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Durbin: Obama election 'one of the real satisfactions of my career'
Sen. Dick Durbin talks early losses, major wins, Barack Obama and ahead of his retirement.
Mac & Cheese Festival has raised over $500K for cancer research
The Columbus Mac & Cheese Festival returns Sept. 25 with an un-brie-lievable afternoon of sampling, live entertainment and more.
Gemini can now clone your voice and perform scripts like an actor
Google’s Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS can create custom voices, replicate authorized voices, and control accents, pacing, emotion, and dialogue.
Fragmented market prevents EU banks from financing bloc's ambitions, EBA chair says
Europe's fragmented banking market is preventing lenders from achieving the scale needed to finance the continent's digital, economic-security and defence ambitions, the chair of the European Banking Authority told Reuters.
GrapheneOS just confirmed its first supported non-Pixel phone
Motorola Signature 27 is first in line for GrapheneOS support, pairing a flagship Snapdragon chip with Motorola's seven-year update promise.
Seymour: True crime podcasts are not mindless entertainment
Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board. True crime is gruesome. There is no doubt about it, but listening to it is not just a guilty pleasure or junk entertainment. True crime offers a...
McConnell got the health care he needed. Booker wants that for everyone
Opinion: For Senate candidate Charles Booker, health care isn't abstract.
Republicans rally around Susan Collins amid pay-to-play scheme allegations
"It's a bunch of BS," Sen. John Cornyn, who has worked alongside Collins for more than two decades, told USA TODAY.
Oregon hospital made parents drive to Seattle with dead infant, suit says
A Washington couple is suing Salem Health for $10 million after they claimed they had to drive their son's body home after his death in the hospital.
Tennessee lawmakers discussing more authority over entertainment districts
State lawmakers could create more control over local entertainment districts across Tennessee.
OpenAI agent breaches Australia’s government health data portal
SYDNEY >> Australia said today that an AI agent developed by OpenAI breached a government health data portal in June, gaining unauthorised access to public and non-public files, in what could be the first known instance of an AI agent hacking a government website.
Inside Novant Health’s new South Asheville Medical Park
Novant Health previews its new South Asheville Medical Park, including imaging, outpatient surgery and a mobile mammography unit.
Australia says OpenAI agent breached government health data portal
Australia said on Wednesday that an AI agent developed by OpenAI breached a government health data portal in June, gaining unauthorized access to public and non-public files, in what could
The biggest celebrity guests attending Cincinnati Comic Expo 2026
The 2026 Cincinnati Comic Expo returns Sept. 25-27, with stars like Hayden Christensen, Priscilla Presley and Sharonville-native Carmen Electra.
Betsy Devos, education advocate, business leader, philanthropist
DeVos is a longtime education advocate and one-time U.S. Secretary of Education under President Donald J. Trump.
Oprah Winfrey will be live at The Sphere in 2027, how to buy tickets
Oprah Winfrey is bringing AHA Live to The Sphere in Las Vegas in April 2027. See show dates, ticket prices, performers and how to buy tickets.
Gemini just got a big upgrade with new connected apps for work, creativity, and life
Google is bringing several new additions to Gemini's connected app ecosystem, including Peloton and SeatGeek.
Jewel says her top songs were 'medicine' amid mental health issues. Now, she's helping others
Singer Jewel shares the tools that shaped her life, what worries her about young people and why talking about mental health isn't enough.
Disney+, Hulu price to increase as soon as Wednesday
The price increase will bring Disney+ more in line with a similar plan sold by Netflix.
Alabama's Ella Langley breaks Billboard record held by Mariah Carey
Hope Hull native Ella Langley has made Billboard history, breaking a record once held by Mariah Carey with her hit “Choosin’ Texas.”
10 can't miss fall festivals in GA
Fall is full of festivals and fairs in Georgia, including everything from pirate takeovers to a chili cookout with 50 samples. Here are 10 to check out.
PR veteran urges business groups to defend First Amendment
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, a correspondent for Reuters.
Business activity at over five-year high; inflation pressures building
The Atlanta Federal Reserve's gross domestic product tracking estimate is running at a 5.1% rate.
‘Watermelons’: Zack Polanski and the rise of the ‘green outside, red inside’ eco-populists
Author Russell Warfield argues the Green leader’s brand of politics is not new but has evolved in the party over time
Comic books politics: A case study on Ethan Van Sciver
Views Staff Writer Logan Walters examines why we should separate art from artists, using comic book artist Ethan Van Sciver as an example.
Troy Clarkson To Deliver Falmouth Forum Season Opener
Author and columnist Troy Clarkson will present the first talk of the Marine Biological Laboratory’s 2026-27 Falmouth Forum series.
