What’s Behind Kamala Harris’ Connection To A Mass Murdering Cult Leader?
A new religious spirit is at work, permeating all sides of American politics.A new religious spirit is at work, permeating all sides of American politics.How Trump's McDonald's gig highlights a crucial battle for our rights
Donald Trump's shift at a Pennsylvania McDonald's caused a McFlurry of excitement online — with fans playfully naming him the leader destined to solve the country's most vexing fast-food frustration.
"He's gonna fix America's ice cream machine," went one typical post on X, alluding to the oft out-of-order frozen treat dispensers — which a recent $900 million lawsuit places at the center of a vast corporate conspiracy.
The chain has long been infamous for the frequency with which its soft-serve makers are on the fritz — so much so that in 2020, enterprising ice cream-lover Rashiq Zahid created McBroken, a website that tracks the status of McFlurry mixers in all 13,509 McDonald's in the United States.
Shakes down
At this writing, 14.72% of McDonald's ice cream machines across the country are broken. That includes 14.29% of all Dallas locations, 18.75% of Seattle's, and a chilling 32% of New York's.
Many disgruntled franchise owners place the blame squarely on McDonald's — and the company that makes most of the machines.
Until 2017, all McDonald's franchises were required to buy an ice cream maker made by the Illinois-based Taylor company; today, they have a few other options, but Taylor still controls most of the market.
While Taylor makes soft-serve machines for other chains, the $18,000 C602 model it sells to McDonald's is made specifically for the Golden Arches — and requires a nightly four-hour cleaning cycle.
PC load vanilla
If anything goes wrong with that cycle, operators of the machine receive a vague error message and are forced to try the cycle again. If they can't get the machine working, they must order an expensive repair from an official Taylor technician.
In 2018, food services conglomerate Middleby acquired Taylor. Its financial statements from that year reveal that 25% of its revenue comes from service calls and repairs — leading many disgruntled franchise owners to speculate that the company makes its machines breakdown-prone on purpose.
In 2020, two entrepreneurs formed the startup Kytch in an attempt to put maintenance back in the hands of franchises. Kytch sold a small computer that attached to Taylor ice cream machines and "translated" confusing error messages into detailed and user-friendly troubleshooting information — often allowing the operators to fix the machine themselves.
Franchises loved it, but soon, executives at Taylor intervened. In late 2020, they sent an email to franchises telling them not to use the device, claiming it could maim an employee by starting the machine remotely during cleaning. Kytch denied this.
Sales dropped, however, and Kytch soon closed up shop.
Iced out
Kytch founders then served Taylor with a $900 million lawsuit, claiming the company employed corporate espionage to obtain a Kytch unit, then reversed-engineered it to make its own competing product — with an eye on driving Kytch out of business rather than solving McDonald's ice cream woes.
While Kytch and Taylor have apparently reached a settlement, the case remains tied up in a dispute between Kytch's former law firm and its current one.
Meanwhile, website iFixit did a teardown of one of the soft-serve units — and has teamed up with nonprofit Public Knowledge to file for an exemption with the U.S. Copyright Office allowing people to repair the Taylor machines — as well as other consumer and commercial devices — on their own.
The case also brought renewed attention to iFixit's advocacy for state "right to repair" laws, which secure the right of the consumer to repair products he or she has purchased without restriction.
As the media continues to cope and seethe over Trump's viral stint as a fast-food worker, it seems to have reopened discussion about our essential property rights — and the efforts of corporations to take them away.
Not bad for 15 minutes spent slinging fries.
CNN Didn’t Interview Kamala Harris, It Swaddled Her In A Security Blanket
We now know Kamala Harris makes her own bacon on Sunday mornings.Ben Stiller, Jason Bateman, John Stamos top list of celebrities on latest Zoom call fundraiser for Kamala Harris
Comedians and actors will gather on a Zoom call Monday night in hopes of adding to a growing fundraising trend for Vice President Kamala Harris.
