MMN Editor

For several weeks, a growing chorus of developers and AI power users claimed that Anthropic’s flagship models were losing their edge. Users across GitHub, X, and Reddit reported a phenomenon they described as “AI shrinkflation”—a perceived degradation where Claude seemed less capable of sustained reasoning, more prone to hallucinations, and increasingly wasteful with tokens. Critics pointed to a measurable shift in behavior, alleging that the model had moved from a “research-first” approach to a lazier, “edit-first” style that could no longer be trusted for complex engineering. While the company initially pushed back against claims of “nerfing” the model to manage demand, the mounting evidence from high-profile users and third-party benchmarks created a significant trust gap. Today, Anthropic addressed these concerns directly, publishing a technical post-mortem that identified three separate product-layer changes responsible for the reported quality issues. “We take reports about degradation very seriously,” reads Anthropic’s blog post on the matter. “We never intentionally degrade our models, and we were able to immediately confirm that our API and inference layer were unaffected.”Anthropic claims it has resolved the issues by reverting the reasoning effort change and the verbosity prompt, while fixing the caching bug in version v2.1.116. The mounting evidence of degradationThe controversy gained momentum in early April 2026, fueled by detailed technical analyses from the developer community. Stella Laurenzo, a Senior Director in AMD’s AI group, published an exhaustive audit of 6,852 Claude Code session files and over 234,000 tool calls on Github showing performance falling from her usage before. Her findings suggested that Claude’s reasoning depth had fallen sharply, leading to reasoning loops and a tendency to choose the “simplest fix” rather than the correct one.This anecdotal frustration was seemingly validated by third-party benchmarks. BridgeMind reported that Claude Opus 4.6’s accuracy had dropped from 83.3% to 68.3% in their tests, causing its ranking to plummet from No. 2 to No. 10. Although some researchers argued these specific benchmark comparisons were flawed due to inconsistent testing scopes, the narrative that Claude had become “dumber” became a viral talking point. Users also reported that usage limits were draining faster than expected, leading to suspicions that Anthropic was intentionally throttling performance to manage surging demand.The causesIn its post-morem bog post, Anthropic clarified that while the underlying model weights had not regressed, three specific changes to the “harness” surrounding the models had inadvertently hampered their performance:Default Reasoning Effort: On March 4, Anthropic changed the default reasoning effort from high to medium for Claude Code to address UI latency issues. This change was intended to prevent the interface from appearing “frozen” while the model thought, but it resulted in a noticeable drop in intelligence for complex tasks.A Caching Logic Bug: Shipped on March 26, a caching optimization meant to prune old “thinking” from idle sessions contained a critical bug. Instead of clearing the thinking history once after an hour of inactivity, it cleared it on every subsequent turn, causing the model to lose its “short-term memory” and become repetitive or forgetful.System Prompt Verbosity Limits: On April 16, Anthropic added instructions to the system prompt to keep text between tool calls under 25 words and final responses under 100 words. This attempt to reduce verbosity in Opus 4.7 backfired, causing a 3% drop in coding quality evaluations.Impact and future safeguardsThe quality issues extended beyond the Claude Code CLI, affecting the Claude Agent SDK and Claude Cowork, though the Claude API was not impacted. Anthropic admitted that these changes made the model appear to have “less intelligence,” which they acknowledged was not the experience users should expect.To regain user trust and prevent future regressions, Anthropic is implementing several operational changes:Internal Dogfooding: A larger share of internal staff will be required to use the exact public builds of Claude Code to ensure they experience the product as users do.Enhanced Evaluation Suites: The company will now run a broader suite of per-model evaluations and “ablations” for every system prompt change to isolate the impact of specific instructions.Tighter Controls: New tooling has been built to make prompt changes easier to audit, and model-specific changes will be strictly gated to their intended targets.Subscriber Compensation: To account for the token waste and performance friction caused by these bugs, Anthropic has reset usage limits for all subscribers as of April 23.The company intends to use its new @ClaudeDevs account on X and GitHub threads to provide deeper reasoning behind future product decisions and maintain a more transparent dialogue with its developer base.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday it had arrested a soldier in the U.S. Army for placing bets on Polymarket about the Nicolas Maduro raid.

PIMCO Privately Lends Over $10 Billion To Dollar-Strapped Gulf States

Just days after the UAE hinted at a growing dollar shortage in the Gulf nation by requesting swap lines with the Fed, Bloomberg reports that as Iran’s struggling neighbors scramble to build cash buffers to deal with any potential economic fallout from the Iran war, one large buyer has stepped in: the world’s largest bond manager, Pacific Investment Management Co.

