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Sports

Rory Lobb stars as Fremantle Dockers record vital road win over Western Bulldogs

Widely tipped to become a Western Bulldog at season’s end, Fremantle big man Rory Lobb destroyed his likely future teammates at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

Lobb put on a goal-kicking masterclass to inspire the Dockers to a pressure-releasing 17-point win – 14.11 (95) to 11.12 (78) – and all but cemented their finals spot.

The game-high four-goal haul, including three in the first half, to help his team end a three-game winless run and put them back in the top-four, for now at least.

Lobb was held goalless last week against Melbourne and was in doubt with a shoulder issue but showed no signs of any form or injury concerns.

He connected sweetly with four long bombs from around 50m before his first blemish of the night midway through the third term and finished with 4.2.

From rebound to forward pressure, slick ball movement and some imposing tall targets, everything the Dockers had been lacking in the past few weeks was back in the first half especially which helped setup the important four points.

Lobb marks.
Camera IconLobb marks. Credit: PRECIOUS ROB/AAPIMAGE

The win didn’t come without a cost however, with Matt Taberner – who kicked two first-quarter goals in a lively start – done before three-quarter time with a right calf strain in another injury blow to the key forward.

There was also a scare with WA’s Aaron Naughton, who kicked three to take his season tally to a career-high 47, and a couple of costly turnovers sparking a third-quarter Bulldog revival.

The Bulldogs were the better team around the ground in that term but Fremantle’s remarkable efficiency, with 4.4 from 10 inside-50 entries, saw them split it on the scoreboard.

Youngster Nathan O’Driscoll, who cost one of Naughton’s goals after an errant kick into the behind post down back, made up for it soon after with a stunning long-range goal on the run and huge celebration to go with it.

Caleb Serong was the star of the show in the midfield, helping Fremantle get on top in the clearance battle.

Serong had three center clearances on his own in the first quarter and finished with eight clearances all up from his 24 possessions.

The club’s games-record holder David Mundy, who announced his retirement during the week, showed he’s still got plenty left in the tank with some silver service inside 50, using it at 82 per cent efficiency.

Livewire Lachie Schultz had his best game in a while, tackling ferociously, nailing his kicks and providing a link between the midfield and forward-line.

Winger Blake Acres also bounced back from a lean run since returning from a hamstring injury, while Brownlow Medal fancy Andrew Brayshaw’s defensive efforts and two-way running was again on display.

Recalled mid Darcy Tucker was another important contributor, transferring his red-hot WAFL form to the top level to press his case for a permanent spot in the 22.

Tucker had a whopping 10 score involvements which was the equal-most on the ground.

Speedster Michael Frederick booted three goals including the sealer midway through the final term.

Caleb Daniel is tackled by Michael Frederick.
Camera IconCaleb Daniel is tackled by Michael Frederick. Credit: Daniel Pockett/via AFL Photos

Fremantle’s three-pronged tall forward attack, Lobb, Griffin Logue and Matt Taberner all hit the scoreboard in the opening term including two majors from the latter as the visitors opened up a nine-point quarter-time buffer.

Taberner, who was under pressure to hold his spot, looked set for a big day before his injury which saw sub Liam Henry come on and do a few nice things.

The rebound from defense was excellent from the get-go with Luke Ryan, Heath Chapman and Jordan Clark particularly damaging.

Ryan’s ability to roll off his opponent Josh Bruce was important, as was his connection with wingers Blake Acres and O’Driscoll on his way to 32 disposals and 14 marks.

For the Bulldogs, prolific midfielder Josh Dunkley was their most consistent, captain Marcus Bontempelli lifted after half-time, Naughton was their main man up forward and Tim English has his moments in a see-sawing ruck battle against Sean Darcy.

on the mark

The Dockers’ uncontested-marking game caused their opponents headaches.

In the first half alone, the victors had a whopping 44 extra uncontested marks and 61 uncontested possessions.

Their ability to hit target after target proved crucial to setting up the win.

“We didn’t go into the game looking to take so many uncontested marks, it just sort of happened,” Longmuir said at half-time.

“But I think we’ve found the good balance with our ball movement, we’ve gone at the game when we’ve needed to and we’ve found a mark when we’ve needed to.”

That differential settled down in the second half but was still significant.

Son (and grandson) of a gun unearthed

A third-generation Bulldog made his AFL debut, fittingly as the club celebrated Retro Round by wearing their old Robodog jumper design.

Sam Darcy, son of club great Luke Darcy and grandson of David, got the call up after a stunning run of form in the VFL.

The 19-year-old, who stands at 205cm and weighs 94kg, started in defense and got the big job on Matt Taberner.

His first touch was an intercept mark about five minutes into the match, getting a massive round of applause, and he flew at the footy with confidence in a promising start to his AFL career.

Remarkably retiring Fremantle veteran David Mundy played against Luke in the early years of his decorated 19-year career, likewise with Scott West, whose son Rhylee was also out there.

