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Product Dimensions : 6.5 x 3.15 x 3.15 inches; 1.21 Pounds Date First Available : October 25, 2023 Manufacturer : Swedish Nutra AB ASIN : B09GFJDZWL Best Sellers Rank: #101,931 in Health & Household (See Top 100 in Health & Household) #838 in Collagen Supplements Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (470) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); }); HIGH DOSE: Each serving contains a 10,000 mg dose of Halal Certified Marine Collagen, type 1 and 3, hydrolyzed into low molecular weight Collagen for excellent absorption, enriched with active ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Biotin and Vitamin C FOR HEALTHY SKIN: Collagen can help to support skin health, moisture and elasticity by working to minimize sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles GROW HAIR & NAILS: Supplementing Collagen has been shown to stimulate normal hair growth by slowing hair loss and helping make fine hair appear thicker; it can also aid nail strength by correcting weak or damaged nail beds 8 WEEK BENEFITS: Specially formulated to support skin hydration, elasticity, and brightness, while helping to minimize the appearance of fine lines over time 20-DAY SUPPLY: One 500 ml bottle for a 20-day supply with a 25 ml daily dose; enjoy the delicious Natural Berry flavor, sugar-free, with 100% natural flavor and color; keep refrigerated for optimum taste; made with 100% recyclable packaging
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Less than a month ago, James Harden and the LA Clippers were near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with very little to feel optimistic about.
But after their fourth win in a row, 119-105 over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night at the Intuit Dome, and their 11th win in their past 13 games — the best record in the NBA during that span — Harden told ESPN he thinks the Clippers could “come all the way back.”
Back into playoff contention would be quite a feat considering how poorly the Clippers started the season. At one point, they were 6-21 with nothing but a series of controversies to show for a season that began with great expectations.
“Some teams, when it gets that bad, they just let the wheels fall off,” Harden said. “I had interviews where people were asking me, ‘How do you find confidence?’ and I’m like, ‘The confidence is there. The losses are frustrating, but the confidence is still there.’
“I think finding little tweaks and being a lot better defensively is what really helped us out. … Now we got to take one game at a time, just like when we were in the hole. We can come all the way back, but we have to chip away, chip away and really build some momentum going into the All-Star break.”
The Clippers are currently a half-game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for 10th place and the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Harden and Kawhi Leonard are hoping to be a part of All-Star Weekend on Feb. 13-15 at the Intuit Dome. Both are strong candidates after this recent surge. Leonard is averaging 32.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.6 steals during this 11-2 run. Harden is averaging 24.8 points and 7.8 assists.
“We talk probably more than anybody,” Harden said of Leonard. “Once I see him flip the switch, it was like, ‘OK, yeah, it’s time to go.’ That’s the Kawhi we need. My job is just facilitate, get him going, get us going. So it’s just been a complete 180.”
Harden also recently passed Shaquille O’Neal for ninth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, a special accomplishment for a player who grew up in Los Angeles watching O’Neal win championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“That was a surreal moment just because as a kid growing up watching Kobe [Bryant] and Shaq, the Lake Show, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, all those guys. To pass somebody who I really grew up watching, it’s unreal for real,” Harden said.
As for his own time in Los Angeles, Harden seemed to dispel any notion that he’d want to leave his hometown amid the Clippers’ early-season struggles.
“It’s hard to explain,” Harden said. “Being at home, that’s like the opportunity of a lifetime for me. Just be able to hoop in front of my family, friends, people I grew up with, people that raised me. It’s a different feeling. So as much as people talk all the time. That’s social media, that’s what people’s jobs are to talk. For me, it’s just like I’m actually living in it so I can’t get caught up in what people talk about, how people feel, whatever the case.
New Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa took responsibility for the team’s “painful” 3-2 Copa del Rey defeat to second-tier Albacete on Wednesday, defending his decision to rest a number of senior players.
A 94th-minute winner from Jefte Betancor gave Albacete — currently 17th in the second division — their first win over Madrid, after Gonzalo García looked to have forced extra time at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte with a 91st minute header.
Arbeloa took charge of Madrid on Tuesday, stepping up from coaching the reserve team after the departure of Xabi Alonso.
“At this club a draw is bad, a tragedy, so imagine a defeat like this,” Arbeloa said in his postmatch news conference. “It’s painful, especially against a lower division team. … Obviously we have to improve.
“I’m responsible, I take the decisions: the team, how we want to play, the substitutions. We’ll try to recover our morale and physically, and improve for the game on Saturday [against Levante in LaLiga].”
Madrid’s Copa exit came only three days after they were beaten by Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a result that preceded Alonso’s removal as coach.
“I was convinced the squad was the right one, and I still think that,” Arbeloa said. “We have an extraordinary squad, with great players. It isn’t easy for them to do everything I’ve asked of them after just one day [in the job]. We have a lot of players to get back to their best physical level.
“I don’t regret anything. I’d pick the same team again.”
Madrid had previously progressed only to the round of 16 of the Copa, needing an Mbappé brace to beat third-tier Talavera de la Reina 3-2 in December.
“I think we’ve hit rock bottom today,” defender Dani Carvajal told reporters. “We’ve been knocked out by a second-division team. Congratulations to them. From tomorrow we’ll all do some self-criticism, individually and collectively. There’s still time to turn the season around.”
Said Arbeloa: “If people want to describe this as a failure I’d understand it. For me, failure lies on the way to success. … I don’t fear that word. I’ve failed a lot in my life, I’ve suffered defeats in cups, I’m excited about getting to Valdebebas tomorrow and working with the players, to [play] much better on Saturday.”
The new coach cited the need for his squad to improve physically, and refused to view the cup elimination as a positive in terms of reducing the workload going forward.
“Losing is never a relief at Real Madrid,” Arbeloa said. “Obviously it can have some positive consequences, but it wasn’t our objective to lose today. Physically we have a big margin to improve, that’s what [fitness coach] Antonio [Pintus] is here for, I think we need that.”
Emotional scenes at the final whistle saw Albacete’s players perform a lap of honor, while former Madrid defender Jesus Vallejo — who sat out Wednesday’s game because of injury — left the field in tears.
“It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever experienced in football,” matchwinner Betancor said. “It’s what you dream about.
“Nine years ago I wanted to leave football. Now, by dreaming, and working hard, look where we are. I think we deserved it.”
Any ebook reader will let you cram a Beauty and the Beast-sized library’s worth of books in your pocket, but so will your phone. An ebook reader offers a more book-like reading experience, with fewer distractions and less eye strain, and many include extra features, like adjustable frontlighting. Some really are pocketable. Others are waterproof or offer physical page-turning buttons, while a few even let you take notes.
I’ve been using ebook readers for nearly a decade, and I’ve gone hands-on with dozens, from the Kindle Paperwhite to lesser-known rivals like the PocketBook Era. Whether you want something your kid can throw against the wall or a waterproof, warm-glow Kindle that won’t ruin your spa ambiance, these are the best ebook readers for everyone.
What I’m looking for
When testing a new ebook reader, I make sure to use it as my primary device for at least a full week. For those seven days, if not longer, that e-reader is my principal way of consuming ebooks, audiobooks, and most articles from the web (if applicable). If the device has note-taking capabilities, I’ll use it to annotate books and jot down various reminders, to-do lists, and notes. I’ll even use it for some light journaling, as well as doodling.On average, I tend to read for about an hour a day — longer on weekends — either for work or to unwind at the beach, in bed, or in the bathtub. I buy books directly from each e-reader’s respective bookstore, borrow library books via Overdrive, and try to sideload various file formats to see how easy it is to do.
How easy is it to use and read on? A sharp display and relatively fast performance are essential to an enjoyable reading experience, as are size and weight.
Some e-readers come with different features, like waterproofing, which means you really can read anywhere. Others offer buttons that make using the e-reader more intuitive to use.
There must be easy, direct access to a wide selection of digital titles, including audiobooks and various file formats.
Is the price justified, given what the e-reader offers?