Since the start of the Iran war, Pimco has lent more than $10 billion to state-backed and government borrowers in the Gulf via so-called private placements. The $2.27 trillion asset manager has been a significant buyer of privately placed bonds issued by the governments of Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Kuwait, as well as by Qatar National Bank. Pimco also participated alongside other investors in several placements that boosted the size of existing Abu Dhabi bonds by a combined $2.5 billion. 

In total, regional borrowers raised $13.8 billion from Feb. 28 to April 23, in privately placed bonds denominated in hard currency, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, with Pimco accounting for a majority of that lending.

Private placements offer trade-offs for issuers rushing to get to market: they can be more expensive than public debt (and thus soffer higher returns for buyers such as Pimco). In return, sellers are able to borrow faster, with more privacy and greater flexibility on deal terms.

The coupon on Qatar’s privately placed bond was 4.8%. That was about 0.3% higher than implied by the yield curve for the country’s public traded bonds, according to Bloomberg calculations. The actual yield for bondholders depends on the price at which they bought it from the issuer, which wasn’t disclosed.

“Not all countries have the option of borrowing at reasonable interest rates at a time of geopolitical uncertainty. It’s notable that the three Gulf nations with the strongest balance sheets are the ones tapping the market,” said Ziad Daoud, chief emerging markets economist at Bloomberg Economics. “And they’re resorting to private borrowing instead of public issuance. The latter probably requires more disclosure and higher transparency.”

To Pimco, which has been invested heavily in emerging market bonds, the Gulf scramble to find buyers for its bonds has been a boon. The Newport Beach-based fund opened an office in Dubai last year, joining a rush of investment companies seeking to deepen their presence in a region flush with sovereign wealth. Pimco said this move built on over 20 years of managing assets for investors in the Middle East.

Pimco intends to hold the bonds over the long term, a Bloomberg source said. Earlier this month, Pimco – which is rapidly emerging as a lender of last resort – bought all of a $400 million bond issued by a Blue Owl Capital, in an important vote of confidence for the private credit specialist.

Gulf bond markets have been among the busiest globally in recent years, with regional borrowers selling about $50 billion of public debt in the first two months of this year. But those markets have effectively shut since the conflict began.

Before a ceasefire between the US and Iran was agreed in early April, Gulf Arab states contended with thousands of missiles and drones over several weeks, intercepting the vast majority. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted energy exports — a key source of government revenue — prompting the International Monetary Fund to cut growth forecasts across the region.

Over the weekend, the WSJ reported that the UAE informally inquired about a currency swap, if the economic and financial impact of the war worsens. The Emirati ambassador to Washington signaled the country had no need for external financing, and Bloomberg Economics’ Daoud described the inquiry as “a call for confidence, not a call for help.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that many Persian Gulf allies had requested foreign exchange swap lines with the US, a day after President Donald Trump said an arrangement with the UAE is under consideration.

 

 

