The White House said President Joe Biden was just calling to check in on Hunter when he was on calls with his son’s business associates. 

‘This is part of the right-wing’s misinformation machine to try to confuse people about what the truth is,’ White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations Ian Sams told CNN on Wednesday morning.

‘The truth is that the president, as he said publicly for years, calls his family every day to check in. He calls his son every day to check in. He calls his other family members to check in to see how they are doing. He loves them. They are a tight-knit family.’ 

Hunter’s former business partner Devon Archer told the House Oversight Committee in testimony this summer that Hunter had put his father on speakerphone during business meetings about 20 times.

Sams argued those calls were personal as the White House doubled down on its pushback to Speaker Kevin McCarthy opening an impeachment inquiry into the president. The administration also sent a letter to news organizations pushing the outlets ‘to ramp up its scrutiny of House Republicans for opening an impeachment inquiry based on lies.’

At the time of Archer’s closed-door testimony, Democrats in the room said Archer described the calls as personal.

‘The witness indicated that Hunter spoke to his father every day, and approximately 20 times over the course of 10-year relationship, Hunter may have put his father on the phone with any number of different people, and they never once spoke about any business dealings,’ Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York said at the time. 

‘As he described it, it was all casual conversation, niceties, the weather, what’s going on. There wasn’t a single conversation about any of the business dealings that Hunter had,’ Goldman noted.

But Republican Chairman James Comer of Kentucky said Archer testified that Joe Biden ‘joined Hunter Biden’s dinners with his foreign business associates in person or by speakerphone over 20 times’ and was put on the phone to sell ‘the brand.’ 

Comer said the testimony shows ‘Joe Biden lied to the American people when he said he had no knowledge about his son’s business dealings and was not involved. Joe Biden was ‘the brand’ that his son sold around the world to enrich the Biden family.’ 

The White House has accused Republicans of election-year politics with its impeachment inquiry.

‘The president has been in politics for a long time. I think as he would say, he has seen a lot of malarkey along the way, but this might take the cake,’ Sams told CNN. ‘He’s focused on issues that matter to the American people.’

Sams is White House point person on countering Republican accusations against the president and his family. He is part of a war room established in the White House counsel’s office specifically to deal with GOP investigations.

He noted Biden, who was vice president at the time, was calling Hunter to check in because the family was also dealing with the illness of Beau Biden, the late son of the president. Beau Biden died in 2015 of brain cancer.

‘He was checking in with Hunter during a particularly hard time, a time where the family was going through Hunter’s brother Beau’s illness. Of course the president checks in,’ Sams said.

Hunter Biden has spoken about how he relapsed into his drug and alcohol addiction after his brother died. The Biden family later held an intervention to get him to do another stint in rehab.

It was during that intervention that Joe Biden told his son: ‘I don’t know what else to do. I’m so scared. Tell me what to do.’ 

Hunter Biden did get sober but his business dealings are being investigated by House Republicans. And the impeachment inquiry – the first step in the impeachment process – will investigate whether President Biden personally benefited from his son’s work.

Biden has said he had nothing to do with Hunter’s business deals.

Speaker McCarthy, under heavy pressure from the conservative wing of his party and facing threats to his speakership, declared on Tuesday the inquiry would begin. 

‘House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct,’ McCarthy said. ‘Taken together these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption.’

‘These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption. And they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives. That’s why today I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden,’ he noted.

Republicans have charged Biden and his family made millions off shell companies Hunter Biden formed when his father was vice president. Hunter had business deals with an energy company in the Ukraine, received a discounted stake in a private-equity firm in China, and did consulting for a Romanian real-estate magnate.

The president has denied any involvement in his son’s business dealings. But Republicans claim at least a dozen Biden family members could be involved in a scheme to benefit financially from Biden’s public office. 

House investigators are expected to issue subpoenas for the bank records of the president and his family. The GOP also claim Biden sat in on at least 24 calls with Hunter’s business partners and was referred to as ‘the big guy’ by Hunter’s business associates. And they say Joe Biden used pseudonyms to discuss his activities related to Ukraine with his son Hunter during his time as vice president.

It’s estimated Hunter raked in $40 million through 20 shell companies and fake accounts created while Joe Biden was vice president.

With the launch of iPhone 15 is around the corner, owners of older iPhones are bracing for their devices to slow down – but there are some tricks to counter the dreaded slowdown.