After hosting other race-centric Zoom calls titled "white women for Kamala" and "white dudes for Kamala," the Harris campaign decided the online calls to action were successful enough to necessitate moving forward with the format.
At 8 p.m. ET, a bevy of left-wing comedians will join an online call called "Comics for Kamala," with hopes of raising funds for the vice president who recently became the presidential candidate for the Democrats.
'President Biden so graciously stepping aside and passing the torch has just energized so many people.'
Ben Stiller, Jason Bateman, John Stamos, and Nick Offerman are some of the biggest celebrities signed up for the event, per Deadline. Other recognizable names include actors Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), David Koechner ("Anchorman"), and Craig Robinson ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine").
Known Democratic activists such as Patton Oswalt, Kathy Griffin, Tom Arnold, D.L. Hughley, and Rosie O'Donnell are also on the billing.
The aforementioned "white dudes for Harris" call reportedly raised over $4 million after sporting celebrities like Jeff Bridges and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, along with politicians such as Democratic governors Tim Walz (Minn.) and Roy Cooper (N.C.). Participants shared different stories about being traumatized by the Trump presidency and expressed why they felt it was paramount that Harris get elected.
For example, actor Josh Gad recalled crying over his children's bed when Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016.
"I'm not sure you guys can recall that feeling you had on the night of Tuesday, November 8, 2016. I remember that feeling. I stood over my kids' bed, and I wept," Gad said.
BlazeTV's Alex Stein called the story "creepy" and "weird" and added "crying in front of your children is the least father-like thing you could ever do."
Author Bridget Phetasy called the female version of the event a form of actual "white supremacy."
"You have to believe you are better than everyone else and that it is up to you to lift up all of these people – these poor people who can't help themselves – and speak to everybody like they're toddlers," she told BlazeTV host Glenn Beck.
Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell praised the events and later applauded the Democratic ticket for having new energy.
"President Biden so graciously stepping aside and passing the torch has just energized so many people," Swalwell said. "[Harris] likes to have fun, and part of who she is is her great laugh."
The California Democrat praised the apparently whites-only events and said they set a "very high bar" for fundraisers moving forward. Swalwell added that he reached out to the owner of the comedy club Stand Up New York to help organize the August 5 event.
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Mark Levin: Biden’s DEI appointments RUINED the Secret Service
If there’s one thing that can be agreed upon across the political aisle, it’s that the Secret Service was horrifically incompetent on July 13 — and thus is an absolute embarrassment to the United States.
The Secret Service had one job — to protect former President Donald Trump. And the agency failed. Had he not turned his head at the last second, he would likely not be with us today.
Mark Levin is in utter disbelief that something like this could have happened.
“What’s very upsetting about this, though, is the more we learn, the more preposterous and outrageous this is,” Levin says. “This is a tiny local police department. Are you telling me the United States Secret Service delegated them authority for protection outside the protection zone?”
Meanwhile, the Secret Service did have a counter-sniper. So where was he?
“If you have a counter-sniper there, that counter-sniper, that’s his job to stay focused. To look for any other snipers or any other potential, you know, in the trees, on the buildings, and so forth. That’s his job,” Levin says.
“And now that we learn that they viewed that building as a vulnerable spot, and then we hear that for the local police it was a launching off for special ops,” he continues. “You’ve seen the video, the people yelling and saying, ‘There’s a guy up there with a gun, he’s up there, he’s up there now with a rifle.’”
Perhaps a good way to explain how this happened starts with the now-former director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle. Cheatle was head of security for PepsiCo before becoming Secret Service director.
“This is a DEI appointment by Joe Biden,” Levin says. “One of the focuses of this director of the Secret Service, and she’s made it public, ‘We want 30% female agents.’”
“Well, I want 100% competent agents. This is not a game,” he adds.
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MSNBC Focus Group Of Swing-State Voters Trashes Kamala Harris: ‘I Think She’s An Idiot’
A focus group of women in Wisconsin sharply criticized presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, calling her 'an idiot.''How can you continue?' Trump, pundits, and celebrities react to Biden dropping out of race with months left to govern
Upon President Joe Biden's announcement that he would no longer be seeking re-election in the 2024 presidential race, reactions poured in from across the globe wondering how the president can be fit to govern for the rest of his term.