$160
The Good
The best-looking screen on any e-reader
Slightly larger screen without a noticeably larger device
Faster page turns, loading, and a more responsive UI
A splash of color (without a color screen)
The Bad
Upgrades aren’t as significant as the last Paperwhite
Lacks stylus support and page turn buttons
Signature Edition wireless charging is frustrating without magnets
Signature Edition back panel feels less grippy
Dimensions: 7 x 5 x .3 inches / Weight: 211 grams / Screen area and resolution: 7-inch screen, 300ppi resolution / Storage: 16GB / Other features: IPX8 waterproofing, Bluetooth audio support
If you mostly buy ebooks from Amazon, you’ll want a Kindle, and the 12th-gen Kindle Paperwhite is the best choice for most people. Starting at $159.99, it’s cheaper than the Kobo Libra Colour — my top non-Amazon ebook reader, which I’ll dive into later — while offering many of the same features. Those include a spacious 7-inch 300pi display with rich contrast levels and an adjustable warm white frontlight, which make for a clear and enjoyable reading experience. The latter also conveniently improves sleep by cutting down on blue light that interrupts melatonin production.
That warm white frontlighting is an advantage over the cool white of the $109.99 base-model Kindle, and unlike the base Kindle, the Paperwhite has IPX8 water resistance. The $199.99 Signature Edition Paperwhite also has an auto-adjusting frontlight and no lockscreen ads. It has wireless charging, which is a rare feature to find in an e-reader.
The latest Kindle Paperwhite offers a sharp display that’s easy to read.
Amazon dominates the US ebook market, so Kindle owners have access to advantages owners of other ebook readers don’t. Much of Amazon’s hardware strategy depends on offering cut-rate discounts to pull you into its content ecosystem. If you have Prime and buy a lot of Kindle ebooks, the Paperwhite is the best choice because its ebooks and audiobooks are often on sale at Amazon, and Prime members get more free content through Prime Reading. Rivals like Kobo offer sales, too, but it’s hard for them to offer discounts as steep as Amazon.
There are downsides, though. The Paperwhite has lockscreen ads unless you pay $20 extra to get rid of them. It’s also too big to hold comfortably with one hand. Perhaps the Kindle Paperwhite’s biggest flaw, though — which it shares with all Kindles aside from Fire tablets — is that it’s not easy to read books purchased outside of Amazon’s store. Kindle ebook formats are proprietary and only work on Kindle. Unlike Kobo and other ebook readers, Kindles don’t support EPUB files, an open file format used by pretty much everyone except Amazon. So, for example, if you often shop from Kobo’s bookstore (or Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, or many other ebook stores), you can’t easily read those books on a Kindle without using a workaround. There are ways to convert and transfer file formats so you can read on the Kindle and vice versa, but it’ll take a couple of extra steps.
However, if you don’t buy your books elsewhere or you don’t mind shopping from Amazon, you’ll be more than happy with the Kindle Paperwhite.
Nice color screen with sharp, 300ppi black-and-white resolution
Physical page-turning buttons
Built-in stylus support
Compatible with Overdrive
The Bad
Getting books from other stores onto the device can be tough
More expensive than the Kindle Paperwhite
Lacks the vibrancy of other color e-readers
No wireless charging
Dimensions: 5.69 x 6.34 x 0.33 inches / Weight: 199.5 grams / Screen area and resolution: 7-inch screen, 300ppi (black-and-white), 150ppi (color) / Storage: 32GB / Other features: Physical page-turning buttons, waterproofing, Kobo Stylus 2 support, Bluetooth audio support
The Kobo Libra Colour is an excellent alternative to Amazon’s ebook readers, especially for readers outside the US or anyone who doesn’t want to tap into Amazon’s ecosystem. Kobo’s latest slate offers many of the standout features found on the 12th-gen Kindle Paperwhite — including waterproofing, USB-C support, and a 300ppi display — along with a few perks that make it more helpful and enjoyable to use.
The color display is the most obvious. The Libra Colour uses E Ink’s latest Kaledio color screen technology, which provides soothing, pastel-like hues that still pop in direct sunlight. It’s not as sharp as reading in monochrome — the resolution drops to 150ppi when viewing content in color — but it’s a nice touch that makes viewing a wider range of content more pleasant. Book covers and comics, while still muted, have an added layer of depth, even if the colors are nowhere near as vivid as that of a traditional LED tablet or as vibrant as the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition.
However, unlike the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, the Libra Colour works with a digital pen — the Kobo Stylus 2 (sold separately) — which lets you highlight text in various colors or take notes using Kobo’s integrated notebooks. You can also take advantage of some of the more advanced capabilities found in the Kobo Elipsa 2E, allowing you to solve math equations, convert handwriting into typed text, and insert diagrams. This lets the Libra Colour function as a mini notebook of sorts, though I wouldn’t use it as a primary note-taking device since the seven-inch display can feel cramped to write on.
The color display is only part of the appeal, though. The Libra Colour doesn’t have the lockscreen ads on the base Paperwhite — and packs physical page-turning buttons, which feel more intuitive to use than tapping either side of the display as you have to do on Amazon’s modern e-readers. The speedy e-reader also supports more file formats, including EPUB files, and makes it much easier to borrow books from the Overdrive library system. Until recently, Kobo offered support for the bookmarking app Pocket, which was another big selling point as it let you read saved articles offline. While the app is no longer available, Kobo recently replaced Pocket with Instapaper, which you can download in a free update.
You can highlight in color, too.Photo by Sheena Vasani / The Verge
However, at $229.99, the Libra Colour costs $70 more than the entry-level Paperwhite — and that’s without Kobo’s $69.99 stylus, which is required for performing certain tasks. That gap widens further when the Paperwhite is on sale, which happens more often than the Libra Colour. The Kobo can’t easily tap into Amazon’s vast library of ebooks, which can be frustrating if you’ve amassed a collection of Kindle titles over the years. It can be done, but you have to convert file formats using third-party apps, which is tricky and can take time.
But if those things don’t matter or apply to you, the Kobo Libra Colour will give you the best digital reading experience of all the e-readers on our list. It’s my personal favorite.
Faster than its predecessor with improved battery life
Fun color options
The Bad
No waterproofing
Lacks adjustable color temperature
Slightly more expensive than its predecessor
Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.3 x 0.32 inches / Weight: 158 grams / Screen area and resolution: 6-inch screen, 300ppi resolution / Storage: 16GB / Other features: USB-C support, Bluetooth audio support
The base-model Kindle ($109.99 with ads) is the best cheap ebook reader. Its 300ppi resolution makes text clearer and easier to read than the lower-resolution screens on other ebook readers in its price range. Plus, it has USB-C for relatively fast charging.
Reading on its six-inch screen feels a little more cramped than it does on the larger displays of the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Libra Colour. However, the flip side is that its small size makes it pocketable, light, and easy for small hands to hold. Combined with its relatively affordable price, the Kindle is also the best ebook reader for kids — especially the Amazon Kindle Kids Edition, which costs $20 more. The kid-friendly version shares the same specs but is ad-free with parental controls, a two-year extended replacement guarantee, and a case. It also includes six months of Amazon Kids Plus, which grants kids access to thousands of children’s books and audiobooks for free. After that, though, you’ll have to pay $79 per year (or $48 with Amazon Prime).
Amazon’s latest Kindle is one of the most pocketable e-readers you can get.Photo by Sheena Vasani / The Verge
The base Kindle doesn’t have extra conveniences like the waterproofing, which you’ll find in the entry-level Kobo Clara BW and aforementioned Kindle Paperwhite. You also don’t get the physical page-turning buttons found on entry-level e-readers like Barnes & Noble’s Nook GlowLight 4e (though the Kindle is a lot snappier than the Nook). And because it’s an Amazon ebook reader, you’re also locked into the Amazon ecosystem and have to pay extra to remove ads. But if you can do without that, the Kindle delivers the essentials for under $110.
The best ebook reader for taking notes
$400
The Good
Intuitive note-taking features
Great e-reader
Adjustable warm light
Useful note-taking capabilities, including handwriting-to-text conversion
The Bad
Lacks native support for Kindle books
227ppi display isn’t as sharp as the competition
No note-summarization features
Dimensions: 7.6 x 8.94 x 0.30 inches / Weight: 390 grams / Screen area and resolution: 10.3-inches, 227ppi resolution / Storage: 32GB / Other features: Handwriting to text conversion, magnetic stylus, Bluetooth audio support
Of all the large ebook readers I’ve tested, the Kobo Elipsa 2E stood out the most because it’s a good e-reader with solid note-taking abilities. You can write directly on pages just as in a physical book. The Kindle Scribe lets you annotate book pages as well, but it’s complicated, involving resizable text boxes that mess up the page formatting and prevent you from doing basic things like circling words. In contrast, taking notes on the Elipsa 2E feels far more intuitive and natural.
