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Redrawn to favor GOP, Texas’ 35th Congressional District attracts competitive primaries in both parties

Redrawn to favor GOP, Texas’ 35th Congressional District attracts competitive primaries in both parties

WASHINGTON — Voters in Texas’ new 35th Congressional District on Tuesday will cast their ballots in a pair of wide-open primaries to decide the Democratic and Republican nominees in the San Antonio-area seat, one of five overhauled last year to be more favorable for the GOP.

There are 11 Republicans and four Democrats running in the primaries for the 35th District, both of which could go to May runoffs between the top two finishers if nobody wins a majority of the vote. The area’s current representative, Democrat Greg Casar, was drawn out of his seat and is now running in the solidly blue 37th District.

The new 35th’s boundaries contain less than 10% of its former constituency and now cover parts of San Antonio and outlying eastern areas in Bexar, Guadalupe, Wilson and Karnes counties. If the updated lines had existed in 2024, the district would have gone to Donald Trump by about 10 points, though the nonpartisan Cook Political Report gives congressional Republicans a four-point advantage. Democrats have set their sights on overcoming the GOP gerrymander that created the Hispanic-majority district, believing they could capitalize on a leftward shift of Hispanic voters since Trump took office.

On the Republican side, the biggest watershed moment of the primary came when Trump endorsed Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz on the eve of early voting — a show of support that has often helped decisively boost GOP candidates in contested Texas primaries.

One of De La Cruz’s main rivals is state Rep. John Lujan, a San Antonio Republican who’s betting he can overcome the Trump endorsement due to his familiarity among voters who elected him to his overlapping district in the Texas House.

Also among the apparent frontrunners are former Republican congressional staffer Josh Cortez, Navy veteran Jay Furman and entrepreneur Ryan Krause, each of whom have raised competitive amounts of campaign cash and bring varying political experience to the race. Furman was the 2024 nominee for the 28th Congressional District, which covers some of the new District 35; he lost by about 6 points to incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo. Krause most recently lost the 2020 and 2022 GOP primaries for the 15th District against Rep. Monica De La Cruz, the sister of Carlos De La Cruz.

Trump’s support of Carlos De La Cruz over Lujan was all the more notable because the seat was carved out by Republicans in the Texas Legislature, including Lujan, at the president’s request. Re-elected to the Texas House in 2021 after flipping a traditionally Democratic seat, Lujan currently represents southern and eastern portions of Bexar County, much of which is also part of the new congressional seat.

He’s gotten endorsements from Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Rep. Jake Ellzey of Waxahachie, the San Antonio Express-News and dozens of his colleagues in the Legislature. Before he was elected, Lujan was a firefighter for 25 years and served as a deputy in the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department.

At a Lujan campaign rally two years ago, Abbott said Lujan was the only Republican who could win the state House race, noting that he had failed to win the district himself in his gubernatorial race.

Lujan used his 2021 victory as a talking point during a Feb. 3 Republican candidate forum, saying that experience makes him the most qualified candidate to win against a Democrat in the general election. He also emphasized his willingness to work with lawmakers across the political aisle on bipartisan policies.

“I don’t have to agree with them on everything, but we have to come to the table,” Lujan said during the forum. “You got the far right pulling the Republicans, you got the far left pulling the Democrats, and they want to make us like Washington, D.C. — we need to keep it Texas.”

Lujan did not respond to an interview request.

Carlos De La Cruz, a small business owner who spent 20 years in the Air Force, is pitching himself as a political outsider who is “ready to be President Trump’s wingman in Congress,” as he states on his website. He has been endorsed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and three members of Texas’ congressional delegation.

Carlos De La Cruz’s sister, Monica De La Cruz, is running for reelection to Texas’ 15th District. Three counties represented by Monica De La Cruz over her terms in District 15 — Guadalupe, Karnes and Wilson — now fall under the 35th District, giving Carlos De La Cruz a potential edge in those areas due to his familiar surname.

In a statement to The Texas Tribune, Carlos De La Cruz said his service in the Air Force is what sets him apart from other primary candidates. His political priorities include border security, supporting law enforcement, seniors and veterans, and reducing regulations that harm businesses, he said.

“I could not be more proud of my sister. We come from humble beginnings, and no one knows better than I do how hard she works for the people she represents,” Carlos De La Cruz read in the statement. “It will be an honor to serve alongside her in Congress.”

Cortez previously worked for Monica De La Cruz in her congressional office, after previously serving as a veterans liaison for former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. A native of Guadalupe County, he said he’s the only candidate running who was raised in rural Texas and argued that his experience as a legislative staffer sets him apart from his opponents.

Cortez added that he wants to tackle Texas’ water crisis and protect the region’s energy and agriculture from federal overreach. Other priorities, he told the Tribune, include bolstering border security, cutting government spending and “restoring fiscal discipline while protecting our Social Security and Medicare.”

