Good versus Evil

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Ken

Opinion: Democrats are finger-pointing. Does the evidence support them?

“We are in a spiritual war…the Devil has gotten into some people….

Know this: I AM American, and my pronouns are U-S-A”

California’s $20 minimum wage raised prices by just 3.7% and did not reduce jobs, per Berkeley study. Critics hit back saying taxpayer funds used to ‘present a skewed economic landscape’

Are Red states doing better than Blue states – Search

RED STATES HAVE LOWER UNEMPLOYMENT RATES

Out of the top 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates, eight are led by Republican governors.
- Of the six states with the highest unemployment rates, five are led by Democrat governors.
The average unemployment rate for the nation’s 27 states with Republican governors is just 3.2 percent.
- The average unemployment rate for the nation’s 23 states with Democratic governors is more than half a percentage point higher – 3.8 percent.
64 percent of the states with unemployment rates lower than when the pandemic began are led by Republican governors, and 76 percent have Republican-controlled legislatures.
Three states with Republican-controlled legislatures – Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arizona – all reached a new record low unemployment rate in May, and have been the only states to set a new record low in 2024.

REPUBLICAN-LED STATES OUTPERFORM BLUE STATES

Republican-led states are outperforming blue states on key economic measures, showing the stark difference Republican leadership has made in driving the post-pandemic economic recovery.
According to a recent ABC News analysis, “an overwhelming majority” of Republican-led states are among the top 18 performers on four key economic measures: job growth, personal income growth, gross domestic product growth, and gas prices.
- Four of the five states experiencing better-than-average performances on all four economic measures are Republican-led states that voted for President Trump in 2020.
- Similarly, nine of the 13 states experiencing better-than-average performances on three of the four economic metrics voted for Trump in 2020.
In 2023, South Carolina and Florida were the two fastest-growing states in the nation while California, Illinois, and New York all saw their populations decline.
- Moreover, Texas experienced the largest population growth overall, followed by Florida.
Republican-led states also outperformed blue states on reopening schools for in-person learning, and studies have proven remote learning caused the academic decline during the pandemic.
- 74.5 percent of red state schools were fully reopened by May 2021 versus only 37.6 percent of schools in blue states.
- Furthermore, students in red states received 432 more hours of in-person education than their blue state counterparts.

Blue State Residents Are Paying Way More For Energy Than Red States, New Report Shows | The Daily Caller

June 20, 2022 Red state, blue state: Which has higher gas prices? | FOX31 Denver

8 Economic Indicators — Are Red or Blue States Better? | Applied Sentience

Red state economies are surging under Biden. Here’s why.

After the November elections ushered in a new era of unified Republican governance in Washington, Democratic leaders across the country are once again preparing to lead the resistance to Donald Trump’s second-term agenda.

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, said he would convene a special legislative session next month to “safeguard California values and fundamental rights”.

Washington state’s governor-elect, Bob Ferguson, who is currently the state’s attorney general, said his legal team has been preparing for months for the possibility of a second Trump term – an endeavor that included a “line-by-line” review of Project 2025, the 900+ page policy blueprint drafted by the president-elect’s conservative allies.

And the governors of Illinois and Colorado this week unveiled a new coalition designed to protect state-level institutions against the threat of authoritarianism, as the nation prepares for a president who has vowed to seek retribution against his political enemies and to only govern as a dictator on “day one”.

“We know that simple hope alone won’t save our democracy,” the Colorado governor, Jared Polis, said on a conference call announcing the group, called Governors Safeguarding Democracy. “We need to work together, especially at the state level, to protect and strengthen it.”

With Democrats locked out of control in Washington, many in the party will turn to blue state leaders – governors, attorneys general and mayors – as a bulwark against a second Trump administration. For these ambitious Democrats, it is also an opportunity to step into the leadership void left by Kamala Harris’s defeat.

Progressives such as Newsom and the Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, are viewed as potential presidential contenders in 2028, while Democratic governors in states that voted for Trump such as Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan are seen as models for how the party can begin to rebuild their coalition. And Tim Walz, Harris’s vice-presidential running mate, returned home to Minnesota with a national profile and two years left of his gubernatorial term.

Leaders of the nascent blue state resistance are pre-emptively “Trump-proofing” against a conservative governing agenda, which they have cast as a threat to the values and safety of their constituents. As a candidate, Trump promised to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history”. In statements and public remarks, several Democrats say they fear the Trump administration will seek to limit access to medication abortion or seek to undermine efforts to provide reproductive care to women from states with abortion bans. They also anticipate actions by the Trump administration to roll back environmental regulations and expand gun rights.

“To anyone who intends to take away the freedom, opportunity and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior. You come for my people – you come through me,” Pritzker said last week.

Unlike in 2016, when Trump’s victory shocked the nation, blue state leaders say they have a tested – and updated – playbook to draw upon. But they also acknowledge that Trump 2.0 may present new and more difficult challenges.

Ferguson said Trump’s first-term executive actions were “often sloppy”, which created an opening for states to successfully challenge them in court. Eight years later, and after studying Project 2025 and Trump’s Agenda 47, he anticipates the next Trump White House will be “better prepared” this time around.

Pritzker said Trump was surrounding himself with “absolute loyalists to his cult of personality and not necessarily to the law”. “Last time, he didn’t really know where the levers of government were,” the governor said on a call with reporters this week. “I think he probably does now.”

The courts have also become more conservative than they were when Trump took office eight years ago, a direct result of his first-term appointments to the federal bench, which included many powerful federal appeals court judges and three supreme court justices.

The political landscape has also changed. In 2016, Trump won the electoral college but lost the popular vote. Despite Republican control of Congress, there were a number of Trump skeptics willing – at least initially – to buck the president during his first two years in office.

This time around, Trump is all but certain to win the popular vote, and he made surprising gains in some of the bluest corners of the country.

Though the former president came nowhere close to winning his home state of New York, he made significant inroads, especially on Long Island. At a post-election conference last week, New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, struck a more neutral tone. Hochul, who faces a potentially tough re-election in 2026, vowed to protect constituents against federal overreach, while declaring that she was prepared to work with “him or anybody regardless of party”.

In New Jersey, where Trump narrowed his loss from 16 percentage points in 2020 to five percentage points in 2024, the Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, acknowledged the result was a “sobering moment” for the party and country. Outlining his approach to the incoming administration, Murphy said: “If it’s contrary to our values, we will fight to the death. If there’s an opportunity for common ground, we will seize that as fast as anybody.”

Progressives and activists say they are looking to Democratic leaders to lead the charge against Trump’s most extreme proposals, particularly on immigration.

“Trump may be re-elected but he does not have a mandate to come into and rip apart our communities,” said Greisa Martínez Rosas, the executive director of United We Dream Action, a network of groups that advocate for young people brought to the US as children, known as Dreamers.

She called on state and local officials, as well as university heads and business leaders, to “use every tool at their disposal” to resist Trump’s mass deportation campaign, stressing: “There is a lot we can do to ensure Trump and his cabinet are not successful in their plans.”

State attorneys general are again poised to play a pivotal role in curbing the next administration’s policy ambitions.

“The quantity of litigation since the first Trump administration has been really off the charts – it’s at a new level,” said Paul Nolette, a political scientist at Marquette University in Wisconsin. “I fully expect that to continue in Trump 2.0.”

There were 160 multi-state filings against the Trump administration during his four years in office, twice as many as were filed against Barack Obama during his entire eight-year presidency, according to a database maintained by Nolette.

Many of the Democratic lawsuits succeeded – at least initially – in delaying or striking down Trump administration policies or regulations, Nolette said. Attorneys general can also leverage their state’s influence and economic power by entering legal settlements with companies. States have used this approach in the past to “advance their own regulatory goals”, Nolette said, for example, forcing the auto industry to adopt stricter environmental regulations.

In a proclamation calling for a special session next month, Newsom asked the legislature to bolster the state’s legal funding to challenge – and defend California against – the Trump administration. Among his concerns, the California Democrat identified civil rights, climate action, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, as well as Trump’s threats to withhold disaster funding from the state and the potential for his administration to repeal protections shielding undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children from deportation.

Trump responded on Truth Social, using a derisive nickname for the Democratic governor: “Governor Gavin Newscum is trying to KILL our Nation’s beautiful California. He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the Election.”

Democratic leaders in battleground states that Trump won are also calibrating their responses – and not all are eager to join the resistance.

“I don’t think that’s the most productive way to govern Arizona,” the state’s Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, told reporters this week, according to the Arizona Capitol Times. Hobbs, who faces a potentially difficult re-election fight in 2026, said she would “stand up against actions that hurt our communities” but declined to say how she would respond if Trump sought to deport Dreamers or to nationalize the Arizona national guard as part of his mass deportation campaign.

The state’s Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes, who also faces re-election in two years, drew a harder line against Trump, vowing to fight “unconstitutional behavior” and protect abortion access, according to Axios. In an interview on MSNBC, Mayes said she had “no intention” of dropping the criminal case against allies of the former president who attempted to help Trump overturn Biden’s victory in the state.

Yet she insisted there would be areas of common ground. She urged Trump to revive a bipartisan border deal that he had previously tanked and called on the next administration to send more federal resources and agents to help combat the flow of fentanyl into the US.

With Democrats locked out of power in Washington, the new Indivisible Guide, a manual developed by former Democratic congressional staffers after Trump’s election in 2016 and recently updated to confront a new era of Maga politics, envisions a major role for blue states.

“Over the next two years, your Democratic elected officials will make choices every single day about whether to stand up to Maga or whether to go along with it,” the Indivisible guide states. “Your spirited, determined advocacy will ensure that the good ones know they’ve got a movement behind them as they fight back – and the bad ones know they’re on notice.”

Among the examples of actions blue state activists can demand their leaders consider, it suggests establishing protections for out-of-state residents seeking abortion access or gender-affirming care; refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and forging regional compacts to safeguard environmental initiatives, data privacy and healthcare.

Democratic leaders at every level and across the country – even those in purple or red states – can serve as “backstops for protecting the democratic space”, said Mary Small, chief strategy officer at Indivisible.

“The important things are to be proactive and bold, to be innovative and to work with each other,” she said. “I don’t think everybody has to have all of the answers right now, but to have that intention and that commitment and to not shrink down in anticipation of a more oppressive federal government.”

Democratic governors vow to protect their states from Trump and his policies

By Adam Edelman

A cadre of blue-state governors is already preparing a litany of political and legal moves to shield their states’ policies and residents from federal actions under Donald Trump’s new administration.

The plans from Democratic governors across the country — including a handful of potential 2028 presidential contenders — offer both a repeat of how leaders of liberal states pushed back against Trump during his first term, as well as a snapshot of what the resistance to him from the left will look like this time around.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he would convene a special session of the Legislature explicitly intended to “safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration.”

In a news release, he said the session would focus “on bolstering California legal resources to protect civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and immigrant families.”

Newsom outlined that the session, set to kick off Dec. 2, will take “expedited action” to “best protect California and its values from attacks” on LGBTQ rights and women’s rights. He also said it would “provide additional resources” to the state’s Justice Department and other agencies to “pursue robust affirmative litigation” against future potential unlawful actions by the Trump administration, as well as to defend against any federal lawsuits from the administration that could be filed.

He added that the session would be the “first of several actions” by his administration and the Legislature to begin “shoring up California’s defenses against an incoming federal administration that has threatened the state on multiple fronts.”

“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle. California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond,” Newsom said in a statement. “We are prepared, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive.”

Newsom’s office told The Associated Press that the governor was attempting to “Trump-proof” the state’s laws.

Trump hit back at Newsom in a lengthy post on Truth Social on Friday, referring to him as “Governor Gavin Newscum” and saying he was “using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again.’”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who like Newsom is considered to be among the Democrats in the 2028 mix, echoed many of the same themes during a press conference this week.

“To anyone who intends to come, take away the freedom and opportunity and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior,” he said Thursday. “You come for my people, you come through me.”

Pritzker, whose Think Big America nonprofit group spent millions of dollars on abortion-rights ballot measures in four states this cycle, called Illinois “a refuge for those whose rights are being denied elsewhere,” including those seeking political asylum, reproductive health care or to avoid persecution because of their sexual orientation or gender.

He nodded to policies his administration has enacted, including codifying abortion rights and a law requiring gender-affirming care to be covered by health insurers in Illinois.

Efforts Trump-proof Illinois have been ongoing for months, if not longer, said Pritzker chief of staff Anne Caprara.

She said the state is looking into other legal protections for women who travel to the state to access reproductive care, including protecting transponder data and medical records from out-of-state attorneys general.

The state also has been working to codify environmental regulations in case a Trump administration tries to roll back clean air and water protections, as well as ensuring labor protections are maintained.

“We’re literally going through Project 2025 to understand every element of what they might touch. Some of this work has been done or in the process for a while,” Caprara said.

She also said collaborative efforts involving other Midwestern states are in the works.

“Midwest governors who governed through Covid with Trump at the helm — it got hairy then — we’ve been through this before and are determined this time to draw in those lessons and make sure that to the degree it makes sense we are collaborating on best practices and how to creatively deal with the more difficult pieces of this,” Caprara sais. “Those relationships the governors at large on the Democratic side of the aisle have been key all along in navigating those years of Trump.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also announced an effort this week — dubbed the “Empire State Freedom Initiative” — she said was designed to address “policy and regulatory” threats that could happen during Trump’s administration.

The effort, being conducted together with the office of New York’s Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, will address federal legal “threats” to reproductive freedom, immigration issues, civil rights, gun safety, climate change progress, environmental justice and other issues, they said in a joint announcement this week.

“I’m committed to working with anyone on policies that make our state stronger, safer and more livable — but my administration will also be prepared to protect New Yorkers’ fundamental freedoms from any potential threats,” Hochul said in a statement Wednesday.

She said in the statement that officials leading the effort in the state had already developed an initial analysis of “likely” statutory, regulatory and fiscal “vulnerabilities” based on comments and policy proposals from Trump and his team, and had begun developing legislation, rules and appropriations that would serve to counter such federal actions.

In addition, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said on MSNBC on Wednesday that she would use “every tool in the toolbox” to “protect our residents” and to “hold the line on democracy and the rule of law.”

Healey, who as the state’s attorney general during Trump’s first term challenged his administration several times on immigration policies, said she’d exercise her executive and regulatory authority, and make use of legislation in the state to fight various Trump policies.

Specifically asked about Trump’s plan to implement mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, Healey said she would “absolutely not” allow state police to assist in such an effort.

Asked about Democratic governors’ response to Trump’s return to the White House, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, another possible 2028 contender, referred to a statement he released Thursday in response to Trump’s victory that focused heavily on unity when asked whether similar efforts were underway in the state.

“Now that this election is over, it is time to govern — to work together, to compromise, and to get stuff done,” Shapiro said in that statement. “I believe there’s more that unites us than divides us — and we must work together to continue to get stuff done for Pennsylvania.

Unlike in the deep-blue states of California, New York and Massachusetts, where Democrats enjoy a trifecta of power across state government, the Legislature in battleground Pennsylvania is split, which would make plans to counter Trump more difficult. Plus, Trump just carried the state at the presidential level.

“Let me also make clear: I will never back down from standing up for the freedoms I was elected to protect. I will continue to defend our democracy, defend our fundamental rights, and ensure we continue the legacy of William Penn by building a Commonwealth that is warm and welcoming for all,” Shapiro added.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy pledged to both push back against Trump when necessary, while also seeking out areas for compromise.

“If it’s contrary to our values, we will fight to the death,” Murphy said at a Wednesday press conference, mentioning issues such as immigration and reproductive rights.

“If there’s an opportunity for common ground, we will seize that as fast as anybody,” he added.