Russian drone hits business center in central Kyiv
Russia pounded Kyiv with drone strikes on Sept. 23, 2026, hitting business centers, railway infrastructure, warehouses and fuel stations.
Who won the NEBA forum? Derzypolski, Perez compete for business vote
Tallahassee commission candidates Tom Derzypolski and P.J. Perez shared their plans for city growth at a recent forum.
Redevelopment of Sleepy Hollow to begin as fundraising campaign nears goal
Construction is expected to begin next month on the redevelopment of Sleepy Hollow Sports Park into a year-round recreation destination with a new lodge, ski lift and snowthrowing equipment. The $18 million project received a funding boost last week when the Iowa Economic Development Authority approved a $4.5 million grant from the Destination Iowa program…
More music, less red tape. Newark eases live entertainment regulations
The Newark City Council overturned a decades-old ban on live entertainment, paving the way for concert venues to open downtown.
Reform and the UAE – a threat to British politics
By Alex Carlen The United Arab Emirates likes to present itself as part of the solution to the climate crisis. The oil-rich Gulf state has committed to Net Zero by 2050, hosted COP 28, and even declared “championing climate action” as one of three strategic objectives for this week’s session of the United Nations General Assembly. But behind the scenes the UAE has quietly built one of its closest political relationships in Europe with the party most hostile to climate action in Britain: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. There is no evidence that the UAE is funding Reform. But a new FairSquare report, Petro-populism: the UAE–Reform threat, published today, documents a growing political relationship that should concern anyone interested in the integrity of British democracy. Reform’s leaders have embraced the UAE’s political model and promoted positions that align closely with the Emirati government’s priorities, while the UAE has given Farage and his party unusually warm access and public backing. What is emerging is not simply a relationship between British politicians and a wealthy Gulf state, but a channel through which an authoritarian government can cultivate political influence here, and abroad. Democracy for Sale relies on its readers. If you already support us, thanks so much. If you don’t, sign up to support fearless independent investigative journalism. Subscribe Back in January, Nigel Farage appeared at a GB News event in Dubai. On the 50th floor of a tower overlooking the luxury resorts and upscale residences of Palm Jumeirah, the Reform leader declared: “I want Clacton to look like this.” At the event – which Farage never declared on his official register of interests – senior Emirati officials mixed with British expats. Farage was keen to flatter. “We recognise you are our friends”, he said, assuring them that “a Brexit London, a Reform London, will remember you.” Controversy surrounding Reform’s finances and its susceptibility to foreign influence have centred around high-profile donations from billionaire crypto donors, and the jailing of Nathan Gill, Reform’s former leader in Wales, for accepting bribes to give pro-Russia speeches. Far less attention has been paid to Reform’s blossoming new alliance with the UAE, an oil-rich authoritarian state with a track record of ruinous anti-democratic interventions. Farage wasn’t always so fond of the UAE. Back in 2023 he called it an “absolute monarchy with an abysmal human rights record.” Now Reform’s hierarchy calls the UAE home. Deputy leader Richard Tice splits his time between his constituency and Dubai and has called on the UK to learn from the UAE. The party’s treasurer Nick Candy runs a firm which has been in partnership with a UAE-state linked firm since 2024. Nadhim Zahawi sits on the board of an Abu Dhabi think tank alongside an array of the most senior UAE officials and is reportedly close to three brothers of the country’s despotic ruler Mohammed Bin Zayed. Reform’s leading lights have effusively praised the UAE’s governance model, defended it from criticism, and advanced its political agenda in the UK. GB News, whose two major shareholders – the Legatum Foundation and Paul Marshall – have strong links to the UAE, has been more than happy to broadcast UAE propaganda and was forced to pay damages in 2025 after airing a false claim about a UK charity by the UAE “disinfluencer” Amjad Taha. The UAE has responded in kind. When the UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs conducted an official visit to the UK in May, Farage was the only non-government figure granted an audience. UAE state media publicised the meeting, and said that they discussed “the strategic relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them in a manner that serves mutual interests.” For the UAE these ‘mutual interests’ largely concern its paranoia over political Islam, and in this regard the UAE-Reform alliance is part of a broad and troubling pattern. Following a crackdown on dissent at home in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, the UAE has offered material and political support to a range of violent and authoritarian actors willing to oppose the Muslim Brotherhood with no regard for the consequences. Its meddling in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and most notably Sudan, have been devastating. The UAE’s strategy of seeking out partners on the political fringes who it believes will advance its interests is not unique