Blue states

Did you know that you can send cool effects to your friends with your iPhone just by sending a simple iMessage? All iPhone users have the ability to use a wide array of unique effects including lasers, balloons, fireworks, and confetti - but you need to know the secret codewords that set them off before you can use them. The feature has been available on the iMessage app for iOS devices for some time, but Apple fans have been posting about the fun text feature recently on social media. In fact, even if you already knew that when you reply to a mate's good news with "congratulations", you'll fill their screen with multi-coloured confetti, there may be more effects that you had no idea existed. Some messages will send fireworks ( Image: @unespc/Tiktok) 'Pew pew' starts a laser light show ( Image: @unespc/Tiktok) Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here. So check out our list of codewords and … [Read more...] about Codewords that allow you to do clever tricks on iPhone – including lasers

The United States Congress held its first hearing in half a century Tuesday (local time) on unidentified flying objects. And no, there is still no government confirmation of extraterrestrial life. Testifying before a House Intelligence subcommittee, Pentagon officials did not disclose additional information from their ongoing investigation of hundreds of unexplained sightings in the sky. But they said they had picked a director for a new task force to co-ordinate data collection efforts on what the government has officially labelled “unidentified aerial phenomena”. Ronald Moultrie, the undersecretary of defence for intelligence, said the Pentagon was also trying to destigmatize the issue and encourage pilots and other military personnel to report anything unusual they see. “We want to know what's out there as much as you want to know what's out there,” Moultrie told politicians, adding that he was a fan of science fiction himself. READ MORE: Pentagon will track … [Read more...] about US Congress dives into UFOs, but still no signs of extraterrestrial life

For months, as 18-year-old Payton Gendron formulated a plan to kill dozens of black people in Buffalo, New York state, he worked to keep his racist plot a secret from his family, according to Gendron's postings online. "I literally can't wait any longer, my parents know something is wrong," he wrote on April 15, musing about when to carry out a planned shooting that took place on Saturday, killing 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket. The writings were uploaded to internet file-sharing sites in two batches in recent weeks after apparently being posted on the messaging platform Discord from November 2021 through early May. They reveal a teenager intent on keeping his parents in the dark not only about preparations for mass murder but also about the quotidian details of his life. They help fill out a portrait of a young man who described himself as isolated from family and as someone who had few friends and found refuge in hate. READ MORE: Alt-right and conspiracy theories … [Read more...] about ‘I lied to them for months’: Buffalo shooting suspect kept plans from family

KYLIE Jenner's assistant, Maguire Amundsen, has flaunted her curvy figure in a blue thong bikini during a beach getaway. The blonde-haired beauty shared the snaps on her Instagram page. Maguire captured her gorgeous physique from behind in one picture while donning the skimpy two-piece suit. Kylie's right-hand woman was covered in sand as she dipped her toes in the water. A second snapshot gave a full view of the celebrity assistant with a picturesque background of the Caribbean ocean and clear blue sky. She wore her long blonde hair down and a pair of rounded sunglasses for the outing. Read More on Kylie Jenner BIRKIN BRAG Kylie accused of flaunting her wealth as she shows off $210K Birkin in video BON APPETIT! Kylie shows off five-star breakfast & 'Kylie Air'-themed cups onboard jet She fittingly captioned the post: "you can call me sandy." Maguire has repeatedly been sharing photos from her … [Read more...] about Kylie Jenner’s stunning assistant Maguire Amundsen shows off her curves in a thong bikini in new beach photos

F or all the talk about how Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates would fare in the Republican primaries this year, the results in this week’s races made clear: Whatever happens to Trump’s personal influence, Trumpism is consolidating its dominance of the GOP. The former president’s scorecard on Tuesday was mixed. Candidates he endorsed won the GOP nominations for governor in Pennsylvania and Senate in North Carolina, while his preferred choice for Idaho governor failed to topple the incumbent and his late intervention could not save troubled young Representative Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina. The Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary remains too close to call between the celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, Trump’s candidate, and David McCormick, whom Trump has criticized. Yet more revealing than what happened to the candidates Trump endorsed was how many candidates endorsed him . As in Republican primaries earlier this year, no top-tier contenders in any of Tuesday’s races ran on … [Read more...] about What the Primaries Reveal About the Future of Trumpism