John Fetterman says Democrats need to quit ‘freaking out’ about Trump

How Humans Are Changing Earth

Dr. Kate Calvin, NASA chief scientist and senior climate advisor, outlines recent scientific findings on climate change and its effect on the planet. This video was filmed for the Economist Impact’s program, “The Sustainability Project,” as part of their countdown to COP28, a climate conference to be held by the United Nations in Dubai starting on Nov. 30, 2023. Learn more about how NASA studies Earth and climate: https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/ Climate Change – NASA Science Credit: NASA Producer: Eric Galler

The Heat Is On: 3°C Rise Predicted By 2021 — With Dire Consequences – Search

Doug McIntyre highlights alarming findings presented at the ongoing COP29 climate conference that predict a global temperature rise of 3°C by 2100 if emission levels remain unchecked. Such an increase would exacerbate extreme weather, including stronger storms and widespread droughts. Climate refugees, already numbering millions, would grow as conditions in areas like Delhi — a city now enduring 120°F temperatures and severe pollution — become uninhabitable. COP29 Meeting Deemed “No Longer Fit For Purpose” By Experts | Watch S38 Ep2

The Serengeti Rules | Full Episode| Nature | PBS

Premiere: 10/9/2019 | 00:53:13 | TV-PG |

Travel back in time, from the Arctic Ocean to Pacific tide pools, with a pioneering group of scientists who make surprising discoveries that transform human understanding of nature and ecology. Based on a book of the same name, The Serengeti Rules had its theatrical premiere at Tribeca Film Festival and has won awards at the 2018 Wildscreen Panda Awards and Jackson Hole Science Media Awards.

About the Episode:

Academy Award-winning Passion Pictures and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios present one of the most important, but untold, science stories of our time—a tale with profound implications for the fate of life on our planet.

Beginning in the 1960s, a small band of young scientists headed out into the wilderness, driven by an insatiable curiosity about how nature works. Immersed in some of the most remote and spectacular places on Earth—from the majestic Serengeti to the Amazon jungle; from the Arctic Ocean to Pacific tide pools—they discovered a single set of rules that govern all life.

Now in the twilight of their eminent careers, these five unsung heroes of modern ecology—Bob Paine, Jim Estes, Mary Power, Tony Sinclair, and John Terborgh—share the stories of their adventures, and how their pioneering work flipped our view of nature on its head.

Across the globe, they discovered that among the millions of species on our planet, some are far more important than others. They called these species “keystones” because they hold communities of plants and animals together, just like a keystone holds a stone arch in place.

When keystones are removed, ecosystems unravel and collapse—a phenomenon no one had imagined or understood until their revolutionary discoveries. But with new knowledge also comes new hope, and these same visionaries reveal the remarkable resilience of nature—and how the rules they discovered can be used to restore the natural world, from American lakes to war-ravaged African parks. PBS Socialeco collapse restores – Search

PBS Socialeco collopase restores – Search

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Blue State Residents

Posted on November 16, 2024 by Ken

Migrants living at the Chicago Police Department’s 15th District are seen inside the station on Sunday, September 10, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joshua Lott/The Washington Post© Getty Images)

Blue city residents say migrant surge fueled Trump gains:

‘The Democratic Party does not own us’

Opinion by Bailee Hill

Blue city residents believe President-elect Donald Trump made historic gains in Democrat-run cities because of liberal leaders’ poor handling of the migrant crisis.

“P-Rae” Easley, a Chicago Democrat-turned-Trump-supporter, and Danielle Jurinsky, an Aurora, Colorado city council member, discussed why residents are fed up with liberal leaders during “The Ingraham Angle.”

‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOST SUNNY HOSTIN SLAMS LATINO REPUBLICANS FOR VOTING ‘AGAINST THEIR SELF-INTEREST’

“Do you expect your local leaders in Chicago to listen to the people of these cities, even if Democrats still want a majority?” Laura Ingraham asked Easley on Thursday. “They’re not happy.”

“Before today, I would have said no,” she responded. “But today, for the first time in the history of Chicago, the entire city council voted against the mayor in his budget to fund migrants. It was literally 50 aldermen who said no. Straight red across the board. Chicago, red is winning and permeating the conscience of our leadership here.”

Chicago, a sanctuary city, has been bombarded with more than 51,000 migrants since 2021, according to city data. Trump to Flood Sanctuary Cities with ICE Agents #trump #ice #immigration

The surge has taken a massive toll on city resources, prompting officials to spend more than $574 million to accommodate the illegal immigrants since 2022.

Amid the ongoing crisis, residents have begun to fight back against the liberal policies, and Easley argued the city council vote was indicative of that conservative shift.

“We vote Democrat in this city because of the culture of patronage and bullying and terrorism,” Easley said. “And so we even have a federal decree to make them stop calling the Shakman decree, and so now that that’s done, and the people, everyone knows, across every race and socioeconomic class, that the Democratic Party does not own us, Chicago is about to change, and today’s city council vote definitely illustrated that.”

Meanwhile, the incoming Trump administration is already preparing to dramatically increase its capacity to detain illegal immigrants as part of the massive deportation operation it has pledged to launch in January, Fox News Digital has confirmed — the latest sign that it plans to deliver on that promise.

BLOODTHIRSTY VENEZUELAN STREET GANG SPARKS FEAR IN US AMID MIGRANT SURGE: WHAT TO KNOW

President-elect Trump said during the campaign that he intends to launch a historic mass-deportation campaign in the wake of the historic migrant crisis at the southern border.

“Obviously, the fear is he’s talking about going after law-abiding Coloradans who might have lived here for 20, 30 years,” Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said regarding the plan. “Obviously, it would devastate our economy and our society if someone were to come in and forcibly take our neighbors away from us. We shouldn’t be tearing apart these de facto American families.”

Aurora, a Denver suburb, has made national headlines in recent months since Venezuelan gangs have taken over apartment buildings and terrorized local communities.

Map: Sanctuary Cities, Counties, and States

Trump detailed his “Operation Aurora” plan during a rally in the city in October, a program at the federal level that would remove illegal immigrant members of Tren de Aragua. The program is expected to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target and dismantle “every illegal migrant criminal network operating on American soil.”

Jurinsky argued that if Polis stands in the way of the Trump administration’s deportation plan, it could hurt the Democrats politically in future election cycles.

“It seems that in this state they have become third-class citizens, and American citizens have had to take a backseat to the chaos that our governor and liberal policies and this current administration’s failure has allowed to come into this country,” Jurinsky said.

“If they see our gov stand as a roadblock… for the incoming administration, for Kristi Noem’s team to come in and… relieve this chaos, I think it will hurt the Dems,” Jurinsky said. “I think Polis had better get out of the way, as Tom Homan said.”

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Original article source: Blue city residents say migrant surge fueled Trump gains: ‘Democratic Party does not own us’

What are Sanctuary Cities and Why do they Exist?

To combat anti-immigrant rhetoric, detention, and deportation, communities across the country have proclaimed sanctuary city status. Sanctuary cities exist from coast to coast and promote the ideals of human rights, separation of local and federal law, and empowerment of communities to grow with the help of immigrants. Cities that pursue sanctuary city policies do so for various reasons, all of which relate on some level to human rights and community growth.

What Are Sanctuary Cities?

The phrase sanctuary city is not a legal term, but one developed over time and more recently reflecting a response to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) policies and actions. In general, a sanctuary city is a community with a policy, written or unwritten, that discourages local law enforcement from reporting the immigration status of individuals unless it involves investigation of a serious crime. These sanctuary communities go beyond cities, though. One can find entire counties and states declaring sanctuary status.

These communities typically do not honor requests by ICE to detain undocumented immigrants whom local agents apprehend for misdemeanor crimes or investigations. Many in sanctuary cities also refuse to deputize their local officers as federal agents, a necessary technicality if those local officers carry out the duties of ICE agents. There is no specific federal law against sanctuary city policies.

Lists of Sanctuary States in the United States

Sometimes the term “sanctuary” encompasses more than just a city. There are many counties across the United States that claim sanctuary county policies, and several states that consider their entire geographical location as a sanctuary. As of March 2021, the following states claim sanctuary status:

The 11 Sanctuary States in the United States

California
Colorado
Connecticut
Illinois
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Oregon
Vermont
Washington

In addition, some of these sanctuary states also designate counties to have policies in place that discourage or prohibit cooperation between local law and federal agents when dealing with undocumented immigrants.

What Does a Sanctuary City Policy Really Do?

In terms of immigration issues, sanctuary city policies are often designed to respond to a series of events involving undocumented individuals. The following is an example of such a series of events, and how the sanctuary policies apply.

Initial Contact with Law Enforcement: This is often something relatively common, such as an officer pulling over a car for speeding or responding to a domestic incident. This initial contact has nothing to do with citizenship status.
Law Enforcement Detains an Individual: Law enforcement books and takes fingerprints of the individual at the local or county jail. Per protocol, these fingerprints go through the FBI database. ICE regulations require that state and federal agents share information regarding inmates.
ICE Gets Involved: If ICE records show the individual is undocumented, ICE sends a request to the local jail to detain the individual for an additional 48 hours beyond the original release day and time. This time buffer allows ICE to seek a warrant and begin the deportation process.
Local Authorities React:According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, local officers do not have to comply with ICE requests for additional detention, because doing so is a violation of the Fourth Amendment.

The reaction of the local authorities depends on any sanctuary policies in place. Cities or counties with sanctuary policies typically decline the requests and release the individual once the appropriate time for the initial contact has been met. This might be because of charges dropped, bail set and met, or no jail time sentenced. Some sanctuary cities will reject all detain requests they receive from ICE, while others comply under certain circumstances including gang involvement, prior felony records, or terrorist watch list status.

Cities without sanctuary policies often comply with ICE and detain the individual while ICE seeks a warrant for deportation. The undocumented individual might remain in the local jail during the deportation process, or ICE might transfer that person to a federal prison. Jails and prisons that detain undocumented immigrants often receive federal funds for doing so.

Why are there Sanctuary Cities?

Sanctuary cities today refer to those places where local law enforcement does not carry out the duties of ICE without a warrant or local court order. The history of sanctuary cities, however, focuses on the term sanctuary – or safe place. In 1971, Berkeley, CA became the first city to claim this status. Instead of questions of immigration, this sanctuary declared Berkeley a safe place for U.S. Navy soldiers who resisted the war in Vietnam.

Moving forward, sanctuary city policies often centered around supporting faith-based organizations and movements. This included those cities where religious movements were offering safe places for not only war resisters, but for refugees from El Salvador and Guatemala. In the 1980s and 1990s, communities began to see sanctuary as more of a human rights issue than a religious one. The focus moved increasingly toward developing policies that would limit the involvement of local police with federal issues of immigration.

Modern Interpretation of Sanctuary Cities

As political debates surrounding immigration increased in the 2000s, so has the discussion around sanctuary cities. Throughout the country, many communities have reacted to harsh treatment of immigrants with the development of sanctuary city (or county or state) policies. They seek to provide refuge for immigrants, instead of persecution.

Why Do Communities Choose to be Sanctuary Cities?

In alignment with the history of sanctuary city policies, many communities are now choosing to develop policies that separate local law enforcement from potential deportation activities at the federal level. Under both Democratic and Republican presidents, the focus on deporting undocumented individuals has been increasing. This includes individuals who are law-abiding, and parents working and raising children in the U.S. There are several reasons why communities enact policies and regulations to define themselves as sanctuary cities.

A Human Rights Standpoint: Many people across the country see immigration as a positive process and human rights issue, and consider it the duty of U.S. citizens and officials to help protect all people. This includes people who are fleeing wars, poverty, and famine. Chicago is one such city, where the sanctuary policies – also known as the Welcoming City Ordinance – state that Chicago officials will not help investigate or prosecute individuals based solely on their resident status. Chicago also does not discriminate against non-citizens for city services intended for those in need, and even offers a local ID to use for transportation and library access.
A Constitutional Standpoint: Under the Constitution of the United States, being an undocumented immigrant is not actually a crime – it is a civil violation. Criminal violations allow for punishments such as jail time. Civil violations result in penalties. Currently. The accepted penalty for being in the United States undocumented is deportation. There are many who see this as a punishment, and therefore a human rights issue.

The undercurrent theme of the reasons for supporting sanctuary cities aligns with the idea that the United States is a country of immigrants. The generations that came before us empowered the cities of today, and communities across the country want to maintain that optimistic and humanistic point of view.

Brooks and Capehart on what’s ahead for the country after Trump’s win – YouTube

It is important to remember that sanctuary city officials do not promote breaking the law. Officials in these cities still take and report fingerprints to the FBI, as directed. Sanctuary policies allow local officers to decline enforcing a federal request for detention during deportation considerations. Instead of holding an individual in jail beyond the regular release date, local officials follow constitutional guidelines and their own legal regulations.

What are the Benefits of Sanctuary Cities?

Communities across the country grapple with immigration issues. From a human rights standpoint, welcoming immigrants and providing them with resources and support will accomplish far more than detaining and deporting them ever will. The evidence shows that undocumented immigrants do not pose significant threats to communities, and they in fact positively impact them.

Sanctuary cities report positive outcomes, including the following:

Sanctuary cities have lower than average crime rates
Household incomes are higher in sanctuary cities
The poverty rate in sanctuary cities is lower on average than cities without these policies

Law enforcement at the local levels want to continue building positive relationships with all citizens – documented and undocumented. This encourages them to report crimes and concerns without fear of reprisal, and promotes community building instead of separating.

As the United States continues to grow both in population and ideals, it is important to look at immigration through the lens of humanity, rather than as a price tag for prisons. Sanctuary cities and communities continue to pave the way as examples.

The REIDOUT Today 11/14/24 Full Show 🅼🆂🅽🅲 specials Trump Breaking News

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America the Beautiful

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Ken

EAGLE PASS: A U.S. Border Patrol agent speaks with immigrants who recently crossed the Rio Grande River into the United States. John Moore/Getty Images

Nancy Pelosi fact-checked by Washington Post for claim ‘fewer’ migrants crossed the border under Biden

So far, in 2024, encounter numbers have decreased overall, but they remain high for certain countries. In the first five months of the year, CBP agents encountered more than nine hundred thousand migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. The majority hailed from just six countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, and Colombia, in descending order.

U.S. border authorities have encountered

more than 647,000 migrants from highlighted

countries from January to May 2024.

Why Six Countries Account for Most Migrants at the U.S.-Mexico Border

The Joe Biden administration has responded by designing policies to mitigate “root causes” of migration and displacement, enacting temporary humanitarian protections for individuals from certain countries, while making it more difficult for migrants to apply for asylum in the United States. But push factors—including organized crime-fueled violence and extortion and a lack of economic opportunities—combined with the pull of a strong U.S. labor market, make it unlikely migration flows will decrease substantially in the near future.

When taking a closer look at the conditions driving people to leave these six countries, it’s clear why the challenge of managing large-scale migration and displacement is seemingly here to stay. Scroll below the graphics for a brief narrative about migration from each country when it was at its peak in 2021 and 2022.

Migration, country by country, at the U.S.-Mexico border – WOLA

The deadly risks migrants face to cross the land bridge between North and South America

By Michael Dorgan Fox News

Published November 12, 2024 9:06am EST

Tom Homan: We are going to take the handcuffs off ICE – Search

Tom Homan, Trump’s new border czar, discusses his plans for border security under the Trump administration on Hannity. Hundreds of migrants at a shelter on the Mexican side of the southern border say they are waiting anxiously to see if they can cross into the U.S. before President-elect Trump takes office and fear they may not get over the line in time.

According to a report in The Telegraph, more than 850 migrants are living at Senda de Vida shelter in the northern Mexican city of Reynosa, a town bordering McAllen, Texas. Many of them have applied using the CBP One app, which was created in 2020 to schedule appointments at points of entry into the U.S.

The migrants have been waiting for months to see if they can get an appointment to legally claim asylum via the app. If their appointment does not come in time, they say they will be forced to attempt to cross the border illegally, risking deportation or being preyed on by the cartels.

BORDER PATROL, ICE MORALE SURGING AFTER TRUMP ELECTION WIN: ‘THEY KNOW THEY CAN GET THE BAD GUYS NOW’

Migrants at the Senda de Vida shelter on Aug. 30, 2022, in Reynosa, Mexico.