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Categories
US

NYPD officers shoot 3 males who fired on 75-person Queens party

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said its detectives apprehended three men who fired on a party in Queens late Friday night.

In a media briefing, NYPD Chief of Patrol Jeffrey Maddrey said that at approximately 11:35 pm ET members of the violent crime squad were at the area of ​​219th Street and 130th Avenue in Springfield Gardens, Queens.

The detectives were observing a party in the area, including approximately 75 to 100 attendees.

“And, they were observing this party because they believed that there was a potential to be violence involving some of the local street crews,” he explained.

NEW YORK MAN ACCUSED OF CHINESE FOOD DELIVERYMAN MURDER FOUND DEAD IN APPARENT SUICIDE WEEKS AFTER MAKING BAIL

A gun recovered at a Friday shooting in Queens, New York.

A gun recovered at a Friday shooting in Queens, New York.
(NYPD/Twitter)

The plainclothes detectives were in an unmarked car when a group of unknown men entered the same intersection and pulled out at least three firearms.

They shot the guns into the vicinity of the party and the detectives – realizing that danger was imminent – ​​exited their vehicle.

FIRST TEXAS BUS OF MIGRANTS ARRIVES IN NYC

“Our detectives exchanged gunfire with the group of males and our detectives were able to apprehend three of the males,” Maddrey said.

All three of the men sustained gunshot wounds.

A gun from a Friday shooting in Queens, New York.

A gun from a Friday shooting in Queens, New York.
(NYPD/Twitter)

One of the shooters was transported to a local hospital in critical condition and the other two went to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

FOUR KILLED, OHIO POLICE IDENTIFY PERSON OF INTEREST IN SHOOTING

Two of the men were known to the department with “past criminal justice encounters.”

None of the NYPD detectives were injured, but were taken to a local hospital to be checked out for tinnitus and other ailments.

A gun recovered at a Friday night shooting in Queens

A gun recovered at a Friday night shooting in Queens
(Credit: NYPD/Twitter)

Three firearms were recovered from the scene.

Maddrey told reporters that whether any of the recovered guns are “ghost guns” is “still being determined.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Whether any civilians were hit in the incident also remains unknown.

“At this time, we don’t know and it’s still an ongoing investigation,” he said.

Categories
Technology

Dell cuts workstation laptop and desktop prices in half

There are a lot of excellent desktop computers and laptops to pick from, but it’s often hard to argue against the immense range and versatility of Dell’s offerings, especially if you’re going for high-end work machines that can handle things like Maya or AutoCAD . That’s why we always look forward to Dell’s Precision workstation deals, like these two — one on a desktop and the other on a laptop — so let’s dive right in and see what’s available.

Precision 3650 Tower Workstation — $879, was $1,767

A Dell Precision 3650 Tower Workstation sits on a white background.

If you’re looking through some great desktop computer deals, the Precision 3560 not only has some great base specs, but it also has a lot of room for customization. For example, while the base model comes with an 11th-gen Intel i5-11600, a great mid-ranged CPU, you can upgrade it up to an Intel Xeon W-1390P, a high-end server-grade CPU that will blow pretty much any CPU task out of the water. The same goes for the RAM, which comes as 8GB non-ECC with the base model, but can be upgraded to 128GB ECC. Similarly, while there’s no GPU in the base model, you can upgrade it with either single or double Nvidia or AMD GPUs if you want to go for a graphics- or video-editing powerhouse. All-in-all, you can build this workstation exactly as you need it.

Precision 3561 Workstation — $1,399, was $2,807

The Dell Precision 3561 Mobile Workstation, with a graphics app on the screen.

If you need something a bit more mobile, then we’d suggest this as one of the better laptop deals for the day. The Precision 3561 is a powerhouse in a small and portable form-factor, with an insane Nvidia Quadro T600, 4GB, which makes it perfect for design and GPU-intense work. It also comes with an 11th-gen Intel i5-11500H, a great mid-tier CPU, and combined with the 16GB of RAM, it should see you handling most software easily, although you can always upgrade the RAM up to 64GB if you’ re doing something like AutoCAD. The base hard drive is a 512GB SSD, with the option to upgrade to a 2TB SSD as well as grab secondary storage of either up to 512GB SSD or 2TB HDD. You can also change the screen to be touch-enabled, although you do lose out on sRGB coverage, so if you’re a graphics designer, it’s probably not worth it, although we think a battery upgrade is.

Editors’ Recommendations






Categories
Sports

Commonwealth Games: White Ferns to play first knockout match since 2016, are they any chance?

Commonwealth Games – Twenty20 semi-final cricket: White Ferns v Australia

Where: Edgbaston, Birmingham; When: sunday 5am [NZ time]

Live coverage: Sky Sport, live updates on Stuff

Sophie Devine and the White Ferns will face Australia for a place in the Commonwealth Games gold medal match.

Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Sophie Devine and the White Ferns will face Australia for a place in the Commonwealth Games gold medal match.

ANALYSIS: Contenders or pretenders?