Tyler Durden
Thu, 04/23/2026 – 18:15

Fox News’ “Antisemitism Exposed” newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:- Duke suspends Students for Justice in Palestine after antisemitic Instagram post- Freed hostage Rom Braslavski details abuse, starvation during 738 days in Gaza captivity- Hamas praise and Nazi imagery: Maine Senate front-runner faces brutal backlashTOP STORY: Duke University has frozen funding and suspended its Students for Justice in Palestine chapter following outcry over a “deeply disturbing” Instagram post. The flyer depicted Zionism and U.S. Imperialism as pigs—a dehumanizing caricature linked to 1970s extremist propaganda. While the group is sidelined, critics demand further accountability for the specific students behind the “blatant” harassment.VIDEO: Twitch streamer Hasan Piker told “Pod Save America” that the Republican Party was “the biggest domestic terrorist in this country” and internationally. WATCH HERE:TWO YEARS IN HELL: Rom Braslavski, freed after 738 days in Gaza captivity, detailed horrific abuse, including starvation, physical torture, and sexual assault. Initially concealing his military status, his treatment worsened significantly after his identity was discovered. He survived on minimal food, endured isolation, and suffered severe physical trauma before being released in October 2025. Today, he relies on faith for his recovery.BRUTAL BACKLASH: Progressive Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is under fire for archived Reddit posts praising a deadly 2014 Hamas raid as “well executed.” The combat veteran, backed by Bernie Sanders, also faced scrutiny over a past Nazi-style tattoo. While Platner attributes the conduct to a “hyper-violent” military culture, Republicans and veterans have slammed his comments as disqualifying for office.FOUNDATION OF HATE: The 1979 Islamic Revolution transformed Iran from a stable home for Jews into a theater of state-sponsored terror. By weaponizing antisemitism as a core ideology, the regime executed community leaders, seized property, and forced a mass exodus. Today, a dwindling population remains as a “pathetic fig leaf,” coerced into denouncing Israel to survive under a fanatical, oppressive mullahcracy.SHOWING THE WAY: Ben Carasso, an 11-year-old Israeli influencer, uses social media to combat global antisemitism and share the realities of Jewish children living in conflict. A third-generation Holocaust survivor descendant, he began his advocacy after the October 7 attacks. Despite facing online abuse, he travels internationally to meet other Jewish youth, promoting fact-checking and encouraging peers to speak up for the truth.GUEST EDITORIAL: Dov Forman, a history student at University College London and co-author of the New York Times bestselling book Lily’s Promise, writes that campus antisemitism and London arson attacks show Britain is failing its Jewish community.QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I walked without energy, breathing air as if those were my last breaths, thinking it would be the last time I would see the light of day. I kept going.” – Rom Braslavski, 19, who spent more than two years as a captive of Hamas.- Looking for more on this topic? Find more antisemitism coverage from Fox News here.- Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe to additional newsletters from Fox News here.

Riley Gaines, host of her podcast “The Riley Gaines Show,” discussed in a recent episode how to make room for wellness even during life changes, and offered advice for others trying to stick to a routine.”I don’t see anything wrong with wanting to achieve the healthiest version of yourself no matter what stage of life you’re in,” said the former NCAA Division I swimmer, who gave birth to her first baby in September 2025.Below are Gaines’ top five tips for staying healthy as a new mom.JILLIAN MICHAELS REVEALS SIMPLE WORKOUT TO EXTEND YOUR LIFESPAN ‘UP TO 7 YEARS’Focusing on health in the first 60 minutes after waking up helps ensure that your health doesn’t get pushed to the bottom of the to-do list, according to Gaines.Even with her background as a competitive swimmer, “there’s just always something that needs to be done or there’s something that somebody needs from you,” she said.Carving out an early-morning window of time helps with building a mental edge before the world begins making demands, according to Gaines.’I’M A DOCTOR — HERE’S THE WELLNESS ROUTINE I FOLLOW FOR A LONGER, HEALTHIER LIFE'”I love the concept of already doing so many things, so many hard things, before most people even hit snooze on their alarm clock,” she said.To make this sustainable, Gaines suggests a simple preparation: laying out your gear the night before. “That way, in the morning when you wake up, all you have to do is throw it on.”Many people struggle with the natural loss of muscle mass and energy as they age. Gaines said her approach to nutrition isn’t about dieting in the traditional sense, but about providing the body with the “brick and mortar” it needs to stay durable.She was quick to bust the common myth that high protein leads to an unwanted bulky appearance.”It’s not true, myth busted. It will keep you lean, you will feel fuller for longer.”CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIESGaines’ rule of thumb is to aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.”If you don’t have enough protein, then your body cannot effectively repair the tiny tears that happen during strength training, which is the good kind of damage that leads to stronger, more lean muscles,” she said.Gaines advocates for building a strong core through any movement, even during ordinary day-to-day activities.”Every single time my car stops at a red light, I engage my core … I contract and flex my abs,” she said in the episode. “It’s almost like you’re training your muscles to contract without having to do the crunches or the planks or the sit ups.”Fitness is significantly harder when done in a vacuum, Gaines shared, noting that solo motivation “fades really, really fast,” especially when life gets busy or energy is low.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTERShe recommends finding an accountability partner, such as a spouse, friend, or family member, who can celebrate your wins and check in on your progress. “Find something or someone or some way to keep you accountable,” Gaines advised, noting that her family frequently works out together.”Without consistency, you’re just repeatedly starting over,” Gaines warned.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ”How many times have you guys said, ‘[the] diet starts Monday,’ and maybe you make it to Wednesday, and then you’re back … You’re really not doing anything, actually. You’re confusing your body.”By showing up when you don’t want to, you stop negotiating with yourself, she said.”It’s consistency that builds discipline, which turns into confidence,” Gaines added. “You stop negotiating with yourself and start identifying as someone who follows through.””That identity shift is really powerful, and it carries into every area of life.”

FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee escalated scrutiny of the Southern Poverty Law Center on Thursday, demanding documents from the nonprofit after a federal indictment alleged the group funneled millions in donor funds to extremist organizations.Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, wrote in a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital to SPLC President Bryan Fair that the GOP-led committee was investigating any coordination between the SPLC and the Biden Department of Justice and FBI, both of which had used the left-wing nonprofit as a resource. Jordan demanded a slate of documents from the SPLC by April 30, a request that comes after his Republican counterparts in the Senate also ramped up scrutiny of the SPLC and after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche hinted at more possible indictments related to the group.The intensifying investigations into the SPLC, expanding from the DOJ to now Congress, come after Jordan’s committee previously investigated the group, saying it was known for “maligning several mainstream conservative and religious organizations as ‘hate groups,'” such as Moms for Liberty and Turning Point USA, and that the Biden DOJ improperly used it for civil rights enforcement.SPLC SAW REVENUE SURGE AFTER CHARLOTTESVILLE RALLY AS DOJ ALLEGES INFORMANT TIES”Publicly available documents revealed how the Justice Department partnered closely with the SPLC during the Biden-Harris Administration, including scheduling regular meetings, giving the SPLC early access to federal law-enforcement data, and allowing SPLC employees to train federal prosecutors,” Jordan wrote. “The new information about the SPLC alleged in the indictment only raises further questions.”Jordan also noted that a controversial internal memo originating from the FBI Richmond Field Office during Director Christopher Wray’s tenure, which framed so-called radical-traditionalist Catholics as a group of people more prone to violent crime, used the SPLC as a source for its findings. The memo surfaced in 2023, with Wray later retracting it and saying it was an “appalling” breach of religious freedom.Jordan’s letter pointed out that the Richmond memo was among more than a dozen FBI documents that used the SPLC as a resource.The DOJ on Tuesday charged the SPLC with several counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit money laundering, alleging the group defrauded donors for more than a decade.RADICAL HOUSE DEM APPOINTED TO GOP-LED COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING JANUARY 6: ‘WE WILL EXPOSE THE LIES’Prosecutors said the nonprofit, which promotes its efforts to fight white supremacy, misled donors by using shell companies to mask how donor funds were used. More than $3 million was paid through the shell companies to informants who participated in activities involving the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement, among others, prosecutors alleged.”The SPLC’s paid informants … engaged in the active promotion of racist groups at the same time that the SPLC was denouncing the same groups on its website,” prosecutors wrote, noting one informant allegedly went so far as to help plan the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.”Congress has an important interest in protecting Americans from extremist violence and criminal activity,” Jordan wrote in his letter. “The Committee on the Judiciary has been conducting oversight of the Biden-Harris Administration’s close coordination with the SPLC on federal civil rights matters.”BIDEN DOJ SUBPOENAED JIM JORDAN’S PHONE RECORDS COVERING MORE THAN TWO YEARSThe Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday set its sights on a woman previously affiliated with the SPLC who was a federal judge and Biden appointee serving a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.”Every individual associated with SPLC should have to answer for what they knew about the organization’s extremist ties, and when,” committee Republicans wrote in a statement on X. “That includes Nancy Abudu, SPLC’s former litigation director who Biden appointed as a lifetime judge on the 11th Circuit.”Just before the DOJ announced charges, Fair said in a public statement that the federal investigation was political rather than sincere.”They have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy,” Fair said, noting the group no longer works with paid informants but said they had “risked their lives” to infiltrate extremist groups.Fox News Digital reached out to the SPLC and Abudu’s chambers for comment.