(Michael Nigro/Getty Images)

The mood at the camp, which consists of tents and small wooden buildings, quickly turned from hope to fear in the wake of President-elect Trump’s crushing defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris last week.

Raquel Segura, 39, from Nuevo León, Mexico, tells the outlet that he and his two daughters are among those hoping to cross the border.

“If Harris had won, people would be jumping for joy and as you can see right now, they look sad, they are feeling down,” Silva tells The Telegraph.

One of Trump’s top election promises is to close the border and launch the largest deportation operation in the history of the United States. He has tapped former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Thomas Homan to be his border czar.

BORDER PATROL MOBILE APP FOR MIGRANTS SEEKING ENTRY FACES SCRUTINY FOR ITS LACK OF VETTING, SECURITY

Tom Homan, a FOX News contributor and former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), delivers the keynote speech at the Columbiana County Lincoln Day Dinner in Salem, Ohio, on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Homan, a former New York state police officer and former Border Patrol agent, is known as an immigration hardliner. At the Republican National Convention, he warned the millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S. to “start packing now,” and has also warned Democrat governors to “get the hell out of the way” if they plan to block the incoming administration’s mass deportation plans.

Homan said during an appearance on Fox & Friends that he supports Trump’s mass deportation plan, saying he would be prioritizing “public safety threats and national security threats.”

Illegal border crossings surged under the Biden administration, with nearly 3 million in fiscal year 2024, according to Homeland Security’s website. There have been more than 10.8 million illegal encounters since FY 2021.

Another migrant, Berta Lisa Matute, tells the outlet that she, her husband and their eldest daughter, 5, were forced to leave Honduras nine-months-ago after her brother was murdered and their lives were threatened. She gave birth to another child recently while at the camp, having carried her through their passage across Central America.

“I hope that God illuminates Trump so he doesn’t get rid of the app, or that maybe there’s another way we can go through, because everything we have been through was very difficult,” she says.

A group of 116 illegal immigrants, including 11 unaccompanied children at Eagle Pass, Texas. (Texas DPS)

“It’s not safe in Honduras, I would not want to go back, but if there are no legal pathways to enter the country, then we might try [to cross illegally].”

Migrant Francisco Gomez, 40, tells The Telegraph that he and his family left Honduras 10 months ago after a family member was murdered. They joined a caravan at Tapachula on the Guatemalan border and arrived in Reynosa two weeks later.

The father-of-one tells the outlet he’s not concerned about Trump’s election victory, as he trusts “God that he’s gonna be a good president, just like the way he was the first time.”

Pastor Hector Silva, who runs the shelter, hopes Trump will be compassionate to the migrants who are yearning for a better life in America, where they hope to work hard and raise their families in a safe environment.

“There are people that are doing things according to the law, according to the United States, and they won’t be doing things illegally,” Silva tells the migrant while leading prayers in the scorching heat.

The Darién Gap (UK: /ˈdɛəriən, ˈdær-/,^[1][2] US: /ˌdɛəriˈɛn, ˌdɑːr-, dɑːrˈjɛn/,^[1][3][4] Spanish: Tapón del Darién [taˈpon del daˈɾjen], lit. ’Darién plug’)^[5] is a geographic region that connects the American continents, stretching across southern Panama‘s Darién Province and the northern portion of Colombia‘s Chocó Department.

Consisting of a large watershed, dense rainforest, and mountains, it is known for its remoteness, difficult terrain, and extreme environment,^[6] with a reputation as one of the most inhospitable regions in the world.^[7] Nevertheless, as the only land bridge between North and South America, the Darién Gap has historically served as a major route for both humans and wildlife. The Darién Gap at the Colombia–Panama border Map of the Darién Gap and the break in the Pan-American Highway between Yaviza, Panama, and Turbo, Colombia

The geography of the Darién Gap is highly diverse. The Colombian side is dominated primarily by the river delta of the Atrato River, which creates a flat marshland at least 80 km (50 mi) wide. The Tanela River, which flows toward Atrato, was Hispanicized to Darién by 16th Century European conquistadors. The Serranía del Baudó mountain range extends along Colombia’s Pacific coast and into Panama. The Panamanian side, in stark contrast, is a mountainous rainforest, with terrain reaching from 60 m (197 ft) in the valley floors to 1,845 m (6,053 ft) at the tallest peak, Cerro Tacarcuna, in the Serranía del Darién.

Embera girl

The Darién Gap is inhabited mostly by the indigenous Embera-Wounaan and Guna peoples; in 1995, it had a reported population of 8,000 among five tribes.^[8] The only sizable settlement in the region is La Palma, the capital of Darién Province, with roughly 4,200 residents; other population centers include Yaviza and El Real, both on the Panamanian side.

Owing to its isolation and harsh geography, the Darién Gap is largely undeveloped, with most economic activity consisting of small-scale farming, cattle ranching, and lumber.^[7] Criminal enterprises such as human and drug trafficking are widespread.^[9] There is no road, not even a primitive one, across the Darién: Colombia and Panama are the only countries in the Americas that share a land border but lack even a rudimentary link.

The “Gap” interrupts the Pan-American Highway, which breaks at Yaviza, Panama and resumes at Turbo, Colombia roughly 106 km (66 mi) away. Infrastructure development has long been constrained by logistical challenges, financial costs, and environmental concerns; attempts failed in the 1970s and 1990s.^[10] As of 2024, there is no active plan to build a road through the Gap, although there is discussion of reestablishing a ferry service and building a rail link.

Consequently, travel within and across Darién Gap is often conducted with small boats or traditional watercraft such as pirogues. Otherwise, hiking is the only remaining option, and it is strenuous and dangerous. Aside from natural threats such as deadly wildlife, tropical diseases, and frequent heavy rains and flash floods, law enforcement and medical support are nonexistent, resulting in rampant violent crime, and causing otherwise minor injuries to ultimately become fatal.^[11]

Despite its perilous conditions, since the 2010s, the Darién Gap has become one of the heaviest migration routes in the world, with hundreds of thousands of migrants, primarily Haitians and Venezuelans, traversing north to the Mexico–United States border.^[12]^[13] In 2022, there were 250,000 crossings, compared to only 24,000 in 2019.^[14] In 2023, more than 520,000 passed through the gap, more than doubling the previous year’s number of crossings.^[9]

Illegal border crossings into the United States from Mexico have dropped in the last few months. But further south, hundreds of thousands of migrants are making dangerous journeys through the Darien Gap, one of the world’s most treacherous jungles. “Seventy Miles in Hell” from The Atlantic – Search documents migrant’s efforts through the region. Amna Nawaz discussed more with writer Caitlin Dickerson.

By —

Amna Nawaz

By —

Saher Khan

By —

Caitlin Dickerson

Read their Full Transcript

Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Amna Nawaz: Illegal border crossings into the United States from Mexico have dropped precipitously in the last few months. But farther south, hundreds of thousands of migrants are still making dangerous journeys through one of the world’s most treacherous jungles.
“The Atlantic”‘s September issue, titled “Seventy Miles in Hell” documents migrants’ efforts traveling through the Darien Gap, a once-considered-impassable region connecting Central and South America. Staff writer at “The Atlantic” Caitlin Dickerson made several reporting trips into the jungle following migrants through the crossing. She joins me now. Caitlin, welcome back. Thanks for being with us. Caitlin Dickerson, “The Atlantic”: Thanks so much for having me, Amna.
Amna Nawaz: So you and photographer Lynsey Addario made a number of trips to the Darien Gap, this deadly, nearly impenetrable jungle that hundreds of thousands of people still walk every single year. Caitlin, for people who have never been there, will never be able to go there, just describe to us what it was like for you to make that journey, what stood out to you, what stays with you.
Caitlin Dickerson: The Darien Gap is this narrow strip of land that extends out of Northern Colombia into Southern Panama. It’s the only way to walk north out of South America. It’s very, very dense. It’s mountainous. And the list of threats that migrants who make this crossing are facing is very long, everything from flash floods, which are quite common because it rains on a daily basis, to falling. People have heart attacks from overexertion from the terrain. There are deadly snakes. There are jungle cats. And on top of all of the natural risks, you also have bands of robbers who will attack migrants. Migrants are very often robbed and, unfortunately, also frequently experience sexual assault on this journey. So it’s grueling. I mean, that’s the only way to put it. It was certainly the hardest thing I have ever done physically. I think that is one of things that sticks with me to this day and just the amount of desperation. People walk into the Darien Gap and it’s almost impossible to be fully prepared. You don’t know what you’re going to run into. And so, you might run out of water. You might run out of food, even if you’re healthy and you’re as prepared as you can possibly be, that this is an incredibly treacherous thing to try to do.
Amna Nawaz: And, as you include in your story, according to the United Nations, more than 800,000 people could make that same journey this year. That would be a more than 50 percent spike over last year’s numbers. Children under the age of 5, like this young girl, this 5-year-old girl named Susej, I believe her name is, that you met along the way. captured here by photographer Lynsey Addario, comforting her mother in this photo. Children under 5, Caitlin, are the fastest growing group. From spending time with these families, just tell us about them, and why are these numbers surging so dramatically now?
Caitlin Dickerson: I think the first thing that I heard for most of the parents who had young children with them in the Darien Gap is that they would rather be anywhere else. So, a lot of families, including Susej’s — her name Susie in English — had tried resettling first in Chile. They were originally from Venezuela. They couldn’t make things work there. And lots of places in Latin America where people might prefer to resettle, their economies were devastated by the pandemic. And so, the Darien Gap is this last resort option. The smugglers who shepherd people into the Darien Gap do mislead people about what they’re in for, make it seem like it’s going to be easier. But most people who show up at the mouth of the jungle with young kids know that they’re risking their lives and know that they’re risking their children’s lives.
Amna Nawaz: We know, of course, many of those people are hoping to make it all the way to the United States. The Biden administration, of course, put tougher border restrictions into place back in early June, severely limiting who can legally enter and claim asylum. And that has contributed to a dramatic decline at the U.S. southern border. We went from around 250,000 people apprehended in December to reportedly just 57,000 in July, though official numbers are not yet out. So, Caitlin, did people you met along the way know about those restrictions? Had word made it down to them?
Caitlin Dickerson: Not at all. There’re so many different factors that come into play here.But, usually, when people are making the decision to migrate, they’re not talking about U.S. policy, because, again, they feel like they’re fleeing life-or-death circumstances, which is why they’re willing to take risks like crossing the Darien Gap. The Biden administration’s asylum policies have had some impact, I’m sure, as has its pressure on Mexico to crack down and basically intercept people on their way to the United States. One Biden administration policy that people in the Darien Gap did know about was the CBP One app that’s being used to relieve pressure at the border so you can apply for permission to fly to the border and get an interview, rather than having to take a more dangerous option. And it’s all playing a role, but it’s not enough to completely eliminate this migration because of the circumstances that people are fleeing. And so, I always caution against saying border crossings are down this month and it’s all attributable to a policy that’s just come down from the White House. It’s never that simple when it comes to a global issue.
Amna Nawaz: It does go back in some ways to this other recent piece you wrote for “The Atlantic” in which you said — quote — “Trying to stop migration at the border is like telling someone they can’t run a marathon when they’re at the finish line. This was in a piece that was actually entitled, “There’s No Such Thing as a Border Czar.” You are referencing there, of course, how Republicans have been labeling Vice President Kamala Harris. And we should point out she, yes, was not charged with the border, per se, but she was charged with addressing root causes. It sounds like, from your reporting, the root causes forcing people to leave have only gotten worse over time.Is that fair?
Caitlin Dickerson: It is. But the answer is a little bit more complicated, in that when the Biden administration came to office and Kamala Harris was given this position, most people crossing the southern U.S. border were coming from Central America. And so that’s where she focused her efforts.She raised about $5.5 billion in private funds to support more jobs and improved quality of life in Central America. And migration from Central America is going down. But the problem is that circumstances have worsened elsewhere. And so we have increasing numbers of people crossing the border from Venezuela, from China, from Haiti, from Ecuador, from throughout Latin America.A single American diplomat or official can’t change circumstances abroad on their own. But I think the changing dynamic underscores just how tough this is. You focus your efforts in one place, and then they get more difficult in another.
Amna Nawaz: That’s Caitlin Dickerson of “The Atlantic.” Her cover story “Seventy Miles in Hell” is out now. – Search
Opinion: Now is the time for finger-pointing. Democratic elites must own their loss.
Two Documentaries: Two Searing Takes on Open Border USA
Opinion | Newsom Raises Gas Prices Again
Sen. Bill Hagerty: There’s a palpable desire for change here in America | Watch Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) joins ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss President-elect Trump’s election victory, implementing Trump’s policy agenda, potential roles he’d serve in the new Trump administration, state of the Senate majority leader vote, and more.

How did Kamala Harris’s campaign rack up a debt after record fundraising?

Kamala Harris certainly needs to produce receipts.

A thorough investigation is called for. “Money,” and “Laundering” are the two words that jump at you when you read this story. Wait, what? She spent 582 million on staff in 107 days? That is 5.4 million a day. If she had 300 staff members that 18k a day.. this doesn’t pass the smell test. SO, kamala is $20 BILLION in DEBT and Trump had a SAVINGS of $25.42 million!

Probably more than half of that staff money went into her pocket.

This was a very good example of how our tax dollars are being spent.

Clashes, confusion and secrecy consume the Harris campaign’s finances

Because just as everyone on X was saying, her platform was nothing but paid endorsements, paid entertainment, and probably paid rally attendees too. It was all to create the ILLUSION of a viable candidate…I think Kamala held her own going away party and just made a ton of money so that she can retire and enjoy the rest of her life.

It’s a shame all the lies that she told to the people through the media.

Democrats are Pro death—Pro pedophilia—Pro censor—Installed a vegetable—Spent billions—Always cheats—Inside trading—Corrupted the entire government. What kind of a person would choose Kamala, with these records, to run the government?

Just imagine her having control of the federal dollars.

Congress has that job, but she bragged about throwing “trillions” to the people. Yikes! Congress should be ashamed though, no balanced budget since 1991… I wonder what happened to the broadband billions they laundered.

Ray Charles – America The Beautiful (Official Video)

A top one of the highest peaks in the United States sits a picturesque example of what the United States means to America means to Me

America the Beautiful and Story about Katherine Lee Bates and how she wrote the poem that became America the Beautiful … The official video celebrating 50 years of Ray Charles’ “America the Beautiful” Ray Charles classic rendition – America The Beautiful (Official Video) – YouTube

Was originally released on the album A Message from The People (1972), quickly became our second national anthem and has inspired countless generations since its release 50 years ago. This new video of the iconic track has been released to honor this historic release. A Message From The People [Full Album] remains one of Charles’ most celebrated albums, as well as the most socially conscious work of his six-decade career.

The record directly confronts societal ills of poverty and injustice while offering a universal message of brotherhood and hope for peace; topics that are as relevant today as they were 50 years ago. The album includes classic tracks like “They’ll Be No Peace on Earth Without All Men As One,” “Abraham, Martin and John,” the Gospel infused “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “Heaven Help Us All.”

The album includes recordings of “Hey Mister,” which was played during a Congressional joint hearing in 1972 to speak on behalf of common citizens to a government that was widely seen as ignoring their needs. A newly remastered version of A Message from The People will be available June 17, 2022, on platforms for the first time in almost a decade. This US President Increased the National Debt by Over 700%

Democrats press Biden to protect executive branch from Trump’s return

Actress Justine Bateman declares woke era is ‘over’ after Trump’s win | Watch

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Immune System and Cancer

Posted on November 12, 2024 by Ken

Emotions Play A significant Role in Your Immune System – Search Images

Emotions play a significant role in the immune system1 2 3 4 5. Stress and mood disorders can impact the immune system, and research highlights the link between inflammation and depression 3 4.

There are many different types of emotions that have an influence on how we live and interact with others. At times, it may seem like we are ruled by these emotions. The choices we make, the actions we take, and the perceptions we have are all influenced by the feelings we are experiencing at any given moment.

