Johnathan Smith

MAHA ≠ MAGA

MAHA is very close to MAGA in terms of orthography, but not so close (anymore) politically. When Robert Kennedy Jr. agreed to stop dumping dead bears and support Donald Trump in 2024 in return for a cabinet post, his MAHA Moms followed him, thinking that Kennedy would bring a focus on healthy food to the administration. Instead, they got a measles epidemic. Now they feel betrayed, and there is a genuine rift between the MAHA Moms and the administration. And it is not due to vaccines.

No, it is due to a chemical that is hard to detect and harder to pronounce: the biocide glyphosate, which has neurotoxic effects and probably causes cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide used in the controversial weed killer, Roundup. To say it is widely used misses the mark. It is the most-used weed killer in history. U.S. farmers spray 300 million pounds of it on corn, soybeans, and other crops each year. The moms don't want it in their kids' food.

Roundup up works because farmers can buy patented genetically modified seeds for crops that are resistant to Roundup and spray Roundup liberally on the fields. It kills all the other plants except the genetically modified crop. When farmers buy the genetically modified seeds, they have to sign an agreement stating that they won't use the seeds from this year's crop to plant next year, forcing them to buy new seeds from the Monsanto division of Bayer, the German chemical giant, every year. Roundup is available for sale in the U.S. despite its health dangers because farmers love it and the EPA doesn't want to take them on for political reasons.

This has come to a head now because last week Donald Trump signed an XO promoting the use of glyphosate. The XO invokes the Defense Production Act to spur production of glyphosate and limits the liability of glyphosate's makers. Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert at Georgetown University, said: "Invoking the Defense Production Act to spur the domestic production of glyphosate is a gross abuse of presidential authority. There is scant evidence that the United States' agricultural sector and its ability to ensure a stable food supply is at risk."

Trump signed the XO to placate farmers who use Roundup, and also to try to keep food costs down. After all, many people would prefer cheap, but poisonous food, to expensive, but healthy, food. But not the MAHA Moms, who are not with the program. The official cover story was that the order is really intended to increase the domestic production of phosphorus, which is a component of glyphosate but also used in munitions.

One of the MAHA Moms, health and wellness podcaster for Turning Point USA Alex Clark, said: "How am I supposed to rally these women to vote red in the midterms? How can we win their trust back? I am unsure if we can." Across the country, many other women expressed similar feelings. Healthy eating activist Vani Hari, known as "Food Babe," who has millions of followers, said: "There is a level of anger and frustration like I've never witnessed before."

Some Democrats see potential here. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said: "The message from this Administration is clear: Chemical company profits are more important than your health." And it is a foreign chemical company, to boot. The whole story is a bit wonky but could be summarized to the voters as: "Trump is encouraging farmers to use a toxic herbicide that causes cancer and brain disorders in children so a German chemical company can make bigger profits." Unfortunately, to make it fit on a bumper sticker, it has to be in 2-point type.

A fundamental dynamic of American politics, particularly presidential politics, is that candidates overpromise and underdeliver. Trump definitely overpromises more aggressively than any president in U.S. history. And there's a pretty good case to be made that he also underdelivers more than any of his predecessors. This is a prime reason that midterms are usually bad for presidents' parties, as people who are disappointed tend to stay home on Election Day (or even to flip to the other side). The MAHA folks are a particular problem, because they are basically single-issue voters, and Trump has just betrayed them on their single issue. (V)

The 6-3 ruling is a major blow to the president's signature economic policy.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

The Pam Bondi Show Got Terrible Reviews--from the Right

The reviews are now in and Pam Bondi got awful, horrible reviews from conservative media and media figures for her over-the-top performance before the House Judiciary Committee last week. What they didn't like was her avoiding answering questions about the Epstein files and her role in handling them. For example, Erick Erickson tweeted: "When the Attorney General of the United States is asked why she has prosecuted no one related to Jeffrey Epstein and this is her answer, she should be fired or resign." The tweet included a video clip of Bondi answering the question of why no one has been prosecuted by saying how great the stock market is doing. Right-wing influencer Tim Pool said: "I think they've miserably handled the Epstein files." Fox News host Lisa Kennedy said Bondi came off "like a shrieking Karen."