to Britain – it extends beyond the Middle East to Europe and the US. In France, it has offered clandestine support to Marine Le Pen through secret meetings, as well allegedly funding trips to the region after which Le Pen returned with a renewed focus on the UAE’s perceived enemies – Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood. Left-wing opposition leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has accused the UAE of smearing him and of “encouraging discrimination, hatred or violence”. In the US, the UAE actively supported the rise of Donald Trump, establishing itself as a key ally during both his first and second terms. Around these relationships sits a wider ecosystem of figures willing to amplify UAE narratives, that even extends to Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson. Subscribe In Britain, the UAE has used a combination of aggressive diplomacy and illicit, disruptive tactics to achieve its policy goal of eliminating any perceived threat from political Islam. In 2012, for instance, it threatened to block billion-pound arms deals with the UK and stop inward investment if David Cameron did not act against the Muslim Brotherhood and rein in the BBC’s coverage of the group – going so far as to suggest, with no supporting evidence, that the group had infiltrated the BBC. It has financed smear campaigns against a high-profile UK charity and funded a mercenary to secretly surveil, and possibly assassinate, a British national on British soil. In Reform UK, the UAE has finally found an ally willing to not only ban the Muslim Brotherhood, but to publicly vilify the group and repeat the UAE’s claims that dangerous Muslims are a fifth column in British society, a narrative that aligns with the Islamophobia and anti-immigration sentiments that underpin Reform’s populist politics. The Rycroft review into foreign interference concluded that “hostile states and non-state actors have a clear incentive to attempt to undermine UK democracy.” The UAE’s network and alliance with Reform must be understood within that framework. It is a powerful, disruptive and deeply authoritarian actor with the resources and networks to intervene in our politics, and a track-record of doing so in a multitude of other countries. The evidence of the threat the UAE poses is overwhelming. The question is whether parliamentarians are willing to call the UAE out and demand action using the tools that the government has to respond. Placing the UAE on the “Enhanced Tier” of the Foreign Registration scheme alongside Russia and Iran would send a powerful signal to the UAE that its meddling will no longer be tolerated, and would place Farage’s next trips to the UAE under the scrutiny they deserve. Alex Carlen is research and advocacy manager at London based human rights organisation FairSquare and author of its new report Petro-populism: the UAE–Reform threat. Subscribe
Google could bring the Pixel 11's customized My Pixel colors to older Pixels
Looking at the latest My Pixel app, we have found evidence suggesting Google may expand the customized app icon colors to older Pixels.
Newark may start fining, issuing charges for repeated false alarms
Newark wants business owners and tenants to better comply with fire code after experiencing dozens of false alarms over the past year.
‘The Red Goose’ explores life’s ‘quiet wonders'
Local author Allen Guy Wilcox explores family, loss, rural America and everyday life in his debut poetry collection, “The Red Goose.”
Fountain Square construction wrecked businesses. This has to stop.
Fountain Square construction closed my restaurant. Indianapolis should learn from other cities, the owner of Magdalena writes.
Decree Promulgating Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 23, 2026 The Most Reverend Frank J. CaggianoBy the Grace of God and Authority of the Apostolic See Bishop of Bridgeport DECREE PROMULGATING ETHICAL AND RELIGIOUS...
Scene calendar: 'Neverland' at GCP, live music in Gainesville and Alachua
From theater and art exhibits to live music, Gator festivities and community events, Gainesville offers a packed week of entertainment and culture.
Could we be about to see the end of northern English dialects? My experience – and the science
When I moved to York I thought everyone sounded like a cross between Sean Bean and Mel B. But now the north’s linguistic richness really is being flattened, says author Zahaan Bharmal
Garmin is bringing crucial life-saving and health features to several smartwatches
Garmin is rolling out a new software update that adds fall detection, hands-free voice control, and running features to several smartwatches.
How extreme heat can affect your mental health
Extreme heat does more than cause physical harm. Experts explain how rising temperatures impact mental health.
Google's official Googlebook demo looks a lot like Mac wearing a Chrome hoodie
Google's official Googlebook demo shows a laptop desktop that borrows ideas from rival platforms, with macOS the most obvious influence.
Why scientists still cannot say how much plastic infants are actually consuming
A systematic review of 22 primary studies and four reviews found plastic-derived contaminants across infant foods and feeding equipment, but major differences in sampling, analytical methods, and quality control made exposure estimates difficult to compare. The authors found substantial evidence gaps for nanoplastics and oligomers and concluded that better-standardized exposure assessment is needed before infant health risks can be reliably evaluated.