Psychologists have also tried to identify the different types of emotions that people experience. A few different theories have emerged to categorize and explain the emotions that people feel.

Basic Emotions

During the 1970s, psychologist Paul Eckman identified six basic emotions that he suggested were universally experienced in all human cultures. The emotions he identified were happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise, and anger. He later expanded his list of basic emotions to include such things as pride, shame, embarrassment, and excitement.

Verywell / JR Bee

Combining Emotions

Psychologist Robert Plutchik proposed a “wheel of emotions” that worked something like the color wheel. Emotions can be combined to form different feelings, much like colors can be mixed to create other shades.

According to this theory, the more basic emotions act something like building blocks. More complex, sometimes mixed emotions, are blendings of these more basic ones.

For example, basic emotions such as joy and trust can be combined to create love.

A 2017 study suggests that there are far more basic emotions than previously believed.¹

In the study published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, researchers identified 27 different categories of emotion. Rather than being entirely distinct, however, the researchers found that people experience these emotions along a gradient.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the basic types of emotions and explore their impact on human behavior.

Happiness

Of all the different types of emotions, happiness tends to be the one that people strive for the most. Happiness is often defined as a pleasant emotional state that is characterized by feelings of contentment, joy, gratification, satisfaction, and well-being.

Research on happiness has increased significantly since the 1960s within a number of disciplines, including the branch of psychology known as positive psychology.

This type of emotion is sometimes expressed through:

Facial expressions: such as smiling
Body language: such as a relaxed stance
Tone of voice: such as an upbeat, pleasant way of speaking

While happiness is considered one of the basic human emotions, the things we think will create happiness tend to be heavily influenced by culture. For example, pop culture influences tend to emphasize that attaining certain things, such as buying a home or having a high-paying job, will result in happiness.

The realities of what actually contributes to happiness are often much more complex and more highly individualized.² People have long believed that happiness and health are connected, and research has supported the idea that happiness can play a role in both physical and mental health.

Happiness has been linked to a variety of outcomes including increased longevity and greater marital satisfaction.³ Conversely, unhappiness has been linked to a variety of poor health outcomes and challenges in relationships.

Stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness, for example, have been linked to things such as lowered immunity, increased inflammation, and decreased life expectancy.⁴

Sadness

Sadness is another type of emotion often defined as a transient emotional state characterized by feelings of disappointment, grief, hopelessness, disinterest, and dampened mood.

Like other emotions, sadness is something that all people experience from time to time. In some cases, people can experience prolonged and severe periods of sadness that can turn into depression. Sadness can be expressed in a number of ways, including:

Crying
Dampened mood
Lethargy
Quietness
Withdrawal from others

The type and severity of sadness can vary depending upon the root cause, and how people cope with such feelings can also differ.

Sadness can often lead people to engage in coping mechanisms such as avoiding other people, self-medicating, and ruminating on negative thoughts. Such behaviors can actually exacerbate feelings of sadness and prolong the duration of the emotion.

The Fear of Having Cancer Suppresses Your Immune System – Search

Therefore Loving Life Which is Opposite of Fear Enhances your Immune System – Search

Fear

Fear is a powerful emotion that can also play an important role in survival. When you face some sort of danger and experience fear, you go through what is known as the fight or flight response.

Your muscles become tense, your heart rate and respiration increase, and your mind becomes more alert, priming your body to either run from the danger or stand and fight.⁵

This response helps ensure that you are prepared to deal with threats in your environment effectively. Expressions of this type of emotion can include:

Facial expressions: such as widening the eyes and pulling back the chin
Body language: attempts to hide or flee from the threat
Physiological reactions: such as rapid breathing and heartbeat

Of course, not everyone experiences fear in the same way. Some people may be more sensitive to fear, and certain situations or objects may be more likely to trigger this emotion.

Fear is the emotional response to an immediate threat. We can also develop a similar reaction to anticipated threats or even our thoughts about potential dangers, and this is what we generally think of as anxiety. Social anxiety, for example, involves an anticipated fear of social situations.

Some people, on the other hand, actually seek out fear-provoking situations. Extreme sports and other thrills can be fear-inducing, but some people seem to thrive and even enjoy such feelings.

Repeated exposure to a feared object or situation can lead to familiarity and acclimation, which can reduce feelings of fear and anxiety.⁶

This is the idea behind exposure therapy, in which people are gradually exposed to the things that frighten them in a controlled and safe manner. Eventually, feelings of fear begin to decrease.

Disgust

Disgust is another of the original six basic emotions described by Eckman. Disgust can be displayed in a number of ways including:

Body language: turning away from the object of disgust
Physical reactions: such as vomiting or retching
Facial expressions: such as wrinkling the nose and curling the upper lip

This sense of revulsion can originate from a number of things, including an unpleasant taste, sight, or smell. Researchers believe that this emotion evolved as a reaction to foods that might be harmful or fatal.⁷ When people smell or taste foods that have gone bad, for example, disgust is a typical reaction.

Poor hygiene, infection, blood, rot, and death can also trigger a disgust response. This may be the body’s way of avoiding things that may carry transmittable diseases.⁷

People can also experience moral disgust when they observe others engaging in behaviors that they find distasteful, immoral, or evil.

Anger

Anger can be a particularly powerful emotion characterized by hostility, agitation, frustration, and antagonism toward others. Like fear, anger can affect the body’s fight-or-flight response.

When a threat generates feelings of anger, you may be inclined to fend off the danger and protect yourself. Anger is often displayed through:

Facial expressions: such as frowning or glaring
Body language: such as taking a strong stance or turning away
Tone of voice: such as speaking gruffly or yelling
Physiological responses: such as sweating or turning red
Aggressive behaviors: such as hitting, kicking, or throwing objects

While anger is often thought of as a negative emotion, it can sometimes be a good thing. It can be constructive in helping clarify your needs in a relationship, and it can also motivate you to take action and find solutions to things that are bothering you.

However, anger can become a problem when it is excessive or expressed in unhealthy, dangerous, or harmful ways. Uncontrolled anger can quickly turn to aggression, abuse, or violence.

Anger Issues: Take the Test

This type of emotion can have both mental and physical consequences. Unchecked anger can make it difficult to make rational decisions and can even have an impact on your physical health.⁸

Anger has been linked to coronary heart diseases and diabetes. It has also been linked to behaviors that pose health risks such as aggressive driving, alcohol consumption, and smoking.

Surprise

Surprise is another of Eckman’s six basic types of human emotions. It is usually quite brief and characterized by a physiological startle response following something unexpected.

This type of emotion can be positive, negative, or neutral. An unpleasant surprise, for example, might involve someone jumping out from behind a tree and scaring you as you walk to your car at night.

An example of a pleasant surprise would be arriving home to find that your closest friends have gathered to celebrate your birthday. Surprise is often characterized by:

Facial expressions: such as raising the brows, widening the eyes, and opening the mouth
Physical responses: such as jumping back
Verbal reactions: such as yelling, screaming, or gasping

Surprise is another type of emotion that can trigger the fight or flight response. When startled, people may experience a burst of adrenaline that helps prepare the body to either fight or flee.⁹

Surprise can have important effects on human behavior. For example, research has shown that people tend to disproportionately notice surprising events.

This is why surprising and unusual events in the news tend to stand out in memory more than others. Research has also found that people tend to be more swayed by surprising arguments and learn more from surprising information.

Other Types of Emotions

The six basic emotions described by Eckman are just a portion of the many different types of emotions that people are capable of experiencing. Eckman’s theory suggests that these core emotions are universal throughout cultures all over the world.

However, other theories and new research continue to explore the many different types of emotions and how they are classified. Eckman later added a number of other emotions to his list but suggested that, unlike his original six emotions, not all of these would necessarily be encoded through facial expressions. Some of the emotions he later identified included:

Amusement
Contempt
Contentment
Embarrassment
Excitement
Guilt
Pride in achievement
Relief
Satisfaction
Shame

Other Theories of Emotion

As with many concepts in psychology, not all theorists agree on how to classify emotions or what the basic emotions actually are. While Eckman’s theory is one of the best-known, other theorists have proposed their own ideas about what emotions make up the core of the human experience.¹⁰

For example, some researchers have suggested that there are only two or three basic emotions. Others have suggested that emotions exist in a hierarchy. Primary emotions such as love, joy, surprise, anger, and sadness can then be further broken down into secondary emotions. Love, for example, consists of secondary emotions, such as affection and longing.

These secondary emotions might then be broken down still further into what are known as tertiary emotions. The secondary emotion of affection includes tertiary emotions, such as liking, caring, compassion, and tenderness.

A more recent study suggests that there are at least 27 distinct emotions, all of which are highly interconnected.¹¹ After analyzing the responses of more than 800 men to more than 2,000 video clips, researchers created an interactive map to demonstrate how these emotions are related to one another.

“We found that 27 distinct dimensions, not six, were necessary to account for the way hundreds of people reliably reported feeling in response to each video,” explained the senior researcher Dacher Keltner, faculty co-director of the Greater Good Science Center.

In other words, emotions are not states that occur in isolation. Instead, the study suggests that there are gradients of emotion and that these different feelings are deeply inter-related.

Alan Cowen, the study’s lead author and former doctoral student in neuroscience at UC Berkeley, suggests that better clarifying the nature of our emotions can help scientists, psychologists, and physicians learn more about how emotions underlie brain activity, behavior, and mood. By building a better understanding of these states, he hopes that researchers can develop improved treatments for psychiatric conditions.

Final Thoughts

Emotions play a critical role in how we live our lives, from influencing how we engage with others in our day to day lives to affecting the decisions we make. By understanding some of the different types of emotions, you can gain a deeper understanding of how these emotions are expressed and the impact they have on your behavior.

It is important to remember, however, that no emotion is an island. Instead, the many emotions you experience are nuanced and complex, working together to create the rich and varied fabric of your emotional life.

A new study highlights the link between inflammation and depression, challenging traditional neurotransmitter-focused theories. An examination of decades of research suggests that immune system imbalances may trigger and sustain depressive symptoms, particularly in high-risk groups. This research paves the way for personalized treatments targeting inflammation, offering new hope for those unresponsive to conventional therapies.

Depression, recognized as the leading cause of disability worldwide, affects nearly one in six people over their lifetimes. Despite decades of research, much remains unknown about the biological mechanisms underlying this debilitating condition. Professor Raz Yirmiya, a pioneering researcher in the field of inflammation and depression from the Department of Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has recently published a comprehensive review in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, offering new insights that challenge long-held beliefs and open pathways toward personalized treatment.

Traditional theories of depression have focused on neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine, suggesting that a deficiency in these brain chemicals may lead to depressive symptoms. While widely accepted, these theories have failed to explain why a significant portion of patients do not respond to conventional antidepressants. Over the last 30 years, Professor Yirmiya’s research, along with others’, has pointed to a different culprit: chronic inflammation, both in the body and the brain.

“In many individuals, depression results from inflammatory processes,” explains Professor Yirmiya, who was one of the first researchers to draw connections between immune system dysfunction and depression in the 1990s. In his latest review, he carefully analyzed the 100 most-cited papers in the field, creating what he calls a “panoramic view” of the complex interactions between inflammation and depressive symptoms.

Research dating back to the 1980s has highlighted that depressed individuals often exhibit compromised immune functions. Surprisingly, certain immune-boosting treatments for cancer and hepatitis, which induce an inflammatory response, have been found to cause severe depressive symptoms in patients, offering a glimpse into the immune system’s role in mental health. Yirmiya’s own experiments further established a mechanistic link between inflammation and mood, showing that healthy individuals injected with low doses of immune-stimulating agents exhibit a temporary depressive state, which can be prevented by either anti-inflammatory or conventional antidepressant treatments.

Professor Yirmiya and colleagues have also shown that stress—often a major trigger for depression—can prompt inflammatory processes, impacting the brain’s microglia cells, which are the representatives of the immune system in the brain. Their recent findings reveal that stress-related inflammatory responses may initially activate microglia, but prolonged stress eventually exhausts and damages them, thereby sustaining or worsening depression. “This dynamic cycle of activation and degeneration of microglia mirrors the progression of depression itself,” says Yirmiya.

The review also highlights studies that suggest specific groups, such as elderly individuals, those with physical illnesses, individuals who suffered from early childhood adversity, and patients with treatment-resistant depression, are particularly susceptible to inflammation-linked depression. The findings reveal the necessity of anti-inflammatory treatments for certain patients and for microglia-boosting treatments to other patients, indicating that a personalized approach to treatment may prove more effective than traditional one-size-fits-all antidepressant therapy.

Professor Yirmiya concludes, “The research findings from the past three decades underscore the critical role of the immune system in depression. Moving forward, a personalized medicine approach—tailoring treatment based on the patient’s specific inflammatory profile—offers hope to millions of sufferers who find little relief in standard therapies. By embracing these advancements, we’re not just treating symptoms; we’re addressing the underlying causes.”

This study not only sheds light on the origins of depression but also sets the stage for future therapeutic approaches, particularly those that target the immune system. Through further investigation, Professor Yirmiya aims to inspire a new wave of treatments designed to replace despair with hope for those suffering from depression.

Healing Your Mind Body and Spirit – Search

Healing the body, mind, and spirit involves achieving proper balance in life1. Here are some key points:

Laughter is the best medicine in the Bible – Search Proverbs 17:22The saying “laughter is the best medicine” actually comes from the Bible. Proverbs 17:22 states that “a merry heart does good, like medicine”1 2 3 4. This ancient wisdom recognizes the spiritual, emotional, and physical benefits of joy and laughter.

Music is Quite Healing – SearchResearch has shown that music has a profound effect on your body and psyche. In fact, there’s a growing field of healthcare known as music therapy, which uses music to heal. People who practice music therapy are finding it can help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Cowen AS, Keltner D. Self-report captures 27 distinct categories of emotion bridged by continuous gradients. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2017;114(38):E7900-E7909. doi:10.1073/pnas.1702247114
Gruber J, Moskowitz JT, eds. Positive Emotion, Integrating the Light Sides and Dark Sides. Oxford University Press; 2014. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199926725.001.0001
Lawrence EM, Rogers RG, Wadsworth T. Happiness and longevity in the United States. Soc Sci Med. 2015;145:115-119. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.09.020
Wolkowitz OM, Epel ES, Reus VI, Mellon SH. Depression gets old fast: Do stress and depression accelerate cell aging? Depress Anxiety. 2010;27(4):327-338. doi:10.1002/da.20686
Kozlowska K, Walker P, Mclean L, Carrive P. Fear and the defense cascade: Clinical implications and management. Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(4):263-287. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000065
Adolphs R. The biology of fear. Curr Biol. 2013;23(2):R79-93. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.11.055
Oaten M, Stevenson RJ, Case TI. Disgust as a disease-avoidance mechanism. Psychol Bull. 2009;135(2):303-321. doi:10.1037/a0014823
Staicu ML, Cuţov M. Anger and health risk behaviors. J Med Life. 2010;3(4):372-375.
Gottlieb MM. The Angry Self: A Comprehensive Approach to Anger Management. Zeig, Tucker & Co.; 1999.
Ortony A, Turner TJ. What’s basic about basic emotions? Psychol Rev. 1990;97(3):315-331. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.97.3.315
Anwar Y. Emoji fans take heart: Scientists pinpoint 27 states of emotion. Berkeley News; 2017.

Additional Reading

Mellers B, Fincher K, Drummond C, Bigony M. Surprise: A belief or an emotion? In: Progress in Brain Research. Vol 202. Elsevier; 2013:3-19. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-62604-2.00001-0
Shirai, M & Suzuki, N. Is sadness only one emotion? Psychological and physiological responses to sadness induced by two different situations: “Loss of someone” and “failure to achieve a goal.” Frontiers in Psychology. 2017;8:288. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00288

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd
Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the “Everything Psychology Book.”

Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2406748121

How the immune system fails as cancer arises

Story by Science X staff

Cancer has been described as “a wound that does not heal,” implying that the immune system is unable to wipe out invading tumor cells. A new discovery confirms that a key molecule can reprogram immune cells that normally protect against infection and cancer, turning them into bad guys that promote cancer growth.