The Elipsa 2E offers other helpful note-taking tools and capabilities. Like the Kobo Libra Colour, it’s capable, for example, of solving math equations for you. You can also insert diagrams and drawings, and it’ll automatically snap them into something that looks cleaner and nicer. You can also sync your notes with Dropbox or view them online and convert handwriting to typed text. The Kindle Scribe offers the latter capability, too, but again, Kobo does it faster and better within the original notebook document rather than on a separate page. The only thing missing from the Elipsa 2E is the Scribe’s note-summarization feature, but that’s a tradeoff I am okay with given how much easier it is to take notes.
You can doodle in the Kobo Elipsa 2E using a variety of ink shades, pens, and brushes.Photo by Sheena Vasani / The Verge
Note-taking capabilities aside, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is also a good e-reader with the same strengths and weaknesses as other Kobo devices. There’s support for a wide range of file formats, but you can’t easily read Kindle books without converting them first. Its 227ppi display is also slightly less sharp than the 300ppi screen found on the Kindle Scribe and the Kobo Libra Colour. However, the 10.3-inch screen balances things out a bit and makes text easier to read, so it’s not a noticeable drawback. Plus, the Elipsa 2E comes with an adjustable warm light for nighttime reading. That’s a feature rival e-readers with more advanced note-taking capabilities — including the $409.99 Onyx Boox Go 10.3, which lets you insert links to notes — lack.
Other ebook readers we tested
There are some other ebook readers my colleagues and I have tested that I didn’t feature above, but are still worth highlighting. Here are the most notable:
The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is the first Kindle to feature E Ink’s color screen technology, and it stands out from other color e-paper devices with customizations. It offers improved contrast, more vibrant colors, and faster screen refreshes. With a $279.99 price tag, it’s the most expensive Kindle model currently available that doesn’t support a stylus for note-taking, and it includes premium features like wireless charging that are convenient but not really necessary for a device with months of battery life. If you want a color screen and want to stick with Amazon, the Colorsoft Signature is your best option. – Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter
Amazon recently introduced a more affordable alternative to the $279.99 Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition called the Kindle Colorsoft. It’s $30 cheaper and delivers a nearly identical reading experience. As expected, Amazon excluded some features to hit the lower price point. There’s no wireless charging, for instance, and storage is halved to 16GB, though that’s still enough for me as I primarily read ebooks. But if you’re buying a color e-reader, chances are high that you’ll want excess storage space for graphic novels, and 16GB may not cut it.
The biggest drawback for me, as a bedtime bookworm, is the lack of an auto-adjusting front light, which can make nighttime reading much easier (however, its brightness and color temperature can be manually adjusted). At this price, I expect it, especially since Kobo’s $159.99 Clara Color includes one. And, given that the Colorsoft Signature Edition costs just $30 more, complete with a front light that adjusts when the room gets dim, 32GB of storage, and wireless charging, I’d opt for that instead if you’re in Amazon’s ecosystem. Unless the standard Colorsoft goes on sale for less, it’s not a great value at its regular price.
If you’re looking for a non-Amazon alternative that’s more affordable than the Kobo Libra Colour, the Kobo Clara Colour — the successor to the Kobo Clara 2E — is worth a look. At $159.99, the ad-free e-reader costs more than the Kobo Clara 2E, but I think it’s worth the extra $10. It continues to offer the same six-inch display and IPX8 waterproof design, but the e-reader now offers color. It’s also noticeably faster — something I was happy to see, considering the occasional lag on the Clara 2E sometimes got on my nerves. You don’t get the Clara Colour’s physical buttons or stylus support, but that’s a fair tradeoff at this price point. The company recently announced a white version with a slightly larger 1,900mAh battery compared to the black model’s 1,500mAh (notably, without a price increase), which Kobo says can last over a month on a single charge.
In 2023, Barnes and Noble released the Nook Glowlight 4 Plus. If you own a lot of digital books from Barnes and Noble, this could be a good Kindle alternative. Otherwise, I’d still recommend the Kobo Libra Colour to everybody else. The $199.99 Nook Glowlight 4 Plus is a good e-reader with a lot to offer, including a lovely 300ppi screen, waterproofing, physical page-turning buttons, and even a headphone jack. However, it’s just not as snappy, which makes setting it up, buying books from the device itself, and navigating the interface a slow ordeal. It didn’t help that the screen sometimes froze, too, which meant I had to restart the device while in the middle of a book.
Despite all the advantages of E Ink display technology, your smartphone is probably still a more convenient device for reading given how pocket-friendly it is. The Boox Palma 2 is a smartphone-sized E Ink device that’s just as easy to slip into a pocket, but with more capabilities than an e-reader. Its 6.3-inch E Ink display is great for reading books, but the $299.99 Palma 2 also runs Android 13 so you can install productivity apps like email and messaging — assuming you’ve got access to Wi-Fi, of course, because the compact e-reader lacks cellular connectivity. If you already have the original Palma, the sequel isn’t worth the upgrade. But if you’re looking for a smaller alternative to Kindles and Kobos, the Palma 2 could be worth the splurge. – Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter
The $409.99 Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is another ad-free ebook reader you can use to take notes. It’s excellent as a note-taking device, and it offers an impressively wide range of writing tools and more prebuilt notebook templates than Kobo’s Elipsa 2E. Jotting down notes using the built-in notebook felt more akin to writing on paper as well, and its slim design makes the device feel more like a traditional notebook. Like all Boox devices, it also provides quick access to the Google Play Store, so you can download multiple reading apps — including both Kindle and Kobo apps. The slate’s crisp 300ppi display is sharper than that of the Kobo Elipsa 2E, too, which is a plus.
However, in comparison to the easy-to-use Elipsa 2E, the Go 10.3 lacks a front light and comes with a steeper learning curve. Notes you take on a Kindle or Kobo device won’t transfer over (and vice versa), and you can’t annotate books in either app using the Boox. I also felt like access to Google Play can be a double-edged sword as it grants easy access to distracting apps, including games, streaming services, and TikTok. It’s too slow to use the latter, but it’s fast and comfortable enough that I found myself playing around with the Word Search app far too often. For me personally, I need my e-reader to be devoid of such distractions — it’s one of the biggest things that distinguishes it from a tablet, after all. But if you’ve got more self-control than I do, the Go 10.3 could be worth a look.
In April, Boox introduced the Go Color 7 Gen II, which retails for $279.99. This water-resistant e-reader offers a 300ppi display that drops to 150ppi when displaying color content, much like its Kobo and Kindle rivals. However, similar to the Kobo Libra Colour, this ad-free model offers physical-page turning buttons and supports note-taking. A stylus isn’t included, so you’ll need to spend an extra $45.99 for Boox’s pressure-sensitive InkSense pen if you want to take notes. And, like other Boox devices, it runs on Android, giving you access to a wide range of apps and online bookstores through the Google Play Store.
While I appreciated not having to sideload my Kindle and Kobo library, along with greater flexibility to fine-tune color settings, I ultimately prefer the Kobo Libra Colour. In my testing, the Go Color 7 Gen II felt frustratingly sluggish by comparison to the Libra Colour, which is disappointing given the Boox costs $50 more. Responsiveness is a core part of the reading experience for me, so I’d only recommend Boox’s model to readers who value having Android app flexibility over performance.
The $629.99 Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is Amazon’s first color e-reader that’s also designed for note-taking. In her review, Victoria Song praised its thin, lightweight design, long battery life, and minimal ghosting effect. However, she thought the 11-inch display feels too large for reading or note-taking, and that the muted E Ink colors limit the appeal for artists who want to draw things beyond basic doodles. It’s also a shame that many of its best annotation features — including in-line writing and the AI-powered summarization and search tools — don’t extend to other document types, such as PDFs.
Amazon recently announced new versions of its Kindle Scribe, which is great for taking notes. The $499.99 monochrome model with a front light is out now, but the cheaper entry-level version without a front light that will sell for $429.99 isn’t available yet. Both offer a thinner design and a larger 11-inch display, along with a new AI-powered search tool that makes it easy to quickly summarize documents. Amazon has also updated the homescreen with a Quick Notes section and redesigned the stylus, making it bigger and rounder, which should lend itself to a more intuitive writing experience. Read our hands-on impressions.
Update, January 14th: Adjusted pricing / availability and added new details regarding the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. Andrew Liszewski also contributed to this post.
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The 2026 NBA trade deadline is right around the corner (Feb. 5, 3 p.m. ET) and teams are hitting the midseason mark as the pace is starting to pick up around the league.
