Several senior advisers of failed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris have admitted that President-elect Donald Trump was likely too popular to beat in the 2024 election.On Tuesday, the left-leaning show "Pod Save America" dropped an episode featuring Harris advisers David Plouffe, Jen O'Malley Dillon, Quentin Fulks, and Stephanie Cutter. The team did their best to spin the campaign and Harris' overall performance in a positive light, but even they had to admit Trump had the edge almost from the moment Joe Biden dropped out and Harris got the nod."She had a huge deficit in favorability because either people didn't know about her or what they did know about her was based off of negative media," Cutter claimed.Even the lone presidential debate between Harris and Trump, which the media claims Harris won, did little to move the needle, Plouffe explained, estimating it may have given Harris only a half-point boost."Even post-debate, we still had ourselves down in the battleground states."They also begrudgingly admitted that a larger share of the American electorate has warmed to Trump. Plouffe pointed out that this time around, Trump performed significantly better among voters without a college degree, especially those who are not white.Others noted that voters look back on Trump's first term favorably, especially when compared with the Biden-Harris administration. Between COVID and high inflation, Americans "had been through hell" the past four years, Cutter claimed, and were therefore remembering Trump's time in office "much more fondly."In fact, Trump nostalgia was so strong that the Harris campaign attempted to stoke fear about a second Trump term, Plouffe indicated, and harped on his perceived weaknesses such as abortion and Project 2025."Once you have a former president running where 48% to 51% of the people approve of his first term and people are dissatisfied with the direction of the country, you have to raise the stakes of what a second term would be like," Plouffe explained."So I think for us, we spent much more time trying to raise the stakes of a second term than re-arbitrating the first because voters just weren't open to that," he added."At the end of the day, the political atmosphere was pretty brutal."'We got it to even, but the thing never moved.'Another aspect of this "Pod Save America" episode that has garnered national attention was the discussion about the apparent disconnect between public polling numbers and the internal polling numbers, as Blaze News previously reported."We didn’t get the breaks we needed on Election Day," Plouffe said. "I think it surprised people because there was these public polls that came out in late September, early October, showing us with leads that we never saw."Indeed, from about August 5 until October 23, the RealClearPolling average had Harris ahead of Trump, usually by about two points. Ipsos and Marist polls taken the first week of November likewise showed Harris with two-point and four-point national lead respectively. Trump ended up winning the popular vote by about 1.6% and the Electoral College in a landslide, trouncing Harris 312 to just 226. Nevertheless, in the weeks leading up to the election, the Harris team still viewed the race as "tight" and within "the margin of error," believing they needed only a few data points to bounce their way to a Harris victory. Those bounces never happened."We got it to even, but the thing never moved," Plouffe said.O'Malley Dillon admitted that they knew heading into Election Day that Virginia would be "redder" than in the past two presidential elections, and by election night, they all had an inkling that the race would not go as hoped. As returns came in, Plouffe noted a "massive shift" to the right in traditionally blue states such as California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, even as Harris still carried them."It ended up being a pretty strong tailwind for Donald Trump."H/T: NewsWireLike Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Although it has been over three weeks since Election Day, there are three House races that are still up in the air.Republicans have secured their slim House majority of 219 seats while the Democrats have won 213 seats. While the GOP is expected to hold onto yet another narrow majority, several Republicans have been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to serve in the upcoming administration. With potential House vacancies on the horizon, every race remains crucial for Republicans. While Republicans have secured a majority in the upcoming 119th Congress, the narrow advantage is shrinking. In California's 13th congressional district, Republican incumbent Rep. John Duarte is hoping to fend off Democratic challenger and former Rep. Adam Gray. The two candidates are currently less than 200 votes apart, with Gray inching ahead of Duarte. Gray previously represented California's 13th congressional district from 2012 to 2022 when Duarte unseated the Democrat. Duarte defeated the then-incumbent by just 564 votes, making him the first Republican to win the district since 1974. The district has historically been held by Democrats, and Gray is still within striking distance of Duarte, making this one of the closest House races to date. Further south in California's 14th congressional district, Republican incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel is falling behind Democratic challenger Derek Tran. Tran has pulled ahead of Steel with an approximate 600-vote margin.Steel was first elected to represent California's 45th congressional district in 2022. The seat was