Biden said that it has been "the greatest honor" of his life to serve as president, adding that he now believes "it is in the best interests" of the Democrats and the country to "stand down."
Biden followed that up with his "full support and endorsement for Kamala" Harris in a subsequent announcement.
Following those remarks, the strongest sentiment surrounding the president was the question of how he could possibly be fit to run the country for the remainder of his term but not beyond.
President Trump immediately reacted on his platform Truth Social, saying "Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was!"
"All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn't capable of being President, and he wasn't," Trump added.
Donald Trump Jr. chose to focus on Harris' policy record, saying that she is "even more liberal and less competent than Joe, which is really saying something."
'The Democrats are such jokes, and scumbags, and deviants.'
Likewise, conservative pundit Michael Knowles asked: "If you're too frail to run for president, how can you continue to serve as president?"
He also asked if President Biden is even aware that the statement was sent out in his name.
— (@)
'No to Trump/Vance. No to the right-wing Christian religious takeover of our nation.'
Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy noted that he has been saying for months that Biden is unfit to hold office, stating that there is "no way Kamala [Harris] would have been the nominee if Joe Biden dropped out before the Democratic Primary and had to run vs other candidates."
Portnoy went on to say in a video that the Democrats are "trying to hijack, basically, democracy" by working around the primaries.
"The Democrats are such jokes, and scumbags, and deviants, you have to vote for the other guy because of what the Democrats are doing," he continued.
Additionally, Portnoy asked what kind of "retirement package" the Bidens got for agreeing to drop out and said that the party knew "when they sent [Biden] out to that debate with Trump ... they sent out a vegetable."
He then called California Governor Gavin Newsom a "slime bag."
— (@)
Newsom, who has been rumored by many as a possible replacement for the Democrats, praised Biden for being "an extraordinary, history-making president" and a "leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans."
Biden will "go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents," Newsom claimed.
Celebrities like actor Mark Ruffalo, however, chose to take Biden's announcement as "marching orders" and said it was "time to hit the trail running."
"No to Trump/Vance. No to the right-wing Christian religious takeover of our nation. Nothing wrong with Christianity; just shouldn't be running a nation birthed from freedom of religion," he added.
— (@)
X owner Elon Musk offered a bit of positivity, claiming that some of his "smartest friends, including those living in the San Francisco Bay Area who have been lifelong Dems, are excited about Trump/Vance."
He added that the pendulum has swung from Democrat to Republican in terms of the party that believes in maximizing "individual freedom and merit."
— (@)
Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a close ally of Biden, called him a "patriotic American who has always" put the country first.
Citing his "vision, values, and leadership," Pelosi said that "God blessed America" in Biden's presidency.
— (@)
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What Nikki Haley's 2024 announcement means for the Republican Party and Trump
After winning only one primary on Super Tuesday, Nikki Haley has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race — but she stopped short of endorsing Donald Trump.
Rather than endorse the former president, she challenged him to win the support of those who supported her.
“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that,” Haley said in a speech in Charleston, South Carolina.
“At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people,” she added.
Stu Burguiere is actually in agreement with Haley.
“You don’t win any national elections without them, you will not win any national elections without the Nikki Haley faction of the Republican Party voting for, let’s say Donald Trump, who’s going to be the nominee,” Burguiere says.
Trump was able to get all those votes in 2016 and most of them in 2020.
Glenn Beck doesn’t think this is too far-fetched.
“20% of those who voted for Biden in 2020 say they will vote for Trump,” Glenn explains.
“I think the people who voted for Haley will end up voting for Trump just because the alternative is Hillary Clinton. Everything that we said Hillary Clinton would do, they’re doing. In fact, on steroids,” he adds.
To hear more, watch the clip below.
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Glenn Beck's Bold $1,000 Prediction: Michelle Obama as Presidential Nominee?