Apple previously faced fines and a $115 million settlement over a ‘batterygate’ controversy where older phones were deliberately made sluggish – although Apple said that this was in order to preserve their batteries.

Apple fans have long been convinced that iOS updates (in particular ones around the launch of a new handset) can slow older devices – but there are steps to take, a phone refurbishment expert has told DailyMail.com.

Kewin Charron, Senior Lead Refurbishment Operations Manager at Back Market said, ‘As the cost of smartphones continues to rise, opting to repair and prolong the life of your device not only presents a more sustainable alternative to purchasing new technology but is also a significantly more economical choice.’

If your iPhone is slowing down, Charron recommends taking the following steps: 

Stop apps slowing your phone down

Today’s iPhones contain more apps than ever before – and if you’ve installed lots, they could be slowing your device down, Charron said.

These apps tend to consume substantial amounts of RAM and CPU resources (which can slow your phone) while operating in the background, often without the user’s awareness.

Charron said: ‘A simple hack for speeding up your old iPhone is to go into your Settings> General > Background App Refresh and select Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi & Cellular Data, or Off to stop Background App Refresh entirely.

‘This quick fix means that iPhone users can adjust their settings to automatically control and stop apps running in the background; allowing the phone to run smoother.’

Check your battery health

Your slow iPhone might be due to an issue with the battery, Charron said.

Even newer batteries can malfunction if they’re defective or have been over- used.

If you’re using iPhone 6 or later (with an up-to-date version of iOS), go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health to view your battery’s maximum capacity.

This should fall somewhere between 0 and 100%.

Charron said, ‘A typical Apple battery should maintain up to 80% of its original capacity.

‘As the battery ages, this percentage may decrease, resulting in the battery no longer being able to hold charge.’

If it’s below that, you should consider taking it to a repair store and replacing the battery, Charron said.

Check peak performance

There’s another statistic buried in iPhone’s menus which it’s well worth checking out, Charron advised.

Charron said, ‘Under the ‘Battery Health’ segment, it’s also worth taking a look at ‘Peak Performance Capacity.’ 

This particular metric offers valuable information about the battery’s performance status, showing if the battery is operating correctly or not. 

Should you observe any malfunction in your battery, it could be wise to consider opting for a replacement.’

Unclog your memory

Slow iPhone performance can stem from limited storage capacity, with full or nearly full storage resulting in reduced available memory and impacting CPU performance, which slows your phone down, Charron said.

Charron said: ‘iPhones need around 10 percent of available storage for caching and temporary files that facilitate smooth app operation and software updates.

‘To enhance your iPhone speed, allocate time to review installed applications and uninstall those no longer needed. 

‘Sorting through old photos and videos and eliminating unnecessary content is also beneficial.’

The nuclear option

If your phone isn’t responding to the other tips, restore it to its default settings – ie to how it was before you started using it, Charron said.

This can clear out ‘hidden’ data which could be slowing your device, Charron said.

He said, ‘For a more thorough storage clear out, firstly create a backup of your phone data. 

‘Then, restore the device to its default settings before reapplying the backup. This process removes cached data and clears the phone’s ‘other’ storage. Alternatively, uninstall and then reinstall specific apps.’

Monkey see monkey do! Hilarious moment primate grabs zoo visitor’s phone and flips it round to film her freaking out

By Milo Pope

Updated: 10:40 EDT, 24 August 2023

Years ago you might’ve been branded a conspiracy theorist for claiming your cellphone is tracking you – but not anymore.

Your iPhone has been keeping track of everywhere you’ve ever been, and you can view it in map form with a few clicks. 

It can be quite a handy feature if you are forgetful. For example, your phone can automatically generate directions home or find your parked car.  

So it makes sense that the phone keeps an internal log of your whereabouts. But if this is something you’re not comfortable with, read on.

The tracking function is part of location services, and a more in-depth thing called Significant Locations. 

Want to know how to access it and, if you’d like, turn it off? Here are the steps:

● Open your iPhone’s settings.

● Tap Privacy & Security.

● Select Location Services.

● Scroll down and tap System Services.

● Scroll until you see Significant Locations and tap that.

After entering your password or opening your phone with FaceID, you’ll see a list of locations you’ve visited. 

Some may seem a bit off to you, but that’s because the location is not always precise.

Tap on a place and it will open a page with more specifics, including a map that shows where it thought you were. It would have you in the area even if it didn’t peg you precisely right.

It’s also possible to eliminate your Significant Locations history. Here’s how:

● Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, then tap Significant Locations.