previously held for three terms by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, who has since represented California's 47th congressional district after the state redistricted in 2021. Although the GOP may have lost its footing in two key California seats, Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has held a narrow lead in the race for Iowa's 1st congressional district. Miller-Meeks is roughly 800 votes ahead of Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan, with just 900 votes estimated to be remaining. Miller-Meeks was first elected to represent Iowa's 1st congressional district in 2022, defeating Bohannan by nearly seven points. Although the race is much closer this time around, Miller-Meeks still has a shot at holding onto her seat. While Republicans have secured a majority in the upcoming 119th Congress, the narrow advantage is shrinking. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida most recently resigned from Congress after Trump nominated him for attorney general. Gaetz later withdrew from his Cabinet bid but reaffirmed that he had no intentions of returning to Congress, leaving the seat vacant. Fellow Floridian and Republican Rep. Mike Waltz was also tapped by Trump to serve as national security adviser in the upcoming administration. Waltz has confirmed that he intends to resign the day Trump is inaugurated on January 20. Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York was also recruited by Trump to serve in the next administration as U.N. ambassador. Although she has not yet indicated when she intends to resign, the GOP is anticipating her vacancy. With the two Florida seats scheduled for special elections on April 1, House Republicans are bracing themselves for an estimated one-seat majority for the first two months of the 119th Congress. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Shaquille O'Neal is trying to convince WNBA players that lowering the height of the rim is the best thing for women's basketball.O'Neal was responding to Las Vegas Aces player A'ja Wilson, who made comments on the "Roommates Show," a podcast featuring NBA players Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and host Matt Hillman.Hart began the segment by asking the WNBA player what was the boldest piece of unsolicited advice she had ever received.Wilson bluntly stated her entire feed and social media replies contain "that kind of advice." Seemingly unpleased with the online reactions, Wilson said to viewers, "Who asked you?"Hillman then sparked the ubiquitous debate about lowering the rim for WNBA players, and although he did not specify by how much, most debates suggest anywhere from three inches to an entire foot.Wilson completely disregarded any legitimacy to the argument."What is it really going to do for us?" she asked. "I would much rather just gear my offseason to, 'OK, vertical, maxing it out, let's focus on this jumping,'" she told the hosts."Versus lowering it an inch? That could change all of our shots. Do y'all not understand that?"The Aces player did not seem to think that adding dunking to the women's game is what audiences are looking for, warning that if she dunks in 2025, she better get a good reaction."You never know, next year I might dunk ... y'all better go crazy," she joked.Wilson finished the segment by claiming, "Lowering the rim is just a very childish discussion."However, at least one NBA legend disagreed. Days later, Shaq turned to his Instagram page to directly address Wilson's claims."60% of the fan[s] said Dunking [is] their favorite thing," O'Neal wrote. "The WNBA has none of that. So they make much less money. Just trying to get you that 300 million dollars you deserve," he added, before directly tagging Wilson's profile.WNBA legend Candace Parker replied to O'Neal's post with "goodbye Shaq," with O'Neal saying in response that ratings would "go through the roof" if dunking was added to the WNBA All-Star Game.'People always disrespect women regardless.'This isn't the first time O'Neal has suggested the height change, either. In October, the former Laker told WNBA player Angel Reese the women's rim should be lowered by a few inches.Reese immediately replied with, "I hate when men say that."Shaq then detailed the similarities between the two leagues but noted, "The only thing that's missing is the dunk."Reese was not having the argument, however, and according to the Daily Mail, turned the discussion into a debate about sexism."People always disrespect women regardless. [They're] always not gonna give us the same value as a man."While the debate subject seems to anger at least some of the WNBA's most notable players, the key factor in the suggestion is figuring out how to generate more excitement for the league and, therefore, more revenue.Even after its biggest season, the WNBA was estimated to have lost around $50 million, much more than it typically loses in a year. Many of the league's players also seem unwilling to address the reality of their league being subsidized and that includes Wilson.On the same podcast, Wilson blamed investors for not putting in enough money to help the league grow."If no one's willing to invest, and like, truly invest, not just talk the talk but walk the walk as well, you're never going to grow."She said the conversation players around her are continuously having is about finding investors who are going to "put their money where their mouth is," instead of the typical platitudes and feigned interest.Unfortunately for Wilson, disregarding suggestions, making demands, and playing identity politics while not generating revenue are exactly the types of things that result in undedicated investors.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

