Pollster Scott Rasmussen shares his insights on the latest polling data and discusses the political landscape as the presidential race reaches the critical month of September. Watch or listen to our full interview on the latest episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast.” With only small margins separating Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump in crucial swing states, the presidential race remains highly competitive, with no clear leader emerging yet, Rasmussen tells The Daily Signal. “Right now, the race in many ways is like it was in the Trump-Biden numbers, with the exception that people know very little about Vice President Harris,” he says. “They don’t know her policies. They don’t have an opinion of her.” Several swing states—Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, and Georgia—are up for grabs, Rasmussen predicts, while the big prize of Pennsylvania appears likely to determine the outcome of the election. In the interview, Rasmussen also examines Harris’ rise as the Democrat nominee after President Joe Biden’s withdrawal, noting that her limited number of policy proposals, such as a tax on unrealized capital gains and price controls, are generally unpopular. “If you ask voters, who do you trust on certain issues? Donald Trump is generally trusted more than Kamala Harris on the top issues dealing with the economy and immigration,” Rasmussen explains. “If you were to take the job-approval numbers of President Biden and recognize that Harris is defending that administration, you would also say Trump should have a big advantage here. But there are some people who, even though they might prefer his policies, just can’t bring themselves to vote for the former president.” Rasmussen also discusses broader political themes, such as how voters perceive “progressive Democrats” versus “MAGA Republicans.” While neither term is particularly popular, “progressive Democrats” fares better among voters—unless their opposition to border security or parental involvement in education are emphasized. The 2024 election, Rasmussen predicts, could come down to who focuses on the policy issues that most affect Americans’ lives. “President Trump could learn a lesson from candidate Trump in 2016,” Rasmussen says. “In 2016, and it shocked a lot of people after the election was done, the analysis showed that Donald Trump talked about issues a lot. … Hillary Clinton talked about Donald Trump. And since she didn’t address issues and since she embodied the political establishment, that was her downfall.” The post SWING STATE SHOWDOWN: Where the 2024 Election Will Be Decided appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Acer just unveiled its latest gaming PC range, the Predator Orion 7000, and along with all the usual internal hardware options you might expect, the company has offered up an extra feature that is a new one to us. This new Acer gaming PC includes a pop-out, hot-swappable SSD. With Acer's Orion 5000 already our top pick for the best gaming PC you can buy - as a pre-made system that it - the Orion 7000 will no doubt deliver the sort of balance of performance and affordability as its brethren. However, it's really the swappable SSD that's the intriguing bit here. Continue reading Acer’s new Orion 7000 gaming PC has a hot-swappable SSD MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best gaming monitor

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge A coalition of consumer protection and anti-waste groups wants the Federal Trade Commission to go after “software tethering,” or the practice of tying hardware’s functionality to external software — which often renders products unusable after software updates stop. The groups, including Consumer Reports, iFixIt, US PIRG, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Economic Justice, and Californians Against Waste, have signed onto a letter asking the FTC to “create clear guidance” on software tethering. “While the FTC has taken some limited actions with regard to this issue, a lack of clarity and enforcement has led to an ecosystem where consumers cannot reliably count on the connected products they buy to last,” the letter reads. T... Continue reading…

The Voice Mate H1 is a small button-like microphone you lift to activate and then can issue smart home commands to. | Image: Aqara Smart home company Aqara has announced the Voice Mate H1 — a home automation voice control system activated by picking up a small puck rather than its microphone always listening for its wake word. The company is also launching its first outdoor camera, the Camera Hub G5 Pro, which, like its other cameras, will work with Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video. These products, along with a new garage door controller, smart valve shut-off device, and new smart switches (for Europe only), were announced at the IFA tech show this week. Aqara hasn’t provided pricing or availability yet. While smart speakers and phones with built-in voice assistants are easy ways to control your smart home, by design, they are always listening for their wake word.... Continue reading…

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Netflix The Verge spoke with Bill Gates about AI, misinformation, and climate change. Continue reading…

On Wednesday night, former President Donald Trump had hoped to be facing off against Kamala Harris during a 2024 presidential debate hosted by Fox News. But Joe Biden's taciturn vice president was a no-show,…

An upcoming hearing convened by the University of Wisconsin’s Board of Regents will make a final decision about whether a professor and former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will…

[Craving even more FPM content? Sign up for FPM+ to unlock exclusive series, virtual town-halls with our authors, and more. Click here to sign up.] There are two Kamalas: one real and one fake. Like…

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Former President Donald Trump spoke about a wide range of issues Wednesday during a town hall event that was initially scheduled to be a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.  The event was in…