Studying the behavior of these “pro-tumor” immune cells is important because they could be targets for therapies that block their harmful activity, said Minsoo Kim, Ph.D., corresponding author of the study and a research leader at the Wilmot Cancer Institute.

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published the discovery.

Kim led a team of scientists investigating the dynamic interactions that occur between cells in the tumor environment, and the underlying factors that cause the harmful transformation of immune cells from good to bad.

They found that PAF (platelet-activating factor) is the key molecule that controls the destiny of the immune cells. PAF not only recruits cancer-promoting cells, but it also suppresses the immune system’s ability to fight back. In addition, they found that multiple cancers rely on the same PAF signals.

“This is what could be most significant,” said Kim, a Dean’s professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “Because if we find a treatment that could interfere with PAF, it could potentially apply to many types of cancer.”

Much of the team’s work focused on pancreatic cancer cells. It is one of the most deadly cancers, with a five-year survival rate of about 12%, and is notoriously hard to treat because pancreatic tumors are surrounded by a toxic stew of proteins and other tissues that protect the cancer from the immune system’s natural role to attack invaders.

They also studied breast, ovarian, colorectal, and lung cancer cells, using advanced 3D imaging technology to watch the behavior of immune cells as they swarmed to the cancerous region.

More information: Ankit Dahal et al, Platelet-activating factor (PAF) promotes immunosuppressive neutrophil differentiation within tumors, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2406748121

Provided by University of Rochester Medical CenterThis story was originally published on Medical Xpress. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest sci-tech news updates.

How the immune system fails as cancer arises

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Anxiety Is Now Tied to Dementia

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Ken

I have a 75 per cent risk of developing Alzheimer’s – here’s what I’m doing to stay healthy

Anxiety Is Now Tied to Dementia:

Here’s How Much It Increases the Risk

Story by Gillian Manning

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health challenge in the U.S. About 19% of American adults have an anxiety disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health.

About 6.7 million Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s dementia and, barring any medical breakthroughs, that number could reach 13.8 million by 2060.

These statements are more connected than you may have guessed.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found a link between anxiety (chronic and new-onset) and a higher risk of dementia.

The research team, associated with the University of Newcastle in Australia, analyzed medical data on more than 2,000 people who were followed for 10 years, on average.

The average age in the group was 76.

Participants with chronic anxiety had a 2.8 times higher risk of developing dementia during the study period, compared with participants who did not have anxiety.

Those with new-onset anxiety had a 3.2 times higher risk of developing dementia.

Risks were even higher for those whose anxiety started before age 70.

The good news is that resolved anxiety was not associated with an increased risk of dementia.

Researchers write, “These results suggest that timely management of anxiety may be a viable strategy in reducing the risk of dementia.”

Relief from anxiety is possible. Research published in 2020 in the Journal of Affective Disorders concluded that about 70% of participants with a history of generalized anxiety disorder were later free from the disorder and 40% were in “excellent mental health.”

The American Psychiatric Association found that over the past two years, the percentage of adults who feel anxious has risen from 32% in 2022 to 47% in 2024.

And, according to a new study, those increased rates of anxiety could mean increased rates of dementia. The study, published in the Journal of American Geriatric Society, found that anxiety can increase adults’ risk for developing dementia—by up to 3 times.

But the study also found some good news: anxiety is a manageable risk.

“The study confirms what we’ve long known: anxiety disrupts our well-being,” says Julie Manuel, clinical program manager at Kettering Health Behavioral Medical Center. “ As we learn more about mental health disorders and their connection to our overall health, it becomes even more important to learn healthy coping strategies.”

What to know about the study

The study, conducted in Australia, followed 2,132 people ages 60 to 81 for 10 years. The average participant age was 76. Researchers asked participants about their emotional health using a 10-question evaluation (called the Kessler Psychological Distress scale).

Participants were interviewed twice, five years apart.

Those who responded as anxious during both interviews were considered to have chronic anxiety. Those who responded as anxious after only the second interview were considered to have new onset anxiety.

For those with chronic anxiety, the study showed that they were 2.8 times more likely to develop dementia in 10 years. Those with new onset anxiety, 3.2 times more likely.

The risks were even higher for those whose anxiety started before they were 70.

But those who reported as anxious after the first but not the second interview (considered having resolved anxiety) showed no increased risk for dementia.

In other words, “the study suggests that by managing anxiety,” Julie says, “we can manage its risks on our future health.”

Similarly, the researchers conclude that “These results suggest that timely management of anxiety may be a viable strategy in reducing the risk of dementia.”

How anxiety affects our health

“Some anxiety is normal,” Julie says. “A fight with your best friend, stress over an upcoming project at work—these usually resolve or are fixable. But chronic anxiety is exhausting, emotionally and physically.” It puts a lot of wear and tear on the body.

Chronic anxiety leads to health issues, such as

Cardiovascular disease, such as congestive heart failure, stroke, and cardiac arrest.
Weight gain and slower metabolism
Brain cell damage, including loss of neurons and neuron connections (called cerebral atrophy)

All of these increase one’s risk for dementia.

Much of this wear and tear has to do with the effect of stress hormones.

Anxiety engages our “fight, flight, or freeze” reflex, which sends hormones like adrenaline and cortisol through our body. The process is dramatic; it’s our body’s version of slamming on the brakes or gas pedal to avoid danger.

And these hormones are potent—increasing our heart rate, redirecting blood flow, and focusing our attention. But it’s a temporary reaction. Or, at least, it’s supposed to be. Our bodies can’t thrive under a constant wash of stress hormones.

Along with inflammation, a regularly elevated heart rate and cortisol levels can lead to cognitive decline.

“When we can’t control our worry, our fear, and feeling overwhelmed, it really impacts our brains,” Julie says. “If not controlled or managed, anxiety could accelerate how they deteriorate, leading to symptoms of dementia.”

In 2020, more than 55 million people lived with dementia. By 2050, experts anticipate that number will more than double. For adults, then, learning to manage anxiety and its effects, like high blood pressure, can help reduce the risk of dementia.

Managing your anxiety

Of course, there’s some irony in reading an article about anxiety and dementia. You may not feel any less anxious right now. But the point that both the study and Julie emphasize is you can do something about the impact anxiety has on your future health and well-being.

Unlike everyday stress, Julie clarifies that “anxiety often does not have an easily identified trigger.” So instead of hunting for triggers, she recommends watching for symptoms, such as

Feeling irritable
Periods of dread
Having trouble sleeping
A lingering sense of nervousness
Regularly catastrophizing and assuming “worst-case scenarios”

To manage your anxiety, start with lifestyle habits. Many of which take only a few minutes a day, such as

Staying physically active
Journaling to put words to your feelings
Talking to friends or family
Keeping an eye on your nutrition

She also points to learning ways to relax and ground yourself, like walking, deep breathing, and mindfulness activities. These are proven to help calm the brain and lower your heart rate.

Anxiety can also be managed through therapy and, if necessary, with medication. “Medications can help,” Julie says, “but therapies such as CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) or exposure therapy can be helpful with a trained clinician.”

When should you reach out to a therapist? Julie says when your symptoms interfere with your life.

Do your future brain a favor

Dementia can’t always be prevented. Having it in your family history does increase your risks. But you can do things to stay ahead of it. Namely, recognizing the signs of dementia and talking with a physician as soon as possible.

And if you’re an adult dealing with anxiety, don’t hide or downplay it. Anxiety isn’t rare. It’s estimated that more than 300 million people experience it. But not taking it seriously can impact your future health.

The good news is, though, you can do something about it today to help your future self tomorrow.

I heard anesthesia was tied to dementia

What Medications Should Not Be Given to People with Dementia?

Living with the cognitive changes of dementia can be challenging, and certain medications can make your symptoms worse — or may even be their cause.

Dementia is an umbrella term that describes impaired memory loss and changes to cognition in various medical conditions. While it’s commonly associated with older people, dementia isn’t a part of typical aging.

The exact reason why some people develop dementia and some people don’t is unknown, but certain medications may increase your risk.

If you’re already living with dementia, some medications may also worsen your current symptoms.

Medications that worsen dementia symptoms

Medication may be necessary from time to time, especially as you age, but many drugs come with their own set of side effects, some of which can impact your thinking and reasoning.

Taking these medications when you live with dementia may make your symptoms feel like they’re getting worse.

Anticholinergics

Medications that block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine are known as anticholinergic drugs. They have a wide application in the medical world as treatments for respiratory disorders, incontinence, and certain mental health conditions, among many others.

Anticholinergics work well for many conditions because they impact your parasympathetic nervous system, a network of nerves that encourage relaxation and restorative rest.

Dementia is already associated withTrusted Source lowered levels of acetylcholine in the brain, which is why taking anticholinergics — which further restrict acetylcholine — can worsen symptoms.

Common anticholinergics include:

antihistamines
Parkinson’s disease medications
pupil dilators
anti-nausea medications
incontinence drugs
antidepressants
antipsychotics

Taking these medications may cause side effects that make dementia symptoms worse such as:

memory impairment
behavioral disturbances
anxiety
insomnia
sedation
confusion

Additionally, a 2018 review of studiesTrusted Source found that antipsychotics can increase the risk of death in people with dementia. The article recommended avoiding antipsychotics as a treatment for dementia.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines are drugs often prescribed to treat insomnia and anxiety. They’re known as depressants, which work by slowing down the function of your central nervous system.

Benzodiazepines have a sedating effect. They can make your thought processes feel slower than typical. These medications can also cause irritability, amnesia, vivid dreams, and hypnosis.

Common benzodiazepine medications include:

alprazolam
diazepam
estazolam
flurazepam
clonazepam
lorazepam
temazepam

Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids work throughout your body by mimicking the action of the hormone, cortisol. Cortisol not only helps suppress inflammation but is also an important part of many other biological functions.

One of the potential impacts of corticosteroid use is that of imbalanced neurotransmitters in the brain. Serotonin, norepinephrine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid disruption can lead to symptoms such as:

depression
mood shifts
anxiety
memory changes
altered emotional processing
psychosis

Common corticosteroids include:

cortisone
hydrocortisone
prednisone

I heard cortisone shots are tied to dementia – Search Videos

Beta-blockers and statins

Both beta-blockers and statins are medications used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In rare cases, impaired cognitive function has been reportedTrusted Source while using these medications.

Chemotherapy drugs

Chemotherapy is known for the side effect casually referred to as “chemo brain,” a mental fogginess that can affect memory and mental acuity.

While it can often be improved after chemotherapy has ended, it may make the symptoms of dementia temporarily more intense.

Drugs that increase dementia risk

For many of the same reasons they can make symptoms of dementia worse, certain medications may increase the risk of developing dementia over all.

Anticholinergics

Anticholinergic medications, in particular, have been linked to an increased dementia risk in addition to their ability to exacerbate existing symptoms.

In 2019, a case-controlled studyTrusted Source of almost 300,000 medical records spanning more than a decade found anticholinergic medications were associated with a 50% increased chance of developing dementia for people who had been taking those medications daily for at least 3 years.

The study found that out of all anticholinergic drugs, antidepressants, antipsychotics, Parkinson’s medications, epilepsy drugs, and bladder medications carried the highest dementia development risk. However, the study wasn’t able to conclude that anticholinergics directly cause dementia.

Beta-blockers

No large-scale studies have linked beta-blockers to an overall increased chance of developing dementia.

A small 2020 population-based studyTrusted Source, however, found beta-blocker use was associated with an increased risk of vascular dementia, a type of dementia caused by changes in blood flow to the brain.

Corticosteroids

Corticosteroid use may result in a type of reversible dementia known as “steroid dementia.” This medication-induced form of cognitive impairment can resolve after stopping corticosteroid use.

Opioids

While opioid use has been primarily an area of concern when it comes to fall risk in dementia, it may also play a role in the development of the condition.

A 2022 study of more than 8,000 people in an Israel healthcare facility found opioid use was associated with an increased risk of dementia development in people between the ages of 75 and 80.

Benzodiazepines

Research on whether or not benzodiazepines can cause dementia is conflicting.

Anxiety and agitation can be early symptoms of dementia. Because of this, it’s unclear if benzodiazepines, which are used to treat these symptoms, can be a cause of dementia or if undiagnosed dementia was the reason for symptoms in the first place.

In 2019, a review of studiesTrusted Source found benzodiazepine use, particularly that of long-acting benzodiazepines, significantly increased dementia risk in older adults.

According to research from 2022Trusted Source, however, there appears to be little evidence that supports benzodiazepines as a direct cause of dementia. Because of the uncertainty, researchers suggest using these medications with caution in older populations.

Alzheimer’s Disease and Anxiety

Medically Reviewed by Christopher Melinosky, MD on November 27, 2022

Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness, nervousness, or fear. Everyone feels anxious sometimes, but feeling that way often or all the time can affect your health.

As many as 3 in 4 people with Alzheimer’s disease may have some level of anxiety.

It’s often one reason behind challenging behaviors like wandering and aggression.

People with Alzheimer’s disease may have trouble saying how they feel. You may not know when your loved one is worrying or feeling anxious. You might instead notice other signs, such as:

Avoiding social situations
Irritability
Agitation
Restless behaviors like wandering, doing the same thing over and over, or not staying still
Muscle tension, even if they’re not aware of feeling anxious
Not sleeping well

Emotional Triggers

Some medications can treat anxiety, but they often don’t work well for older people and people with Alzheimer’s disease. Instead, it can be helpful to figure out what might be causing your loved one’s anxiety and try to address it.

Think carefully about what happened right before they seemed anxious and look for possible reasons:

Could they be uncomfortable?

Could they feel sick?
Could they feel hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, or tired?
Could they need a bathroom? Are their clothes uncomfortable?
Could they be in pain?

Could they be confused?

Could they believe something is happening that isn’t? For example, do they accuse you of things that are not true?
Could they be seeing or hearing things that are not there?
Are they not able to understand what is being said or what is happening?
Do they forget where things are around the home?

Could they have too much or too little activity?

Are they bored?
Are they lonely?
Are they overwhelmed because they’ve been asked to do too much?

Could they be upset because of a recent change in routine?

Have they recently moved to a new place?
Have they moved in with someone new, or has someone new moved in with them?
Has there been a change in their daily routine?

Could their surroundings be upsetting them?

Are they in an unfamiliar place or one that they don’t recognize?
Are they somewhere noisy or busy?
Have they been around many people whom they don’t know?
Could they feel that people are treating them differently, or like a child?
Could they be responding to your emotions?
Could caffeine, alcohol, or other drugs be part of the problem?

Did they have anxiety before they had Alzheimer’s disease?

What sorts of things caused anxiety before they had Alzheimer’s disease?
Could they be worrying over the same things now?

Care at Home

Once you think you know what may be behind the anxiety, make a plan to help make it better. If the first thing you try doesn’t work, try something else. You may need to try several things, and something may work one day and not the next. If nothing seems to help, talk with a doctor or counselor.

You might:

Take them for a walk, offer them a snack, or ask them to help you do something.
Take them for a ride in a car so they have something to talk about as this gives them something to talk about and add to their life journey.
Play their favorite music or Anxiety Dementia and Exercise – Search Videos
Reassure them that they’re safe and that you’re here to help.
If they let you touch them, hold their hand, give them a hug, or give them a massage.
Help them get gentle exercise, such as going for a walk or helping in the garden.
If they had anxiety in the past, help them do things that helped before if possible. Examples could include taking deep breaths or sitting in a relaxing place.

If they’re uncomfortable:

Offer food and drink if you think they might be hungry or thirsty.
Offer a sweater or a blanket if they seem cold.
Turn on a fan or move them to a cooler room if they seem warm.
See if they need a bathroom, or if they need a change of clothes because of incontinence.

If they’re confused:

Make sure hearing aids are working and they’re wearing glasses if they need them.
Put labels on items and rooms around the house that they might have trouble finding.
If they repeat questions, give them a calm answer each time they ask. Don’t get angry or tell them they’re repeating things.
Speak in short, simple sentences, and give them time to respond.