Bondi hasn't been popular with the right ever since she announced that she had the Epstein client list on her desk and then, when people demanded that she publish it, said there was no client list. At the time, Megyn Kelly blasted Bondi for this, for first saying there was a list, letting right-wing pundits brag about it, and then leaving them out to dry when she later said there was never a list.

Some far-right figures have cranked their antagonism to Bondi up to 10. Christian nationalist and antisemite Nick Fuentes said: "Pam Bondi needs to be impeached." White supremacist Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two people at a racial justice protest in 2020, tweeted: "Pam Bondi needs to resign. Harmeet Dhillon for AG." Does he not realize that Assistant AG Dhillon is an immigrant from India with brown skin?

Bondi may even have lost podcaster Joe Rogan. He said the Epstein files scare the sh** out of him and are definitely not a hoax. He added: "Literally demonic human beings that are running the world and don't give a fu** about human lives."

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), the coauthor of the law that ordered Bondi to release all the files, with only the victim's names blacked out, was furious with Bondi. She has released only half the files and has redacted large amounts of what was released to protect the perpetrators rather than the victims. Massie told reporters: "The recourse, and I keep reminding the folks at DoJ of this, is that the next attorney general can bring charges against them for breaking the law." He said Bondi's defense for breaking the law is that the DoJ is incompetent. Massie isn't buying that. Bondi called Massie "a failed politician." He replied: "This cover-up spans decades and you are responsible for this portion of it."

On Sunday, Massie went on ABC's "This Week" and said he had no confidence in Bondi and that Merrick Garland performed much better before the committee.

So far, the only Epstein confederate in prison is his procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell, and she is in a Club Fed-type prison in Texas after having had a chat with Deputy AG Todd Blanche. She must have told Blanche something he liked to get sent there. None of the other Americans close to Epstein have suffered anything other than a bit of embarrassment. Over two dozen high-profile people are named in the files released so far, but much of the content of the messages naming them has been blacked out to protect them. So Massie is basically correct that Bondi is protecting Epstein's clients rather than the victims.

Now there is a new wrinkle in the story. Members of Congress may view the unredacted Epstein files in the DoJ headquarters by appointment. A number of them have done that. Now it turns out that Bondi is tracking which member saw which file and has compiled a database. House members Robert Garcia (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) have sent Bondi a letter demanding that she immediately stop tracking members who are looking at the files. Bondi had a printout of Jayapal's search history with her at the hearing last Wednesday.

The members also want a better system for systematically examining the unredacted files. Even Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has condemned Bondi's spying on the members. Bondi has not responded to the letter. (V)

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Waymo is rolling out its sixth-generation autonomous driving system, saying it's designed to avoid a repeat of past weather-related snafus. It's also causing controversy by putting the new kit on vehicles built by a Chinese automaker. …

An FBI investigation of the 2020 election in Fulton County, Ga., was initiated by a lawyer who aided President Trump's unsuccessful efforts to overturn that election, an unsealed affidavit says.

(Image credit: Mike Stewart)

The introduction of AI to the operating theater doesn’t always work out as optimists, or the FDA, might expect.

Nike's battery-powered footwear system, which propels wearers forward, is part of a broader push to help humans move farther and faster.

(Image credit: Gritchelle Fallesgon for NPR)

D.C. health officials are contacting people possibly exposed to measles at the March for Life in January, as confirmed cases rise nationwide.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

A pair of lawmakers in New York wants to put a pause on new data centres in the state for the next three years and ninety days, for the state to be able to assess the impact on water, electricity and gas usage. New York would follow in the footsteps of Georgia, Maryland, Oklahoma, Vermont and Virginia—according to Wired—with Florida also considering legislation.

New York state has at least 133 data centres, with most being located in New York City and Buffalo, followed by Albany and Long Island, which according to National Grid New York President Sally Librera will see the electricity demand jump to 10 GW over the next five years. Common among all the states is that the cost of electricity and other utilities have increased, with electricity prices by around 13 percent in 2025. Some of the states want the data centres to "pay their own way", although considering the time it takes to build the infrastructure needed, this might end up being a problem with the current growth rate of new datacentres. With an increasing number of US states considering moratoriums for new datacentres, the current AI boom might have hit a snag that none of the companies involved can get around.