The White Ferns’ return to semifinal cricket for the first time in six years – and five major tournaments – should have been a moment worth celebrating.

They’re in the final four of the Twenty20 tournament at the Commonwealth Games, which means they have two matches to play – a semifinal against reigning T20 world champions Australia on Sunday (5am NZT) and a medal match the following day.

Silverware is still there for the taking for New Zealand’s national women’s cricket team, but they will have to be far better than they were in their final group B outing against hosts England, which took the gloss off their long-awaited achievement.

It has been six years since the White Ferns played a semifinal – a loss to the West Indies at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India – and 12 years since they won one, against the same opponents at the 2010 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.

In that time they did advance straight to a final – losing to England at the 2013 one-day World Cup in Australia – but it’s nevertheless been a while since New Zealand enjoyed success at the business end of a women’s cricket tournament.

The 2018 and 2020 T20 World Cups and the 2017 and 2022 one-day World Cups passed without them even getting that far and their presence in proceedings this weekend is a welcome sight.

Especially after their painful one-day exit on home soil earlier this year, where they had three narrow losses when one win would have been enough to change their fortunes.

The White Ferns’ outing against the hosts on Friday at Edgbaston in Birmingham – where they managed just 71-9 from their 20 overs, after Sophie Devine won the toss and chose to bat – was a more challenging watch than any of those matches, making it hard to picture them heading home with medals.

They’ve gone from relying on four star batters – Devine, Suzie Bates, Amy Satterthwaite and Melie Kerr – to relying on three, following NZ Cricket’s decision not to offer Satterthwaite a contract in May, which prompted her retirement.

Hayley Jensen trudges off against England.

Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Hayley Jensen trudges off against England.

That trio led the way in the White Ferns’ opening win against South Africa and while others chipped in as they beat Sri Lanka, they were opponents well below those in the medal mix this weekend.

If none of Devine, Bates or Kerr fire with the bat – as was the case when they combined to make 10 runs against England – it’s hard to see the White Ferns winning at present and it might take all three of them against a side as stacked with talent as Australia.

The record books will tell you that the White Ferns have won two of their last T20s against their trans-Tasman rivals and that they are the only team to have beaten Meg Lanning’s side since their World Cup triumph on home soil in early 2020.

But if they look back at those matches for inspiration, they will see match-winning innings from Satterthwaite and Frankie Mackay, who also wasn’t offered a contract and is therefore absent. Both of them could have bolstered the team this week.

A bounce-back win against Australia can’t be ruled out, but it is an extremely unlikely prospect, and it’s likely to be a match for bronze that awaits the White Ferns on Sunday.

If that’s where they end up, they’ll have to turn around and play within 12 hours and they’ll be hoping it’s India in front of them, not a rematch with the hosts.

England have a hoodoo on the White Ferns in cricket’s shortest format, having won 19 of their last 21 T20 meetings, a record that stretches back more than a decade to 2010, and you’d fancy them to add another if the two teams meet again in a medal match on Sunday.

India have looked a stronger side than New Zealand this week, having pushed Australia close for two-thirds of their opening match, but they’ll be the team the White Ferns will feel the most comfortable against.

They were the only genuine semifinal contender they managed to beat at their home one-day World Cup earlier this year and that, if nothing else, would give them confidence.

When it comes to knockout rounds in sport, by simply being there you give yourselves a chance.

Now it’s time to see what the White Ferns have got.

Categories
US

Tim Ryan turned his race into a surprise Senate battleground. Now comes the hard part.

The lead is a product of a lopsided campaign so far: Ryan spent more than $8 million on advertisements, including $6.5 million on television since May. But until this week, Vance’s campaign had been AWOL from the airwaves for that entire time. Ryan has also remained far ahead of Vance in the cash dash, in part thanks to an aggressive small-dollar donation campaign.

The outcome of the Ohio race has major stakes for the 2022 midterms. The Senate is finely balanced at 50-50, and Democrats have enjoyed a summer of solid polling in top swing-state races despite the challenging political environment. Adding another seriously competitive, GOP-held seat to the list of battleground races in the fall could tip control of the chamber next year.

Ironically, the spate of negative stories surrounding Vance’s campaign in recent weeks — that he is struggling with fundraising and his own party is questioning whether Ryan is out-hustling him on the airwaves — may have had a net positive effect on Vance’s campaign. Fundraising has picked up since, and national Republicans have stepped in to start buying ads in the race.

On Thursday, Vance joined Trump at his golf club in Bedminster, NJ, where he raised roughly $300,000 holding a golf fundraiser, according to a person with knowledge of the event.

Donors who had remained on the sidelines since the primary have suddenly started writing checks, the Vance ally said. And following a bitter primary fight, Vance’s past opponents are now stepping up to lend their support. Jane Timken just held a fundraiser for Vance, and the campaign is now scheduling additional events with Josh Mandel and Mike Gibbons.