This Thanksgiving, we reflect on all of the things for which we are thankful. We should absolutely be grateful for our immediate and extended family because they provide so much support and love. We should also be thankful for our furry friends who are part of our families because science showcases the significant and countless benefits that dogs provide to humans.Any pet owner will tell you that dogs are way more than just pets. Dogs are loyal allies, stress relievers, comforting canine companions, emotional support animals, reliable confidants, and faithful friends. A Harvard Medical School study found that dog owners were 31% less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than those who don't own dogs.Dogs have increasingly become integral members of the modern family, transcending their traditional role as modest pets to become best buddies with their human owners. Dogs undeniably have deep emotional connections to the American family. Dogs have an innate ability to sense and respond to human emotions on the entire spectrum. Thanks to the unique evolutionary history of dogs, our canine friends have adapted behaviors to read human body language and emotional cues. A 2017 study from the University of Vienna found that dogs can notice emotions in humans and can distinguish between positive and negative feelings. The study claimed that dogs could have "insights into intra- and interspecies empathy."VCA Animal Hospitals highlighted a United Kingdom study in which dogs were shown pictures of people and other dogs along with vocalizations depicting happiness or anger. "When the auditory cue matched the visual image, dogs spent longer examining the picture," the outlet noted. "By combining two different sources of sensory input these researchers, like pet owners, believe that dogs actually have the cognitive ability to recognize and understand positive and negative emotional states."During the stressful holiday season, dogs can calm nerves. A 2018 National Institutes of Health article points out that dogs help reduce stress. "Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure," the NIH stated. "Other studies have found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood."Another study highlighted by the NIH found that pet owners were 36% less likely than those who don't own pets to report loneliness.Johns Hopkins Medicine reported, "In fact, an astonishing 84 percent of post-traumatic stress disorder patients paired with a service dog reported a significant reduction in symptoms, and 40 percent were able to decrease their medications, reported a recent survey."The American Heart Association stated in 2019 that dog owners who lived alone had a 33% lower risk of dying after being hospitalized for a heart attack than those without dogs. The health organization added that dog owners had a 24% less risk of dying from any cause than people who don't own a dog.Harvard Medical School spotlighted a 2019 study that found that dog owners were 31% less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than those who don't own dogs.A study published in 2022 in the journal BMC Public Health found that dog owners on average walk 22 minutes more per day compared to people who don't own a dog.A 2023 study noted that pet owners among older adults had improved cognitive function. Psychologists at Miami University and Saint Louis University discovered in a 2011 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that dogs and cats are excellent for mental health of "everyday people." “We observed evidence that pet owners fared better, both in terms of well-being outcomes and individual differences, than non-owners on several dimensions,” said lead researcher Allen R. McConnell, Ph.D., of Miami University in Ohio. “Specifically, pet owners had greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious, were more extraverted, tended to be less fearful, and tended to be less preoccupied than non-owners.”But it isn't just the health benefits of dog ownership.Yahoo Finance recently reported that workplaces that allow dogs saw a 17% increase in productivity.So this Thanksgiving, it should be stressed that dogs give exponential benefits to humans. Science shows the countless benefits of having a dog as part of your family. We should all be thankful for our canine companions this Thanksgiving. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

When The Game Awards’ Game of the Year nominees were revealed last week, there were plenty of expected names in the mix, from Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth and Metaphor ReFantazio to Astro Bot. But among the triple-A heavy hitters was the runaway hit indie card game Balatro, which caused some confusion for those yet to take it for a spin. After all, how could a poker roguelike from a solo indie dev beat out the likes of Stellar Blade or Dragon Age: The Veilguard? But, for those who've partaken, the reason is clear: Balatro is brilliant. Now, following its GOTY nomination and the subsequent online grumbling, thousands of players are flocking to Steam to see what all the fuss is about, causing its player count to double. Remember though, just as curiosity killed the cat, picking up Balatro will no doubt kill your productivity. You have been warned. Continue reading Balatro soars on Steam after oddly controversial GOTY nomination MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best roguelike games, Best card games, Best new PC games

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