Dolly Parton's estate seeks restraining order against singer's nephew
Dolly Parton's estate requested a restraining order against Bryan Seaver after he was fired as head of security, according to People and TMZ.
Marlon James and Douglas Stuart have chance to become 5th multiple winner of Booker Prize book award
Marlon James and Douglas Stuart can become the fifth author to win the Booker Prize twice after both were shortlisted for arguably the U.K.’s most prestigious fiction accolade | WBBM Newsradio 780 AM & 105.9 FM
Utica native publishes book of historical postcards
In a love letter to Utica’s history and the power of memory, author Kathryn Beard, a Utica native, has written “Wish You Were Here! Greetings from Utica, New York,” a book that celebrates the city’s history through postcards.
OU renames health campus for Harold Hamm after $150 million gift
The University of Oklahoma (OU) announced the $150M gift from Harold Hamm Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. See our photos.
FBI seized $18.8M from Quality Behavioral Health in forced labor probe
New court records reveal the scope, focus and riches involved in a high-profile investigation targeting drug rehab center Quality Behavioral Health.
El-Sayed joined by Harris during reproductive health roundtable
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed joined a discussion at Birth Detroit
Harold Hamm commits record $150M to tackle Oklahoma's health crisis
Harold Hamm is donating $150 million to OU to tackle Oklahoma's health crisis and boost medical research efforts.
Oregon Health Authority scraps proposed psilocybin fee increases
(KTVZ) -- The Oregon Health Authority will not move forward with proposed fee increases for state psilocybin licensees. State health officials decided to halt the rulemaking process after receiving feedback from advisory groups and the public. The decision stops a rulemaking process that would have made significant fee adjustments across the state's psilocybin program. The
Orlando Health gives Polk State College $1 million toward new campus
Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital will donate $1 million over five years to the Polk State College Foundation.
'You should not be here.' Trump taunts CNN at U.N. in credential fight
Trump taunted news outlets for continuing to cover him after he revoked the White House credentials of CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
Journey to 1948 Tampa through time travel
Author Paula Braley of Inverness requests the honor of your presence in 1948 Tampa. To get there, you might want to time travel in her new urban, romantic, historical thriller,
Marlon James and Douglas Stuart have chance to become 5th multiple winner of Booker Prize book award
Marlon James and Douglas Stuart can become the fifth author to win the Booker Prize twice after both were shortlisted for arguably the U.K.’s most prestigious fiction accolade | WBBM Newsradio 780 AM & 105.9 FM
Charlie Berens coming to Green Bay; EPIC Marathon reveals concert acts
Comedian Charlie Berens is returning to the Resch Center for The Lost and Found Tour, and the timing might make it the perfect excuse to take Mom.
Billy Bush lands new Fox News gig. Here's what he'll be doing
Billy Bush is joining Fox News as a contributor after hosting “Extra” and his own show, “Hot Mics with Billy Bush". Here's what his new gig entails.
As resistance mounts, Trump reaches for a familiar shield: national security
Legal experts said the president is applying it more broadly and frequently than his predecessors
Motorola's Android 17 rollout is bringing a helpful feature to more devices
As Motorola continues its roll out of Android 17, the brand is also expanding access to this helpful feature.
'End the open-ended war.' GOP candidates push Trump on Iran
The push from key congressional candidates to end the war illustrates the growing GOP angst around a conflict that is deeply unpopular.
Watch Trump defend media ban in comments to press
President Trump spoke about his White House ban of some media outlets during his meeting with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. See what he said.
Teal Health Raises $22 Million Series A to Expand Access to the Most Accurate FDA-Authorized At-Home HPV Cervical Cancer Screening
/PRNewswire/ -- Teal Health, creators of the Teal Wand™, the first and most accurate FDA-authorized self-collection device for at-home HPV cervical cancer...
Christina Applegate shares new video after months in the hospital
Christina Applegate is sending her love to fans after being hospitalized for months amid her battle with multiple sclerosis.
Sabbatical Spotlight: Associate Professor of Political Science Jeremy Strickler
Dr. Jeremy Strickler, an associate professor of political science and UTC faculty member since 2016, used his professional development leave to advance research on presidential leadership and U.S. drug control policy, co-author a book chapter about camping, and develop a new course on American political culture.
Bob the Drag Queen is a comedian first. Here’s why
The winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Broadway actor, Madonna tour emcee and author returns to Iowa with stand-up comedy — the thing that started it all.
Portsmouth housing solutions, AI threats, political views: Letters
Letters package: Writers weigh in on Portsmouth housing policy, AI risks, NH politics, Maine fisheries and international affairs.