As for the actual standings, keep your eyes on the race for the top six seeds and the play-in in both conferences, as teams have just over 40 games left in the regular season and only a few clear runaways for the top spots.
With 23 days left until the trade deadline and just about three months left in the regular season, here are where our NBA insiders rank all 30 teams in this week’s power rankings.
Note: Team rankings are based on where members of our panel (ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Dave McMenamin, Jamal Collier, Kevin Pelton, Michael C. Wright, Bobby Marks, Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon, Vincent Goodwill and Zach Kram) think teams belong.
Positive news: Nikola Topic, the Serbian guard drafted No. 12 by the Thunder in 2024, announced that he’s back on the court after completing a recent round of chemotherapy treatment. Topic was diagnosed with testicular cancer just before the regular season, stepping away from basketball right when it appeared his NBA career was about to begin. Topic sat out his rookie season rehabbing an ACL tear but had been cleared for his preseason debut in early October, scoring 10 points in 31 minutes. Days later, the cancer diagnosis was announced. — Anthony Slater
The injury bug has hit the Pistons. Cade Cunningham has sat out the past two games, and Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris were out because of injuries. But Detroit is now riding a robust four straight days off to recover before playing Phoenix on Thursday. The Pistons’ 30-point beatdown of the Knicks sent shockwaves around the league about their postseason prospects. Important to note before the deadline: The Pistons have a $14 million trade exception they can use before it expires in July — they should be looking for shooting help and perhaps a secondary scorer next to Cunningham. If there’s a short-term impact player they can acquire who can keep their books in order for the future, they will certainly explore it. — Vincent Goodwill
The dog days of the NBA season have fallen upon San Antonio and its trio of guards in De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and rookie Dylan Harper, who have struggled in recent games. When the Spurs defeated Oklahoma City on Christmas Day, they had already traveled more than 13,000 miles (more than twice the leaguewide average at that point), spending 26 of 34 days on the road, only to start January with three consecutive back-to-back sets. San Antonio knows a break is on the horizon, but it must continue to fight to maintain its standing near the top of the West. — Michael C. Wright
2025-26 record: 27-13
Previous ranking: 7
Next games: @ DAL (Jan. 14), vs. WAS (Jan. 17), vs. CHA (Jan. 18), vs. LAL (Jan. 20)
Tim Hardaway Jr. has been a tremendous bargain on a veteran’s minimum deal, averaging 13.8 points while shooting career bests of 46.3% from the field and 41.4% from 3-point range. Hardaway has benefited from playing with NBA assists leader Nikola Jokic, who has fed Hardaway on 18.7% of his buckets this season. But Hardaway has also been a huge factor in the Nuggets remaining competitive during Jokic’s absence, averaging 16.7 points and shooting 42.6% on 3s since the three-time MVP injured his knee. — Tim MacMahon
Rudy Gobert is having a great season and is once again making himself a contender to finish high in Defensive Player of the Year voting. But Gobert sat out Tuesday night’s game against the Bucks because of a one-game suspension for flagrant foul points, and will sit out more time this season for suspensions for every additional flagrant foul he accrues — something that could become a problem for a Minnesota team that relies on his defensive impact. — Tim Bontemps
2025-26 record: 25-14
Previous ranking: 6
Next games: @ SAC (Jan. 14), @ GS (Jan. 15), vs. PHX (Jan. 17), vs. DAL (Jan. 19)
The Knicks were relieved when they welcomed back Josh Hart after he sat out eight games because of an ankle injury that occurred on Christmas Day. During his absence, the Knicks went 3-5 and sported the third-worst defensive rating. Hart’s 18 points and six rebounds in their 123-114 win over Portland signaled a return to normalcy — somewhat. Owner James Dolan stated last week that he expects a Finals run with this roster. But over the past few weeks, sources say the Knicks are looking for a backup big and takers for free agent signing Guerschon Yabusele. — Goodwill
On Saturday, it was Jaylen Brown expressing frustration with the referees after losing to the Spurs. On Monday, it was Joe Mazzulla just repeating “illegal screen” in response to every question after a close loss to the Pacers. The result, though, is the same. And now Boston has dropped three of its past four games and has gone from having a chance to secure second place in the East to being in third, with the Raptors and Sixers closing in quickly. — Bontemps
2025-26 record: 24-16
Previous ranking: 10
Next games: @ DET (Jan. 15), @ NYK (Jan. 17), @ BKN (Jan. 19), @ PHI (Jan. 20)
Phoenix guard Jalen Green, who has been limited to only two games all season because of a right hamstring strain, is nearing a return. He announced as much while replying to Devin Booker‘s Instagram story this week, writing “we right there” in regard to his comeback. The Suns have been a Cinderella story so far, starting the season 24-15 (ESPN Bet set their over/under win total at 31.5 in the preseason). — Dave McMenamin
2025-26 record: 23-14
Previous ranking: 5
Next games: vs. OKC (Jan. 15), vs. MIN (Jan. 16), vs. NO (Jan. 18), vs. SA (Jan. 20)
Rockets coach Ime Udoka made a salient point after a recent loss, pointing out the team’s overreliance on superstar forward Kevin Durant. “You take a 37-year-old out of the game for [three] minutes, and you lose a 13-point lead, 11-0 run. [We] don’t play with any aggression or confidence. [We were] mentally weak.” Call that Udoka’s way of lighting a fire under supporting cast players such as Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun, who is back in the lineup after a three-game absence, along with Reed Sheppard. — Wright
2025-26 record: 24-17
Previous ranking: 12
Next games: @ IND (Jan. 14), vs. LAC (Jan. 16), @ LAL (Jan. 18), @ GSW (Jan. 20)
Jamal Shead and Collin Murray-Boyles were the surprise standouts over the weekend in a comeback win over Philadelphia. But that victory was sandwiched between losses to Boston and Philadelphia — the two teams closest to Toronto in the standings — which helped reaffirm the Raptors’ place in the Eastern Conference hierarchy. Barring an improvement before the trade deadline, they profile as fringe contenders but still a step below the conference’s top teams. — Zach Kram
2025-26 record: 22-16
Previous ranking: 11
Next games: vs. CLE (Jan. 14), vs. CLE (Jan. 16), vs. IND (Jan. 19), vs. PHX (Jan. 20)
The next couple of weeks could be pivotal for the 76ers, who play nine of their next 10 games at home beginning Wednesday. Philadelphia will then have only 13 of its final 34 games at home after that, meaning this is an opportunity to try to pull into the top four in the East and is a necessary stretch to capitalize on before spending a lot of time away from home late in the season. — Bontemps
The Cavs are coming off a disappointing loss to the Jazz at home, where De’Andre Hunter, their prized acquisition from last year’s trade deadline, was benched for the fourth quarter. He scored two points in 17 minutes, both season lows, and coach Kenny Atkinson said after the game that Hunter was going through a prolonged slump. It has resulted in one of the worst starts to a season in his seven-year career — averaging 13.9 points on 42.5% shooting, both his lowest marks since his rookie season, while shooting a career-worst 30% from 3. — Jamal Collier
2025-26 record: 24-14
Previous ranking: 9
Next games: vs. CHA (Jan. 15), @ POR (Jan. 17), vs. TOR (Jan. 18), @ DEN (Jan. 20)
With JJ Redick declaring that Rui Hachimura will come off the bench upon his return from a right Achilles issue, wading back into action on a minutes restriction, the question is whether he’ll stay there. Jake LaRavia has enjoyed his best month as a Laker in January with Hachimura out. In his first six games of 2026 — all as a starter — LaRavia averaged 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 51.7%, including 37.8% from 3. — McMenamin
2025-26 record: 22-19
Previous ranking: 16
Next games: vs. NYK (Jan. 15), vs. CHA (Jan. 17), vs. MIA (Jan. 19), vs. TOR (Jan. 20)
Offseason signing De’Anthony Melton is beginning to take a firm grip of the Warriors’ shooting guard position. Melton sat out the first six weeks of the season while completing the later stages of his ACL rehab. He was on a strict 20-minute limit upon his return and hasn’t been cleared for back-to-backs. But Steve Kerr recently bumped Melton’s limit up to 25 minutes and has been regularly closing games with him on the court. Stephen Curry recently called Melton a “prototypical” starting shooting guard after he had 22 bench points in a win. Kerr said the expectation is Melton will get cleared for 30-plus minutes and, once he does, Kerr said he planned to use all 30 — an indication that he will be the eventual starter. — Slater
The Magic head to Berlin and London for a pair of games against Memphis, and although Berlin is 4,900 miles from Orlando, the game is essentially home for brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner. After tearing his left ACL last December, Moritz returned in the team’s win Sunday against New Orleans, scoring eight points. Meanwhile, after sitting out 16 games because of a sprained left ankle, Franz is nearing a return. With its loss to Philadelphia last week, Orlando is now 10-12 against teams above .500. — Bobby Marks
Before losing Tuesday against the Lakers, the post-Trae Young era had seen Atlanta win three straight games, including victories over Denver and Golden State on the road. The addition of CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert should help a roster that has been hit hard with injuries.