● Tap Clear History. This action clears all your Significant Locations on any devices signed in with the same Apple ID.

If you don’t want your iPhone to keep track of your whereabouts, you can disable Significant Locations. Here’s how:

● Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, then tap Significant Locations.

● Slide the toggle next to Significant Locations to the left to disable the setting.

If you’ve used Google Maps for years, there’s probably a startling amount of info about everywhere you’ve gone. Check it out:

● When signed in, click on your profile picture, then select Manage your Google Account. Or go to your Google Account page here.

● On the left, click on Data & privacy.

● Under ‘History Settings,’ click on Location History.

● At the bottom, click Manage history.

You’ll see a map with details like your saved home, work locations, and trips. You can search by year or down to a specific day in the Timeline box in the top left corner.

Pick a date from a couple of years ago just for fun. You’ll see a blue bar if a trip was recorded. Click a day to see everywhere you went, down to the time and mileage.

Maybe you enjoyed the walk down memory lane. Or perhaps it gave you the creeps. You can adjust your settings to stop Google from tracking all your trips.

● Go back to your Google Account page.

● On the left, click on Data & privacy.

● Under ‘History Settings,’ choose Location History. Click Turn off.

According to Apple, this feature exists so the phone can learn places that are significant to us and therefore be able to provide personalized services, like predictive traffic routing and improved Photos Memories.

That said, it seems like an invasion of privacy and could lead to real problems. If the phone tracks our whereabouts, who else may know about them?

According to Apple, no one. It says the data that goes between your cloud-connected devices is encrypted. Unless someone steals your phone and password, there is nothing they can do to access it.

Warning to Android users over glitch which sees their phone accidentally ‘silent call’ 999

• UK police forces have received more than 1,000 silent calls over the last month
• Police chiefs claim a new SOS Android feature is the cause of accidental calls
• Google is aware of the issue and it will be addressed shortly, reports say

By Lauren Haughey

Updated: 12:31 EDT, 24 June 2023

EXCLUSIVE – I’ll make sure those 17 recordings of Joe and Hunter are released: Republican Steve Scalise vows to ‘press’ to make Burisma exec’s phone calls public – and says Americans are furious the Bidens have gotten away with ‘web of corruption’

By Kelly Laco, Executive Editor Of Politics For Dailymail.Com

Published: 15:37 EDT, 13 June 2023 | Updated: 16:00 EDT, 13 June 2023

Girl, 13, blows her Chinese family’s life savings spending $64,000 on mobile phone games

• The teenager’s mother, Gong Yiwang, found just seven cents left in her account
• Schoolgirl deleted chat and transaction records to hide them from her parents

By Elena Salvoni

Published: 10:38 EDT, 9 June 2023 | Updated: 10:42 EDT, 9 June 2023

Prince Harry today told the High Court what he believed was in the public interest – amid a series of testy exchanges with a lawyer who told him: ‘Could I ask the questions?’ 

The duke – who is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages over claims journalists at its titles used hacking, ‘blagging’ and other illegal means of deception – repeatedly clashed with the KC representing the publisher during the second day of his cross-examination.

Andrew Green KC told the prince after one fractious exchange: ‘Could I just repeat what I said yesterday – this is about me asking you questions, not you asking me questions.’

Meanwhile Harry repeatedly pushed back against the barrister’s line of questioning, telling him several times: ‘I’ll take your word for it.’

Harry, 38, alleges that about 140 articles published between 1996 and 2010 by MGN publications contained information gathered using unlawful methods, and 33 of these have been selected to be considered at the trial.

Mr Green asked the duke about an article published in the Sunday People in May 2005 about him having a knee injury and fellow cadets at Sandhurst complaining he was given ‘preferential treatment’ by being let off ‘gruelling marches’. 

The barrister asked about a press release issued by Clarence House about the injury, which included a quote from Harry. He asked the duke whether he stood by the evidence in his witness statement, in which he said he wasn’t ‘going around discussing any medical issues or injuries’.

Harry replied: ‘Yes, it is entirely accurate. That is a reference to while I was at Sandhurst and the distrust that I ended up having … with the medical staff at Sandhurst.’

Mr Green then turned to an article published in the Independent newspaper on the same day as the People article, and asked the duke if he accepted there was a degree of public interest in the story.

Yesterday, Harry said there was ‘a difference between the public interest and what is in the interests of the public’.

Harry replied today: ‘No, I do not.’