This week, One Nation, the nonprofit part of the outside-spending machine affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), announced a $3.8 million ad buy in the Ohio Senate race. That follows a nearly $1 million television buy that launched this week as a campaign collaboration between Vance and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

In an interview with POLITICO, Ryan said national Republicans are “panicking” about Vance’s prospects and pushed back on the idea that his internal poll represents his campaign’s apogee.

“We have a lot of room to grow,” Ryan said. “In a lot of ways, this race has signed up.” He added: “It’s just going to be about how many more Republicans and independent voters we can pull in the next three months.”

On that front, Ryan is still making headway. Retiring Sen. Rob Portman‘s former chief of staff John Bridgeland, a former director of George W. Bush’s Domestic Policy Council, is expected to author an endorsement on Ryan’s behalf in a coming Sunday edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer, as well as tap into his state-based Republican rolodex, POLITICO has learned.

“Tim is spending time in every county in Ohio, including heavily Republican counties in Southwest Ohio,” Bridgeland told POLITICO. “He’s really listening to people, he wants to know what their concerns are. And JD Vance is tearing people apart. And the last thing this country needs right now are more people igniting the worst dimensions of human nature.”

Ryan’s internal polling also shows him making inroads with independents: It showed him up 20 points with those voters. According to the poll, Vance also has 85 percent name identification and a 50 percent unfavorable rating after a bruising and expensive Republican primary. Ryan, who enjoyed a smoother ride to his party’s nomination, finds himself with 80 percent name ID and a 36 percent unfavorable rating).

But Republicans on the ground in Ohio and national operatives in DC say they’re confident the liberal congressman will fall off dramatically as Vance hits the air with positive spots and, especially as Ryan begins to face attack ads in the Republican-leaning state

A person familiar with One Nation’s decision to buy ad time in Ohio said “the cash disparity between the two candidates is a concern,” but they’re expecting a Vance win “if he makes up that gap even somewhat.”

Protect Ohio Values, a super PAC that supported Vance in the primary with $15 million from Thiel, will also spend on Vance’s behalf again during the general election, according to a person familiar with the group’s plan. Thiel hasn’t yet said whether he’ll cut another check, but the super PAC has added new donors and intends to spend seven figures on Vance this fall.

“In terms of what’s coming ahead, I believe he’s probably at his high-water mark now,” said Tony Schroeder, chairman of the Putnam County Republican Party, referring to Ryan. “Frankly we’re in a period where people aren’t paying a whole heck of a lot of attention. When the engagement comes around, there’s not going to be anything that’s going to help Tim Ryan.”

Vance has left the campaign trail in Ohio multiple times this summer, including trips to Conservative Political Action Conference events. But besides addressing crowds of activists, the trips have also served as fundraising opportunities. On Friday, before speaking in Dallas at CPAC Texas, Vance headlined the organization’s donor breakfast. He also held one-on-one meetings in the donor-heavy city, as he did when he traveled to Tel Aviv last month for CPAC Israel.

“A lot of this is midsummer bedwetting, to be frank,” said a person close to the campaign, noting how unpopular President Joe Biden remains in Ohio and how closely Republican ads will seek to tie Ryan to the president.

During his speech Friday, Vance urged those in the audience to sign up to make calls and knock doors for his campaign, criticizing Ryan as a “weak, fake congressman.” His comments from him signaled there is still a fight ahead to win voters dissented with Democrats, “whether they are conservatives, whether they vote Republican every time — the people who just want a good life in the country that their grandparents and great-grandparents built .”

A campaign spokesperson said Vance was unavailable for an interview Friday while at CPAC Texas.

Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Levorchick said he met Vance for the first time last month when Vance was traveling the state and visiting individually with law enforcement leaders. Levorchick took office in 2011 as a Democrat, but changed his voter registration last year to Republican. An Obama-Trump county, Ottawa broke from its longtime bellwether status in 2020 to support Trump for a second term.

Levorchick said as of now, he plans to cast his vote this fall for Vance, suggesting there is mistrust for Ryan in some law enforcement circles.

“Is he further right than some people may want? Could be,” Levorchick said of Vance. “But when you only have two candidates to pick from, you have to weigh who’s actually better suited to represent you.”

Categories
Technology

Ready to Go Live? A Beginner’s Guide to Game Streaming With OBS

If you watch streamers on Twitch you may have heard someone mention a program called OBS, or Open Broadcaster Software. This free, open-source program is the go-to choice for streaming content online. It brings every part of your stream together so you can control your mic, camera, streamed content, graphic effects, and settings from one place.

While programs like Twitch Studio simplify online streaming, many streamers praise the amount of control they get from OBS and urge newbies to learn the program. It may seem complicated at first, but OBS is an intuitive program overall. It’s also free and is supported by a motivated community, so why not take the time to learn?


How to Set Up OBS

twitch stream key

First, you’ll need to download OBS. The program is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Once installed, the OBS auto-configuration wizard will open and help you customize the program to your needs. It scans your PC and makes any necessary adjustments to settings, though you can change all these settings after the fact if you don’t like the way they’re set up.