New free produce stand opens for Cudahy residents
Cudahy residents can now access free fresh produce at the health department to help address limited local grocery options.
Longtime bar reopens in Lansing's Old Town
A longtime Old Town watering hole is back open a handful of years after it closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local clinics brace for federal benefit cuts for refugees
Thousands of refugees who legally came to America face hunger due to changes in federal law approved as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Is 50 the new 60?
Subscribe TL;DR: Younger generations are showing signs of worse health compared to earlier-born cohorts at the same age This backward “drift” is showing up both in mortality risk and chronic disease Worsening trends in obesity and diabetes are the most consistent signals Taking the long view, we’ve made astonishing gains in health and life expectancy in the last century. Global average life expectancy has more than doubled from 32 years in 1900 to 73 years in 2024. (But don’t forget, there were still old people when life expectancy was 32). As people lived longer, they also generally lived healthier along the way. It turns out that avoiding things that can kill you early, like malnutrition and lots of childhood infections, also keeps you healthier later in life. In a classic 2004 paper, Finch and Crimmins proposed that cohorts of children who benefited from fewer early life infections had less lifetime exposure to inflammation and cardiovascular disease later in life, accelerating mortality improvements at older ages. Poor nutrition in the womb has also been linked to a higher risk of later chronic disease. The upshot is that improvements in childhood health can pay dividends many decades later. The combination of better living conditions (nutrition, sanitation) and medical advances (antibiotics, vaccines, blood pressure meds, etc) meant that people’s healthy lifespan generally expanded, even as they lived longer. Aging researchers call this best-case scenario “compression of morbidity”—meaning we delay the onset of disease and disability even faster than the years of life we are adding. During my 20+ year research career, we could generally bank on the idea that younger generations would not only live longer but also keep getting healthier along the way. “60 is the new 50” as they say… Enter “Generational Health Drift” Sadly, this expectation of steady progress may be changing. You’ve probably heard that US life expectancy gains have slowed to a crawl in the past couple of decades. Mortality improvements are also slowing (though less dramatically) in many other high-income countries (you can read more about that in a review paper I wrote here). Mortality is a very blunt health measure, but it is often a good barometer for the broader population health trends happening underneath. And we are now seeing that younger generations may be in worse health at similar ages compared to earlier born cohorts. My collaborator Prof. George Ploubidis at University College London coined this worsening health in more recently born cohorts “generational health drift.” “Generational health drift” is bad news on multiple fronts. Most obviously, we don’t want our health progress to go backward. But the timing is also bad, since our populations are aging. In demographic terms, “population aging” means that the proportion of the population at older ages (i.e >65 years) is increasing. Fun demography fact: Current population aging is not due to the recent declines in the birth rates making the news, but declines in fertility decades ago, after the “baby boom.” As baby boomers reach older ages, the smaller cohorts behind them mean the percentage of older adults will increase. For example, the share of the population age 65 and older in the US increased from 12.4% in 2004 to 18.0% in 2024. This story of population aging was written long ago. Many worry that population aging will put pressure on health care and pension systems. But if people reach older ages in better health than in years past, those fiscal pressures would be less dire than projected. Healthy older people can also continue to contribute to society in many valuable ways, including paid work, caregiving, community service….even high political office 🤷. On the flip side, if younger generations reach retirement age in worse health and with more disabling conditions, this could magnify the societal challenge of population aging. Evidence for worsening generational health A recent paper that I LOVED in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Dr. Leah Abrams and colleagues examined which birth cohorts (aka generations) were behind worsening US mortality. Behold the Lexis diagram (cue swooning demographers). Calendar time is on the x-axis, age on the y-axis. Birth cohorts can be followed over time as they age on the diagonal lines moving up and to the right. This figure plots the year-on-year % change in all-cause mortality at a given age. Green shading indicates mortality improvements over time, white is stagnation, and gray shading indicates worsening mortality. Following the diagonal line for those born in 1950, you can see a noticeable shift from green to gray that follows this cohort for most of their lives. This gray shading shows generally worsening mortality for the 1950 to 1959 birth cohorts compared to their predecessors across all ages. Concerningly for my GenX and elder millennial peeps, there was also a deterioration in mortality for birth cohorts born in the 1970s and 1980s, visible as dark gray areas at ages 30 to 45 during the 2010s. While some of these mortality changes reflect specific shocks such as the opioid epidemic, most deaths still occur from major causes of death such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. For cancer, the