In the Lakers loss, the Hawks were without Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kennard, Zaccharie Risacher and had just 10 active players. An area of concern that could get addressed closer to the trade deadline is a lack of size in the frontcourt. Atlanta has allowed the eighth-most points in the paint and rank 25th in rebounding percentage. — Marks
2025-26 record: 21-19
Previous ranking: 13
Next games: vs. BOS (Jan. 15), vs. OKC (Jan. 17), @ GS (Jan. 19), @ SAC (Jan. 20)
Tuesday’s win against Phoenix ended a three-game losing streak for Miami, and all three of those losses (Minnesota, Indiana, Oklahoma City) were by double digits. Before scoring 127 against the Suns, the Heat ranked second to last in offensive efficiency since Dec. 1. They ranked 13th in the first six weeks of the season. Bam Adebayo‘s offensive production is worth watching. Since Dec. 1, Adebayo has ranked fifth on the team in scoring (14.5) and is shooting 28% on 3-pointers. — Marks
The Blazers’ five-game winning streak, which was ended Sunday by the Knicks, was the team’s second longest since February 2021. During the run, Portland produced impressive wins at San Antonio and back-to-back at home against Houston. The bigger loss Sunday was Deni Avdija, who left late in the game because of back soreness and was sidelined Tuesday at Golden State. Avdija told reporters he was optimistic that he won’t miss long after feeling his back “give up on me” while landing on the rebound. On the plus side, Jrue Holiday played Sunday for the first time since suffering a hamstring strain in mid-November. — Kevin Pelton
2025-26 record: 16-23
Previous ranking: 17
Next games: vs. WAS (Jan. 14), @ TOR (Jan. 16), @ WAS (Jan. 19), @ CHI (Jan. 20)
Don’t look now, but the Clippers have won 10 out of 12 games since mid-December, including two against the East-leading Pistons. Third-year guard Jordan Miller, a 2023 late second-round pick out of the University of Miami, has been a bright spot during that stretch. He has averaged 6.2 points on 55.1% shooting (45% from 3) in 14.2 minutes off the bench, giving the injury-riddled Clips a lift so Kawhi Leonard and James Harden don’t have to do everything. — McMenamin
Since Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from injury, the Bucks are 5-4, a solid but unspectacular mark for a team trying to dig itself out of a massive hole. Milwaukee still hasn’t recorded a three-game winning streak this season, one of only six teams in the league (Pacers, Hornets, Kings, Wizards and Jazz) that have failed to do so, according to ESPN Research. And as a result, the Bucks still haven’t gained any ground in the standings. They begin another week stuck in 11th place and outside of the play-in tournament. — Collier
2025-26 record: 18-21
Previous ranking: 19
Next games: vs. UTAH (Jan. 14), @ BKN (Jan. 16), vs. BKN (Jan. 18), vs. LAC (Jan. 20)
Matas Buzelis has proved to be Chicago’s biggest bright spot so far this season. With Josh Giddey injured and Coby White playing in only two of the past six games, Buzelis has stepped into more of a scoring role and flourished. Since Dec. 31, Buzelis is averaging 19.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.8 blocks on 47.9% shooting. Chicago does have a favorable schedule over the next week, with games against Utah, Brooklyn (twice) and the Clippers. After their loss against the Rockets on Tuesday, the Bulls have now been 18-21 through 39 games for the fourth consecutive season.— Collier
Losers in six of their plast eight games, the Grizzlies are hoping recent news of their willingness to trade star guard Ja Morant won’t cause too much of a distraction. Memphis initiated a soft reset of the franchise last March when it fired longtime coach Taylor Jenkins and traded Desmond Bane three months later to Orlando. And with the Grizzlies now entertaining potential offers for Morant, a full roster teardown could be on the menu with the team shifting its focus to developing younger players such as Jaylen Wells, Zach Edey, Cedric Coward and Cam Spencer to play alongside Jaren Jackson Jr.. — Wright
On Thursday, LaMelo Ball came off the bench for the first time since his rookie season in the second game of a back-to-back and responded well, topping 30 points for only the third time all season. But Saturday’s 55-point blowout win over the Jazz overshadowed that, as it was a historically lopsided outcome. Per the Dunc’d On Daily Duncs, only three teams in NBA history have won by so many points in a season in which they won fewer than 36 games. The Hornets are on pace for 29 losses, though their minus-0.6 point differential is now better than the 24-14 Lakers. — Pelton
2025-26 record: 15-25
Previous ranking: 23
Next games: vs. DEN (Jan. 14), vs. UTAH (Jan. 15), vs. UTAH (Jan. 17), @ NYK (Jan. 19)
Forward Naji Marshall has been one of the bright spots of a difficult season in Dallas. He’s averaging career bests of 13.6 points and 54% shooting, and his production has increased to 16.9 points on 58.6% shooting in his 17 starts. He has been especially productive attacking off the dribble, shooting 60.7% off of drives. According to NBA Advanced Stats, only Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have a higher field goal percentage among the players who rank in the top 50 in points off of drives. — MacMahon
2025-26 record: 14-25
Previous ranking: 25
Next games: @ CHI (Jan. 14), @ DAL (Jan. 15), @ DAL (Jan. 17), @ SA (Jan. 19), vs. MIN (Jan. 20)
Lauri Markkanen‘s availability is a pretty strong indication of how competitive the Jazz will be on a night-to-night basis. Utah is 8-6 with its star in the lineup since Dec. 1, and Markkanen is averaging 27.9 points on .507/.383/.856 shooting splits in that span. The Jazz lost all six games that Markkanen sat out. — MacMahon
2025-26 record: 11-26
Previous ranking: 26
Next games: @ NO (Jan. 14), vs. CHI (Jan. 16), @ CHI (Jan. 18), vs. PHX (Jan. 19)
All of the good vibes from December seem to have dissipated for the Nets, who have lost seven of eight since Dec. 29. After being the best defense in December, Brooklyn slipped to 26th in January (118.8 defensive rating). The rumors will continue to swirl around Michael Porter Jr‘s availability before February’s trade deadline, but there’s a bright spot amid the slide: Egor Demin has been hot from 3-point range this month, shooting 53% on over six attempts a game. — Goodwill
2025-26 record: 10-30
Previous ranking: 28
Next games: vs. NYK (Jan. 14), vs. WAS (Jan. 16), vs. POR (Jan. 18), vs. MIA (Jan. 20)
After an extended stretch outside Doug Christie’s rotation, reserve guard Malik Monk has reappeared in the past three games and produced to a great degree. Monk played 26 and 32 minutes against the Rockets and Lakers, respectively, scoring 15 and 26 points in a pair of surprising upset wins. This is happening at a potentially useful time for Sacramento. The Kings explored Monk’s trade market this past summer and offered him to the Warriors in a variety of constructions for Jonathan Kuminga, league sources said. Golden State has continually declined. There’s no indication that will change, but Monk is expected to remain available to the rest of the league in the lead-up to the deadline, and this recent mini-surge could provide a tiny boost to his value. — Slater
2025-26 record: 9-31
Previous ranking: 30
Next games: vs. TOR (Jan. 14), vs. NO (Jan. 16), @ DET (Jan. 17), @ PHI (Jan. 19)
Last week was the best of Indiana’s season so far, with wins over Charlotte, Miami (by 24 points) and Boston (holding them under 100 points for the first time this season). Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam both averaged 21 points in that stretch, while youngsters Jarace Walker and Johnny Furphy also added positive contributions. Excellent 3-point shooting helped as well, as Indiana has made at least 40% of its 3s in six games in a row. — Kram
2025-26 record: 10-28
Previous ranking: 27
Next games: @ LAC (Jan. 14), @ SAC (Jan. 16), @ DEN (Jan. 17), vs. LAC (Jan. 19)
Don’t expect Trae Young to play for Washington anytime soon, despite joining the Wizards in a trade last week. The four-time All-Star remains sidelined because of a leg injury, and ESPN’s Marc Spears reported that the Wizards don’t yet have a return timeline scheduled. Given that the Wizards have been surprisingly competitive of late — with a 7-8 record since a 3-20 start — and are focused on ensuring they keep their top-eight-protected pick in the 2026 draft, there’s an incentive to keep Young out a while longer. — Kram
The Pelicans ended their second nine-game losing streak of the season Friday against a Washington team playing without newly acquired Trae Young, getting 30-plus points from both Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson, plus a triple-double from Derik Queen against his hometown team. New Orleans was competitive again in a loss Sunday at Orlando but has still sunk to the bottom of the NBA standings with just nine wins at the midpoint of a schedule that has done the Pelicans no favors. The Wizards were the only team New Orleans has played since Christmas that is currently outside the play-in. — Pelton
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Last week was a grim reminder that no matter what sort of horror is being perpetrated or how many people end up dead, the Trump administration’s knee-jerk response is to shitpost through it. The White House’s response on X to abducting the head of a sovereign nation? “FAFO”. The response to an ICE agent shooting a woman in broad daylight? A Buzzfeed-style listicle of “57 Times Sick, Unhinged Democrats Declared War on Law Enforcement.” ICE agents arresting protesters? “Welcome to the Find Out stage.”