If you’re going to use OBS to stream through a live-streaming service, such as Twitch, you’ll also need to link your Stream Key. Each Twitch streamer has an individual Stream Key that authorizes OBS to stream via your account. To find your Stream Key, log in to your Twitch account and navigate to Account Settings > Channel and Videos > Stream.

add stream key

Your key will be at the top of this screen. Copy your code and head back to OBS. Open File > Settings and click the streaming tab. Select your streaming service from the drop-down menu (we’re using Twitch here), click Use Stream Key, and paste in the code you copied.

Click Connect Account, sign in to your account, and authorize access. OBS should now be configured to stream on your Twitch account.


Customize the Stream

OBS Home Screen

Now that your account is linked to OBS, you can start streaming. However, you should take a moment to acquaint yourself with the interface and controls. Along the bottom row, you’ll find several boxes that serve different purposes.

the scenes box will allow you to quickly swap between your source video and anything you may want to display to your audience (for example, an AFK screen or countdown timer until your stream starts). the Source section is where you can add various content sources, such as your gameplay or face cam. These sources are tied to whatever scene you’re currently in so they won’t affect anything else.

your Sound Mixer segment is where you can manage your audio for these various sources and any microphones you are using. the scene transition section is where you can add an effect when you transition between scenes. Under Controls is where you can start your stream, record video, access settings, and more.

OBS Home screen with Chat and Stream Info docks up

Open the Docks menu to add more sections to the OBS display or remove the ones you don’t need. Some elements you might want to add include a Stream Chat box to review messages from your audience and a Stream Information box where you can add a title, bio, category, and any tags that might make your stream easier to find.

Click the Settings button in the bottom-right corner of the OBS window to access additional options so you can start using the program like a professional. For instance, you can click the Hotkeys tab to assign tasks to different keys on your keyboard. Things like stopping and starting the stream, your webcam, and transitions can all be set by clicking on their corresponding black bar and hitting the key you want to use.

OBS Hot Keys menu

There are countless things you can do on OBS to set yourself apart from other streamers using proprietary software. Luckily, the team on OBS has a resource forum where you can ask questions, support other streams, or even communicate with the OBS team if you have requests for new features.


Start Your Stream

obs streaming

When you are ready to start your stream, open the PC game you want to broadcast. You’ll want to make sure you’re streaming the correct program, so hit the plus (+) icon in the Sources section and select Game Capture.

Open the source you just added and use the drop-down menu to select Capture specific window, then choose your game from the list of open programs. Press okay and the preview window in the middle of the screen should display the game. You can then change the size of the game window.

Through a similar process, you can also add a webcam (Video Capture Device) and microphone (Audio Input Device). Just select the appropriate device to use and OBS will set it up. You can then adjust your video so it fits to your screen.

When you’re ready to go live, hit the Start Streaming button in the bottom-right corner of the program. You will then start streaming directly to your Twitch stream.

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Categories
Sports

Jason Dunstall’s savage sledge for Luke Darcy, Sam Darcy, Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle Dockers

AFL great Jason Dunstall has never shied away from sledging a fellow former star of the game and on Saturday he was at his best.

In the first quarter of the game between the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle at Marvel Stadium, Dunstall took aim at Luke Darcy.

Watch every blockbuster AFL match this weekend Live & Ad-Break Free In-Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Darcy was riding high in the days before the game after his son, Sam, was named to make his AFL debut for the Bulldogs.

Sam recorded his first touch of his career in the early minutes after an intercept mark.

Not long after he had his second disposal of the game and Dunstall saw an opportunity and took it with both hands.

“He’s already had one more possession than his father did on debut,” Dunstall savagely said on Fox Footy..

The remark drew some laughs from within the commentary box before Dunstall remarked: “Maybe too soon.”

Sam has outshone his dad on debut. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The first touch of his career. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Luke Darcy’s debut came in round 21, 1994 when the Bulldogs defeated St Kilda 117-72, Darcy ended the contest with two handballs to his name.

Sam eclipsed his disposal tally in the second quarter when he recorded his third kick of the contest.

The 19-year-old was taken as the second pick in the 2021 AFL Draft as a father-son selection with his debut announced on Thursday afternoon.

Standing at a towering 205cm tall, the teenager produced a stunning display last weekend in the VFL with 20 disposals and pulled down 14 marks.

He becomes the third generation from the Darcy family to pull on the Dogs guernsey, Luke had a stellar 226 game career with David Darcy playing 133 games.

Luke presented Sam with his jumper in a heartwarming video uploaded to social media by the Bulldogs on Friday.

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Categories
US

Tim Ryan turned his race into a surprise Senate battleground. Now comes the hard part.

The lead is a product of a lopsided campaign so far: Ryan spent more than $8 million on advertisements, including $6.5 million on television since May. But until this week, Vance’s campaign had been AWOL from the airwaves for that entire time. Ryan has also remained far ahead of Vance in the cash dash, in part thanks to an aggressive small-dollar donation campaign.