As the war in Iran nears the two-month mark, a new Fox News Poll shows a modest uptick in support, though voters remain divided on key aspects of the conflict – especially over its long-term consequences and U.S. safety.The survey, released Thursday, shows support for the current military action in Iran at 45%, up from 42% support last month.  A majority of 55% oppose it.FOX NEWS POLL: 56% DOUBT WHITE HOUSE’S COMPETENCE AT MANAGING GOVERNMENTStill, a slim majority thinks things are going well in Iran (51% well vs. 49% not well), a flip from March when voters said the action was not going well (47% vs. 52%).FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC GLOOM, TRUMP RATINGS SIGNAL TOUGH GOP MIDTERM PATHThe bump in support for the war can be mostly attributed to non-MAGA Republicans (+11 points in support), Hispanic voters (+10), men over age 45 (+8), and independents (+5).Looking at the likely effect on security, voters still narrowly say the action will make the U.S. less safe (36% safer, 39% less safe, 25% no difference). However, this gap has narrowed since March (33%, 44%, 23% respectively).Voters are also not convinced the costs of the war are worth it. A 57% majority believes the action will not improve U.S. safety enough to justify the problems it has created, while 43% say the short-term problems will be worth it in the long run.Although voters across the board express skepticism, partisan differences are stark. Roughly 3 in 10 Republicans, 7 in 10 independents, and 8 in 10 Democrats, think improved safety does not justify the challenges.The most important objectives for voters are avoiding a prolonged conflict and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open (80% say it is extremely or very important for each). Majorities also think it’s extremely or very important to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program (72%), support the people of Iran (65%) and bring about changes to Iran’s government (55%).The top objective for Democrats and independents is avoiding a prolonged conflict, while for Republicans it’s ending Iran’s nuclear program.Six in 10 (59%) rate the performance of the U.S. military in the conflict as excellent (32%) or good (27%), about where sentiment was last month (58% excellent/good).More than 5 in 10 independents (53%) and 8 in 10 Republicans (81%) rate the military positively, while just 4 in 10 Democrats agree (40%).”One of the more remarkable statistics attesting to the country’s intense polarization is that when asked about the U.S. military’s performance in Iran, by 20 percentage points Democrats rate it negatively, and it’s difficult to proffer an explanation other than those who dislike President Trump are unwilling to say anything positive about anything he touches,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who works on Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson.Among those who have served in the military, support for the current action in Iran has dipped slightly (down 4 points since March), but a majority still supports it (57%), thinks things are going well (65%), rates the military positively (78% excellent/good) and half think the military action will make the U.S. safer (50%).Trump said Tuesday the U.S. will extend its ceasefire with Iran, a day before it was set to end and amid a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. This comes as peace talks in Pakistan involving Vice President JD Vance were delayed as Iran has not committed to participating yet. The survey was conducted April 17-20.When asked to rate how tough Trump has been on Iran, more voters say he’s been too tough (40%), rather than not tough enough (28%) or about right (30%).The 40% saying Trump is too tough is up from 18% in May 2019 (the last time the question was asked) – mainly driven by Democrats and independents thinking he’s too tough now.When it comes to the president’s approach to China, however, results are reversed: 21% say he’s too tough, 40% not tough enough, and 38% about right.  More broadly, Trump’s job performance on foreign policy is underwater by 20 points (40% approve, 60% disapprove).  He does slightly better on his handling of China (42%, 57%) but worse on Iran (37%, 63%).His overall job rating sits at 42% approve and 58% disapprove, about where it was last month (41%-59%).Some Cabinet officials are also facing headwinds in their job performance. Vance’s net approval rating is -11 points (44% approve – 55% disapprove) and down from -8 in December.Sec. of State Rubio’s net approval rating is -12, down from -5, which is the steepest decline in the Cabinet (44% approve, 56% disapprove).Sec. of War Hegseth’s rating ticked up 2 points to -17, but he remains the lowest rated of the three (41% approve, 58% disapprove).Iran is not the only foreign policy issue where voters are divided. They are split on U.S. support of Israel, as 40% say it’s too supportive, another 40% about right, and 19% say not supportive enough.At 40%, the share saying the U.S. is too supportive is the highest since 2023, up from 35% the last time the question was asked in September 2025.Democrats under age 45 (+9 points saying too supportive since 2025) and Republicans under age 45 (+7), are increasingly more likely to feel the U.S. is too supportive of Israel.  Republicans ages 45+ have the highest share of those who think support is about right (70%) while Democrats ages 45+ say too supportive (57%).The largest share of Protestants (45%), Catholics (44%), and White Catholics (48%) say support is about right.On Ukraine, 39% of voters say the U.S. should be doing more to support them against Russia, 26% say less and 34% feel the U.S. is doing the right amount. This is close to where sentiment has been since last summer. One more thing…Trump is a frequent poster on social media, and a majority of voters see these posts as instant reactions to current events (65%) rather than strategic efforts to accomplish goals (34%).Still, the number viewing them as strategic is up 15 points since 2018, when only 19% said his tweeting had a broader purpose.  At that time, 28% of Republicans felt his tweeting was strategic compared to the 52% who feel that way about his social media posts today. That compares with smaller increases among independents (+13 points) and Democrats (+4).CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINEConducted April 17-20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (116) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