“I am an eighth-generation Texan from this area,” Cortez said. “This is my background, this is my people and this is my home. I have the experience, and I have the head knowledge and the on-the-streets knowledge to know what is affecting our area.”

Fundraising hauls in this district have lagged behind those of other Texas congressional races, where some candidates have raised more than $1 million.

As of Feb. 11, the last date covered by campaign finance disclosures, Furman had brought in the most money in the District 35 race at about $396,000 — $240,000 of which he personally lent to his campaign. Lujan comes in just behind Furman with about $370,000, and Carlos De La Cruz, Cortez and Krause all report similar amounts of at least $230,000.

But overall, Republicans are outraising Democrats in the race, which could be one indication of where voters will give their support, said Walter Wilson, an associate professor of political science and geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

“If we think of money being a way to ascertain what people think is going to happen, clearly there’s a lot more optimism on the Republican side for this district,” Wilson said.

Wilson added that one of the most important factors for who ultimately wins the seat in November will be the state of the economy. If there are worsening economic conditions by the summer, in Texas and nationally, that may bode well for Democrats’ electoral prospects, he said.

Besides Furman and Krause, other Republican candidates in the 35th District who have previously run for Congress include Vanessa Hicks-Callaway, a former field representative for Sen. Ted Cruz who lost primaries for Texas House in 2024 and 2020; Rod Lingsch, who received 10% of the vote in the 2024 primary for District 35; and Steven Wright, the District 35 nominee that year who lost handily to Casar in the then-Democratic leaning district.

Furman said during the early February candidate forum that after coming back from Navy service, he found the U.S. border was the “worst [he’s] seen anywhere.” He supports mass deportations and a moratorium on all asylum seekers, according to his campaign site.

Furman also said during the forum he wouldn’t support restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies, citing his desire to protect patients from large health care companies and give them choice in the marketplace.

“The Affordable Care Act is the opposite of good health care,” he said. “Republicans need to, as we increase our numbers in Congress, take a strong stand on this.”

Furman could not be made available for an interview by the time of publication.

Other Republican primary candidates include businessman Randy Adams, home inspector Mark Eberwine and Coast Guard veteran and architect Larry La Rose, who ran for San Antonio City Council in 2025 and lost.

In the Democratic primary, Marine Corps veteran and policy analyst John Lira and Bexar County sheriff’s deputy Johnny Garcia have emerged as front-runners against two other candidates: housing justice organizer Maureen Galindo and gun club owner Whitney Masterson-Moyes.

While Republicans redrew Texas’ 35th District to favor a GOP candidate, some Democratic Party leaders have said the seat could still be within reach.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, national Democrats’ House campaign arm, added Texas’ 35th District to its “Districts in Play” list in December, a signal that party leaders in Washington will invest in the party’s nominee in November.

In an early February press call, Katherine Fischer, executive director of ​​Texas Majority PAC, one of the state’s biggest Democratic groups, said voters have soured on the Trump administration to the point that it could drag down Republican congressional candidates. She singled out District 35 as a seat that Democrats could win if there’s a leftward shift among Hispanic voters, who make up 52% of the redrawn district’s eligible voting population.

Fischer’s comments came a few days after Taylor Rehmet flipped a deep red North Texas Senate seat, thanks in part to Latino voters, a traditionally Democratic bloc that has shifted to the right in recent cycles but shown signs of turning on Republicans since Trump returned to the White House.

Garcia said the district is “within striking range,” especially if Democrats can win back the Latino voters they lost in 2024. The sheriff’s deputy said he’s running on a platform of improving everyday affordability, lowering health care costs and strengthening education and public safety.

“It’s going to take the right type of Democrat — an old-school, common-sense, law-and-order Democrat to win this race,” Garcia said.

Garcia started as a corrections officer with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office before becoming a SWAT hostage negotiator — an experience he said would help him work with representatives in Congress.

He added that years working in construction and plumbing during college made him value labor jobs and helped him secure endorsements from groups such as the San Antonio AFL-CIO and Texas AFL-CIO, which both gave him a dual endorsement with Lira.

Garcia is also backed by the centrist Democratic caucus Blue Dog Coalition and Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, a group that backs pro-Israel Democrats. The Blue Dog PAC put $5,000 into Garcia’s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

One of Garcia’s opponents, Lira, said what sets him apart from the other Democratic candidates is his policy experience and his roots in the community as someone who was born and raised in the area. In 2022, he also ran in a new district made to favor Republicans, where he lost against incumbent GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales in the 23rd Congressional District.

“I’m no stranger to running in districts that were built for Democrats to lose,” Lira said. “We were being used as political pawns — my community, my school district, my church community, so I wanted to step up again and defend against this gerrymandering.”