gray in the top left corner of the figure below reflects the legacies of smoking for older cohorts, followed by a period of green with improvements in cancer mortality as smoking rates declined. But the white/gray shading in the bottom right corner highlights a stagnation and reversal of the cancer trends, with cohorts born around 1970 to 1985 experiencing worsening cancer mortality. This deterioration was most noticeable for colon cancer mortality, possibly linked to obesity or dietary factors. Not just dying more, but less healthy along the way. A recent paper by Dr. Laura Gimeno of University College London (of which I am a co-author), found evidence that more recently born cohorts in Great Britain have stagnating or worsening health. A stylized picture of what“generational health drift” might look like: The review paper found: Rates of childhood overweight and obesity were highest among Gen Z. Rates of diabetes in the 40s almost doubled from 3.1% among the Baby Boomers to 5.9% in Generation X. Gen Z reported higher rates of poor mental health in adolescence compared to earlier-born groups. These UK results are consistent with studies showing worsening health across generations in the US as well. A 2021 US study found that more recently born cohorts had worse biological markers (like blood pressure and blood sugar) than earlier generations at the same age. A separate 2022 study of Americans aged 50 and over found that more recently born generations had a higher number of chronic diseases, with younger age of disease onset. A 2024 Lancet paper found that in the US, women born in 1945 had 33% obesity prevalence at age 50, rising to 48.2% for women born in 1970 turning 50. So what’s going on, and can we turn it around? We don’t have a definitive answer for what’s causing the deteriorating health of younger cohorts, but circumstantial evidence points to worsening trends in obesity and diabetes in both the US and UK. Remember that cohort trends reflect lagged effects of early environments, and younger generations have faced both earlier onset and more severe obesity across their lifetimes. Despite these very concerning trends, the future is not set in stone. We’ve reversed poor generational health trends before: drops in smoking are a major reason cancer and heart disease deaths fell so dramatically in recent decades. GLP-1 drugs may finally turn the tide against rising rates of obesity and diabetes, though it is still early days. But things could also get worse…for example from a return to higher levels of childhood infectious diseases that can have a lasting impact on health. See for example: [ ](https://jenndowd.substack.com/p/dont-you-forget-about-measles-the) [ Don’t You Forget About Me(asles): The Virus That Erases Immune Memory ](https://jenndowd.substack.com/p/dont-you-forget-about-measles-the) Jenn Dowd, PhD · March 24, 2025 [ Read full story ](https://jenndowd.substack.com/p/dont-you-forget-about-measles-the) Even as an optimist, emerging data on the “generational health drift” has my full attention. For most of my research career, we took it for granted that each generation would be healthier than the last. But if present trends continue, **50 could be the new 60….**and Gen Z celebrities will soon look older than Paul Rudd :). Stay well, Jenn Share the Health! If you found this post useful, please share it with a friend. Share
North Jersey's gasoline-powered landscaping affected by high prices
High gas prices affecting small business landscapers like Chris James Landscaping on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026.
Watchdog says Messmer's taxpayer-funded TV ad part of larger problem
U.S. Rep. Mark Messmer insists his recent taxpayer-funded, campaign-like commercial wasn't political. A watchdog says it shows reforms are needed.
Watch: Greg Ballard on why he's returning to politics and ditching the GOP
The former Republican Indianapolis mayor has been retired from politics for a decade. He's back as an independent for secretary of state, with a mission.
Exclusive: FDA warnings persisted as UTIs turned deadly in menopause
Menopause increases the risk of UTIs which can lead to sepsis and death in older women. For years, the FDA discouraged the one drug that could help.
Op-ed: Why community voices shape the future of health care
Those voices help paint a clearer picture of what influences health across Carroll, Clinton, Tippecanoe and White counties — in our hospitals, neighborhoods, schools and workplaces.
Award-winning Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton area health care provider retires
Physician Assistant, Harold “Buck” Harvey, PA-C, retires after 48 'wonderful years'
York Beach businesses saw crowds — but a quieter summer at the register
York Beach businesses say summer spending dipped as visitors tightened budgets.
York Beach businesses saw crowds — but a quieter summer at the register
York Beach businesses say summer spending dipped as visitors tightened budgets.
Sherrill announces film trail mapping iconic New Jersey movie spots
New Jersey is launching a film trail to showcase popular movie locations across the state.
I studied the iPhone Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 8 for a week. 5 reasons I only want Samsung's phone
The iPhone Duo is an impressive first foldable, but I'd still buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Here are five reasons Samsung wins for me.
Former New Orleans RTA executive may get second shot as finalist for CEO
A former Regional Transit Authority executive who last month was knocked out of consideration in the agency's search for a new CEO is in line to get a second shot
Samsung's One UI 9 rollout may have hit a speed bump for the Galaxy S26
Samsung has pushed back the Galaxy S26 series' One UI 9 rollout date in Thailand, raising questions about the wider release.