As artificial intelligence grabs headlines and stirs debate, the latest Fox News Poll finds most voters see it as a threat to privacy and jobs, contributing to a largely negative impression overall.The survey, released Thursday, finds voters think AI mostly hurts rather than helps key aspects of life, whether on a personal, national, or global scale.Voters have negative views on AI by 50 points when it comes to privacy (63% hurts, 13% helps), by 35 points on U.S. job creation (56-21), by 15 points on the national economy (42-27), by 5 points on people’s daily lives (38-33), and by 4 points on their own personal lives (30-26).FOX NEWS POLL: 56% DOUBT WHITE HOUSE’S COMPETENCE AT MANAGING GOVERNMENTThe only area where people think AI mainly helps rather than hurts is U.S. competitiveness with other countries: 38% think it helps while 32% view it as harmful.Still, sizable minorities feel AI doesn’t make a difference in each category: 43% feel it makes no difference in their personal life, 30% in the economy, 29% global competitiveness, 28% people’s daily lives, 23% people’s privacy, and 21% job creation.By double-digits, Democrats and independents are more likely to say AI hurts rather than helps in each area.While the level of negativity varies, more voters under age 30 say AI hurts than helps in every category listed. Voters age 65 and over also view AI technology as more hurtful except when it comes to global competitiveness, where they give it the benefit of the doubt.Viewing the new technology as harmful leads to an overall negative opinion of AI, with 43% having a favorable opinion vs. 54% unfavorable.Those who view it positively include voters in households with $100,000 or more income (54% favorable), Republicans (53%), Republicans who identify as MAGA (57%), and Catholics (52%).Some of the biggest drivers of AI pessimism are independents (64% unfavorable), Democrats (61%), and women without a college degree (60%).FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC GLOOM, TRUMP RATINGS SIGNAL TOUGH GOP MIDTERM PATHOne more thing…When asked which political party would better handle artificial intelligence, voters are closely divided: 51% say the Democrats vs. 46% the Republicans.  The results are within the margin of error, indicating no clear advantage for either party.Part of the Democrats’ edge comes from a majority of independents backing them over their GOP counterparts (54% to 46%) and more than 1 in 10 self-identified Republicans defecting as well (13% D, 84% R).CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINEConducted April 17-20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (116) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

It’s always about identity politics for Megan Rapinoe. She’s true to her craft.Flying solo on the latest episode of the “A Touch More” podcast — the show she formerly co-hosted with ex-girlfriend Sue Bird — Rapinoe attacked WNBA media members as out-of-touch and “inherently sexist, racist [and] misogynistic.” That was in response to a question recently presented to Azzi Fudd, who was taken as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA, about her dating status. Fudd is in a relationship with Dallas Wings teammate Paige Bueckers.Rapinoe says she didn’t have a problem with Kevin Sherrington, a white columnist from the Dallas Morning News, asking Fudd about the relationship, but at the same time she called on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to be used to rebuild the WNBA media corps.ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!”I do think we are watching legacy or establishment media come in and sort of like do business as usual and it just feels like it needs more understanding and nuance,” Rapinoe said of WNBA reporters who are covering the league like it’s the NBA. “Like it’s not quite hitting. I think anybody who’s been in the sport a long time just sort of has that feeling of like that’s like, I, I get why you’re doing that. You do that (with) men’s sports, but like it’s not really quite hitting here.”MEGAN RAPINOE CRITICIZES TRUMP ADMIN’S IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT TACTICS AFTER ICE SHOOTINGWhat’s the solution? Replace the traditional media with woke media.”How do we collectively protect and craft the future of this space as the people who care about what the WNBA has built and enjoy the culture that it brings? Because let’s be honest, the reason why the WNBA is out front in culture is because of how rooted it is in Black and queer culture and around equality for women and progress in all of those realms,” she continued.”So how do we contribute to an ecosystem that can sustain player authenticity?”The 40-year-old retired soccer player is calling on the WNBA to bring in PR teams, managers, agents and “media members that can understand queer culture and that have an imagination around how to give these players media platforms that work for them.”Instead of having the players answer tough questions here and there, Rapinoe wants these new queer-friendly reporters and PR teams to create “talking points that protect” WNBA players “while also allowing them to be out and proud and not make them feel unsafe.”

‘Michael’ has ignited controversy and backlash from critics who accuse the biopic of avoiding the dark side of Michael Jackson’s legacy.