If the anxiety is caused by their surroundings:

Remove distractions when possible. Turn off the TV or stay away from busy places.
Stick to a daily routine as much as possible.
Use brighter indoor lighting.
Limit or avoid caffeine and alcohol.

If there’s too much activity:

Give them simple activities.
Give them time to rest after activities.
Don’t rush or correct them.
Speak slowly and calmly.
Stay away from busy, crowded, or strange places.

If they’re bored:

People with Alzheimer’s disease often find it hard to start activities on their own. It helps to plan things for them to do.
When planning activities, think about things they liked to do in the past.

Related:Loved One With Alzheimer’s? A New Way to Relate

Related:Loved One With Alzheimer’s? A New Way to Relate

Anxiety and Aggression

Sometimes people with Alzheimer’s show anxiety by becoming agitated. This can sometimes turn into aggressive behavior like hitting, pushing, or yelling. If your loved one tends to become agitated or aggressive, you can do some things to keep everyone safe:

Keep dangerous things like guns, knives, glass, and sharp or heavy objects out of the house or locked away.
If you can’t calm them down, give them space.
Consider asking someone nearby, like a neighbor, to be ready to help if needed.

Anxiety is tied to dementia – Search Videos

Just 2 days of exercise per week can protect you against brain diseases

List of school shootings in the United States (2000–present) – Wikipedia

A Solution is to Put a Retired Marine in Every School in America

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Basic Government 101

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Ken

This Cockeyed President of the United States shares his thoughts on half the country:

Be Brave – Fight for Humanity – Protect the Innocent Children – Defend Freedom and Life – Expose the Lies and Corruption – Share the Truth and Demand Justice!!!

“You’ve got a tough job here. You’ve got to pretend that Donald Trump didn’t deliver rising take home pay, which of course he did. You’ve got to pretend that Donald Trump didn’t deliver lower inflation, which of course he did. And then you’ve got to defend Kamala Harris’s atrocious economic record, which has made gas, groceries, and housing unaffordable for American citizens.” – Senator JD Vance

HIGH CRIMES OF KAMALA VEVI HARRIS:

Articles of Impeachment for Kamala Devi Harris, Vice President of the United States for high crimes in her deliberate refusal to uphold existing immigration laws resulting in the death of Americans and for covering up Joe Biden’s cognitive mental decline.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY 23, 2024: U.S. House of Representatives Andy Ogles introduced articles of impeachment against Vice President Kamala Devi Harris for high crimes and misdemeanors.

IMPEACHMENT RESOLUTION: Resolved, that Kamala Devi Harris, Vice President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate: Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United States of America, against Kamala Devi Harris, Vice President of the United States, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against her for high crimes and misdemeanors.

ARTICLE I: WILLFUL REFUSAL TO UPHOLD THE IMMIGRATION LAWS: The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives ‘‘shall have the sole Power of Impeachment’’ and Executive Branch officials, including the Vice President, ‘‘shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors’’.

In her conduct of the Office of Vice President of the United States, Kamala Devi Harris, in violation of her constitutional oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, to bear truth faith and allegiance to the same, and to well and faithfully discharge the duties of her Office, has willfully and systemically refused to up hold Federal immigration laws, in that: In her conduct of the Office of Vice President of the United States.

Kamala Devi Harris, in violation of her constitutional oath to faithfully execute the Office of Vice President of the United States and, to the best of her ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of her constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has willfully prevented, obstructed, and impeded the administration of justice, in that: Kamala Devi Harris has demonstrated extraordinary incompetence in the execution of her duties and responsibilities, a stark refusal to uphold the existing immigration laws, and a palpable indifference to people of the United States suffering as a result of the ongoing southern border crisis in the United States.

Vice President Harris has consistently refused to visit the southern border to evaluate this ongoing national crisis, aside from a single trip hundreds of miles away from the epicenter of the migrant crisis. Women and girls in the United States have paid a disproportionate price for the ongoing border crisis, tragically extenuated by the inaction of border czar Kamala Devi Harris.

In August 2023, Rachel Morin, a mother of 5, was raped and killed by an illegal alien. In September 2023, an illegal alien attacked a woman and her 9-year old daughter in Los Angeles. On May 14, 2024, an illegal alien from Turkey raped a 15-year-old New York girl after threatening to beat her with a pipe. In February 2024, a 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley was killed by an illegal alien.

In June 2024, a 13-year-old New York girl was raped in broad daylight inside a Queens park by an illegal alien; Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old Houston girl, was killed by 2 illegal aliens and later found dead after being strangled and sexually assaulted; 5 illegal aliens were charged with kidnapping a 14-year-old Indiana girl.

During her tenure as the designated border czar, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency ‘‘encountered’’ nearly 302,000 illegal aliens at the southwest border in December 2023, the highest monthly total ever recorded and representing 4 consecutive months of over 240,000 illegal alien ‘‘encounters’’. According to the U.S. Customs and Border data, in the first 5 months of fiscal year 2023, 106,000 pounds of drugs were seized at the southwest border, including 11,000 pounds of fentanyl.

The first 5 months of fiscal year 2023 saw a 179.3-percent increase in fentanyl seizures over the same time frame in fiscal year 2022. According to Drug Enforcement Agency statistics, over 50,600,000 fentanyl pills were seized in 2022, including over 10,800 pounds of fentanyl powder; these fentanyl seizures are enough to kill over 379,000,000 people.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 107,735 individuals in the United States died of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending July 2022. According to the U.S. Customs and Border migrant deaths at the southwest border of the United States totaled 856 in fiscal year 2022, the deadliest year on record.

A May 2017 report from Doctors Without Borders indicated that out of the number of women surveyed, nearly one-third had been sexually assaulted as they approached the southern border.

In all of this, Kamala Devi Harris willfully and systematically refused to uphold the immigration laws, failed to control the border to the detriment of national security, compromised public safety, and violated the rule of law, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States. Wherefore Vice President Kamala Devi Harris, by such conduct, has demonstrated that she will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in Office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law.

Kamala Devi Harris thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.

ARTICLE II: BREACH OF PUBLIC TRUST: The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives ‘‘shall have the sole Power of Impeachment’’ and Executive Branch officials, including the Vice President, ‘‘shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors’’.

Safe to say it was an obvious Attempt (plan) to cause chaos and disrupt the Safety and Welfare of the American people. Imagine if Trump did this?

That’s Pure Treason folks.
In her conduct while Vice President of the United States, Kamala Devi Harris, in violation of her oath to well and faithfully discharge the duties of her Office, has breached the public trust, in that: Kamala Devi Harris has knowingly misled the people of the United States and the Congress of the United States, principally to obfuscate the physical and cognitive well-being of the President of the United States, Joe Biden.

Kamala Devi Harris engaged in this scheme of course of conduct through the following means: (1) Kamala Devi Harris, despite maintaining a clear moral obligation to do so, failed to invoke the procedure stipulated in the 25th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, particularly after President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday July 21, 2024, that he would no longer be seeking the Democratic nomination for President of the United States for the 2024 election.

(2) Kamala Devi Harris has refused to answer any questions regarding President Joe Biden’s tragic cognitive decline, particularly when she began to notice such decline and for how long she knew the President was no longer capable of discharging the duties of his office. In all of this, Kamala Devi Harris breached the public trust in failing basic expectations of transparency and demonstrating a severe lack of integrity.

Wherefore Kamala Devi Harris, by such conduct, has demonstrated that she will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in Office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with her duties and the rule of law. Kamala Devi Harris thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.

(1) Truth Justice ™ on X: “HIGH CRIMES OF KAMALA HARRIS: Articles of Impeachment for Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States for high crimes in her deliberate refusal to uphold existing immigration laws resulting in the death of Americans and for covering up Joe Biden’s cognitive mental decline. https://t.co/I31q8WYlhq” / X

Treason has no statute of limitations Article 1 Section 10, Article 2 Section 4, Article 3 Section 3 of the US Constitution clearly states any official, including federal judges can be punished by law for aiding enemies of the United States.

Watch: (1) Wayne Dunlap on X: “@SpartaJustice If Kamala Harris did a good job managing the border crisis then shouldn’t Democrats & the media be PROUD of her Border Czar title? She falsely claimed the border was secure after illegal immigration spiked over 500%. Worst case of dereliction of duty! Watch: https://t.co/c16eWQVGzT” / X

Exactly O bama, B iden, Har ris all have committed treason.

DEI LYING Commie Kamala’s incompetence RECORD has been on full display for 4 years with NO changes in sight. I’m not concerned about Kamala; I’m concerned about voting machines and ballot stuffing. 1. OPEN BORDERS 2. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS INVASION 3. WEAK MILITARY 4. RUNAWAY NATIONAL DEBT 5. CULTURAL WARFARE 6. DESTRUCTION OF LIBERTIES 7. MASS INFLATION 8. TERRIBLE ECONOMY 9. UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING 10. GLOBAL CONFLICT

She is unserious, unqualified, & a threat to us all!!https://x.com/stillgiggle/status/1839828357468565835?t=_nuWr7bCBBawyg2zo7fVDg&s=19…https://x.com/stillgiggle/status/1840275195468124563?t=T7GbG-UTiNXxmrp3sFMzLA&s=19…https://x.com/stillgiggle/status/1839932290111287744?t=T7GbG-UTiNXxmrp3sFMzLA&s=19

Hitler controlled the media.

Hitler hated free speech, gun ownership and capitalism.

Hitler divided everyone by race.

All Three of those Are the Democrats

A new law bans California from requiring voters to show ID at the polls.

California is one of 14 states that do not require voter ID for elections.

Voter ID requirements, 2024 – Ballotpedia

In California this is Voter Suppression

Bonus Read: How Final NYT-Siena Poll Compares to 2016, 2020 Elections

The left is mad and outraged that Elon Musk is supporting Trump. But they are completely silent about George Soros buying 200 radio stations and Google supporting the Democrats…

WHISTLEBLOWER: “It defies logic and is inhumane.”
Biden admin whistleblowers claim ‘billions of taxpayer dollars’ used by contractor to traffic children on border Under Biden HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement policies, fewer than ten percent of unaccompanied children apprehended crossing the southern border are being released to their parents #CherokeeFederal

Grassley Delivers Opening Remarks at Roundtable on Abuse of Unaccompanied Migrant Children
On July 9, 2024, Sens. Grassley, Cassidy and Ron Johnson held a roundtable on “The Exploitation Crisis: How the U.S. Government is Failing to Protect Migrant Children from Trafficking and Abuse.”
READ MORE: (1) Kimberly “Kim” Wexler MA JD on X: “WHISTLEBLOWER: “It defies logic and is inhumane.” Under Biden HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement policies, fewer than ten percent of unaccompanied children apprehended crossing the southern border are being released to their parents #CherokeeFederal https://t.co/4AgIFG5DKK” / X

AMENDMENT XXV Section 4.

Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President. Article. VI. ( . . . ) The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution.

Article. II. Section. 4.

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

AMENDMENT XIV Section 3.

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

This is who they want in charge of the United States?? Really ?

Because this is only going to get worse and soon there will be no more America, home of the free. Why can’t people see this? Keep the faith we can’t as a country be this stupid, I too have stated these same thoughts. I can’t understand any of it. How can people not understand the destruction that is happening to our country under B & H. They destroy everything. I just don’t understand.

WHY? It’s maddening. It’s so sad for our veterans who fought for America and the sacrifices they made, and many paying the ultimate sacrifice. It is crazy. The U.S. is becoming a second version of what happened to Canada. They elected a left-wing dictator, controlled by the WEF, & look what happened there: people can be jailed for online hate speech. Hate speech is loosely defined: “what govt determines as hate speech.”

I don’t want to get preachy, but it really stems from a spiritual problem. The Bible explains all of this – how God will send a “great delusion” near the end of time – to test and separate those who hate the truth and love wickedness. It’s like a mass delusion/mental illness.

Why is this happening? Because we have allowed our public schools to become indoctrination factories where LIBERAL TEACHERS tell kids that there is no truth. Our kids are being told there is no difference between boys and girls and you can change your sex. All LIES!

Pitiful that Kamala can’t even sing the correct notes to a nursery school song! – Search VideosYet there are so many Americans who ‘defend’ her actions and her awful record. Sadly I think that many people have Trump derangement syndrome at such a high level. That they would be willing to vote for this unserious, unqualified, treasonous threat to our Constitutional Republic, just to not have Trump in office again!!

Kamala is beyond bad.

She will lie, cheat, steal and flip flop her positions on any issue to get elected. Her crimes against the American people should remove her from office, and she should be tried for these crimes.

I don’t understand how free-thinking individuals can objectively put the Dems back in charge??? You don’t have to love Trump to know that he is what’s needed now.

Why do people in “high profile” positions in society “see this” and withhold their support of DJT! They’ve got me wondering why this happening. As we all should be.

A tie in the Electoral College could have this unprecedented outcome,

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Ken

A stock photo shows an image of a brain. Researchers used AI to analyse how gut bacteria may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.© GETTY IMAGES

Comparing Dementia And Alzheimer’s Disease

When your memory slips, you might worry that it’s Alzheimer’s.

Clues to preventing Alzheimer’s come from patient who evaded disease, despite genetics. Scientists have discovered a connection between the development of Alzheimer’s disease and the bacteria in the body’s digestive system.

Using artificial intelligence, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Genome Center in Ohio identified how metabolites produced by gut bacteria may interact with brain cell receptors, contributing to the disease. The findings could eventually lead to the development of new therapeutic interventions or drugs to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that affects nearly 7 million Americans.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that primarily affects older adults. It leads to the decline of cognitive functions such as memory, emotional regulation and reasoning. Although there is no cure, medications can slow the progression of the disease.

For the study, the team used a type of AI called machine learning to analyze more than 1.09 million potential interactions between bacterial byproducts called metabolites and cell receptors.

Bacteria release metabolites into our systems as they break down the food we eat for energy. The metabolites then interact with and influence our cells, fueling cellular processes that can be helpful or detrimental to health.

The researchers ranked metabolites and receptors by the likelihood they will interact with each other. They also examined which metabolite-receptor pairs were likely to influence Alzheimer’s disease in brain cells derived from patients with the condition.

The researchers discovered that one metabolite called agmatine may help to protect brain cells from inflammation and the subsequent damage. Specifically, they found agmatine was most likely to interact with a brain cell receptor called CA3R in Alzheimer’s disease.

When the researchers treated Alzheimer’s-affected neurons with agmatine, it directly reduced CA3R levels, which suggests that the metabolite and receptor influence each other.

Neurons treated with agmatine also had lower levels of phosphorylated tau proteins, a marker for Alzheimer’s disease.

Preventing harmful interactions between metabolites and our cells could help fight disease. However, research into this approach takes a long time because of the huge amounts of information necessary to identify a target receptor. Using AI helped to speed up the process.

“Gut metabolites are the key to many physiological processes in our bodies, and for every key there is a lock for human health and disease,” said study researcher Feixiong Cheng in a press statement.

“The problem is that we have tens of thousands of receptors and thousands of metabolites in our system, so manually figuring out which key goes into which lock has been slow and costly.”

The full findings of the study were published in Cell Reports.

Scientists at Florida State University (FSU) have discovered a potential link between gut bacteria and the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

An estimated 6.7 million older adults have Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—a figure that is expected to double by 2060.

The most common type of dementia, the disease involves memory loss and cognition issues that gradually get worse over time as the brain deteriorates.

But FSU scientists have discovered a potential reason why some people might be more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, paving the way for potential preventative treatments—and it’s all to do with the gut.

The gut is full of microorganisms, including many different strains of bacteria and yeasts. A healthier gut has a lot of these microorganisms, a wide variety of them, and a good balance between beneficial and less beneficial types.

But sometimes, guts can become out of balance. This might be because of the diet, stress, or a course of antibiotics, which can kill off gut bacteria, the good and the bad.