Mr Green asked the duke what he thought a public interest story about him would be.

‘I’m not entirely sure, I’d be speculating,’ Harry replied.

‘Well could you speculate for a moment,’ Mr Green said.

Harry said it could be in the public interest to report ‘a life-threatening injury’ he had suffered.

At one point in the cross-examination, the royal spoke directly to the judge.

Mr Green responded: ‘Could I ask the questions?’

In another testy exchange, Harry was asked if he would be happy or disappointed to find out that his phone had never been hacked by Mirror Group journalists.

‘That would be speculating,’ Harry replied.

He said there was ‘industrial scale hacking’ occurring at newspapers, so would feel it was an ‘injustice’ if this was not ‘proved’ in his case.

‘So you want your phone to have been hacked,’ Mr Green said.

‘No one wants to have been phone hacked,’ Harry replied.

Mr Green questioned Harry about a September 2007 People article that claimed his relationship at the time was ‘in crisis after a string of bitter bust-ups’.

Harry told the court that the ‘whole article itself is suspicious’, adding: ‘I never discussed with the Palace any details of my relationship with my girlfriend.’

Mr Green asked the duke if he was alleging that information in the story came from phone hacking.

‘Yes,’ Harry said, adding: ‘I say that everything that has been attributed to a Palace source… was obtained unlawfully.

‘The Palace wouldn’t know this information.’

Mr Green said the prince was in the ‘land of total speculation about where this information might have come from’.

‘Not at all, I disagree,’ Harry responded. 

Mr Green also used the phrase yesterday when Harry said he was ‘not sure’ whose phone was hacked when he broke his thumb playing football at Eton and it appeared in the media. 

The duke then claimed another Mirror article about his breakup with Chelsy Davy had been obtained through voicemail interception.

The article ‘Down in the dumped’ reported on an ’emotional phone call’ in which Ms Davy apparently asked for a trial separation.

Harry said in his witness statement yesterday that the piece included ‘a quote from a ”friend”, that said we needed some time out, but that we were likely to get back together’.

But he said neither he nor Ms Davy had ever spoken about what happened to anyone outside their closest friends.

Harry said he thought the information could have been obtained through voicemail, but confirmed he did not specifically recall leaving a voicemail as it happened so long ago.

Mr Green said the trial separation was ‘already widely reported’ in the Sunday papers. ‘I’ll take your word for it, Mr Green,’ Harry replied.

Referring to a December 2007 article about Harry dropping Ms Davy off after she spent the night at Kensington Palace, which included a paparazzi photograph of Ms Davy, Mr Green suggested that was something ‘anyone could have observed’.

The barrister said there were often photographers outside the palace, to which Harry said: ‘They were only there for pretty much emergencies or big moments of the royal family – weddings, engagements, hospital visits.’

Mr Green said: ‘There were there on this occasion’, to which Harry replied: ‘That is why it’s suspicious, my lord.’

The duke added: ‘This to me is incredibly suspicious as I say. She spent the night with me, I was dropping her off as close to Kensington High Street as I could get without being seen.

‘To know that a photographer was there for us, waiting, was highly suspicious.’

The prince said he suspected he had seen the article at the time of publication as he believed his security team would have alerted him to it.

Mr Green also mentioned a Sunday Mirror article about Harry’s breakup with Ms Davy, which was headlined ‘Hooray Harry’s dumped’ and contained reports of a ‘vodka binge’. 

The duke said it was ‘hurtful to say the least’ that ‘such a private moment was turned into a bit of a laugh’.

Mr Green said the name had been used to describe the royal in previous stories.

‘It was not celebrating the demise of your relationship,’ he added.

In a 49-page witness statement unveiled yesterday, the duke said that he found it ‘very hard to trust anyone, which led to bouts of depression and paranoia’.

‘Friendships were lost entirely unnecessarily,’ he continued, later adding that some of his friends ‘became instant targets’.

The duke later said that he can now see ‘how much of my life was wasted on this paranoia’, adding: ‘I’ve always heard people refer to my mother as paranoid, but she wasn’t.

‘She was fearful of what was actually happening to her and now I know that I was the same.’

Mr Green questioned Harry on about 20 of the 33 articles over the course of yesterday.

Harry was asked about why he has complained about articles in MGN titles when the same information had previously been put into the public domain by other media outlets.

The duke said his understanding was that MGN journalists used unlawful methods to get ‘exclusive’ angles on existing stories or to move the story on in some way.