The outcome of the Ohio race has major stakes for the 2022 midterms. The Senate is finely balanced at 50-50, and Democrats have enjoyed a summer of solid polling in top swing-state races despite the challenging political environment. Adding another seriously competitive, GOP-held seat to the list of battleground races in the fall could tip control of the chamber next year.

Ironically, the spate of negative stories surrounding Vance’s campaign in recent weeks — that he is struggling with fundraising and his own party is questioning whether Ryan is out-hustling him on the airwaves — may have had a net positive effect on Vance’s campaign. Fundraising has picked up since, and national Republicans have stepped in to start buying ads in the race.

On Thursday, Vance joined Trump at his golf club in Bedminster, NJ, where he raised roughly $300,000 holding a golf fundraiser, according to a person with knowledge of the event.

Donors who had remained on the sidelines since the primary have suddenly started writing checks, the Vance ally said. And following a bitter primary fight, Vance’s past opponents are now stepping up to lend their support. Jane Timken just held a fundraiser for Vance, and the campaign is now scheduling additional events with Josh Mandel and Mike Gibbons.

This week, One Nation, the nonprofit part of the outside-spending machine affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), announced a $3.8 million ad buy in the Ohio Senate race. That follows a nearly $1 million television buy that launched this week as a campaign collaboration between Vance and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

In an interview with POLITICO, Ryan said national Republicans are “panicking” about Vance’s prospects and pushed back on the idea that his internal poll represents his campaign’s apogee.

“We have a lot of room to grow,” Ryan said. “In a lot of ways, this race has signed up.” He added: “It’s just going to be about how many more Republicans and independent voters we can pull in the next three months.”

On that front, Ryan is still making headway. Retiring Sen. Rob Portman‘s former chief of staff John Bridgeland, a former director of George W. Bush’s Domestic Policy Council, is expected to author an endorsement on Ryan’s behalf in a coming Sunday edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer, as well as tap into his state-based Republican rolodex, POLITICO has learned.

“Tim is spending time in every county in Ohio, including heavily Republican counties in Southwest Ohio,” Bridgeland told POLITICO. “He’s really listening to people, he wants to know what their concerns are. And JD Vance is tearing people apart. And the last thing this country needs right now are more people igniting the worst dimensions of human nature.”

Ryan’s internal polling also shows him making inroads with independents: It showed him up 20 points with those voters. According to the poll, Vance also has 85 percent name identification and a 50 percent unfavorable rating after a bruising and expensive Republican primary. Ryan, who enjoyed a smoother ride to his party’s nomination, finds himself with 80 percent name ID and a 36 percent unfavorable rating).

But Republicans on the ground in Ohio and national operatives in DC say they’re confident the liberal congressman will fall off dramatically as Vance hits the air with positive spots and, especially as Ryan begins to face attack ads in the Republican-leaning state

A person familiar with One Nation’s decision to buy ad time in Ohio said “the cash disparity between the two candidates is a concern,” but they’re expecting a Vance win “if he makes up that gap even somewhat.”

Protect Ohio Values, a super PAC that supported Vance in the primary with $15 million from Thiel, will also spend on Vance’s behalf again during the general election, according to a person familiar with the group’s plan. Thiel hasn’t yet said whether he’ll cut another check, but the super PAC has added new donors and intends to spend seven figures on Vance this fall.

“In terms of what’s coming ahead, I believe he’s probably at his high-water mark now,” said Tony Schroeder, chairman of the Putnam County Republican Party, referring to Ryan. “Frankly we’re in a period where people aren’t paying a whole heck of a lot of attention. When the engagement comes around, there’s not going to be anything that’s going to help Tim Ryan.”

Vance has left the campaign trail in Ohio multiple times this summer, including trips to Conservative Political Action Conference events. But besides addressing crowds of activists, the trips have also served as fundraising opportunities. On Friday, before speaking in Dallas at CPAC Texas, Vance headlined the organization’s donor breakfast. He also held one-on-one meetings in the donor-heavy city, as he did when he traveled to Tel Aviv last month for CPAC Israel.

“A lot of this is midsummer bedwetting, to be frank,” said a person close to the campaign, noting how unpopular President Joe Biden remains in Ohio and how closely Republican ads will seek to tie Ryan to the president.

During his speech Friday, Vance urged those in the audience to sign up to make calls and knock doors for his campaign, criticizing Ryan as a “weak, fake congressman.” His comments from him signaled there is still a fight ahead to win voters dissented with Democrats, “whether they are conservatives, whether they vote Republican every time — the people who just want a good life in the country that their grandparents and great-grandparents built .”

A campaign spokesperson said Vance was unavailable for an interview Friday while at CPAC Texas.

Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Levorchick said he met Vance for the first time last month when Vance was traveling the state and visiting individually with law enforcement leaders. Levorchick took office in 2011 as a Democrat, but changed his voter registration last year to Republican. An Obama-Trump county, Ottawa broke from its longtime bellwether status in 2020 to support Trump for a second term.