To the vast majority of people following current events, the Trump administration’s meme-ing is blunt and cruel. But the jaded political insider will also view Trump’s meme fusillade as an element of a media strategy known as “rapid response”: the full-time work of quickly shaping the political narrative of a breaking news event, sometimes within minutes, before the news media and your opponents can shape it for you.
“Every political office, every political campaign, has a dedicated operation that helps them respond strategically to events in the news that are out of their control.” Lis Smith, a high-profile Democratic communications strategist based in New York City, told me. It’s a profession that dates back to the beginning of the 24-hour news cycle, when cable shows could quickly assemble a panel of pundits to discuss current events, and the workload has grown exponentially in the age of social media. “You cannot control all the narratives that are going to be out there, so you need to be able to manage the chaos that’s coming into your world.”
Smith served as the director of rapid response for Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign, which was one of the first to fully take advantage of social media, and worked in the comms shop for several New York City mayors and Democratic candidates. She’s widely credited for single-handedly elevating Pete Buttigieg’s profile, turning him from an obscure mayor to a serious presidential candidate as his director of communications. She views social networks through the lens of their messaging utility: X, formerly known as Twitter, is still the best for getting “text-based rapid response communications like written statements” in front of a wide range of “elites and opinion-shapers.” A Bluesky-based messaging strategy might engage a friendly left-leaning audience, but will never “penetrate” the world outside, nor will a Rumble-based campaign ever make it out of the right-wing bubble.
More importantly: memes may be a fast way to convey a political message to a specific audience who gets the inside joke, but the humor is rarely understood by anyone outside of that group — especially people who might have been sympathetic to the concept of stopping illegal immigration, but are horrified by how the Trump administration is going about it. The memes themselves are simply a reflection of that mindset. “The administration’s use of memes really flattens the political debate,” said Smith. “It takes the humanity, the seriousness, and the nuance that’s needed out of it and replaces it just with cruelty.”
Before we get to my conversation with Smith, here’s The Verge’s latest on the political tech dystopia:
“The MAGA-approved video of an ICE killing”, Mia Sato: After a federal agent shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, the Trump administration found its preferred angle of the incident.
“Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards”, Elizabeth Lopatto: X’s deepfake porn feature clearly violates app store guidelines. Why won’t Apple and Google pull it?
“New York wants to regulate Roblox”, Lauren Feiner: Gov. Kathy Hochul made new requirements meant to protect kids online a centerpiece of her plan for state policy.
“A meme that is funny or cruel will probably spread faster than anything with nuance”
This interview has been edited for clarity.
You came up during an era where Twitter, before it was X, was really the only internet media environment for politics. How has the practice of rapid response changed in an environment where there is so much narrative to control over so many types of media?
It’s gotten a lot harder. In the ’90s, the big change was the 24-hour news cycle with cable news. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the big development was social media, Twitter, and being able to respond in real time online to news developments. But now, there’s no question that it’s harder to get your message out, with how fractured these different social media channels are. Not everyone is on X today the same way they were 10 years ago. But also, your message is less likely to penetrate as effectively on a platform like X than it was 10 years ago, because of how verification, etc., have changed.
So you really need to have an “all of the above” communication strategy, where you’re hitting traditional media with press releases, calls to reporters and news networks, and you’re also hitting social media in real time. That means not just hitting X, but also hitting Threads, hitting Bluesky, TikTok, Instagram, all those apps, because there has never been a time where people’s media consumption habits have been more fractured than right now.
Do candidates view specific platforms for certain political purposes, or political leanings?
X is still pretty dominant in American politics for getting out rapid response communications, especially text-based rapid response communications like written statements, because it’s still where you’re going to find the most political insiders, political pundits, and reporters. Everything [messaging-wise] trickles out from there. Where you see more fracturing is in terms of where people do short form video: you do see some campaigns using TikTok, others using Instagram more; you do see some favoring of different platforms across partisan lines. But Bluesky on the left is just never going to be as effective of a way of reaching elites and opinion-makers as X is — just as Truth Social or Discord on the right is never going to be the way that you reach elites or opinion-makers.
Let’s go into the content of said messaging. I know that Kamala Harris and Biden tried to lean into memes during their 2024 campaigns, but clearly not as effectively as Trump, and the meme format seems to be really dominant in the Trump administration. Is there a specific way an operative views the meme format as a political messaging tool?
The meme format is more likely to spread quickly. It’s something that a specific audience is going to understand immediately, and it really simplifies a political argument. The problem with that, though, is, one, it’s very audience specific. Not everyone is going to understand a Family Guy meme, not everyone is going to understand a Patriots meme, or whatever the meme du jour is.
Another problem with the meme format is that you lose a lot of context and you lose a lot of humanity in it. So when you see the administration posting sort-of-funny memes about deportations or ICE, you lose a lot of the empathy and compassion that most people have when it comes to the immigration debate. Most people think that illegal immigration is bad and that we should do something about it. But most people also understand that there are real people who are involved in all of these situations and don’t think it’s funny to make light of, say, school pickups getting raided, or families getting separated, or parents crying as they’re being dragged away from their kids.
I was listening to Joe Rogan interviewing Shane Gillis, and they actually touched on this. I would say both Rogan and Shane Gillis are people who were favorable to Trump in the election — Rogan more so than Shane Gillis — but Gillis said, I want our government to take the issue of illegal immigration seriously. I don’t want it to be funny to them. And I think that’s something that really taps into how most people feel about these issues.
If you reduce these very serious issues to cruel, funny memes, you’re going to alienate a lot of people who might be there with you on an issue if you’d approached it with a little bit more maturity and humanity. But the administration is saying, cut out the humanity, cut out the maturity. Those things don’t matter. Because a viral meme — a meme that is funny or cruel — will probably spread faster than anything with nuance. They’re prioritizing speed and virality over nuance and seriousness.
I think you just refined what we’ve been thinking about at The Verge: the way that my coworkers saw Trump’s abduction of Maduro and their response to the ICE shooting was that this government’s policy is a meme mentality — their speed, virality and the need to get their spin out first before anyone feels any sort of way about it.
There’s a short window when people — everyone from reporters to voters to anyone online — are trying to figure out what the hell’s going on and what they think about breaking news. Rapid response is about stepping into that void and shaping it, but there are real problems with how the Trump administration is doing it. Ultimately, yes, they may win some sort of short-term viral meme war. But in the long term, the way that they’re communicating about these issues — whether it’s the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, or deportations in general — they’re gonna lose the political debate. People want action on these issues, but they don’t want wanton cruelty.
Also, if you [the administration[ step in very quickly and put out bad facts, what you do is just compound mistrust in government and mistrust in the administration. And it’s possible that the Trump administration benefits from that because the less people trust official sources, the more it’s good for them. But I think overall, it’s pretty bad that they’re putting out false information that goes mega-viral the way they do it, because ultimately, no one’s going to take anything they say at face value anymore. It’s especially damaging for their relationships with the news media and elites who, in the past, would have clearly taken what any presidential administration said at face value.
Is it too early to think about meme warfare in the midterm election — changing people’s opinions who could be swayed to vote one way or another, getting that messaging to them as quickly as possible, driving them out to the polls?