Jiang Feng: The Unravelling of German & European Politics
A state election in eastern Germany has become a revealing test of the changing political landscapes of Germany and Europe, writes Jiang Feng, Professor and Chairman of the Council of the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies (SAGGAS) at Shanghai International Studies University. His analysis follows the decisive victory of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) (which has been classified as right-wing extremist by German authorities)in the state of Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September, in which it finished far ahead of its mainstream rivals. Jiang previously served as Minister-Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Berlin. The following article was published on 8 September 2026 on huanqiu.com, the online platform of the Global Times. On 6 September, the results of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, were announced. The Alternative for Germany (AfD), classified as far-right by German authorities, made history by becoming the largest party in the state parliament, winning 43.8 per cent of the vote — twice its share in the previous election. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which had governed the state continuously for 24 years, won just 17.2 per cent, its worst result ever in Saxony-Anhalt. On the night the results were announced, the atmosphere at the CDU gathering was unusually calm. There was neither shock nor argument, as if the defeat had long been expected. Several veteran party members who had spent years working in the state government said: “Defeat is not a bad thing. It is time to make changes.” This state election has not only upended Saxony-Anhalt’s political landscape, but also laid bare the deep tensions between Germany’s traditional party structure and model of governance, on the one hand, and an increasingly polarised society on the other. Its repercussions are already being felt at the federal level, making Saxony-Anhalt a useful case study of the broader trend towards political polarisation and realignment in Europe. Governing Difficulties after Electoral Victory The most immediate consequence of the election is a historic setback for the mainstream party order that took shape in post-war Germany. In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD has leapt from a peripheral party to the largest political force in the state. Its electoral base has expanded beyond the traditional category of “marginal protest voters” to take on the characteristics of a cross-class coalition. The party has not only consolidated its support in rural areas, but also attracted many middle-class voters and even members of the social elite with stable jobs, their own homes, and substantial incomes. It has thus evolved from a “protest party” into one with the potential to govern. Despite its commanding lead in the vote, however, the AfD faces an institutional obstacle to governing the state: the mainstream parties’ long-standing “firewall” against it. Neither of the two potential routes to forming a government appears likely to break the current political deadlock. The first would be a coalition of establishment parties, led by the CDU and bringing together the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, the Left Party (Die Linke) and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in a cross-camp government. In terms of parliamentary arithmetic, such a coalition could prevent the AfD from forming a government and preserve the outward stability of the traditional political order. Yet these parties are fundamentally divided over key issues including immigration, the energy transition, economic management, and cultural and education policy. Coalition negotiations would therefore be extremely difficult, and even if a government could be formed, it would most likely prove short-lived. More importantly, an alliance of establishment parties aimed at keeping the largest party out of government would play directly into the AfD’s narrative that “political elites are suppressing public opinion”. It could deepen perceptions of political unfairness, further strengthening the AfD’s political capital, and creating a dynamic in which “the more it is suppressed, the more people vote for it”. Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s candidate for state premier, has said that if efforts to form a government fail because other parties refuse to cooperate, the AfD will push for a fresh election, which he believes could deliver the party an absolute majority of seats. This points to more intense political battles ahead. The second option would be a coalition between the AfD and the BSW. Together, the two parties would command a simple majority in parliament, making this, on paper, the quickest route to forming a government. The BSW is the only elected party that has not ruled out cooperation with the AfD, and the two parties share some common ground, including on policy towards Russia. There is therefore a degree of political basis for cooperation. Were such a coalition to materialise, Germany would see its first state government jointly formed by a party defined as far-right and one with a far-left background, creating what might be called a “bipolar anti-establishment alliance”. Such an outcome would fundamentally break with the ideological boundaries of post-war German party politics. It is worth noting that even if the AfD ultimately fails to enter the state government, its roughly 47 per cent share of parliamentary seats would give it a powerful blocking minority. Without its consent, major decisions requiring a two-thirds majority — including constitutional amendments, significant budgetary adjustments, and state-level institutional reforms — would be extremely difficult to pass. Therefore, whoever ultimately forms the government, the AfD will be an unavoidable force in Saxony-Anhalt politics, with a direct influence on the state’s legislative process. Systemic Failures in Germany’s Governance Model The Saxony-Anhalt election result reflects a systemic failure of Germany’s post-war mainstream-party model of governance to adapt to rapidly changing socioeconomic conditions. It stems from multiple, mutually reinforcing