Lira previously was a part of the U.S. Small Business Administration and National Commission on Military, National and Public Service. He also worked for California Rep. Jimmy Panetta and on policy for veterans and military families under the Biden administration. He said his priorities include lowering the prices of everyday goods, stopping junk fees on credit cards, increasing home affordability and bringing accountability to the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

He’s notched endorsements from organizations such as the National People’s Power, the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio and the Austin Chronicle.

Lira said he still thinks a Democrat can win in the redrawn district, especially if there’s high turnout among left-leaning voters.

“I don’t mind this drawing,” Lira said. “They didn’t draw it red enough and are still giving us Democrats an opportunity with the right candidate to make it a turnout game and to defend this seat and keep it blue.”

Disclosure: University of Texas at San Antonio has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Another Casualty of Trump’s New Foreign Policy: Women

Another Casualty of Trump’s New Foreign Policy: Women

When women’s rights are sidelined in foreign policy, democracy and security suffer.

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the 76th NATO Summit in the World Forum in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. (Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

As President Donald Trump rewrites U.S. foreign policy and threatens the international order, he is also dismantling long-standing bipartisan commitments to women’s equality.

For decades, policymakers across political parties understood that political, economic and social progress cannot be achieved by leaving half the population behind. Advancing women’s opportunities, leadership and rights through foreign policy and programs was seen not only as the morally right course, but as an effective strategy for promoting peace and prosperity around the globe.

The first Trump administration, in recognition of these facts, took actions that seemed to belie support for women’s economic empowerment—for example, President Trump signed the bipartisan Women, Peace and Security Act into law in 2017 to advance women’s leadership and protect women in times of conflict.

But Trump’s second administration has taken a sharply different approach, mounting a sustained assault on women’s rights and reversing bipartisan policies his own administration once championed.

Trump is following the authoritarian playbook—and backlash against women’s progress is a central tactic. Nullifying laws to protect women from violence, excluding them from meaningful participation in decision-making, weaponizing technology to threaten them, and reducing their civic space, are just a few of the tools authoritarians use to consolidate power and control.

Doubling down on this assault, Trump began the year by decreeing that the U.S. will no longer participate in 66 international organizations, including most United Nations entities advancing women’s equality—from U.N. Women, to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. He claims these organizations are harmful and ineffective. In reality, they provide critical expertise and foster international cooperation to address some of the world’s most urgent challenges, from poverty and sexual violence to crisis response.

In his new national security strategy, Trump asserted that the greatest threats to the U.S. don’t come from China or Russia, but rather from “radical gender ideology and woke lunacy.” What should have been a serious discussion of national security instead focused on “rooting out so-called DEI and other discriminatory practices” and warning of the supposed dangers posed by Europe’s liberal democracies. According to multiple press reports, Trump’s recent appearance at Davos was conditioned on reducing or eliminating topics such as climate change, women’s empowerment and diversity from the World Economic Forum agenda.

As the first and last U.S. ambassadors-at-large for global women’s issues, we can attest to the impact of this relentless assault. When the Trump administration shuttered the Office of Global Women’s Issues at the State Department—an office we once led—it drastically weakened the United States’ ability to enforce laws addressing violence against women, advance women’s economic empowerment, and promote women’s participation in foreign policy.

The U.S. Human Rights Report was also stripped of references to violations of women’s rights, signaling that the United States will turn a blind eye to gender-based crimes and decline to condemn abuses committed by even the most notorious offenders.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has purged several high-ranking military women from leadership and key roles and is intent on punishing women who do not meet his “warrior” standard out of the artillery, infantry, armor and combat roles in which they currently—and competently—serve. He has attempted to take an ax to the Women, Peace and Security Act (WPS), even though the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the military describe the WPS program as “a low-cost, high-yield uncontested advantage over our competitors.”

The administration also eliminated the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has devastated the lives of women and children in war-torn countries and led to rising malnutrition mortality and deaths due to a shortage of life-saving anti-malarial and HIV drugs. At a time of the largest increase in deadly wars in six decades, desperately needed humanitarian assistance has slowed to a trickle.

How We Stop the Damage

What can be done about this assault to women’s progress and to historically bipartisan American foreign policy interests?  We must be strategic—not merely symbolic—in our defense of women’s rights. 

We must document, monitor and expose harmful actions as they are being perpetrated in real time, and demonstrate the impact of these dangerous, arbitrary and callous actions on the lives of those affected, on government effectiveness, and on global stability and prosperity.

We must expand our global partnerships and coordinate with allies. For years, the U.S. provided substantial funding for policies and programs that advance women’s empowerment. Now, other nations must find ways to share financial and programmatic responsibility to sustain these efforts. 

We must also build broader coalitions of support within the U.S. to defend this agenda. Effective messaging is essential. Whether our language refers to gender, men and women or human security, the mission remains unchanged.

