Podcaster Joe Rogan, a former California resident, condemned the state’s leadership as he spoke to California-based comedian Tim Dillon on Wednesday. As Rogan noted on his podcast that there are some beautiful estates in Pasadena that recall another era of American life, Dillon agreed, saying that is a perfect way of describing how Los Angeles feels in general, saying, "Whatever it is, it's not what it was. And every place seems a little bit like a museum or like it was cool 20 years ago or 15 years ago." "You know, somebody recently said this and it's perfect. They said LA is slowly becoming Detroit," Rogan replied. He went on to note that while the entertainment industry in LA was once its flagship industry, but they "barely make movies anymore." "They overtaxed and overregulated their biggest industry to other states and other countries," Dillon replied, saying that the number of major films being made there had dropped dramatically. FROM ‘SCREAM’ TO STREAM: JAMIE KENNEDY REVEALS HOW HOLLYWOOD LOST ITS WAY AND WHY HE WON'T GIVE UP ON LA "That's a giant difference," Rogan said, criticizing the "arrogance" of rhetoric "like ‘This is the best place in the world. Everyone's going to come here no matter what. That's the Gavin Newsom attitude whenever he defends California." Rogan mocked Newsom’s rhetoric touting California as an economic power, replying, "He starts rattling off all these wonderful statistics and this is like instead of acknowledging, ‘Yeah we've got f---ing real problems. People are moving for the first time ever more than they're coming here. We're losing all these giant corporations that are leaving.’" "Instead of that, it's just this, ‘We're the s---, I’m very big on California, I’m bullish on California, it’s always gonna be amazing here—" Rogan began. "Well, it's what every empire said until they fell, right?" Dillon replied, later asking Rogan if he thinks there’s any chance LA can have a comeback. CALIFORNIANS FLEEING TO RED STATES ARE DRIVING UP HOME PRICES AND RENTS IN THEIR NEW CITIES, DATA SHOWS "Something has to happen," Rogan said. "Something big has to happen. I mean, there has to be something that completely shifts the way LA looks at itself. You know, it has to look at itself as like a functioning business instead of a giant scam for nonprofits. A big part of LA's problem is there's a bunch of people that are in the empathy industry." Dillon recalled issues he saw in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where a casino owner had told him that a high population density of people and social programs has caused issues for the area, including crime, vandalism, and various other forms of disorder. Newsom's office mocked Rogan when reached for comment in a manner parodying President Donald Trump, telling Fox News Digital, "JOE ‘LITTLE GUY’ ROGAN IS TOO CHICKEN TO HAVE ME ON HIS FAILING PODCAST BECAUSE HE KNOW I'D CRUSH HIM, SO HE TAKES CHEAP SHOTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY AS HE GETS RELEGATED TO IRRELEVANCY. ALL TALK, NO ACTION. I'M READY WHEN YOU ARE, ‘LITTLE GUY.’ OR KEEP HIDING!!!!" CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE View the full article

Many popular rewards cards — including some that charge less than $100 annually — come with statement credits toward application fees for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, Trusted Traveler Programs that help speed up the screening process at the airport. Global Entry/TSA PreCheck statement credits can be worth up to $120 every four years. You'll get the full $120 in value if you sign up for Global Entry, which I recommend since it includes TSA PreCheck. If you maximize the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit on one of these cards, you can completely offset the first year's annual fee. Already enrolled? You can transfer the credit to someone else. All you have to do is charge the application fee to your card. Let me introduce you to six of our favorite cards with annual fees under $100 that offer Global Entry/TSA PreCheck benefits. Best cards under $100 with Global Entry/TSA PreCheck creditsChase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): $95 annual feeCapital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: $95 annual feeAeroplan® Credit Card (see rates and fees): $95 annual feeIHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (see rates and fees): $99 annual feeOne Key+™ Card: $99 annual feeU.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: $0 annual feeThe information for the One Key+ Card and the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. Now let's dive into each card's details to find your best match. Related: It's getting easier: 5 essential tips on how to get a Global Entry appointment Chase Sapphire Preferred CardWelcome offer: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Per TPG's June 2026 valuations, this bonus is worth $2,050. Annual fee: $95. THE POINTS GUYEarning rates: 5 points per dollar spent on all Chase Travel℠ purchases, including flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation homes, cruises, activities and tours5 points per dollar spent on Lyft rides (through Sept. 30, 2027)5 points per dollar spent on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 (through Dec. 31, 2027; limit of 25,000 bonus points applies)3 points per dollar spent on gas and electric vehicle charging3 points per dollar spent on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plum Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa3 points per dollar spent on dining, streaming services and online groceries*2 points per dollar spent on all other travel1 point per dollar spent on all other purchasesBest for: Earning flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards points for potentially valuable redemptions. *The elevated earning rate for online grocery store purchases excludes Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs. To learn more, read our full review of the Sapphire Preferred. Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardWelcome offer: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This offer is worth about $1,388, according to TPG's June 2026 valuations. Annual fee: $95. THE POINTS GUYEarning rates: 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, rental cars and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel2 miles per dollar spent on all other purchasesBest for: A simple earning structure. To learn more, read our full review of the Venture Rewards. Learn more: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Aeroplan Credit CardWelcome offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. TPG's June 2026 valuations place this offer at $840. Annual fee: $95. THE POINTS GUYEarning rates: 3 points per dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and on purchases made directly with Air Canada1 point per dollar spent on all other purchasesBest for: Air Canada (and Star Alliance) flyers. To learn more, read our full review of the Aeroplan card. Apply here: Aeroplan Credit Card IHG One Rewards Premier Credit CardWelcome offer: Earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. According to TPG's June 2026 valuations, this bonus is worth $770. Annual fee: $99. THE POINTS GUYEarning rates: Up to 26 points per dollar spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts5 points per dollar spent on travel, at gas stations and at restaurants3 points per dollar spent on all other purchasesBest for: IHG One Rewards loyalists. To learn more, read our full review of the IHG Premier. Apply here: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card OneKey+ CardWelcome offer: Earn $350 in OneKeyCash™ after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Annual fee: $99. THE POINTS GUYEarning rates: 3% back in OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo3% back in OneKeyCash at gas stations, at grocery stores and on dining2% back in OneKeyCash on other purchasesBest for: Travelers who want to earn OneKeyCash. To learn more, read our full review of the OneKey+ card. U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature CardWelcome offer: Earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. Annual fee: $0. THE POINTS GUYEarning rates: 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Travel Center4 points per dollar spent at gas stations and EV charging stations (on your first $1,000 spent each quarter, then 1 point; excludes discount stores and wholesale clubs)4 points per dollar spent on travel2 points per dollar spent on dining, at grocery stores (excluding discount stores, supercenters and wholesale clubs) and on streaming services1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchasesBest for: Solid earnings for no annual fee. To learn more, read our full review of the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect. Bottom lineEach of these cards provides exceptional ongoing value beyond its Global Entry/TSA PreCheck benefit. It's easy to offset the sub-$100 annual fees with any of these options. The most important factor is determining the type of rewards you want to earn and how you would like to redeem them. You'll also want to consider each issuer's unique set of application rules and restrictions, including Chase's 5/24 rule. And remember, even if you already have Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, you can use this credit for someone you know. Just have them use your card to pay for their application fee. Related: No more kiosks: Global Entry trials fast camera tech that clears you while you walk Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. View the full article

After Ford's automated quality-control systems and AI tools fell short, the automaker hired 350 veteran engineers over the past three years to mentor younger staff and reprogram the underperforming technology. "Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it's only as good as the information you use to train it," Charles Poon, Ford's vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, told reporters on a call Wednesday. "Over prior years, we didn't pay as much attention as we should have to the experience of our most knowledgeable engineers that have been with us through many product cycles." Bloomberg reports: Those engineers were "at the heart" of Ford's efforts to turn around quality problems, said Kumar Galhotra, chief operating officer. They now run mandatory meetings that rigorously troubleshoot quality problems and they have reprogrammed AI tools to head off glitches before they happen. "We had been relying more and more on automated quality systems" and not getting the desired results, Galhotra said. "We brought back technical specialists" and "they hunt for failure points before a part ever reaches the plant floor." The return of the veteran engineers at Ford cuts against the prevailing wisdom -- and fear -- that AI will replace all kinds of knowledge workers. But Ford found the machines couldn't replace experience. "Mistakenly we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that that would produce a high-quality product," Poon said. But "we recognized that for us to enhance some of our automation and machine learning and artificial intelligence tools we needed to ensure that they were trained by the most experienced individuals." As a result of the efforts of the old hands, Ford vaulted above quality stalwarts such as Toyota and Honda on JD Power's bellwether survey that measures the quality of a car during the first three months of ownership. Only luxury brands Porsche and Genesis topped Ford this year. Read more of this story at Slashdot. View the full article

