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Monday, August 17, 2026

One by one, stalwarts of the Democrats' old guard are falling. Members of Congress who have won elections time and again, collectively spending almost a century in office, are suddenly being ousted by challengers less than half their age. Six of the seven House members to have lost a primary this year have been forced out by younger rivals, some of them young enough to be their children or grandchildren. A generational shift is under way.


A preprint paper published this week highlights the dangers of harassment involving Meta's camera-equipped smart glasses. read more


US president credits himself with lowest drug prices in 60 years, when article says drop is more likely due to Biden read more


Looking younger and actually making aging skin biologically younger may not be the same thing. read more


Sunday, August 16, 2026

President Donald Trump's war against Iran is stretching the limits of U.S. aircraft carriers and leaving the western Pacific without one of the key American warships as China shows more signs of aggression. read more


Comments

White House pressuring Netanyahu to condemn Israeli settler siege in West Bank
www.independent.co.uk

... White House officials are pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to openly condemn a settler-led siege of a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, according to U.S. and Israeli sources on Friday.

The pressure comes as settlers pitched another tent in the area before military forces intervened to dismantle it.

For nearly a week, settlers have blockaded homes in the village of Qusra. Human rights organizations report that the siege is part of an organized attempt to claim additional territory intended for a future Palestinian state.

The blockade drew rare public criticism from Washington on Thursday, with Mike Huckabee, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel and a prominent proponent of Jewish settlement in the West Bank, labeling the settlers surrounding a Palestinian residence as "Israeli terrorists." ...

@#6

To wit ...

Israeli Settlers' Siege of Palestinian Homes Draws a Sharp US Rebuke
www.usnews.com

... Israeli settlers have besieged three homes in the occupied West Bank, including one owned by a Palestinian American, for several days ...

More from the article ...

... "It's really a sea change in American politics," said Evan Roth Smith, a Democratic pollster.

Some of it appears to be the result of the widening gulf between the generations on a host of policy issues, from economics to the US's relationship with Israel.

But Democrats have also spoken of a collective trauma in the party following Joe Biden's repeated gaffes and the collapse of his campaign in 2024, aged 81. That, and the Republican victories in the 2024 election, have left a mark.

The transformation in the party has taken place over a matter of months, beginning in Texas on May 26, when Julie Johnson, 60, lost to Colin Allred, 43, and Al Green, 78, lost to Christian Menefee, 40 years his junior.

Mr Green is one of the oldest members of Congress " although more than a decade younger than the very oldest.

In March 2025, he was ejected from the House chamber during 80-year-old Donald Trump's joint address for heckling and waving his cane in the air: possibly not the image of youthful vitality that his voters back home had been looking for.
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Then in June, Adriano Espaillat, aged 71, lost his New York primary to 32-year-old Darializa Avila Chevalier, who had been backed by another young, dynamic socialist " Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor.

Ms Avila Chevalier backed abolishing ICE and cutting off US military aid for Israel " many of the hallmarks of the younger candidates who surged to prominence this year.

"Israel is probably the biggest dividing line within the Democratic Party right now, and it is one that divides very neatly along age lines," said Seth Masket, a political science professor at the University of Denver.

"Older Democrats tend to be much more sympathetic to Israel, and younger Democrats, particularly those who came of age while [Benjamin] Netanyahu has been a prominent national figure, have a very negative view toward Israel." ...



@#10 ... Republican healthcare program: "we're all going to die" ...

"Well, we're all going to die": Joni Ernst dismisses concern over GOP Medicaid cuts (May 2025)
www.salon.com

... At a tense town hall in Butler County, Iowa, on Friday, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, faced backlash from constituents while defending the "Big Beautiful Bill," a Trump-backed spending proposal that recently passed the House.

In one exchange, an attendee challenged the senator over what they characterized as the devastating impact of proposed GOP cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits.

While Ernst claimed that those who would lose Medicaid under the legislation are those who were already not eligible under the "original definition" of the program, an audience member could be heard shouting, "People are going to die."

"Well, we're all going to die," Ernst responded, drawing boos and gasps from the crowd. ...



OpEd: The Flock uprising is just the beginning
www.salon.com

... People are sick of tech billionaires trying to control our lives.

According to an exhaustive 10-month analysis by Electronic Foundation Frontier, a nonprofit dedicated to defending civil liberties in our digital age, local police were using the cameras to track protesters, such as those at No Kings rallies, who were then put in a national database to be used across all jurisdictions.

Despite claims that the cameras only record license plates, the technology-focused outlet 404 Media found that the database is also being used to collect information on individual people whom cops can then search for using descriptions of clothing, race, gender and body type.

In Johnson County, Texas, police officers fixated on a woman suspected of having an abortion, and used the database to track her movements in an effort to prove it -- even though state law is supposed to exempt the patient from criminal prosecution. Police have been outed for using the cameras to stalk people for personal reasons, such as having a conflict -- or even a sexual obsession -- with them.

Flock has claimed the company will reform its policies to address these issues, but history suggests it would be unwise to trust them. One former Flock employee, Jonathan Paz, has accused the company of lying about its intentions to gain government contracts, which are then abused by law enforcement to harm the public.

Paz told 404 Media that company management had assured him they weren't feeding information to agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a falsehood he passed on to city governments in his sales pitch. After finding out about a secret pilot program to help track down and detain immigrants, Paz left the company. ...


[many links in that article...]



@#5 ... Of course not. That's why he is there, to sweep the orange chomo's crimes under the rug. ...

Well, AG Blanche did say one time, as acting AG, that he is Pres Trump's lawyer.

Blanche when asked if he's Trump's friend: 'I'm his lawyer -- was his lawyer'
www.msn.com

... In the hearing, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) asked Blanche if he has a friendship with President Trump.

"I'm his lawyer " was his lawyer, and now I'm the deputy attorney general," Blanche said, seemingly correcting himself after implying he was still the president's lawyer. ...


Quite the slip of the tongue there ...



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