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Administrators sigh: OOBs, they did it again

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Expectations for Nvidia’s next generation of gaming graphics cards have been high for a long time, but new evidence suggests a significantly longer wait. Internal plans and consistent reports from within the company suggest that the upcoming Geforce RTX 60 series, including a possible top-of-the-line RTX 6090 model, could be released in 2028 at the […]

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China has introduced new regulations, starting in 2027, requiring all car doors to open manually from both sides. Electric door handles can malfunction in a crash or battery failure.

(Image credit: Pedro Pardo)

A British broadband internet provider refused to buy a distressed competitor as its entire fiber network has reportedly been chewed up by rats and rodents.

If you're tired of seeing Microsoft's AI features like Copilot, agentic workloads, and Recall forced into their products, you're not alone. Microsoft has finally confirmed that it will be stepping back from its "AI everywhere" strategy. According to an exclusive report by Windows Central, the internal Windows 11 teams at Microsoft are now focusing on reducing forced AI integration. Instead, they aim to address what truly matters to consumers, such as fixing the bug-prone operating system and enhancing core features for a smoother user experience. The integration of Copilot into basic apps like Notepad and Paint is reportedly under review, and Microsoft may remove these features to restore the basic functionality users have come to appreciate. This includes features like basic text formatting and tables in Notepad, which are nice additions to a core application.

Additionally, forcing Copilot AI button in every application has been paused, as there has been very little interest from users in actually using these features. TechPowerUp Forums has been a constant source of criticism for Microsoft's forced AI integration, among the remaining large crowd of PC enthusiasts who have been fighting the "AI everywhere" approach for a while. Microsoft's telemetry records usage of these AI buttons and additions, likely showing that only a few percent of Windows 11 users are actually interested in having AI access every application layer, especially with the recent ambition to shape Windows 11 into "agentic OS." The company confirmed that these features are a security nightmare to maintain, so thankfully these efforts are now cancelled.

LG appears to be the latest major TV brand to pull back from 8K, with reports suggesting the company has effectively ended its consumer 8K television lineup. The move follows a broader industry pattern: several manufacturers have already reduced or removed 8K sets from their portfolios, and the overall ecosystem ha ...

Last week's Intel Q4/2025 analyst call was a disaster that has a single root cause but no solution.
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The post Intel Is In A Serious Bind With Few Options appeared first on Semiaccurate.

Ubisoft has ruffled more than a few feathers in the last week, thanks to recent news that it would be cancelling a swathe of games, postponing a handful of other games, mandating a return to office for its workers, and potentially laying off about 200 of its employees at its headquarters in Paris, France. In response to the aforementioned cost-cutting measures, widespread organizational changes, and potential layoffs, unionized Ubisoft staff members are apparently planning a walk-out in protest.

According to a post on Bluesky by the French Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (Video Game Workers' Union), workers were informed of these changes at the same time as the press and the world at large, and the union alleges that the gaming giant did not discuss any of these plans with workers at mandatory union consultations mere days earlier. As a result, the five unions representing workers at Ubisoft—CFE-CGC, CGT, Printemps Écologique, Solidaires Informatique, and STJV—are jointly calling for a "massive international strike" on 10, 11, and 12 February, 2026. In the statement, the organizations reject what they call the "anti-remote-work obsession," cost-cutting plans that negatively affect employees, top-down decision-making, and "coercive control" over staff working conditions. They also call on management to take responsibility for the decisions that have led them to this point and for sincerity about their failings. In the statement, the union leaders reveal that they have been in talks with Ubisoft for over a year about remote work, and some agreements that have been in place since September 2025 have been broken by the recent announcements.

BLUETTI has introduced the Pioneer Na portable power supply, a 900 Wh power station that swaps the typical lithium-ion battery pack for sodium-ion cells. The headline benefit is cold-weather performance: BLUETTI positions the unit for stable output in environments where conventional portable power stations can see ...