We do not have the luxury of hopelessness and inaction. There is work to be done. Women around the world are on the frontlines—building peace where there is war, addressing climate change, and defending democracy and human rights. They are risking their lives. Challenging this assault on women’s progress in the United States and around the globe is more urgent than ever.

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Without Weighing Costs to Public Health, EPA Rolls Back Air Pollution Standards for Coal Plants – Inside Climate News

Without Weighing Costs to Public Health, EPA Rolls Back Air Pollution Standards for Coal Plants – Inside Climate News

Last week, when the Environmental Protection Agency finalized its repeal of tightened 2024 air pollution standards for power plants, the agency claimed the rollback would save $670 million.

Environmental and legal experts said that claim is just the latest example of the agency’s flawed accounting process under the Trump administration, which no longer considers the public health benefits of air pollution regulations. Instead, EPA now only considers the costs to companies. 

“If you only look at one side of the ledger, it’s always going to come out one way,” said John Walke, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council and a former EPA attorney. 

The standards limited emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants for coal- and oil-fired power plants across the country. In its announcement, EPA said the repeal of the limits set during the Biden administration will mean “savings American families will see in the form of lower everyday living costs.”

But the rule’s expense to most companies would have been marginal, Walke said. The $670 million is spread across nearly 200 plants, and a significant portion of the cost would fall on just one outdated facility, the Colstrip Steam Electric Station in Montana, which opened in 1975.

“That would be one of the cheapest Clean Air Act rules adopted in a generation. So it really wasn’t about the cost savings,” Walke said. “Frankly, this was an ideological policy consistent with this administration’s agenda that no compliance cost is worth spending.” 

Many of the plants affected by the standards were already meeting them, said Nicholas Morales, senior attorney at Earthjustice. “So by taking away the new standards, what the administration is doing is rewarding the few coal plants that had refused to clean up.”

In 2024, the Biden-era EPA estimated the tougher standards would create $300 million in health benefits and $130 million in climate benefits and would cost companies $860 million between 2028 and 2037. Exposure to the air pollutants emitted by coal and oil-fired power plants, including lead, cadmium and arsenic, can cause cancer as well as irritation to the lungs and skin and symptoms like nausea and vomiting. The EPA also found that the changes would not impact retail electricity prices and would not lead to coal plants’ closures. 

EPA’s 2026 Regulatory Impact Analysis for the repeal of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards amendments lists some of the known health consequences linked to breathing in particulate matter, from heart attacks and strokes to asthma and lung cancer. That paragraph ends with a clear statement: “The EPA did not quantify or monetize the benefits or disbenefits” of any of these health effects.

The repeal “ensures the continuation of the highly effective and robust 2012 MATS requirements,” an EPA spokesperson said in a statement to Inside Climate News, noting that the standards have protected “public health and the environment for years.” By repealing the 2024 standards, “EPA is fulfilling its core mission without compromising America’s energy or economic prosperity.”

Without Weighing Costs to Public Health, EPA Rolls Back Air Pollution Standards for Coal Plants – Inside Climate News

Reviving the shrinking coal industry has been a priority in both of President Donald Trump’s terms. In the last year, he’s forced aging coal plants to keep operating, invested millions in modernizing and extending the lives of others and directed the Pentagon to spend more money on coal-generated electricity. In February, coal industry leaders presented the president with a gold trophy labeled “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal.” 

In a statement, America’s Power CEO Michelle Bloodworth said the EPA’s rollback is “an important step toward maintaining a reliable and affordable supply of electricity and ensuring coal-based generation can continue supporting the nation’s economy and electric grid.” America’s Power is a national coal industry trade organization. 

Rachel Gleason, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance, noted that 23 states, including West Virginia and North Dakota, had challenged the 2024 amendments in court. The states argued that the Biden administration had set “impossible standards” that would “destroy the coal industry.” Gleason said the technology requirements in the update were “unnecessary and were not cost effective.”

Part of the 2024 standards were requirements for plants to update their monitoring equipment from a quarterly system to continuous. “Not only is it not a large cost for these facilities, it’s actually beneficial for the facilities themselves,” said Kevin Cromar, an associate professor of environmental medicine and population health at New York University, whose research focuses on the health impacts of air pollution and climate change. Continuous monitoring helps operators become aware of problems sooner.

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In a preview of this month’s action last April, the Trump administration granted 47 power plants a two-year exemption from the 2024 standards. The administration argued that the Biden-era standards placed “severe burdens” on companies and threatened the “viability” of the coal industry. Missing from the president’s proclamation was any consideration of the health burdens that might be placed on communities living downwind of these plants.

Cromar, along with researchers at the University of Washington, set out to investigate what those burdens might be. The 2024 update represents a minor change when you look at the national picture, Cromar said, mainly because the “vast majority” of plants already meet the standards. “But the paper was able to show that in discrete locations, it’s not an insignificant amount of health impact,” he said. 

