Former President Donald Trump has explained his decision not to debate Vice President Kamala Harris for a second time saying that he clearly won their first debate. He used the metaphor of a defeated boxer who immediately demands a rematch to prove that Harris, who has called for a second debate, lost it.  But on Friday's Morning Joe, the exclusively liberal panel tried to turn the tables on Trump, breaking out a string of boxing metaphors to assert that their candidate won the debate instead - and beat Trump badly. “It seems to me they could have waited a week or two, but he must have been so traumatized by being so badly beaten that he just wanted to get it out of his mind, that he'd ever have to be on stage again with Kamala Harris,” proclaimed co-host Mika Brzezinski. Co-host Willie Geist also found humor it: “I think the more apt boxing metaphor is that he just got his butt kicked in the third or fourth round, and he's deciding not to come back out for the next round, where Kamala Harris is standing in the middle of the ring saying, ‘let's do it again.’ He wants none of it.”     Former Republican Michael Steele took almost a sick pleasure in the analogies about Trump being physically beaten: We know he's lying. We know he got -- not just got stung, he got knocked down. And he got knocked down in such a way that he could not get up. So basically, what you have is the -- to keep this boxing metaphor going, the guy on the mat looking up, with one hand up in the air, trying to get up off the floor, saying, "I don't want anymore. No mas." . . . And so, yeah, he's on the mat looking up from the floor, saying, "I don't want no more." God bless you, Donald, because if you get up, she gonna hit you again. Geist gave Steele “kudos” for breaking out "no mas," a reference to Roberto Duran's famous phrase from his 1980 fight with Sugar Ray Leonard. So yes, Morning Joe reveled in awarding the debate round to Harris. But as fans of The Sweet Science know, the winner is the boxer who's still standing at the end of the fight -- and there are many rounds to come. Here's the transcript: MSNBC's Morning Joe 9/13/24 6:02 am EDT MIKA BRZEZINSKI: It seems to me that right now, the big story is the fact that he doesn't want to debate again. I'd love to get your thoughts on this. It seems to me they could have waited a week or two, but he must have been so traumatized by being so badly beaten that he just wanted to get it out of his mind, that he'd ever have to be on stage again with Kamala Harris. WILLIE GEIST: Yeah, I mean, he objectively got blown out of the room at that debate three nights ago. He knows that. His advisors know that. Republicans who support him generally have said that on television. Fox News hosts are saying that. He knows he got creamed. And so now, he's framing it as the debate was unfair to me. The moderators were too mean. I'm not going to do that again. He doesn't want to get back in the ring with Vice President Kamala Harris. That's the truth.  . . .  DONALD TRUMP: But when a prize fighter loses a fight, you've seen a lot of fights, right? The first words out of that fighter's mouth is, "I wanna rematch. I wanna rematch." And that's what she said, I want a rematch.  Polls clearly show I won the debate against Comrade Kamala Harris . . . So because we've done two debates, and because they were successful, there will be no third debate. . . .  GEIST: He likes that boxing metaphor about a rematch, somehow framing that as how he won. He doesn't need another one. I think the more apt boxing metaphor is that he just got his butt kicked in the third or fourth round, and he's deciding not to come back out for the next round, where Kamala Harris is standing in the middle of the ring saying, "let's do it again." He wants none of it. . . .  MICHAEL STEELE: We know he's lying. We know he got -- not just got stung, he got knocked down. And he got knocked down in such a way that he could not get up.  So basically, what you have is the -- to keep this boxing metaphor going, the guy on the mat looking up, with one hand up in the air, trying to get up off the floor, saying, "I don't want anymore. No mas." . . . And so, yeah, he's on the mat looking up from the floor, saying, "I don't want no more." God bless you, Donald, because if you get up, she gonna hit you again.  . . .  GEIST: Kudos to you, Michael Steele, for taking our extended boxing metaphor to the Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard fight with "no mas" in 1980. Very nicely done there.