Yesterday, after the equity market closed, Intel announced its Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings, along with weaker-than-expected guidance for Q1 2026. As a result, Intel's stock is anticipated to open 11% lower today. During the Q4 earnings call, Intel's CFO, David Zinsner, explained the reasons behind the reduced outlook, despite the increasing demand for Intel products. The situation arose due to hyperscalers demanding more units. Intel's discussions with these customers indicated a preference for high core count solutions rather than increased unit shipments. Consequently, Intel adjusted its inventory and internal wafer supply to maintain reasonable stock levels while consistently shipping new units. However, hyperscalers have since been ordering larger quantities, leading to a temporary shortage of Xeon processors for the Data Center and AI (DCAI) group. To address this, Intel plans to redirect some resources from the Client Computing Group (CCG) to support Xeon CPU production.

Intel CFO David ZinsnerBoth (DCAI and CCG) will be down as a function of supply. Obviously, we're shifting as much as we can over to data center to meet the high demand, but we can't completely vacate the client market. So we're trying to support both as best we can and obviously work our way out of this supply issue. I do believe that the first quarter is the trough. We will improve supply in the second quarter. Part of the challenge is that in the third and fourth quarter of 2025, we lived off of supply, but we also had a reasonable chunk of finished goods inventory to also work through. Unfortunately, that is now down to kind of 40% of what it was at peak levels.

Apple believes its Formula 1 coverage should start well before the lights go out on the grid. Talking at the Autosport Business Exchange London, Jim DeLorenzo, Apple’s global head of sports, is aiming to turn a race weekend into a week-long experience. 
2026 sees Apple take on the broadcast rights for the United States after a successful foray into the championship through the F1 movie ...Keep reading

Sony and TCL have officially signed a memorandum of understanding about Sony's home entertainment business, which includes TVs and home audio equipment. Under this new agreement, TCL will acquire a 51% majority ownership share of Sony's home entertainment under the new joint venture business unit. The new JV will continue the legacy of Sony's renowned BRAVIA branding, a symbol of quality in home entertainment. For TCL, this represents an ideal entry into the premium home entertainment market, while the venture marks the end of Sony's unique brand presence. With operations expected to commence in 2027 after all regulatory approvals, we may see the first series of TCL-branded BRAVIA TVs and audio equipment.

Specifically, the two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to confirm their intentions to establish a joint venture that will assume Sony's home entertainment business, with TCL holding 51% and Sony holding 49% of its shares. The joint venture will operate globally, handling the full process from product development and design to manufacturing, sales, logistics, and customer service for products including televisions and home audio equipment. Sony and TCL will proceed with discussions toward executing definitive binding agreements by the end of March 2026. Subject to execution of the definitive agreements and relevant regulatory approvals and other conditions, the new company is expected to commence its operations in April 2027.

"Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize… I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace," Trump wrote in a message to the Norwegian Prime Minister.

(Image credit: Alex Brandon)

What used to be considered brazen third-party software now comes factory-installed. MSI unveiled its fifth generation of OLED gaming monitors at CES 2026, sparking a debate that goes far beyond panel technology and response times. For the first time, a major manufacturer is shifting game-relevant AI functions directly into the hardware. For many gamers, this […]

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The year is 2007 2026 and DDR3 memory platforms are becoming popular. Amid a severe memory shortage, technology nearly two decades old is rising in demand as consumers struggle to find modern memory at reasonable prices. According to a report from Chinese Board Channels, Chinese consumers are turning to Intel's old X99 HEDT platform as a way to obtain high memory capacity at a good price. Older Intel Xeon processors offer quad-channel memory, and Chinese aftermarket motherboards have adapted regular DDR3 and ECC DDR3 memory to work with the X99 chipset, which originally supports DDR4 memory, allowing the reuse of older, cheaper modules. With quad-channel support and up to 128 GB of capacity, this approach provides workstation-grade capacity at a fraction of the price. Additionally, we found listings of dual-socket X99 motherboards with LGA 2011-V3 sockets, which offer DDR3 capacity of up to 256 GB across eight total channels.

Board ChannelsThere is one major trend worth watching: DDR3 motherboard sales are growing quickly. This may be driven by a rebound in demand for lower priced builds. Bundles that pair DDR3 motherboards with 6th to 9th gen CPUs are selling well. Based on recent information from domestic motherboard brands, DDR3 motherboard volumes are rising fast, showing a rapid growth trend of roughly 2 to 3 times or more.