I don’t think that the meme strategy from this administration is gonna help Republicans in the midterms. And I think if you talk to a lot of Republicans who are up in swing areas or swing states or certain districts, and you presented them with the memes this administration is putting out, I don’t think they would agree with them, and I don’t think that they would say that this is good political strategy. Because to the point I made earlier: the administration’s use of memes really flattens the political debate. It takes the humanity, the seriousness, the nuance that’s needed out of it, and replaces it just with cruelty. The voters who are going to turn out in 2026 — yeah, some of them are going to be part of that MAGA base that it embraces the cruelty, but the people that you need to win over are going to be people who have nuanced views on issues like illegal immigration and people who say, Yeah, we need secure borders; yes, we need more enforcement of our immigration laws; but maybe we don’t need to be putting out memes about, you know, a father being taken off in handcuffs.
That’s where I think the administration’s focus on speed and virality comes at a political cost. Someone’s’s going to have to pay for the tone that they’re taking online, and it’s likely going to be the Republicans who are up in 2026, unless, I don’t know, Democrats somehow overplay their hand on immigration issues.
And a lot of the voters who will determine the midterm elections are older voters. They’re not going to consume the memes firsthand, nor are they going to understand the memes. That’s something being lost in this debate too: even though more people than ever are getting their news through social media, a lot of the people who decide elections, and a lot of the people that Republicans need to win, are not meme consumers. It’s questionable whether it will pay off electorally for them.
Speaking of memes distilling political arguments:
Image via @afraidofwasps/X.
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To look ahead at these games, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to pick one thing we learned about the teams they cover during the wild-card round. (For the Seahawks and Broncos, who didn’t play this week, Brady Henderson and Jeff Legwold provided some information from what they did during the bye week.) Seth Walder also explored how each team can win to advance to the conference championship games, and we provided projections from ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) and opening lines.
What we learned about the 49ers in the wild-card round: Common sense would suggest that a team playing without so many of its biggest stars — edge rusher Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner and, as of Sunday, tight end George Kittle — would eventually run out of the magic that has defined its unlikely postseason run. Sunday was not that day. Despite another devastating injury to a team leader, these Niners continue to defy conventional wisdom and carve a path few could have foreseen before the season. Sunday’s lesson was a familiar one: As long as these Niners get to keep playing, it’s unwise to count them out. — Nick Wagoner
What the Seahawks did during their bye week: It was hardly an off week for the Seahawks. They practiced outside in the elements on Wednesday and Thursday — in a light rain Wednesday and with temperatures in the low 40s and the wind blowing both days — as coach Mike Macdonald tried to get his team accustomed to playing in the kind of weather it might see in the postseason. “We’re not treating it like a regular-season bye week where guys are flying to Mexico and Hawaii and enjoying their time,” Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams said. “I think we really celebrated that win against the Niners. But immediately that next day, you could tell guys were like, ‘Hey, the job is not done. We’ve got a lot of work to do.'” — Brady Henderson
Why the 49ers will win: Because Sam Darnold is not the same player he was at the beginning of the season. Ten weeks into the campaign, the Seahawks quarterback led the NFL in QBR (77.8). But in Week 11, Seattle lost at the Rams, and from that moment forward, Darnold ranked 27th (36.9) in the same metric! The 49ers will not fall into the trap other teams have against Seattle: matching the Seahawks’ big personnel with base defensive personnel. San Francisco is a nickel-heavy team, which will either invite Seattle to run or force Darnold into less favorable passing situations. And for all that went wrong in the 49ers’ regular-season finale, they still held the Seahawks to just 13 points.
Giving San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan two weeks to study film after that loss might be enough for him to find some new ways to beat that seemingly impenetrable Macdonald defense. And the 49ers have a good passing game; they’ve averaged 0.17 expected points added (EPA) per dropback, which ranked sixth best among all teams and fifth best among those that made the playoffs. With All-Pro offensive tackle Trent Williamsexpected to play (he missed the Week 18 matchup), the 49ers definitely have a chance here.
Why the Seahawks will win: They proved it Week 18 in the battle for the No. 1 seed. Seattle shut down the 49ers’ offense with its ferocious defense, holding San Francisco to only three points. It was hardly an aberration: Seattle has the best defense in football, and the stats are undeniable. No. 1 in EPA allowed per play. No. 1 in opponent’s success rate. And one of my favorites: minus-30 first downs over expectation allowed on opponent runs, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, doubling up the next-best team in the regular season (the Houston Texans at minus-15).
But there’s another reason for Seahawks optimism: While their passing game has not been the same in the second half of the season, they can offset that with a more reliable rushing attack against a 49ers defense that is hurting at linebacker. Warner and Tatum Bethune are out, and Dee Winters missed San Francisco’s wild-card game too.— Walder
Matchup background: These teams met Jan. 3 at Levi’s Stadium, with the Seahawks beating the 49ers 13-3 to clinch the NFC West and homefield advantage throughout the conference playoffs. The 49ers defeated Seattle 17-13 in the season opener at Lumen Field, with San Francisco forcing a late turnover to hold on. These franchises have split two previous playoff matchups, with Seattle winning the 2013 NFC Championship Game and the 49ers knocking out the Seahawks in the 2022 wild-card round. — ESPN
Stat to know: Darnold led the NFL with 20 turnovers this season (14 interceptions, six fumbles lost). This is the first time dating to 1978 that a player on a No. 1-seeded team has led the league in turnovers. — ESPN Research
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Purdy finds McCaffrey for TD to put 49ers ahead late
Brock Purdy throws a touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey to give the 49ers the lead late in the fourth quarter vs. the Eagles.
What we learned about the Rams in the wild-card round: The football world once again saw why the Rams feel so confident in those got-to-have-it situations with Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Stafford led the Rams on two go-ahead touchdown drives in the fourth quarter against the Panthers, including one with 38 seconds left. “That’s why we’re advancing, because of his leadership,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. Stafford now has four career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime of a playoff game. According to ESPN Research, the only signal-caller with more since Stafford joined the Rams in 2021 is Patrick Mahomes with six. — Sarah Barshop
What we learned about the Bears in the wild-card round: The Bears continue to be one of the best second-half teams in the NFL. After trailing Green Bay 21-3 at halftime, Chicago scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Packers 31-27. But as they’ve been saying all season, the Bears need to start faster on both sides of the ball. Chicago’s defense pressured Packers quarterback Jordan Love on only 18% of his dropbacks in the first half (versus 32% in the second half, including four times on Green Bay’s final drive). Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense struggled until the QB turned his deep-ball passing around in the second half, when Williams was 7-of-13 for 166 yards and a touchdown on passes of 15 or more air yards. In the first half, Williams was 2-for-5 for 40 yards with an interception on such throws. — Courtney Cronin
Why the Rams will win: The Rams are arguably the best team in football — and the Bears are not. Don’t get me wrong: Chicago deserves plenty of credit for its remarkable season, but the numbers clearly favor Los Angeles. The Rams are ranked second in EPA per play on offense, and they have the MVP favorite at quarterback, the best wide receiver in football in Puka Nacua and a solid offensive line that will give Stafford all day to throw against the Bears’ lacking pass rush.
The Bears have a strong running game, and we’ve certainly seen Williams have incredible moments. But in terms of EPA per play, the Rams have the advantage on both sides of the ball. Plus, we could argue that we didn’t see the true version of the Rams in the wild-card round after Stafford suffered an early finger injury (but still managed to orchestrate a comeback, anyway). And if Nacua had not had an incredibly uncharacteristic drop on what surely would have been a touchdown at the end of the first half, the Rams might have beaten the Panthers more comfortably.
Should Rams be concerned after tight win over Panthers?
Alex Smith, Tedy Bruschi, Rex Ryan and Randy Moss discuss the Rams’ 34-31 wild-card win over the Panthers.
Why the Bears will win: They can never be ruled out. Chicago added to its season of improbable victories with an incredible come-from-behind win over the Packers in which the Bears entered the fourth quarter down 15 points and exited it up four. In between, we witnessed the Bears at their absolute best. Williams made the throw of a lifetime on fourth-and-8 to keep Chicago’s hopes alive, and coach Ben Johnson used an imbalanced line to sell the screen of a screen-and-go, fooling the Packers’ secondary and freeing DJ Moore for a touchdown.