Mr Green also asked Harry about his claim that articles ’caused him to be paranoid and to distrust those around him’, and whether he was referring to specific MGN articles or ‘the general effect of all of the articles’ about him.

Harry said: ‘Yes, because … it is 20 years ago and I simply can’t other than speculate whether I saw these articles at the time.

‘I certainly saw a lot of articles at the time and was made aware … unfortunately, by the behaviour and reaction of my inner circle.’

The duke added that when information he had told to only a few members of his inner circle was made public, ‘your circle of friends starts to shrink’.

MGN is contesting his claim and has either denied or not admitted that articles about Harry being examined at the trial involved phone hacking or unlawful activity.

At the start of the duke’s individual case on Monday, Mr Green said there was ‘simply no evidence capable of supporting the finding that the Duke of Sussex was hacked, let alone on a habitual basis’ and that payment records used in the duke’s claim ‘simply do not demonstrate unlawful conduct or knowledge thereof’.

Harry’s claim is being heard alongside three other ‘representative’ claims during a trial which began last month and is due to last six to seven weeks.

The three other representative claimants are Coronation Street actor Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, who is best known for playing Kevin Webster in the long-running soap, former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife Fiona Wightman.

BELOW IS HARRY’S FULL WRITTEN WITNESS STATEMENT –  

These days, most smartphones are kitted out with facial recognition technology, multiple cameras and wireless charging systems. 

But back in the 90s we were much more easily impressed, with handsets causing a stir if they had a camera at all. 

However, classic phones are having somewhat of a comeback with Gen Z users, who have dubbed the simple devices ‘dumbphones’. 

Amid this retro revival, Nokia has launched a new, hot pink flip phone called the Nokia 2660 Flip. 

Its launch comes exactly 25 years on from the launch of Nokia’s first ever flip phone back in 1998.

Nokia first announced the new phone last year, but has released it in two new colours today – Pop Pink and Lush Green – to celebrate the 25-year anniversary.   

‘There’s been a surge of interest in flip phones, and we believe that the interest is coming from a need to take a break from the constant flow of incoming digital notifications, social media posts and more,’ said Lars Silberbauer, Chief Marketing Officer from HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones. 

‘People want more simplicity, more face-to-face time, more time to think, and time to have an uninterrupted conversation! 

‘I’m sure we all have examples where a beautiful life moment has been spoiled by a distraction or notification. 

‘That’s why we are re-introducing the Nokia 2660 Flip, to give people these important beautiful life moments back.’

The Nokia 2660 Flip features a clamshell design and is just 4.25 inches long when folded. 

It flips open to reveal a 2.8-inch display alongside large physical buttons, without a touchscreen in sight. 

While it does feature a rear camera, this is just 0.3MP – significantly lower than the iPhone 14’s 48MP lens. 

However, Nokia hopes this will be one of the greatest selling points for the phone, claiming the low quality camera is perfect for ‘lo-fi Y2K style pictures.’ 

The phone may also appeal to festival-goers, thanks to its whopping 26-day battery life and drop-proof polycarbonate shell. 

And before you panic, thankfully Nokia has confirmed that its fan favourite feature has been included in the Nokia 2660 Flip – the classic Snake game.  

The Nokia 2660 Flip will be available to buy in Pop Pink this week and in Lush Green next week for £64.99 ($80.24).

Retro phones have been making a comeback since 2017, when Nokia released a new version of the 3310 phone, 17 years after the original version was launched.

That same year, Motorola revealed that it was bringing back its iconic RAZR phone, joining forces with British firm, Binatone, to create the Binatone Blade.

Experts claim that one of the biggest draws of these basic phones is the nostalgia associated with them, as well as the significantly lower price tag than smartphones.

People are also finding they don’t need all the functionalities offered by more expensive smartphones, and would rather have the simplicity of a paired-back device. 

Speaking to CBS Philadelphia, Darren Zygadlo, creator of onecutreviews.com, said: ‘I think there’s a lot to be said for a product that makes you nostalgic.

‘We’ve hit a point where we can pretty much do everything with these phones and I think some people are finding themselves saying, “What do I need all that for?”‘

WhatsApp is working on a HUGE update that will let you message users without having their phone number

• The Meta-owned app is developing the ability to set up a WhatsApp username
• This could allow you to message people without having their phone number

By Shivali Best For Mailonline

Updated: 10:47 EDT, 26 May 2023