Levorchick said as of now, he plans to cast his vote this fall for Vance, suggesting there is mistrust for Ryan in some law enforcement circles.

“Is he further right than some people may want? Could be,” Levorchick said of Vance. “But when you only have two candidates to pick from, you have to weigh who’s actually better suited to represent you.”

Categories
Technology

Game Pass Vs. The New PS Plus, The Comparison We Had To Make

Two months ago, Sony reimagined PS Plus, its longtime membership program for PlayStation owners. Now, it looks a whole lot like Microsoft’s Game Pass: For roughly the same amount of money, both offer access to a Netflix-style games-on-demand library. Obviously, we had to stack the two services up against each other.

Price

Game Pass is available as a subscription for console, PC, or both. The two separated tiers cost $US10 ($14) a month. Xbox Live Ultimate, which joins the two and provides access to the EA Play Library (a similar games-on-demand service) and Xbox Live Gold, costs $US15 ($21) a month. There is no way to pay for multiple months or a year up front at a tiered markdown (at least officially).

PS Plus is also available for a subscription, but it gets very complicated very fast. There are two new tiers. The Extra is $US15 ($21) a month, or $US100 ($139) for the year, and offers free monthly games, online play, and a catalog of on-demand games including some of Ubisoft’s library. Premium is $US18 ($25) a month, or $US120 ($167) a year, and adds access to classic games, game trials, and cloud streaming for most of the games in the library. That’s a huge price difference, and while PS Plus Premium is more expensive month-to-month, it’s actually almost 50 per cent cheaper if you commit to the whole year.

Winner: PS Plus

streaming

Game Pass allows for cloud-streaming, provided you pay for the Ultimate tier pricier. The streaming functionality is technically still “in beta,” but it is for all intents and purposes up and running. Microsoft recommends internet speeds of at least 10mbps for mobile devices and 20mbps for consoles and PCs. Based on Kotaku‘s testing, it’s…fine? Despite cloud gaming’s huge advancements recently, streaming still can’t compete with downloaded games. The latency, however minor, is unignorable. As such, cloud gaming is best used for puzzlers, chill RPGs, light platformers, and other games that don’t demand split-second reflexes.

Microsoft says “more than 100” games are currently streamable via cloud gaming on Xbox Game Pass, but more games are added every few weeks. Right now, the Game Pass library currently lists 381 games as capable of streaming.

Stray.  (Screenshot: Annapurna / Kotaku)Stray. (Screenshot: Annapurna / Kotaku)

To unlock streaming on PS Plus you need to buy the $US18 ($25) a month tier. And even then, the streaming quality is nothing to write home about. At best, it’s as good as Xbox Cloud Gaming. Sometimes it’s worse. Roughly 320 games from the Premium library can be streamed on console or PC, and a good chunk of those are PS3 games and classics rather than the full PlayStation 4 library. For example, Marvel’s Avengers and stray are available on console but not in the streaming library.

Most notably, you can’t stream PS Plus games to your phone. For now, the service relies on Remote Play, meaning you need a console to play on mobile and you must be on the same WiFi network.

Winner: Game Pass

Game Library

Of course, a games-on-demand service is only as good as the one thing it’s supposed to provide: games.

Right now, the Xbox Game Pass library has about 475 games, but that tally comprises the library across both tiers, including the 92 games currently part of EA Play. The main draw, of course, is that Microsoft puts its entire first-party portfolio on the platform. That also includes the major tent poles — like halo-infinite and ForzaHorizon 5alongside forthcoming blockbusters like Starfield and red fall — which become available the day they came out. Third-party games tend to stick around for a year at most, though some, like Rockstar’s open-world Hold ‘Em simulator Red Dead Redemption 2, become unavailable after a matter of months. It’s unpredictable.

Halo Infinity.  (Screenshot: 343 Industries)Halo Infinity. (Screenshot: 343 Industries)

The library also regularly cycles in third-party games and often serves as a launch pad for indie gems. This year alone, the twee Zelda-like Tunicthe snowboarding sim shreddersand the puzzler-cum-dungeon-crawler Loot River all launched on Game Pass. (here’s Kotaku‘s list of the best under-the-radar games currently available.) Developers have acknowledged to Kotaku that debuting on Game Pass cuts into initial sales but is ultimately worth it for the tradeoff in publicity.

PS Plus Extra currently includes around 430 PS4 and PS5 games, while Premium adds another 395 from PS1, PS2, PS3 (streaming only), and PSP. While the classics are a nice bonus, the biggest draw by far are the PlayStation exclusives like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, Spider-Man: Miles Moralesand Bloodborne. Unlike Microsoft, Sony has committed to not putting its newest releases on the service day-and-date, and if Returnal arriving a year after release is any indication, it seems like a good bet that players will have to wait at least a year to 18 months before newer stuff appears.