After a course of antibiotics, with lower all-round levels of bacteria in the gut, some strains can proliferate more than others and create imbalance—dysbiosis—in the gut.

FSU scientists found a link between Klebsiella pneumoniae, a common bacteria that has developed significant resistance to antibiotics, and the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

K. pneumoniae is notorious for causing infections in hospitalized patients, often after courses of antibiotics.

The scientists found that, after antibiotics, K. pneumoniae may overgrow in the gut, pass through the gut wall into the bloodstream, and then travel to other organs, including the brain, where it can create inflammation.

Neuroinflammation is recognized as a prominent factor that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

RA’s Effect on the Brain

By Linda Rath

A lot of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) report having trouble with memory, attention, and mental focus. They forget names and appointments, struggle to find the right words and have trouble making and carrying out plans. Some say that the loss of mental clarity, commonly called brain fog, is almost as distressing as arthritis itself.

Limited Research

It’s hard to say exactly how common fuzzy thinking is in RA because researchers have largely ignored it.

“We have relatively good literature on cognitive problems in lupus and fibromyalgia, where brain fog is well established, but nobody has really studied RA,” explains Patti Katz, PhD, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Katz and her colleagues looked at 15 studies on RA and cognition published between 1994 and 2016. Many were small – less than 100 patients – and not all were high quality. Yet most showed that people with rheumatoid arthritis performed more poorly on cognitive tests than their peers or controls. Memory, verbal communication, attention, concentration and problem-solving seemed to cause the most trouble.

Who Gets It and Why?

There are several theories why cognitive problems may be more common in RA and other inflammatory types of arthritis.

Some scientists, including Mark Swain, MD, a professor at the University of Calgary in Canada, think inflammation tops the list. More than a decade ago, he and his colleagues demonstrated that chronic inflammation in the body – the result of cytokines like tumor necrosis factor (TNF) – can change the way the brain functions. The brain doesn’t change structurally, but networks of nerves start talking to each other differently. This can contribute to many disease-associated symptoms, including brain fog.

Swedish researchers reached the same conclusion after following nearly 1,500 patients with various joint disorders for two decades. They found a significantly higher rate of cognitive decline in those with RA and suggested that chronic inflammation “played an important role in increasing the risk.”

But Katz thinks it might not be that simple.

“RA is a disease that has a lot of elements, and we need to think about all of them because people are really complicated,” she says.

Some factors that may contribute to brain fog include:

• Pain. It’s well known that chronic pain can affect thinking. Some of the brain’s pain processing centers overlap with areas involved with memory and attention. When they compete for limited processing resources, pain often wins out. Pain may also rewire how the brain works.

• Depression. Depression is common in RA. Symptoms can include trouble with planning, decision-making, memory and mental clarity – the same symptoms reported by people with brain fog. Katz says one of the challenges of studying cognitive problems is the difficulty in distinguishing them from depression. Some researchers – though not Katz – see brain fog as a symptom of depression, not a separate condition.

• Cardiovascular Disease. People with RA are more likely to have narrowed or blocked arteries in the brain – the result of systemic inflammation. This can cause problems with memory, thinking and reasoning.

• Arthritis Meds. Methotrexate is a mainstay of RA treatment and corticosteroids are sometimes used for short-term pain relief. Both may cause cognitive problems, mood changes and confusion. A small study published in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology in 2017 found that RA patients treated with methotrexate and other conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) had higher risk of developing dementia than those who took other medications. Moderate to high doses of corticosteroids can lead to cognitive problems in some people, more commonly women.

• Lack of Exercise. Few things have a stronger demonstrated link to brain health than exercise. Thousands of studies show the long-term benefits, but new research suggests exercise can have an immediate effect, too. Carson Smith, MD, and colleagues in the University of Maryland School of Public Health found that older adults’ memory improved significantly after a single 30-minute exercise session. A French study found that just a 15-minute jog boosted energy and mental clarity.

What the CDC Says

In 2017, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers published a study comparing cognition in more than 6,000 people with and without arthritis. Unlike earlier, smaller studies, it found no difference in brain function between the two groups. The researchers say they had different results because they considered pain, depression, lack of exercise, age and other factors linked to both brain fog and RA. Once these were accounted for, people with RA showed no more cognitive problems than other older adults. What was associated with elements of impaired brain function were a sedentary lifestyle, depression and having a lower socioeconomic level. The implication is that RA itself doesn’t cause brain fog, but factors associated with it may.

Targeting Several Risk Factors

If cognitive problems are complex, then the solution needs to be complex, too. That’s the thinking behind a groundbreaking clinical trial in Finland called the FINGER study. In this two-year randomized controlled trial involving more than 1,200 older adults with an elevated risk of dementia, lifestyle changes including an anti-inflammatory diet, exercise and brain training cut cognitive decline by 30%. Targeting several risk factors will deliver the optimal benefits.

Here are some tips that can help you keep your brain sharp:

• Sleep well. Deep, restorative sleep helps to clear away the cobwebs. Develop a healthy sleep routine and stick to it. Make sure your bedroom is cool and dark, avoid late-day caffeine and turn off screens at least an hour before bed.

• Talk to your doctor about medications. If you take conventional DMARDs or long-term corticosteroids, discuss the pros and cons of switching to another drug. Talk about your other meds, too. Some, including anticholinergics (used to treat overactive bladder, COPD and other conditions) can also cause brain fog.

• Don’t skip workouts. There’s almost nothing exercise doesn’t help. Pain, mobility, mood, fatigue and mental clarity all may improve in a single session, but the greatest benefits happen over time.

• Notice brain fog patterns. Your symptoms may be worse in the morning or when you’re tired or stressed. Try to schedule tasks that require focus and attention when you’re at your best.

• Be present. It’s easy to worry about the future, especially when you have a chronic illness. But concern about things that haven’t happened yet take up valuable mental space. Instead, focus on the present moment, says Ashira Blazer, MD, a rheumatologist and assistant professor at NYU Langone Health in New York

Bottomline, whether having RA directly contributes to cognitive impairment or not, following a healthy lifestyle and keeping your disease under control can help keep brain fog at bay.

Learn about the possible links between rheumatoid arthritis and cognitive effects and how to manage them.

INTERESTING READING: when arthritis flares up memory is low – Search

when arthritis flares up memory is low reddit – Search

An old woman looks out of a window leaning on a walking stick, with a rendering of microorganisms in the gut overlayed. Scientists have found a possible link between the bacteria in our guts, and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in old age. fizkes/Getty Images / Canva

Everything you need to know about Alzheimer’s disease

“Hospital-acquired and septic infections are one of the risk factors that may increase the predispositions to future neuroinflammatory and neurocognitive impairments, especially in older adults,” said last author Ravinder Nagpal, assistant professor at FSU and director of FSU’s Gut Biome Lab, in a statement.

“Hospitalizations and ICU [intensive care unit] stays, combined with antibiotic exposure, may lead to a further decline in microbiome diversity that leaves older adults at high risk not only for digestive issues but also for extra-intestinal pathologies such as neurodegenerative disorders through a dysregulation of the gut-brain axis.”

The Florida scientists discovered this by experimenting on mice, testing the microbes in their gut, blood and brain, and then testing their brain and memory function.

Mice who were given antibiotics were likely to develop gut dysbiosis, they found, and then fed the mice K. pneumoniae broth and found it took hold more easily in the imbalanced guts.

Those mice who developed infections were then found to have severe abscesses on and around the brain, brain inflammation, and worse cognitive and memory function.

The scientists concluded that disruptions to the gut could lead to problems with the brain, including the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

This study was published in the scientific journal The Journal of Infectious Diseases in September.

It was funded by the Infectious Disease Society of America and the Florida Department of Health.

Do you have a tip on a food story that Newsweek should be covering? Is there a nutrition concern that’s worrying you? Let us know via science@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.

Reference

Park, G., Kadyan, S., Hochuli, N., Salazar, G., Laitano, O., Chakrabarty, P., Efron, P. A., Zafar, M. A., Wilber, A., Nagpal, R. (2024). An Enteric Bacterial Infection Triggers Neuroinflammation and Neurobehavioral Impairment in 3xTg-AD Transgenic Mice, The Journal of Infectious Diseases 230(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiae165

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Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Kathy Bates Cancer Story

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Ken

Kathy Bates on Battling Cancer Twice and Surviving Lymphedema:

‘I Felt That Life Was Over’.

By Mia McNiece

Kathy Bates Cancer Story – Search Videos

In 2003, Bates, then 55, was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer and immediately had surgery, followed by nine months of chemotherapy to treat it, but didn’t reveal her illness to the public.

“I didn’t tell anybody,” she tells PEOPLE. “I continued to work right after the operation, doing Little Black Book with Brittany Murphy. My agent at the time was very old-school and didn’t want me to be the poster child for ovarian cancer. I didn’t want anyone to know, but it really took a lot out of me.”

Then, in 2012 the Memphis native—who got her start in theater and went on to star in films such as Misery, Dolores Claiborne, Fried Green Tomatoes and Titanic—was once again hit with extreme exhaustion and returned to her doctor for an MRI. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and decided to have a double mastectomy because of her family history with cancer.

“My aunt had died from it, my mother had it, my niece had it,” she says. She tested negative for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation that increases a woman’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer. A negative BRCA result is “not a get out of jail free card,” she says.

Now, though she’s cancer-free, Bates says she is dealing with her biggest challenge yet: lymphedema, a disease that’s commonly caused by the removal of lymph nodes during cancer treatment. It causes extreme pain and swelling and has no cure. “It’s a souvenir you definitely don’t want,” says Bates about lymphedema adding after the diagnosis. “I really felt that life was over for me. I probably wouldn’t work again, and I was angry for a long time.”

Then Bates decided to turn her frustration into good by helping raise awareness about lymphedema and became the National Spokesperson for the Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN). She’s working on getting a bill passed in New York that will mandate that hospitals have literature to inform patients about lymphedema, and she’s learned to manage her own pain by wearing compression sleeves on her arms and losing 60 lbs. through exercise and a healthy diet.

Today her career is booming, including roles in the new season of American Horror Story and the upcoming film On the Basis of Sex. “Acting is my life force,” she says, adding that she considered getting breast reconstruction but doesn’t want to take time out of her busy schedule for surgery because “I’m having too much fun.”

Her advice to women: Get regular checkups and stay healthy. “Quit taking the damn selfies and worrying about what you look like,” she says. “Instead, keep everything working and in good order.”

Kathy Bates Shares Her Wellness and Weight Loss Secrets: ‘I Do It for Me’ (EXCLUSIVE) Plus, Kathy gets candid about surviving cancer.

By Deanna Barnert September 27, 2024

Kathy Bates, has played some fierce characters over the course of her career, and it turns out, the actress is no slouch herself! In addition to taking home an Oscar, two Emmys, a Tony, and other honors, this warrior has battled ovarian cancer, breast cancer, lymphedema, and like most of us, a lifelong struggle with weight loss.

As we approach Breast Cancer Awareness month, Kathy takes a break from shooting her new series Matlock to get candid about all of it with Woman’s World in an intimate sit-down interview for our cover on sale now (Get your copy here).

Here, the star of Misery, Fried Green Tomatoes, the American Horror Story franchise and so many more shares how she overcame health challenges like cancer and lymphedema, her weight loss secrets and what excites her about her role on the new CBS procedural, Matlock.

The ‘Matlock Cast’: Surprising Facts about Andy Griffith and Crew Beyond the Courtroom

Kathy reflects on her cancer and lymphedema journeys

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Kathy Bates has a lot to celebrate. Having faced cancer in 2003 and 2012, she’s now fit, fabulous and stronger than ever at 76.

“I don’t know if there’s any easy way to get through it,” Kathy says of surviving chemotherapy for ovarian cancer and a double mastectomy for breast cancer, but she got through both…only to be hit by lymphedema.

What Is Stage 0 Breast Cancer, and What Are the Early Signs Women Should Know? Doctors Weigh In

The chronic condition caused by the removal of lymph nodes, which leads to swelling in the body due to a buildup of lymph fluid, affects 30 percent of breast cancer survivors.

“They removed a lot of lymph nodes when I had my mastectomy, and my arms swelled pretty quickly after surgery,” Kathy shares. “I didn’t know where to go for help. I could only wear men’s shirts and remember feeling that my career was over. It was a dark time. I was enraged.”

Then Kathy found a lymphatic physician, Dr. Emily Iker, and got involved with the Lymphatic Education & Research Network.

“The more I got involved, the better I felt,” Kathy recalls. “I was at least doing something to help other people and using my celebrity for something meaningful. What we’re going through, what we share with each other or with Congress to try to change the laws, is our power. I turned my pain and rage into something useful so I didn’t feel that way anymore.”

Kathy Bates’ Health Journey Summary:

Two-time cancer survivor Kathy Bates, 76, says her 100-pound weight loss has ” tremendously” helped her acting career.
She battled ovarian and breast cancers; and even developed the swelling condition lymphedema after having lymph nodes removed during her breast cancer surgery.
Bates kept her first diagnosis secret for years before deciding to open up and help others going through similar situations.
Lymphedema usually happens gradually, but some people experience it coming on suddenly. If you have sudden, severe swelling, get in to see your doctor immediately. It could be an infection, a blood clot, or a cancer recurrence, but don’t assume the worst before you are evaluated by your medical team.
SurvivorNet experts recommend regular exercise, a balanced diet, and stress management for cancer survivors to lead healthy lives. They may also recommend regular checks for recurrence.

Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates, 76, who previously battled both breast and ovarian cancer, has admitted that her recent 100-pound weight loss has ” tremendously” helped her career.

The two-time cancer survivor, who previously spoke with SurvivorNet about her health struggles, which included lymphedema [a chronic condition that causes swelling in the body due to lymph fluid buildup], opened up about how she’s refrained from overeating to shed pounds in a recent interview with Variety.

Bates, known for her memorable roles in “Titanic,” “Misery,” and “Fried Green Tomatoes,” spoke with the magazine in the weeks leading up to the Sept. 22 first episode date of the new drama series “Matlock” she’s starring in as Madeline Matlock. She admitted, referring to her drastic weight loss and how it’s helped her maintain stamina for work, “It’s helped me tremendously that, over the last six or seven years, I’ve lost 100 pounds.“ I don’t think I’ve been this slim since I was in college.”

Bestselling Author Elin Hilderbrand Opens Up About Her Breast Cancer Journey: ‘Entire Perspective Changed’

Kathy shares the secret to her weight loss

“There’s a hormone that’s released when we’re hungry, and another when we’re satisfied,” Kathy notes. “The way I recognize that second hormone is I have an involuntary sigh. It may not feel like you’ve had enough, so the trick is, you have to push your plate away! It’s hard, but I got excited about the results I was seeing. It took a long time, but I eventually went from a 3X to a size 10.”

Kathy has grappled with her weight throughout her life, but she embraced this mindful eating practice after she became pre-diabetic and lacked the stamina to do her job.

“The idea of ‘willpower’ has become a weapon we use against ourselves—we think we have it or we don’t. So I changed that word to ‘determination,’ which is something I choose to fight for,” says Kathy. “You have to have a life, so there are moments when I’ll overeat. Then I’ll realize my costumes are getting a little tight, so I knuckle down and get determined to be healthy again.

I’m not doing this to fit into a dress or for a boyfriend. I do it for me.”

Kathy Bates, 2024 Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Kathy jump-starts her energy

“A couple of years ago, my doctor gave me an amazing vitamin blend called MitoCORE, which boosts energy production in your cells,” Kathy says. “You’re supposed to take three a day, but geez, I get such great energy out of one. They keep my mood steady, and they’re not these thick, heavy pills that are hard to eat.”

Can’t Break Free of a Midday Slump? Experts Share Quick Energy Boosters and Tips to Wake Back Up

That said, she reminds us that a supplement can only, well, supplement the fuel we are already feeding our bodies.

“I also have to eat right,” she explains. “If I don’t, my energy goes down and my sugar goes haywire!”