Republican Michigan Senate candidate and former Rep. Mike Rogers said the Democratic Party's recent embrace of socialist candidates is evidence that the party has moved "so far to the left" that everyday Americans are now starting to "wake up" and notice. "Welcome to the modern Democratic Party," Rogers told Fox News Digital. "This is not your dad's Democratic Party. It's not your grandmother's Democratic Party. This thing has veered so far to the left, and Michigan is at the epicenter of that." Following New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's mayoral primary victory, which shook the Democratic Party, three more socialist and progressive candidates emerged victorious in Democratic primaries. Mamdani-backed Democratic Socialists of America members Darializa Avila Chevalier and state Rep. Claire Valdez, as well as progressive Brad Lander, prevailed in their Democratic primaries this week. The candidates have campaigned on platforms centered on abolishing ICE, universal healthcare, affordability and criticism of Israel. WINNERS AND LOSERS EMERGE AFTER SOCIALIST EARTHQUAKE ROCKS NYC PRIMARIES The winning candidates have raised renewed concerns about where the future of the Democratic Party is headed. Rogers said the Democratic Party has neglected working-class and middle-class Americans, leaving more people in Michigan questioning whether they should build their futures in the state or look for opportunities elsewhere. "I think that the Democratic Party walked away from working and middle-class Americans a decade ago, and in Michigan, people are starting to wake up to this notion that we can't continue to do this and expect our kids to stay," he said. Rogers said Michigan has its own worries about socialism and called the ideas from far-left figures in Michigan "a little bit terrifying." "Matter of fact, I think all three of the Democrats who are running for the nomination are out of step already, and it's only gonna get worse," he said. "This really will be about crazy versus common sense in the state of Michigan." Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who is endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has campaigned on many of the same policies as New York City's winning candidates. The progressive has also faced criticism for opposing the current U.S. partnership with Israel over humanitarian concerns during the war in Gaza and for campaigning with controversial streamer Hasan Piker, who has called Hamas "the lesser of two evils" and said the U.S. "deserved 9/11." DEMOCRATIC U.S. SENATE HOPEFUL SAYS HER PARTY NIXING ROGAN INTERVIEW IS WHY PEOPLE ARE ‘TURNING AGAINST’ IT However, Rogers said voters are rejecting the Democratic Party's shift, pointing to Graham Platner's Senate primary victory in Maine and accusing Michigan Democrats of "flirting" with socialism. New York’s socialist sweep came just weeks after another closely watched race in Maine, where Graham Platner won the party's nomination despite multiple controversies, including inflammatory Reddit posts, a Nazi-linked chest tattoo, reports that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women while married, and allegations from former girlfriends involving rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent behavior. "But people see a guy in Maine, Nazi tattoo, communist in 2019 espousing," Rogers said. "You see the candidates in our race who are flirting with all that Democrat socialism. That's why our message is resonating, and that's why we're doing as well as we are on the ground." Rogers is running in Michigan's Republican Senate primary, while El-Sayed will face fellow progressive state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in the Democratic primary. Both primaries will be held on Aug. 4 to determine who will fill the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters. Rogers said Michigan Democrats are promoting "shared misery" and predicted "the rest of the country is going to be as confused as we are about who they are and what they want to do." "What these three Democrats are talking about, shared misery," he said. "We're gonna share our misery with everybody in the state. Not selling well, so we look forward to November and let them hash it out between now and then about who the Democrats are." LIZ PEEK: DEMOCRATS FACE A SOCIALIST RECKONING THEY ARE TOO SCARED TO STOP Michigan depends on manufacturing jobs, Rogers said, arguing a socialist environment "doesn't allow those jobs to grow" and instead "makes a lot less of them." He said Sanders' win in Michigan's 2016 Democratic presidential primary is evidence that "there is a faction of Democrats that are willing to give up on the free-market idea of an American economy and aren't really happy with America." But Rogers said voters he has spoken with no longer trust Democrats' promises to lower costs, saying they are "ready for change" after years of Democratic control in the state and that "everything bad that's happened to us has really happened in that time frame." Rogers also blamed Democratic leadership for weaker school rankings, slow wage growth, manufacturing job losses and higher utility bills, saying those issues can be "traced back to what Democrat policies did to us in the state." Highlighting his own campaign, Rogers said his "optimism" and focus on affordability, jobs and education is helping him beat his Democratic opponents in recent polls. "Our positive, issue-centered campaign for Michigan is working, and that's why in the last six polls or so we've been ahead of our Democrat opponents," he said. View the full article

This flash deal is a rare chance to buy one of our favorite hydroponic gardens for less than $100.View the full article