There are plenty of strong contenders in the third-party department though. games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Prey, Control, doomand Tetris effect are all present, as are indies like Light blue, Outer Wilds, Dead Cellsand Virginia. The library has plenty of diversity and was bolstered most recently from the same-day addition of stray, which is already a 2022 GOTY contest. The Ubisoft component, led by Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is also a strong compliment. At the same time, Sony hasn’t yet demonstrated it is, or will be, as aggressive as Microsoft in courting a steady stream of third party day-and-date additions. There’s also no PC-exclusive portion of the library.

Winner: PS Plus

Ari: Going into this exercise, I totally imagined it’d paint a clear picture of Game Pass superiority, but these two services seem fundamentally identical to me — right down to the UI — with Sony’s new version of PS Plus marginally better in the few aspects that matter. The prices are mostly the same, but the option to pay for a year of PS Plus at a “discount” edges out Game Pass in that regard. Sure, Game Pass’ big draw is that it puts Microsoft’s first-party games on the service at launch, but…Microsoft has barely any first-party games out this year! Right now, that perk seems like little more than a marketing line.

Ethan: I also thought Game Pass would be the clear winner coming out of this, but now I’m conflicted as well. Not everyone can afford to pay for a full year up front, but it really changes the calculus in this matchup. There are some other key differences as well, and while I don’t think they make one a clear winner over the other, I do think it makes it easier to decide which you want to pay for. Want immediate access to a meaty back catalog of some of the biggest and best games from the last generation? PS Plus wins. Want to stay current on some of the best new games coming out every month and play them at any time on your phone? Then it’s Game Pass all the way.

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US

Indiana passes near-total abortion ban, the first to do so post-Roe

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Indiana became the first state in the country after the fall of Roe v. Wade to pass sweeping limits on abortion access, after Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed into law Friday a bill that constitutes a near-total ban 0n the procedure.

The Republican-dominated state Senate approved the legislation 28-19 Friday in a vote that came just hours after it passed Indiana’s lower chamber. The bill, which will go into effect Sept. 15, only allows abortion in cases of rape, incest, lethal fetal abnormality or when the procedure is necessary to prevent severe health risks or death.

Supporters of abortion rights crowded into the corridors of the Indiana Statehouse throughout the day as lawmakers cast their votes, some holding signs that read “You can only ban safe abortions” and “Abortion is health care.” Moments after the vote, some protesters hugged and others stood stunned before the crowd broke out into chants of “We will not stop.”

‘Not her body, not her choice:’ Indiana lawmakers on abortion ban

In a statement released after signing the bill, Holcomb said he had “stated clearly” following the fall of gnaws that he would be willing to support anti-abortion legislation. He also highlighted the “carefully negotiated” exceptions in the law, which he said address “some of the unthinkable circumstances a woman or unborn child might face.”

Before settling on the exceptions, Republican legislators disagreed on how far the law should go, with some GOP members siding with Democrats in demanding that abortion be legal in cases of rape and incest.

The vote followed days of testimony from citizens and a debate that grew heated at times. “Sir, I am not a murderer,” Rep. Renee Pack (D) said in the chamber after Rep. John Jacob (R), a staunch abortion opponent who wanted exceptions for rape removed, described the procedure as murder.

Abortion is now banned in these states. See where laws have changed.

Abortion rights organizations quickly rebuked Friday’s decision. Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the vote “was cruel and will prove devastating for pregnant people and their families in Indiana and across the whole region.” “Hoosiers didn’t want this,” Johnson said.

In a statement, the antiabortion group Indiana Right to Life opposed the exceptions, and said the new law did not go far enough in cutting abortion access.

The push by Indiana Republicans to restrict abortion access stands in stark contrast with the overwhelming support for it by voters in Kansas, where an attempt to strip away abortion protections was voted down this week in another traditionally conservative state. That victory is likely to boost the Democratic Party’s hope that the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade will energize voters ahead of the midterm elections.

In Indiana, Democratic legislators described the Kansas vote as a warning to their Republican colleagues to consider the potential fallout from voters.

Kansans resoundingly reject amendment aimed at restricting abortion rights

Unlike many of its predominantly conservative neighboring states in the Midwest, Indiana did not have a “trigger law” on the books that would immediately prohibit abortion when gnaws was overturned. Because the procedure had been legal in the state up to 22 weeks, Indiana became the destination for many seeking to terminate their pregnancies.

Cutting off this “critical access point” may force people to travel “hundreds of thousands or carry pregnancies against their will,” the American Civil Liberties Union said.

Most recently, a 10-year-old girl rape victim had to travel to Indianapolis for an abortion after she was denied one in her home state of Ohio. The case prompted outrage among abortion rights proponents, was criticized by President Biden and drew international attention.

The OB/GYN who provided the care, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, has faced threats and harassment. Her legal team de ella is looking into filing a defamation suit against Indiana’s attorney general, whose office is investigating how the abortion case was handled.

Kim Bellware and Ellen Francis contributed to this report.