The study found Trump’s two-year exemption would mean 2,500 more tons of air pollution and more premature death in certain parts of the country near plants that aren’t yet meeting the standards. 

One of those places is Pennsylvania, home to 14 coal-fired power plants and a long legacy of pollution from the coal industry. Tom Schuster, director of the Sierra Club’s Pennsylvania chapter, lives in western Pennsylvania, not far from some of the state’s largest remaining coal-fired plants. “I’m just over the ridge from there. I can see the steam from the cooling towers on a cold day,” he said.

Schuster worries EPA’s decision could mean backtracking on the progress that has been made since the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards were enacted in 2012, resulting in huge reductions in mercury and hazardous air pollution emissions. In Pennsylvania, mercury remains one of the leading causes of pollution in waterways, and residents are warned to limit consumption of fish from more than 100 lakes, rivers and creeks because of mercury contamination. Mercury bioaccumulates in ecosystems—building up in the bodies of fish and shellfish—and can persist in the environment for decades.

“The gut punch of it is that most of the plants are already complying,” Schuster said. “They’ve already installed the pollution controls. They’re already complying. And by eliminating the need to demonstrate that explicitly, we’re giving them an opportunity to cut corners.”

About This Story

Perhaps you noticed: This story, like all the news we publish, is free to read. That’s because Inside Climate News is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We do not charge a subscription fee, lock our news behind a paywall, or clutter our website with ads. We make our news on climate and the environment freely available to you and anyone who wants it.

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Two of us launched ICN in 2007. Six years later we earned a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, and now we run the oldest and largest dedicated climate newsroom in the nation. We tell the story in all its complexity. We hold polluters accountable. We expose environmental injustice. We debunk misinformation. We scrutinize solutions and inspire action.

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Kiley Bense

Reporter, Pennsylvania

Kiley Bense covers climate change and the environment with a focus on Pennsylvania, politics, energy, and public health. She has reported on the effects of the fracking boom in Pennsylvania, the expansion of the American plastics industry, and the intersection of climate change and culture. Her previous work has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, the Believer, and Sierra Magazine, and she holds master’s degrees in journalism and creative writing from Columbia University. She is based in Pennsylvania.

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What Is Breast Cancer? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