But what makes Chicago so threatening is that it won despite not even being the best version of itself. In the regular season, the Bears averaged a 48% success rate on designed runs (third best), but that number dropped to 28% against Green Bay. And even in victory, Williams had a 28% off-target rate and a minus-14% completion percentage over expectation (per NFL Next Gen Stats) — both solidly worse than his regular-season marks. The Bears will be home underdogs against the Rams, and Los Angeles’ offense should have a serious advantage over the Bears’ defense. But the Bears can generate turnovers, forcing a league-high 33 in the regular season. They’ll need more of that turnover variance to go their way against the Rams, but it’s doable.— Walder
Matchup background: The Rams and the Bears did not play this season, with their most recent matchup coming in Week 4 of 2024. Chicago prevailed 24-18 at Soldier Field, breaking a three-game losing streak to Los Angeles. This is only the third postseason matchup between these franchises and the first in 40 years. The Bears defeated the Rams 24-0 in the 1985 NFC Championship Game en route to the Super Bowl XX title, which is Chicago’s most recent NFL championship. — ESPN
Stat to know: The Rams have not played a playoff game with freezing temperatures at kickoff since Dec. 26, 1983, at the Cowboys in the NFC wild-card round. The early forecast for Sunday in Chicago is 23 degrees according to AccuWeather. — ESPN Research
What we learned about the Bills in the wild-card round: The Bills can win on the road in the postseason. After coming into the game against the Jaguars with the second-longest road playoff losing streak in NFL history (eight straight), Buffalo got its first win away from Orchard Park, New York, in the playoffs under coach Sean McDermott and the first under any coach since 1992. They also did it in comeback fashion. This is a needed boost for the Bills as their postseason journey continues on the road next week. — Alaina Getzenberg
What the Broncos did during their bye week: Broncos coach Sean Payton tried to put the team in a playoff mode during the bye week, especially in Friday’s practice, when it was starters against starters for most of the team drills. Payton said he was “salty” at the offense’s performance in Denver’s regular-season finale, when it didn’t score a touchdown and was 0-of-3 in red zone trips in a 19-3 win. Payton said the offense “will have to be better” for any postseason run. He believes it will be important for the Broncos to be aggressive offensively, adding that “we’ll definitely stretch the ball down the field. We’ll be aggressive in how we call these games.” — Jeff Legwold
Why the Bills will win:Josh Allen. Forgive simplicity, but the thesis for Buffalo is that Allen is the best quarterback in the playoffs and can put the team on his back. That is exactly what he did in the wild-card round against the Jaguars.
Allen was battered and bruised throughout, but it didn’t stop him from compiling an astounding 87.3 QBR and plus-9% completion percentage over expectation, per Next Gen Stats, along with a passing touchdown and another on the ground. Despite all the knocks he took from Jacksonville, Allen still delivered two critical blows on the Bills’ final drive. He connected on a 36-yard shot to Brandin Cooks under pressure from a free rusher and then — thanks in major part to his linemen — powered a 10-yard tush push to the goal line.
Will those sorts of performances be tougher to pull off against a dangerous Broncos defense that can mitigate Allen’s impact both on the ground and through the air? You bet. But the real answer to this question is not actually just Allen. It’s Allen, his running backs and one of the better offensive lines in the league. Last season’s MVP is not out there alone, and the Broncos’ defensive front might not look quite so dominant against Buffalo’s collection of talent.
Why the Broncos will win: Because Denver’s defense is the perfect antidote to Buffalo’s offense. Allen wants to throw the ball? He must go against the No. 1 defense in terms of success rate against opposing dropbacks, thanks to a feisty pass rush and All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II. Should Buffalo decide to lean on its strong running game, it’s not much better, as the Broncos rank fourth in success rate against them on designed runs.
But it’s not just defense that favors the Broncos. Quarterback Bo Nix is probably playing the best football of his pro career. Since Denver’s Week 12 bye, Nix has a 67.2 QBR (seventh best), with low interception (1.2%) and sack (4.0%) rates. And with one of the league’s best offensive lines in front of him, Nix should have plenty of time to work.— Walder
Matchup background: The Bills and Broncos last met in the 2024 wild-card round, as Buffalo defeated Denver 31-7 in the Broncos’ first playoff game in eight seasons. They’ve played one other time in the playoffs, as the Bills narrowly edged the Broncos in the 1991 AFC Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl XXVI. — ESPN
Stat to know: Allen became the second player in NFL history with a go-ahead passing touchdown and go-ahead rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter of the same playoff game, joining 49ers quarterback Alex Smith in the 2011 NFC divisional round against the Saints. — ESPN Research
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Stephen A.: Broncos are sending Josh Allen home
Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Clark debate how far Josh Allen can go this postseason.
What we learned about the Texans in the wild-card round: That the defense can carry them to the Super Bowl. On Monday night, Houston became the second team in playoff history to score multiple defensive touchdowns in a game without allowing a touchdown, joining the Chicago Bears in the 1940 NFL Championship Game vs Washington. The Texans’ defense forced Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers into a 14.3 Total QBR, his worst mark in 22 career playoff starts. It has been the theme this season, and it’s why there’s no argument for any other defense being regarded as the NFL’s best. — DJ Bien-Aime
What we learned about the Patriots in the wild-card round: They can win a defensive, field-position struggle. The Patriots haven’t been in many low-scoring games this season and got a big effort from their defense against the Chargers, especially considering their first touchdown didn’t come until the fourth quarter. Rookie kicker Andy Borregales was perfect on his three field goal attempts, and the defense sacked Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert five times and held Los Angeles to 207 yards of total offense. — Mike Reiss
Why the Texans will win: Their pass rush against Drake Maye. Maye fumbled twice against the Chargers’ middling pass rush Sunday. That’s not a good sign entering this game, as Houston’s Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter present a more substantial threat. The Patriots’ offensive line is fine (64.7% pass block win rate through Sunday, 14th best), but Hunter and Anderson are special. If the Texans are going to win, it will be by having those two — along with defensive backs Derek Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter and Jalen Pitre — slow down the Patriots’ potent passing offense. Add a solid game from quarterback C.J. Stroud, and this game is winnable for Houston.
Also, for as good as the Patriots have been this season, their 14 regular-season wins came against the NFL’s softest schedule. Entering Monday’s game, ESPN’s Football Power Index considered Houston a better team than the Patriots going forward on a neutral field. So, the Texans could pull off the road victory.
Why the Patriots will win: Their passing attack. With Maye — whom I believe is the deserving MVP — at the helm, the Patriots racked up 0.26 EPA per dropback this season, best in the NFL. Another way to put it? Every four times the Patriots called a designed pass, they gained a net point in expectation. That’s remarkable, regardless of whom they played. Don’t believe the numbers? Rewatch Maye’s 28-yard touchdown dime to Hunter Henry in Sunday night’s wild-card win over the Chargers.
The rest of the Patriots’ team is not perfect. New England struggled to run the ball early in the season (but ranked fourth in success rate on designed runs from Week 12 on), and its defense has been solid but not special during the season (though it looked pretty good against the Chargers). Having defensive Milton Williams back — his presence was felt against Los Angeles with a critical late sack — helps, too.
But the Patriots know what fuels their success. They lean on their passing attack (second-highest pass rate over expectation during the regular season, per NFL Next Gen Stats), and it pays dividends. I expect it will again in the divisional round, even if the Texans present a tougher pass-rushing challenge than the Chargers did.— Walder
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Bullock intercepts Rodgers and returns it for a 50-yard TD
Calen Bullock intercepts Aaron Rodgers and takes it 50 yards to the house to give the Texans a 30-6 lead vs. the Steelers.
Matchup background: Houston and New England have not played since Week 6 of the 2024 season, a 41-21 Texans win. The Patriots have won both playoff meetings between the teams, most recently prevailing in a 2016 divisional round game. — ESPN
Stat to know: The Texans became only the second team to hold a Rodgers-led squad to fewer than 20 points in the playoffs in Rodgers’ 22 career postseason starts. — ESPN Research
And on the TV front, Nikki was ready to have some fun with the night’s winner for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy, Jean Smart.
“Some people have stage names like Hacks star Jean Smart,” Nikki said, “whose real name is Corduroy Dumbass.”
Another set of jokes Nikki knew she couldn’t tell? Those directed at presenter Julia Roberts, which she quickly learned while trying out her monologue around comedy clubs in Los Angeles.
“Any joke about Julia Roberts, they are not there for,” Nikki told Gayle King on CBS Mornings Jan. 6. “You cannot make fun of America’s Sweetheart. So, whatever I end up saying about her, that is the most fine-tuned joke that I’ve worked on so hard, because it is very delicate.”
