Politics

The unexpected political relevance of McDonald’s McFlurry machines

Published

2 years ago

November 11, 2024

The unexpected political relevance of McDonald’s McFlurry machines

There have been a handful of surprises in the 2024 presidential election, but among the strangest is just how frequently we’ve ended up talking about McDonald’s.

Donald Trump, for example, spent much of the race obsessing over Kamala Harris having worked at a McDonald’s when she was a student. The former president also held a weird p.r. stunt at a franchise in Pennsylvania. At one point a couple of weeks ago, the Republican even claimed that McDonald’s had confirmed his unproven claims about the Democratic vice president, but like so many of his other claims, this wasn’t true.

But in case this weren’t quite enough, the McDonald’s/election nexus added another unexpected data point this week.

This past weekend, Trump used his social media platform to present the public with a campaign promise he hasn’t made before. “WHEN I’M PRESIDENT THE MCDONALD’S ICE CREAM MACHINES WILL WORK GREAT AGAIN!” the GOP candidate wrote.

As it turns out, the Biden administration had beaten him to it. As Mother Jones reported, it was Lina Khan, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, who actually did what the Republican said he’d do.

The day before Trump’s proclamation, the United States Copyright Office announced a new copyright exemption that will grant some small business owners and franchisees — such as those operating the 13,000 McDonald’s in the United States — the ‘right to repair’ the machinery within their own shops. Back in March, the FTC submitted a comment to the US Copyright Office asking to extend the right to repair certain equipment, including commercial soft-serve equipment.

McDonald’s has long been the subject of jokes because their restaurants’ ice cream machines — which make McFlurries, among other things — have a reputation for not working. The reason why is a little complicated.

To summarize briefly, the machines were made by the Taylor Company, and under existing law, only licensed Taylor Company technicians could repair them without voiding the warranty. The result was a lot of broken machines at franchises across the country.

As NBC News’ “Today” explained this week, the United States Copyright Office has now “granted a copyright exemption that gives restaurants like McDonald’s the ‘right to repair’ broken machines by circumventing digital locks that prevent them from being fixed by anyone other than its manufacturer.”

The policy took effect on Monday.

The larger pattern, meanwhile, is worth appreciating as President Joe Biden prepares to retire.

Trump tried to deliver an infrastructure package, while Biden succeeded on the issue.

Trump tried to advance legislation to address gun violence, while Biden succeeded on the issue.

Trump said he’d use Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug costs, while Biden succeeded on the issue.

Trump said he knew how to negotiate a series of bipartisan deals, while Biden succeeded in doing so.

Trump tried to deliver record job growth, while Biden succeeded on the issue.

And Trump announced plans to make sure McDonald’s ice cream machines work again, while the Biden administration actually made it happen.

Steve Benen

Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an BLN political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”

Politics

It’s hot. Maybe too hot.

Published

7 minutes ago

June 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

High-stakes geopolitics aren’t the only external factor threatening to hijack the tournament.

Perhaps ironically for a competition hosted by a U.S. president who is highly skeptical about climate change and says assertions about rising temperatures have been made “by stupid people,” the heat is very likely to be a problem.

Heat waves have become a persistent part of Northern Hemisphere summers — each one made hotter, longer and more likely to occur as a result of man-made global warming. The locations of several stadiums across the U.S. and Mexico, as well as the peak-summer timing of the World Cup, are expected to put players and fans at risk of overheating.

The problem isn’t just heat, but also humidity. The combination of the two feels far hotter and is measured with wet-bulb temperature, which mimics how the human body cools off through sweating. A wet-bulb temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit can be fatal even to healthy people; the football players’ union FIFPRO says wet-bulb temperatures above 79 degrees — which can be reached through a combination of 86-degree heat and 50 percent humidity, for example — will affect performance and health, and 82-degree heat should prompt the postponement of a match.

When scientists last month ran the numbers, they found that 26 of 104 matches are expected to take place in conditions of at least 79-degree wet-bulb temperature. Five matches are estimated to breach the 82-degree wet-bulb barrier. And a peer-reviewed study found that during last year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S., average wet-bulb temperature exceeded 82 degrees in 31 of 57 matches analyzed by scientists.

That study also found that high temperatures were associated with players covering less ground, forcing a change of tactics. Exhaustion sets in faster under high temperatures — at the Club World Cup, 10 players asked to be substituted in a single match. But heat doesn’t just affect gameplay. At the 2024 Copa America, an assistant referee collapsed in the heat and, last month, two people died during sports events held amid a heat wave in France.

As climate change continues to heat the planet, FIFA will have to grapple with the growing threat at every subsequent tournament. The 2030 men’s World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco takes place in a global warming hotspot. The women’s World Cup next year will be in Brazil during a warming El Niño event, expected to supercharge the heating effect of climate change.

And that’s not even counting the other growing climate risks — from wildfire smoke to extreme rain — that threaten to disrupt future events.