A new remix song about one brief comment from former President Donald Trump during the debate against Kamala Harris has taken social media platforms by storm.On Tuesday night, Trump drew attention to problems in Springfield, Ohio, wrought by an influx of Haitian immigrants who have allegedly defied local laws and customs regarding animals.'Those searches will direct people's attention to the Biden-Harris-engineered migrant invasion of small towns: a Trumpian issue if there ever was one.'"In Springfield, they’re eating dogs," Trump said, referring to the Haitian immigrants. "They’re eating the cats. They’re eating ... the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame."At the time, Harris snickered with condescension and incredulity. ABC News host David Muir then attempted to fact-check Trump's assertion by citing a statement from Springfield city manager Bryan Heck, who insisted that "there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community."The veracity of the allegations about pets remains to be seen. With other lingering questions about Haitians' treatment of wildlife like ducks and geese, Trump may have also sensationalized the story to draw attention to the plight of Springfield residents more generally.Regardless of the credibility of Trump's statement during the debate, some savvy content creators have used it to generate catchy songs that have sent social media users into a craze.The song lyrics are simple: "They're eating the dogs. They're eating the cats. Eat the cat, eat eat the cat." But between the simplistic language and the strong beat, TikTok users from many different backgrounds have started filming themselves dancing along.Take a look at a handful of examples here.The trend even seems to transcend party lines as the messages posted on some of the videos in this five-minute compilation attest:"I hate that this slaps.""Too catchy to pass up.""I'm not gonna lie... Track number 3 On this political soundtrack is fire.""Me trying to remind myself of the context while this beat makes me feel some type of way."Other creative users have attached the song to videos of Trump with pets, Joe Biden listening to music, and Kamala Harris dancing.Another version of the song involves more animation and synthesized electronic beats but has still appealed to many social media users.Aside from offering some fun that could unify some of our divisions, the viral songs may also bring some electoral benefits to Trump. For one thing, they keep prospective voters' minds on Trump while they smile, dance, and have a good time.They may also prompt some curious people to investigate Trump's claims and uncover clear problems in Springfield, Ohio — problems that Democrats have tried to keep quiet because they relate to immigration.Harry Enten of CNN even admitted that "the most rapidly rising Google search phrases associated with Trump following the debate are all about eating animals." Though Enten suggested that such search phrases would ultimately boost Harris, most X users in the comments disagreed. "Those searches will direct people's attention to the Biden-Harris-engineered migrant invasion of small towns: a Trumpian issue if there ever was one," one user said in part."The effect has literally been the opposite, Harry," said another."Gonna go out on a limb, Trump will benefit. There’s something to the claim, but even if there isn’t it should be scandalous enough to fly in and drop 20k Haitians on a town of 50k," said a verified account named Oilfield test monkey.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Songs of Conquest has been one of the biggest surprises of the year so far. A fantasy strategy game that pulls from Heroes of Might and Magic, Songs of Conquest stands alongside fresh entries to the genre like Manor Lords, Frostpunk 2, and Age of Mythologies: Retold to make 2024 outstanding for anyone looking for new options to explore. Now, good news has just arrived for fans of the game who have wrung a lot of enjoyment from it already as a new update has launched that should help provide another reason to jump back in. Continue reading Beloved Steam 4X game Songs of Conquest just got even better

You would be forgiven for wondering exactly when Besiege developer Spiderling Studios is going to take a break. Almost ten years after the medieval sandbox sim’s release it’s still getting updated and has just launched a new DLC - the game’s first. After all that you might expect a moment of silence but it’s not to be, as the dev has just shown off a roadmap for the upcoming months, packed with updates. Continue reading Legendary sandbox game Besiege unveils roadmap filled with new stuff MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best sandbox games, Best building games, Best medieval games

What Trump and Harris should have said about immigration during Tuesday’s debate.

Inscryption is a horror game that uses cards as a method of storytelling to convey the dark past of its grim world. Kaycees Mod is a free update from the developers that provides a replayable roguelike version of the first chapter of Inscryption. Beneath the horror and seeded truth behind the main game is an innovative card game with engaging replayability, challenging puzzles, and a difficulty level that makes you earn your power spike.

Nicole Shanahan Does It Again: 'Who Really Are the MAGA People?'

Could Donald Trump's Poll Numbers Be Hiding a Silent Surge?

The Destiny 2 Nerf Ace of Spades blaster. | Image: Hasbro When Bungie and Hasbro decided to create a real-life, dart-blasting Nerf version of one of the most famous Destiny 2 guns, someone got lazy — stealing a fan artist’s nine-year-old work instead of creating the Ace of Spades from scratch. To Bungie’s credit, the game company has just announced it will “make sure” to compensate and credit Tofu Rabbit “for their incredible artwork,” after a rapid investigation. As you can see in Tofu’s examples below, this is an incredibly clear-cut case of copying, despite the changes that Bungie or Hasbro’s artists made to the blaster. Hey @Bungie @BungieHelp @DestinyTheGame @A_dmg04 @Cozmo23 @DestinyComArt soo, the NERF ace of spades DIRECTLY lifts a commission i did in 2015. This is not "similar" or... Continue reading…

The Ultraloq Bolt Mission UWB Plus NFC is the first smart lock to launch that leverages ultra wideband auto-unlocking technology. | Image: U-tec U-tec’s new smart lock will allow your door to unlock automatically as you approach it using ultra wideband (UWB) technology. While U-tec and other lock makers currently have auto-unlock methods that use a combination of BLE, Wi-Fi, and GPS, these can be unreliable and slow. The Ultraloq Bolt Mission UWB Plus NFC is the first smart lock to leverage UWB, which promises a simpler, faster, and more reliable experience. In addition to UWB, the new lock works over Wi-Fi and Matter and can be unlocked with NFC. At launch, it will work with Android NFC-enabled phones, and U-tec says support for Apple’s Home Key tap-to-open feature will come once it’s available through Matter. If you don’t want to use any of these newfangled methods of entry,... Continue reading…