What Is Breast Cancer? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

Breast cancer is a disease that starts in the breast with a malignant tumor. A malignant tumor is a mass of cells that grows out of control. The cancerous cells can also metastasize, or move to other tissues or parts of the body. The cancer can develop in any of the three types of breast tissue: lobules, ducts, and connective tissue. Most cancer begins in the lobules (the milk-producing glands), or in the ducts, along which milk travels to the nipple.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762989129e08-75e8-46db-ac4e-1f1ed89618b0 But tumors can also develop in the fibrous and fatty connective tissue that surrounds the lobules and ducts. Several different types of breast cancer exist. The type of breast cancer and its stage, or how far it has grown, determine the course of treatment for it. Breast cancer that spreads into normal tissue is called invasive breast cancer. Noninvasive breast cancer stays within the breast lobule or duct.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f60a24a3-fd82-4364-9173-be7195d1504a
Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer Symptoms If you notice any of the following symptoms, check in with your healthcare provider.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976295a7f9cd8-0d6f-4d59-88f5-f46b520d7c99e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ba0d4dfd-b185-493e-9877-6e5c5df61555 Any lump in or near the breast or underarm Warmth or unexplained tenderness in the breast A hardening, thickening, or swelling area in the breast Nipple tenderness without another cause Nipple discharge (except breast milk), especially clear or bloody discharge An unexplained change in color, texture, size, or shape of the breasts or nipples Skin dimpling on the breast or enlarged pores (like an orange skin) Swelling, redness, scaliness, or general pain in the breast or nipples Nipples that turn inward without explanation Irritated or itchy breasts A rash on the breast, which can be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer While a lump can be a sign of cancer, nearly 80 percent of lumps found in the breast turn out to be noncancerous.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762962ebf22d-451a-494d-a697-fc37c08ed11f The most common causes of noncancerous lumps include: Fibrocystic changes as a result of hormonal fluctuations Cysts Benign lumps called fibroadenomas Wart-like growths called intraductal papillomas Fatty tissue that occurs as a result of trauma to the breast
Causes and Risk Factors of Breast Cancer Causes The biggest risk factors for this disease, besides female sex, include:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c3e5d66d-70c8-428b-a7ba-cd2ba36d3a8a Age — risk starts to rise after age 50 A family history Genetics Previous exposure to radiation Each woman’s risk involves a combination of different factors. If you’re concerned, your doctor can help you assess how great your risk is and whether you need to take any extra precautions with regard to screening.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c3e5d66d-70c8-428b-a7ba-cd2ba36d3a8a Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer: BRCA1 and BRCA2 In some cases, particularly if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, a doctor may suggest genetic testing for two of the most common gene mutations known to increase risk for developing these cancers: BRCA1 and BRCA2 . Inherited BRCA gene mutations cause about 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers and about 10 to 15 percent of ovarian cancers.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629941f3849-65f8-4670-b5c7-df654e3e24c3 There are other genes implicated in breast cancer risk, though they are much rarer than the BRCA mutations.
How Is Breast Cancer Diagnosed? Diagnosis Doctors can screen for breast cancer using a mammogram . A mammogram is an X-ray with low-dose radiation that lets doctors look for abnormalities in the breast tissue. Doctors may also use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, or 3D mammography (called breast tomosynthesis) to further examine suspicious mammogram findings or inconclusive results, such as in cases of extremely dense breast tissue. An MRI uses a large magnet to create images of the breast. An ultrasound sends sound waves into the breast that create an image when they bounce back. A 3D mammogram uses X-rays like a regular mammogram, but it takes multiple image slices of the breast at different angles to construct a 3D image.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629233de424-77c9-4dc3-9f9c-cd82a549f4df Screening tests look for possible signs of breast cancer but cannot diagnose it. If doctors see a suspicious lump or mass of cells, they may use some of those same tests to get a closer look at the abnormal area. A diagnostic mammogram provides more detail in the image of the breast.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c4b7b292-b4c7-4e80-85f2-750a765d148d The only way to make a certain diagnosis of breast cancer is a biopsy . A biopsy involves removing some breast tissue from the suspicious area and looking at the cells under a microscope.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976295f6242e9-ccde-492f-9301-5e6e58bb4a8e Finding Your Best Treatment Team After receiving a diagnosis, you will have several decisions to make about the healthcare providers who will handle your treatment. e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ab2df9af-643c-4b3e-9ef0-bd60a6024648Cancer treatment usually involves a team of people, such as a surgeon, a medical oncologist, a nurse practitioner, a counselor, a patient navigator, and specialists associated with your cancer type. Factors to consider in choosing your oncologist and treatment team are their expertise in your cancer type, what your insurance will cover, your ability to travel to and from appointments and procedures, and recommendations from others. Even after you have a treatment team, it is a good idea to look for another oncologist to get a second opinion about your diagnosis and treatment options. It is acceptable and sometimes common to change doctors during your treatment if you need to.