Many across the country -- and certainly former President Donald Trump -- are watching Pennsylvania . Ballots are still being counted in the GOP Senate primary race, where razor-thin margins separate hedge fund manager David McCormick and celebrity TV Dr. Mehmet Oz. Meanwhile, a late Trump endorsement in the Republican gubernatorial primary helped boost election denier and state Sen. Doug Mastriano to a win. Both races offer insight -- and raise tough questions -- about the conservative electorate in the Keystone State. As of Wednesday afternoon, with 98% of votes counted , both McCormick and Oz had roughly 31% -- separated by just about 2,000 votes. Pennsylvania law triggers a recount if a candidate's margin of victory is 0.5% or less, as seems all but certain. Here's what happening in Senate contest and what to know about the gubernatorial win. MORE: Election updates: Mixed results for Trump-backed candidates in GOP primaries What's next for Oz and … [Read more...] about What’s next for McCormick-Oz squeaker — and the possible electoral turbulence of Mastriano as governor

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fired back at her moderate colleagues for blaming the progressive wing of the Democratic Party for creating greater divisions between lawmakers. "For the Dems who think I'm just being a selfish, divisive bombthrower from a deep blue seat, maybe you'll listen to Doug Jones in Alabama when he says the same thing," she tweeted on Tuesday. Ocasio-Cortez replied to a tweet pointing out that Jones has echoed her remarks about the Democrats' structural problems in their campaigns. Jones, a moderate Democrat who has split with his party on issues like financial regulation, was quoted telling Politico that the "DSCC and DCCC spend too much time investing in candidates and not the electorate. They don't invest in House districts, they don't invest in states." Jones was the sole Democratic senator to lose in last week's elections. In his remark to Politico, he was referring to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic … [Read more...] about AOC fires back at moderate Democrats who think she’s “a selfish, divisive bombthrower”

A Michigan judge dismissed on Friday the Trump campaign's lawsuit challenging election results in Wayne County, home to Detroit. It was the latest in President Donald Trump 's recent string of legal actions to meet rejection in court, with others dismissed in Arizona and Pennsylvania earlier in the afternoon. Backed by his re-election campaign, Trump has initiated more than a dozen legal actions that seek to invalidate votes, undermine tabulation procedures and, ultimately, question results in the wake of his loss to Joe Biden . Last Saturday, major news outlets, including the Associated Press, named Biden the election's projected winner. The weekend's announcement came shortly after the AP called Pennsylvania for Biden, giving Trump's Democratic opponent the necessary electoral votes to secure the presidency. The Trump campaign was already pursuing legal actions in various states when Biden became the presumed president-elect. Lawsuits predominantly targeted ballot counting … [Read more...] about Judge dismisses Trump campaign lawsuit aiming to block election certification in Michigan

President Donald Trump's chances of victory in the November election are slim, with the likelihood of him winning the popular vote even less probable, according to the latest forecast from The Economist . The model from the weekly magazine currently projects that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is "very likely to beat" Trump on November 3. The president has only about a 1 in 7 (or 12 percent) chance of winning in the Electoral College and less than a 1 in 20 (or 3 percent) chance of winning the most votes nationwide. The forecast predicts that the president will garner just 193 electoral votes. Biden is projected to win 345 electoral votes. The model shows the Democratic candidate with around a 6 in 7 (or 87 percent) chance of winning in the Electoral College, meaning he's highly favored to win on Election Day. Additionally, Biden has a better than 19 in 20 (or 97 percent) chance of winning the most votes across the country. If the forecast proves accurate, Biden's … [Read more...] about Trump has only 12% chance of winning election, 3% of winning most votes, forecast projects

Authorities in California are searching for two minimum security inmates who escaped from facilities in the space of 24 hours. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials have launched an appeal to help find inmates Justin Franks, 27, who escaped from Folsom State Prison on December 22, and Eric Levi, 52, who walked away from the Fenner Canyon Conservation Camp in Los Angeles County on December 23. Franks was discovered missing during an inmate count at 9 p.m. Staff began an immediate search of the surrounding area, but were unable to locate the inmate. He is described as a white male of light complexion, 5'10", 143 pounds with brown eyes and short black hair. He was last seen around 7:00 p.m. wearing a light-blue shirt and blue pants with "CDCR Prisoner" on them, the CDRC said in a statement. Franks is serving a 40-month sentence for first-degree burglary. He was scheduled to be released in June 2019. Officials are also searching for Levi after … [Read more...] about Two California inmates escape prison in space of just 24 hours