines. Not one question on the Chinese Communist Party spies shot through our country, including the office of New York’s current and past governor.  Not one question on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  

The vice-presidential debate didn’t go well for CBS or the rest of the legacy media. CBS News anchors Norah O’Donnell, left, and Margaret Brennan moderated the debate between Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz at the CBS Broadcast Center on Oct. 1, 2024, in New York City. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Yes, there was a quick dash through the consequences of more than 10 million illegal immigrants flowing across the southern border under the Biden-Harris regime, but also a quick cut-off when Vance began what was an obviously embarrassing factcheck of the CBS factcheck on the “legal status” of the Haitians in Springfield, Ohio. “We have a lot to get to,” was the trigger for cutting off anything uncomfortable.  

Walz was asked about his lying about his trips to China — sort of. It was left hanging. A knuckleheaded answer for a knuckleheaded team of debate organizers. Chinese President Xi Jinping is a sort of Voldemort for the networks — never to be named — perhaps because ABC and CBS all have corporate ties to companies that must do business there?  

Look, whatever votes were moved by the debate moved toward the GOP because Vance hammered that the costs of everything from food to gas skyrocketed under Biden-Harris, gave a quick tutorial on why construction costs have soared and thus the price of houses, and repeatedly reminded the audience of Harris’s failure in her job as “border czar,” while also stressing the need for more domestic energy production. Tim Walz provided comic relief.  

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The loser wasn’t just Walz though. It was also CBS, which joined ABC in a legacy media hall of shame. When we get back to debates in four years, the good news is the “debate commission” is already dead and that, by 2028, the idea of the big networks hosting debates unchecked by center-right moderators will be as well. The candidates will call on C-SPAN and find some fair moderators. Siri could have done a better job in our past two debates this year.  

What has to be dawning in the C Suites of networks — if they are at all self-aware — is that their product and their talent are awful, and their audiences have already left or will soon leave. Tuesday night was just the most recent example of why. 

Hugh Hewitt is host of “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990.  Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcast, and this column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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Amazon just left a package on everyone’s doorstep. Its CEO, Andy Jassy, is instructing corporate staffers to spend five days a week in the office beginning Jan. 2. And, it’s not a request.  

The decision marks a significant shift from Amazon’s earlier return-to-work stance, which required corporate workers to be in the office at least three days a week. 

Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan are two other large companies that are requiring five days a week in the office. In 2023 alone, 66% of workers say they’re in the office five days a week and you can expect more employers across the country to follow suit. 

(Amazon is sending a clear signal that a five-day-a-week in office policy may be back in full swing for all employers very soon.)

The bad news is that it’s going to be wildly more expensive to return to the office post pandemic and here’s what you need to plan for in your family budget.

COMPANY PLANS TO TRACK WORKERS’ LOCATIONS IN RETURN-TO-OFFICE CRACKDOWN

With 50% of people having not made a repayment to their student loans, credit card debt north of $1.1 trillion, and inflation taking a toll on the budgets of families across America, what can you expect for increased costs when your employer makes you return to work full time?   

Workers spend on average $51 per day when they go to the office, which includes:

• $16 on lunch
• $14 on commuting
• $13 on breakfast and coffee
• $8 on parking
• Workers with pets also spend an additional $20 per day on pet care.

This doesn’t include the crippling cost of child care. Overall, the difference for the average family will be an increase of $612 a month to be back in that cubicle because the boss says it’s better for the company culture.  

Prices are up substantially over the past four years under President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and if you can no longer work from home, here are some of the additional costs you might encounter and ways to offset them.

FORMER AMAZON ENGINEER SAYS COMPANY’S 5-DAY RETURN-TO-WORK POLICY CAUSES EMPLOYEES TO RETHINK JOBS

Commuting Expenses:

Fuel or Public Transportation: Daily travel to and from work will add costs for gas, parking, bus or train fares. Make sure to check your company benefit manual to see what deals or reimbursed expenses they have for employees.

Car Maintenance: More driving leads to wear and tear, increasing maintenance costs like oil changes, tires and repairs. This is the perfect time to get your car a complete checkup to make sure you don’t run into unforeseen auto expenses.

Meals:

Lunch: You may need to buy lunch more often, so it’s best to meal plan at home as the cost for eating out is rarely less than $10 to $15 a pop.

Snacks/Coffee: Skip the Starbucks line and use as much as you can for free with coffee and snacks at the workplace.

BOSSES ADMIT THAT RETURN-TO-OFFICE MANDATES WERE MEANT TO MAKE STAFF QUIT

Work Attire:

Clothing: Depending on the dress code, you might need to invest in new business or professional attire, including shoes. It’s a great time to check your company policy.

Dry Cleaning/Laundry: Professional clothes may require special cleaning, which adds an extra cost. Many people haven’t had to hit the dry cleaner at all over the past several years.

Child care:

Daycare or Babysitting: If you have young children, you might need to pay for full-time child care, after-school programs or a babysitter.

Office Supplies and Equipment:

If your home office setup has been more convenient, you might miss the comforts or setup at home, prompting you to buy extra supplies for your work environment.

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Time Costs:

Longer Hours: Commuting adds time to your day, which reduces your availability for personal activities, self-care or family time. This is important if you must pick your kids up for day care or even the unexpected number of times you’ll have to pick up food on the way home because there isn’t time to make dinner.

Health & Wellness:

Gym Memberships or Fitness Programs: If you used to work out at home, returning to an office could lead you to rejoin a gym or fitness class. It’s possible your employer will have an on-campus gym or a discounted gym membership for you.

Unexpected Costs:

Gadgets and Subscriptions: You might need additional items like portable chargers or subscriptions to music or audio books for commuting entertainment.

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While some employers may still allow working from home and some offer a hybrid schedule (three days at home, two in the office), Amazon is sending a clear signal that a five-day-a-week in office policy may be back in full swing for all employers very soon. 

Now’s a great time to start preparing financially in case your employer makes such a move and thinking about how that will affect your family finances and your overall financial plan.

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