Breast Cancer Stages 0–4 Doctors use stages of breast cancer to describe how far along the cancer has grown or spread. Stages range from 0 to 4 (often expressed in Roman numerals, I–IV). Each stage has further subcategories of A, B, or C.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629121518ac-02bc-4479-a4f3-c0156dc7d9d3 Stage 0 The cancer is noninvasive and shows no evidence of leaving the part of the breast where it began. One type of stage 0 cancer is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Stage 1 The cancer cells are spreading to surrounding breast tissue, but the group of cancer cells or the tumor remains very small. It is usually easily treatable. Stage 2 The cancer has begun to grow but it remains only in the breast or nearby lymph nodes. Treatment is not usually very difficult. Stage 3 The cancer has begun invading lymph nodes, muscle, and other body tissue near the breast, but it has not reached organs farther away. Treatments vary according to the person and type of breast cancer. Stage 4 The cancer is very advanced and has spread to several organs or other parts of the body. Stage 4 breast cancer is considered incurable, but women may live several years or more with ongoing treatment. Different Types of Breast Cancer and Precancer DCIS/LCIS: The Slow-Moving Breast Cancers A biopsy may reveal a noninvasive cancer that is not growing beyond its starting location. These types of cancers are called carcinoma in situ.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629066823c2-22b1-46ae-a0b3-0d70489cc545 “Carcinoma” refers to a cancer that begins in the outer layer of cells around an organ. “In situ” means something stays where it began. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) are the two types of in situ carcinoma in the breast. Doctors usually find DCIS or LCIS on a mammogram or other imaging because they rarely have signs or symptoms.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762907c8e5fe-f9eb-439a-8d16-7b0afd952885 DCIS means abnormal cells exist in the lining of the milk ducts but have not invaded surrounding breast tissue. DCIS can become invasive cancer if not treated.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629efda0510-683c-4afb-b0a2-8b1527f0bcf5 LCIS occurs in the breast lobules, where breast milk is produced, without spreading further. LCIS is not technically cancer, but it is sometimes called precancerous.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762907c8e5fe-f9eb-439a-8d16-7b0afd952885 LCIS is less common than DCIS but indicates a higher risk of invasive cancer. LCIS may not require treatment beyond observation to see whether breast cancer develops.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762907c8e5fe-f9eb-439a-8d16-7b0afd952885 Invasive Breast Cancer Invasive (or infiltrative) ductal carcinoma (IDC) is the most common type of breast cancer and the type most likely to occur in men. It makes up 80 percent of all new breast cancer cases and becomes more common with older age.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976290a5c61b3-7cab-43bf-97bf-6482878e0561 Like DCIS, IDC begins in the milk ducts, but it spreads beyond the ducts into the surrounding fatty tissue. It may continue to spread into the lymph nodes and bloodstream. Treatment for IDC will depend on the stage, the type of breast cancer, its aggressiveness, and other characteristics. Treatment generally consists of some combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. Triple Negative and HER-2 Negative Breast Cancer A subset of women diagnosed with breast cancer will be told that their tumor is triple negative, which means that the cells within the tumor lack receptors on their surface that respond to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) as well as estrogen and progesterone receptors.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f94cc0bb-176d-4902-b8bd-6ee63ed66e1a What does that mean? Some of the drugs used to treat breast cancer, which are designed to interact with these receptors, won’t be useful in these cases. Doctors will need to tailor a treatment regimen to other weaknesses in this tumor type. Prognosis of Breast Cancer Prognosis depends on the stage of breast cancer and the general health of any given individual. But broadly, rates of death from breast cancer have been decreasing. The majority of women survive this cancer. Overall, 90 percent of women will survive at least five years after being diagnosed with breast cancer.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976299dab9e2a-5465-412e-851f-29984e8f5400 As of May 2024, more than four million women in the United States have a history of breast cancer.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629fcee515d-8778-48e5-9e53-eed479f8291c
Duration of Breast Cancer Duration How long does breast cancer last? There is no simple answer. Different treatment plans follow different timetables. Depending on your individual needs, it may be necessary to take time off from work — to recover from surgery or a cycle of chemotherapy.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629a043d67e-14d3-4200-a532-c01be2199ef5 Recurrent breast cancer is breast cancer that returns after initial treatment; it may occur months or years after your initial treatment.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629fa2dc794-e106-4b71-a56d-5986cce04dcc The highest risk of recurrence is during the first two years after treatment, though the majority of patients won’t experience recurrence.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629e31478d0-8531-4b97-8f44-efc2dd47ae65 There’s currently no cure for metastatic breast cancer (stage 4 breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body) but with treatment to control it, many patients with the disease now live productive, fulfilling lives for years.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762978c41490-7748-4ddd-80c0-734c03863ec2
Treatment and Medication Options for Breast Cancer Treatment A treatment plan will depend on what type and stage of breast cancer you have and how aggressive it is. Breast cancer is most commonly treated with surgery, often accompanied by treatments to help rid the body of cancer cells or ensure that it remains cancer-free.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c517dd4e-5a42-4edc-b0fb-771bb63e7abc Surgical treatments include lumpectomy , in which a small portion of the breast (where the tumor is located) is removed. If more tissue needs to be removed, your surgeon will perform a partial mastectomy. A mastectomy is the removal of one or both breasts and may include removal of lymph nodes and armpit tissue. Along with surgery, radiation may be used to kill cancer cells that remain in the area. Most women who have had all or part of a breast removed can have reconstructive surgery for their breast (or breasts), to match the size and shape of the other breast or their original breasts. Medication Options A range of medications, involved in chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and biologic targeted therapy, may be used to treat breast cancer. These medication regimens are considered systemic treatment, since they affect cells throughout the body.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c517dd4e-5a42-4edc-b0fb-771bb63e7abc Chemotherapy involves a combination of drugs used to destroy cancer cells or slow their growth. Chemotherapy can be given before or after breast cancer surgery. Your doctor will determine if chemotherapy is right for you based on the type and size of tumor you have, the degree to which your lymph nodes are involved, and the risk of cancer spreading.