structural tensions and highlights the existing political system’s difficulty in adapting to “an increasingly polarised society First, collective anxiety has replaced individual material hardship as a central driver of political mobilisation. The rise of the AfD can no longer be explained simply by poverty or social marginalisation. Its increasingly cross-class electoral base suggests that what is driving voters towards the party is, above all, concern about the broader direction of society. This anxiety about the future of the political community goes beyond individual gains and losses. In political discourse, economic anxiety has become closely intertwined with immigration, while immigration and refugee issues are, in essence, questions of social fairness. This perception turns conflicts over the distribution of social resources into negative assessments of governing parties, providing a broad social basis for far-right political narratives. Second, regional disparities and East German identity have undermined the strategy of addressing eastern Germany’s structural challenges at the regional level. More than three decades after German reunification, eastern states such as Saxony-Anhalt have experienced periods of economic growth, but their underlying economic structures remain weak, and household incomes and wealth remain significantly below those in western Germany. At the same time, they continue to face population outflow, an ageing population, labour shortages, and other structural challenges. At a deeper level, historical experiences — including the collapse of the former East German economic system, mass unemployment during the transition, and the westward shift of decision-making power over major issues — have left some residents with a sense of being “second-class citizens” and of being excluded. For years, the German government treated the “syndrome” of reunification as a regional problem to be gradually addressed at the local level. That approach is becoming increasingly unsustainable, as regional development disparities emerge as a core structural factor shaping national politics. Third, the erosion of institutional trust is perhaps the most decisive factor. AfD supporters tend to distrust establishment institutions, including parliament, government, and the mainstream media. Their concerns about economic security, pensions, and social fairness are significantly greater than the social average. Increasingly, their support for the AfD reflects not an expectation that the existing system can be improved, but a search for an alternative to the current political order. Such a systemic deficit of trust will be extremely difficult for the traditional parties to repair in the short term. Fourth, a generational shift in political mobilisation has amplified political polarisation. Unlike traditional parties, which rely heavily on offline rallies and mainstream media coverage, the AfD has developed a social-media mobilisation strategy built around “raising an issue — identifying who is responsible — offering a simplified solution — building a shared identity”. It turns complex social tensions into concise political narratives, rapidly channelling public sentiment into political support. The contrast on the eve of the election was particularly telling. The establishment parties, together with trade unions and churches, organised an offline march attended by more than 10,000 people, but its reach was largely confined to those present and to traditional media coverage. The AfD held a much smaller indoor event, yet livestreaming on TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms, combined with the involvement of online influencers, gave it a reach and mobilising capacity far beyond that of the march. The contrast illustrates how the traditional parties’ methods of political mobilisation are increasingly struggling to keep pace with a political environment transformed by changes in media technology. A Microcosm of Structural Political Change in Europe The shockwaves from the Saxony-Anhalt election quickly travelled beyond the state to the federal level. Calls for political accountability followed immediately after the results were announced. The governing CDU and SPD are now under enormous pressure, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil face an unprecedented test. Political polarisation in Germany is no longer simply a regional phenomenon. The post-war model of multiparty government by establishment parties is breaking down and being reshaped. Viewed in a broader European context, the Saxony-Anhalt election is part of a continent-wide wave of party polarisation, mainstream-party decline, and rising right-wing forces. Far from an isolated phenomenon, it is a microcosm of the structural political changes unfolding across Europe. Weak economic growth, cultural tensions over immigration, and declining trust in institutions are fuelling the rise of right-wing forces in several countries, challenging the liberal internationalist order established in post-war Europe. As a core member state of the European Union, Germany’s ability to adapt its political system and the direction of its politics will have profound implications for both European integration and the evolution of the international order. Subscribe [ Pekingnology China’s Germany watchers take stock of Berlin’s uneasy turn On 7 December 2025, nearly 50 Chinese scholars and policy researchers gathered in Beijing for the 2025年德国形势年终研讨会 “2025 Year-End Seminar on the Situation in Germany… Read more 9 months ago · 31 likes · 1 comment · YIRUI LI and Yuxuan JIA ](https://www.pekingnology.com/p/chinas-germany-watchers-take-stock?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web&embedding_publication_id=1151841) [ Jiang Feng on Germany's 2025 and beyond: no easy exit ](https://www.eastisread.com/p/jiang-feng-on-germanys-2025-and-beyond) Yirui LI and Yuxuan JIA · Jan 24 The following is an op-ed by Jiang Feng, published on 29 December 2025 at Shanghai Observer 上观新闻, the digital platform of Jiefang Daily, the official newspaper of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). [ Read full story ](https://www.eastisread.com/p/jiang-feng-on-germanys-2025-and-beyond)
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