Kathy shares her wellness secrets

While Kathy won’t go so far as to say she has a green thumb, she has found joy in becoming an indoor gardener.

“During the pandemic, my niece turned me on to miniature violets,” she recounts. “Every morning, I would go down and see these tiny bulbs going up, and I’d get so excited. Once, I was at Lowe’s and there were these violets that were dying, and I brought them back to life. Reviving and caring for a violet and seeing it grow is similar to reviving my own growth as a healthy, vigorous creature.”

Donna Mills Reveals Surprising Second Act at Age 83: “It’s Never too Late to Follow a Dream!” (EXCLUSIVE)

She has also found a positive use for all those screens we surround ourselves with.

“It sounds so childish, but I love my adult coloring book app on my phone,” Kathy confides. “It has beautiful oil paintings, and there are colors that are numbered underneath. I’ll have the TV on with either a nature show or a murder trial. I know it’s strange, but I get addicted to murder cases, so I’ll listen to that and do my painting. It’s so relaxing.”

Kathy talks about her joy squad

“I’ve got a few really close friends that I depend on who get me through life. One friend and I just celebrated our 42nd anniversary as friends,” Kathy says with a smile. “I miss them and often bemoan the fact that here we are spending time—the most valuable asset we have—doing work and not being with the people we love. I get jealous of the time I spend working and when I get into work, I may be cranky…but then I get into character and feel relaxed and like I’m home. I don’t know what’s going to happen to this new role I’m playing, and it’s been magical.”

How to Be a Better Friend + Make New Ones: Experts Share 6 Ways to Boost Your Bonds

When good bacteria go bad: New links between bacteremia and probiotic use

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So, who’s going to win? — What we know going into the final weekend of the presidential race

Election 2024 live updates: Trump, Harris make final push as polls show close race

After traveling to all 50 US states, these are the 6 major cities I have no plans to return to

I’ve been to all 50 US states – and I wish I hadn’t bothered

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Biden’s Clown Show Continues

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Ken

President Biden referred to Trump supporters as “garbage” during a virtual Harris campaign call. AP Images© AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro distanced himself from President Biden‘s controversial remarks calling Trump supporters “garbage.”

“I had not heard that until now, Kaitlan, so I’m kind of giving you my fresh reaction to it,” Shapiro reacted to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins playing the clip of Biden’s comments on Tuesday night. “I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans even if they chose to support a candidate that I didn’t support.”

When asked whether Biden should clarify his comment, Shapiro replied, “Well, I think President Biden will decide what he wants to say. It’s certainly not words that I would choose, and I think it’s important that we remain focused on the contrast between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump and not attacking supporters of either candidate.”

The governor of the key battleground state was once considered a top contender for Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.

BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ DURING HARRIS CAMPAIGN EVENT AS VP PROMISES UNITY AT ELLIPSE RALLY

PA Gov. Josh Shapiro distances himself from Biden’s ‘garbage’ comment: ‘I’d never insult’ Trump supporters, telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins “I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans even if they chose to support a candidate that I didn’t support.” Fox News© Screenshot/CNN

Biden did attempt to clarify his comments on social media.

“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporters at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” Biden wrote on X. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”

JON STEWART ADMITS HE FINDS WIDELY CRITICIZED TRUMP RALLY COMEDIAN FUNNY

Biden’s comments were made during a virtual Harris campaign call with Voto Latino. He took a swipe at former President Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden, which made headlines after insult comedian Tony Hinchiffe made jokes mocking different ethnic groups, with one joke referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said on the call. “[Trump’s] demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it is un-American.”

The remarks were widely condemned on social media. Trump himself reacted to Biden’s “terrible” comment during a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

“Remember Hillary? She said ‘deplorable’ and then said ‘irredeemable,’ right? But she said ‘deplorable.’ That didn’t work out. ‘Garbage’ I think is worse,” Trump said to his supporters. “But he doesn’t know- you have to please forgive him. Please forgive him. For he did not knoweth what he said.”

“And I’m convinced he likes me more than he likes Kamala,” Trump quipped.

TOP PUERTO RICAN OFFICIAL ENDORSES FORMER PRESIDENT AFTER COMIC’S RALLY SET RUFFLES FEATHERS

Former President Trump slammed President Biden’s comment calling his supporters “garbage,” saying it’s “worse” than Hillary Clinton’s infamous “basket of deplorables” remark in 2016. AP Newsroom© AP Newsroom

A White House spokesperson had previously told Fox News, “The President referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’” The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Biden’s comment comes in stark contrast to the message Vice President Kamala Harris gave to voters in the Ellipse outside the White House in what many have called her final sales pitch to the American people ahead of the election.

“I pledge to seek common ground and common sense solutions to make your life better. I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress. I pledge to listen to experts, to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make and to people who disagree with me,” Harris said at the Ellipse rally. “Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table.”

Kamala just embarrassed herself with her ‘closing argument’ speech at the Ellipse. Blah, blah, Trump’s a Nazi. Fact check: Kamala Harris’s speech at the White House Ellipse …

They should have billed it as an early concession speech instead.

I guess venues only matter when it‘s Trump

Well, at least she gets to stand in the same spot as her fellow Democrats.

BREAKING: Kamala Harris to deliver her closing speech at the DC National Mall, directly where the KKK rallied in 1924

Kamala has been clear: No concessions for religious freedom She made that clear in her “Do No Harm Act,” in which she tried to gut the Religious Freedom Restoration Act And then she doubled down in this interview, saying she’d make no concessions for religious Americans.

Kamala says no concessions for Religious Freedom.

This statement does not scream, pull up a chair and have a seat at the table. She disrespected Christians at one of her rally’s, telling them they were at the wrong rally. Christians really need to vote.

Religious freedom is on the ballot.
David French and Michael Wear know that Harris will not give Christians a “seat at the table.” She has directly said she will not. Asked whether she would support religious exemptions to participating in abortions, Harris said: “I don’t think we should be making concessions when we’re talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body.”

This is in addition to her prosecution of David Daleiden for exposing Planned Parenthood’s traffic in baby parts. And a new Biden Admin policy requiring foster parents to allow a child to dress “in a manner that they believe reflects their self-identified gender identity and expression,” and to “commit to establishing an environment that supports the child’s LGBTQI+ status or identity.” (Which, depending on how it’s interpreted, could force foster families to provide puberty blockers or surgeries to foster children).

It’s wild that these guys think there will be no persecution under Harris even though she’s promised it, as you noted. The DOJ and FBI have been harassing and arresting pro-lifers. How can they be blind to this? Or are they intentionally deceiving?

Full transcript: Vice President Kamala Harris interviewed by NBC News’ Hallie Jackson

KAMALA HARRIS ONE ON ONE HALLIE JACKSON – Search Videos

There’s no question at this point.

They will pass unlimited nationwide abortion laws, and they will absolutely imprison those who oppose it. If you’re a doctor who refuses to perform abortions, Kamala winning is an existential threat to your career. So if they know all this (and they do), what does that make them? NOBODY wants this Comrade Kamala to be President. We the people won’t survive to Horrible POTUS back-to-back. #TrumpVance2024 #TooBigToRig

Far left radical lying bullying democrats hate 100% of all Americans. They call us garbage, and then hand out free benefits and make sure they keep us down financially and spiritually. I have no idea why anybody would vote democrat, even if you want to kill babies.

Cackling Kamala should apologize for half the country being called “human garbage” by Biden.The guy who showered inappropriately with his underage daughter is calling you garbage…

The stock market points to a win for Kamala Harris—unless it’s 1968 or 1980 all over again

Memo to candidates: Stop generalizing and psychoanalyzing your opponents’ supporters. It never works out well for you. Hillary Clinton fell into that trap.

The then Democratic nominee, at a New York fundraiser Friday night with liberal donors and Barbra Streisand, said “half” of Trump supporters fit into a “basket of deplorables,” while the other half are people who feel the government has let them down and need understanding and empathy.

The comments have rocketed around the Internet, infuriated conservatives and threaten to once again throw salt in the wound of the American cultural divide in a presidential election that has seen vitriol and insults, fueled by Donald Trump, that have become the norm. The remarks also remind of inflammatory remarks in recent presidential elections on both sides — from Barack Obama’s assertion in 2008 that people in small towns are “bitter” and “cling to guns or religion,” to Mitt Romney’s 2012 statement that 47 percent of Americans vote for Democrats because they are “dependent upon government” and believe they are “victims,” to his vice presidential pick Paul Ryan’s comment that the country is divided between “makers and takers.”

Here are Clinton’s full remarks, per reporter Ruby Cramer at Buzzfeed:

“I know there are only 60 days left to make our case — and don’t get complacent, don’t see the latest outrageous, offensive, inappropriate comment and think well he’s done this time. We are living in a volatile political environment.

“You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it. Unfortunately, there are people like that. And he has lifted them up. He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people, but now have 11 million. He tweets and retweets offensive, hateful, mean-spirited rhetoric. Now some of those folks, they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America.

“But the other basket, the other basket, and I know because I see friends from all over America here. I see friends from Florida and Georgia and South Carolina and Texas, as well as you know New York and California. But that other basket of people who are people who feel that the government has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they are just desperate for change. It doesn’t really even matter where it comes from. They don’t buy everything he says but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. They won’t wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroin, feel like they’re in a dead-end. Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well.”

Elitism and generalizations

Clinton’s remarks, like Obama’s in 2008, smacked of liberal elitism — liberals talking to liberals about a group of people they don’t really know or hang out with, but feel free to opine about when talking to each other.

It’s always problematic to speak in generalizations, something liberals would be the first ones to point out. At the point in which you hear yourself saying that you might begin talking in “grossly generalistic terms,” it’s probably best to re-think what’s coming next. That’s especially true when you don’t have data to back up your point.

The biggest problem in Clinton’s statement is that she said “half” of Trump supporters are racists, xenophobes and otherwise bigots. Half means equal or near-equal parts. There’s no data to support such a specific number.

.

READ MORE: Hillary Clinton Said ‘Half’ Of Trump Supporters Are A ‘Basket Of Deplorables’ : NPR

SO, Are we “garbage” or “Nazis” or “garbage Nazis”?

I’m confused 🙁

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Epoch Times: January 6

Posted on October 28, 2024 by Ken

The Real Story of January 6 | The Epoch Times

Tosca Austen @ToscaAusten

Republicans, curb thy tongues. The official actions of January 6th were disrupted and no one on either side EVER brings it up. Election evidence that took weeks to compile and prepare to argue…just faded away. Tension was in the air on that fateful day. Partisan lawmakers were at each other’s throats. Congressional Republicans were ready to present evidence of *alleged* fraud in the 2020 presidential election. An audit was in play to provide peace of mind for skeptics. But none of it happened.

At about the same time… The first round of protesters swarmed the Capitol. We’ve also learned from investigative reporter @julie_kelly2 that 200 feds in MAGA gear were among the protesters, scaling the Capitol walls. The event became a three-ring circus, complete with clowns who were paraded on daily shows to complete the setup.

Two people escaped the wrath of scrutiny by the Jan 6 select committee: Pelosi and Mitch. Why is that? – Search

At Noon On January 20th, 2025 With President Trump Behind The Resolute Desk, The Members Of The House Select Committee Investigating January 6th Need To Be Immediately Arrested, And Swiftly Prosecuted For ‘Seditious Conspiracy’. There Is Absolutely No ‘Moving On’ From The Tragedy Of The Depraved Cynical Plot Behind The January 6th Setup, The Framing Of A U.S. President, And So Many Of His Patriotic Dedicated Supporters. What The Nine Members Of The Committee Have Done Will Be Proven To Be Quite A Dark Stain On America. Justice MUST Be Served.

‘If Two Or More Persons Conspire To Overthrow, Put Down, Or To Destroy By Force The Government Of The United States They Shall Each Be Fined Under This Title Or Imprisoned Not More Than TWENTY YEARS, Or Both.’ Bring clarity to this turning point tragedy. Uncover the truth and write that into the history books so that it never happens again !

There are thousands of criminals that need arrests, trials, convictions and sentencing or this country will never be the same again. But I highly doubt that Trump will go the distance. He better start holding these people accountable or we will never change and no one will learn anything.

Shooting is Only the Start of a Broader Plot Against Donald Trump – EXPOSING ANTI-CULT TERRORISM

The perpetrator of the attack on Trump was spotted and photographed on the roof by law enforcement nearly 30 minutes before firing

18 U.S. Code § 2384 – Seditious Conspiracy

Real Story of January 6 Full Documentary free – Search

Agreed. These traitors must be held accountable along with every

prosecutor and judge that tried and sentenced J6 protestors.

Thread by @WarNuse on Thread Reader App – Thread Reader App

The J6 committee withheld and destroyed information that would have easily and quickly proven that President Trump did nothing wrong. They are TRAITORS, willfully acting against the American people and our freedoms. And they FUCKING DESTROYED ALL EVIDENCE!!! I mean… C’mon, man! Off to GITMO – or better yet the n00ze. #SeditiousConspiracyHasConsequences

Bennie Gordon Thompson

Adam Daniel Kinzinger

Elizabeth Lynne Cheney

Stephanie Murphy

Jamin Ben Raskin

Adam Bennett Schiff

Elaine Goodman Luria

Peter Rey Aguilar

18 U.S. Code § 2384 – Seditious ConspiracyThe Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was the culmination of months of false claims about election fraud, including a litany recited by then-President Donald Trump in a speech shortly before a mob stormed the building, temporarily halting the counting of electoral votes in a joint session of Congress 1. To provide new clarity on the events of that day, EpochTV and The Epoch Times have produced a documentary, “The Real Story of January 6,” which takes a close look at the shooting of 35-year-old Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt and the deaths of three other supporters of former President Donald J. Trump 2.

‘Day of Rage’ documentary tells story of Jan. 6 riot; Work injuries at home : Here & Now Anytime : NPR

The Real Story Of January 6 Part 1: featuring Joshua Philipp, raw footage included

The Real Story of January 6 Part 2: The Long Road Home | NEW Documentary

WATCH: Jan. 6 committee shows new footage of Capitol attack | PBS News

Jan. 6, Three Years Later: 10 Documentaries to Watch | FRONTLINE

Real Story of January 6 Full Documentary free – Search Videos

The establishment and mainstream media:

the RINOs, the DNC, the left are not getting something so basic

THEIR OUTRAGE is OUR EXPECTATION and OUR outrage

is BEYOND THEIR COMPREHENSION MAGA is ANGRY!!!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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About the Episode:

Blue city residents say migrant surge fueled Trump gains:

‘The Democratic Party does not own us’

What Are Sanctuary Cities?

Lists of Sanctuary States in the United States

What Does a Sanctuary City Policy Really Do?

Why are there Sanctuary Cities?

Modern Interpretation of Sanctuary Cities

Why Do Communities Choose to be Sanctuary Cities?

What are the Benefits of Sanctuary Cities?

Read their Full Transcript

Basic Emotions

Combining Emotions

Happiness

Sadness

Fear

Disgust

Anger

Surprise

Other Types of Emotions

Other Theories of Emotion

Final Thoughts

How the immune system fails as cancer arises

Anxiety Is Now Tied to Dementia:

Here’s How Much It Increases the Risk

What to know about the study

How anxiety affects our health

Managing your anxiety

Do your future brain a favor

What Medications Should Not Be Given to People with Dementia?

Anticholinergics

Benzodiazepines

Corticosteroids

Beta-blockers and statins

Chemotherapy drugs

Anticholinergics

Beta-blockers

Corticosteroids

Opioids

Benzodiazepines

Alzheimer’s Disease and Anxiety

Emotional Triggers

Care at Home

Anxiety and Aggression

Reference

Kathy Bates on Battling Cancer Twice and Surviving Lymphedema:

‘I Felt That Life Was Over’.

Kathy reflects on her cancer and lymphedema journeys

Kathy Bates’ Health Journey Summary:

Kathy shares the secret to her weight loss

Kathy jump-starts her energy

Kathy shares her wellness secrets

Kathy talks about her joy squad

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