If your type of cancer is found to be sensitive to hormones, you may need hormone therapy, which interferes with the body’s ability to produce or use hormones, thereby slowing or stopping the growth of tumors. Hormone therapy for cancer is not the same as hormone therapy for menopause. Hormone therapy treatments include medications called selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), which block hormones from attaching to cancer cells; aromatase inhibitors, which stop the body from making estrogen after menopause; and Faslodex (fulvestrant), which targets estrogen receptors for destruction.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762922b09f51-8440-4415-b669-b1abdfa50a96 Removal of the ovaries or medications that stop the ovaries from making estrogen may also be recommended. Biologic targeted therapy uses drugs that can alter the behavior of breast cancer cells. Immunotherapy uses medications to stimulate the body’s immune response in order to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. Immunotherapy may be used for some forms of breast cancer.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762955878e4a-a938-4833-8eb0-71db87740952 Alternative and Complementary Therapies In addition to medical interventions, you may want to consider complementary therapies, particularly to help manage symptoms as well as side effects from treatment. Acupuncture, massage, meditation, mindfulness, and visualization may help reduce stress and anxiety, relieve pain, and improve mood.
Diet and Breast Cancer: Is There a Right Way to Eat? A healthy diet helps your body remain strong while you undergo breast cancer treatments. Your diet can help your body rebuild damaged tissue, reduce therapy side effects, and reduce the risk of infection.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976294e0d01fc-d925-456e-b513-9eb26207d489 A healthy diet includes a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy, and lean, high-protein foods, such as chicken, fish, legumes, and beans. It is important to get enough calories each day even if you don’t feel like eating. Some breast cancer treatments may have side effects that make it difficult to eat well. These side effects may include nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, dehydration, a sore mouth or throat, weight gain, or changes to your sense of taste or smell.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629a56b6926-0e79-46dc-a481-5810acf136ce Your doctor can help you identify strategies to treat these side effects, reduce their impact, and find ways to eat as healthfully as possible despite the effects. Foods to avoid during breast cancer treatment include alcohol, fried or greasy foods, and foods with high amounts of fat or sugar. Breast Cancer Doesn’t Mean Giving Up Your Gym Membership There was a time when women with breast cancer were told to rest, and exercise was an afterthought. But a growing body of research suggests that a reasonable exercise program not only won’t hurt but might actually benefit patients by relieving treatment-related fatigue, reducing the risk of lymphedema (a painful buildup of fluid in the lymph nodes), and improving cognitive function, which many women say can be impaired by treatment. Prevention of Breast Cancer While you can’t change certain risk factors, such as your family history or your age, research shows that there are a number of lifestyle modifications you can make to reduce your risk of breast cancer, even if you’re high risk. Limit yourself to less than one alcoholic drink a day and don’t smoke. Control your weight — being overweight or obese increases your risk of breast cancer, particularly after menopause. Exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight. The American Cancer Society recommends that adults get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week (or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity), ideally spread throughout the week.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f1c90f39-c957-44b7-bb25-c5dcac4b4645 Women who breastfeed for at least several months may also lower their risk.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f1c90f39-c957-44b7-bb25-c5dcac4b4645 Hormone therapy to alleviate symptoms during menopause can increase your risk of breast cancer. Consider nonhormonal options or use the lowest dose that works for you. e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629d5ce2d02-45d8-411e-a93c-87b5b1d22b85 Try to avoid exposure to radiation and environmental pollution. Medical-imaging methods, such as computerized tomography, use high doses of radiation. While more studies are needed, some research suggests a link between breast cancer and cumulative exposure to radiation over your lifetime.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629588a066c-3def-42d3-a9a3-545d4a0f654d Reduce your exposure by having such tests only when absolutely necessary. Women who are at an increased risk of breast cancer — because of a family history or because genetic testing has revealed a mutation in their BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene — should opt for closer monitoring by their healthcare provider and consider taking certain medications that may reduce the risk in certain high-risk women. For women with a very high risk, preventive surgery is an option to consider.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f1c90f39-c957-44b7-bb25-c5dcac4b4645
Complications of Breast Cancer Complications As with treatment, possible complications of breast cancer depend on the type and stage of breast cancer you have. A number of the complications are side effects of treatment, which may continue after treatment stops. Depending on what kind of treatment you’ve had, these can include:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629eb93162e-44d6-4c58-a4c6-3ffc76131a7a Fatigue Headaches Osteoporosis Blood clots Heart problems Infertility Menopausal symptoms Dental issues Some patients develop a chronic condition called lymphedema after treatment. Lymphatic fluid accumulates in the tissues, causing swelling. Lymphedema usually results from the removal of lymph nodes or damage to them.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629dca5d399-ad68-48cb-9582-3e1eb8eea2ff
Research and Statistics: Who Has Breast Cancer? Research and Statistics Breast cancer makes up about 30 percent of new cancer diagnoses in women.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976291b3e97bd-7831-4423-a050-7603641fba35 But the rate of breast cancer cases began dropping in the year 2000 and has continued declining since. About 1 in 8 women (about 12.4 percent of women) will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at some point in their lives.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762981a7fb06-edbc-40f9-bddb-8a8377e4e1f4 Breast cancer can occur in anyone with breast tissue, but it’s much rarer in men than in women. The disease is more common in middle age. About 1 in 4 breast cancer cases occur in women between ages 55 and 64.
Black Americans and Breast Cancer Black Americans and Breast Cancer The incidence of breast cancer overall is slightly higher for white women than Black women, but in women under 45, breast cancer is more common in Black women. Black women are also more likely to die from breast cancer than women of other races or ethnicities.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ea983f45-8817-4efb-b938-23eb116d4533 At least some of this increased risk is due to less access to follow-up care after an abnormal mammogram and lower rates of health insurance.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762916098fde-7bad-4400-ac6e-548c20e32c27
Related Conditions of Breast Cancer Related Conditions Ovarian Cancer Most breast and ovarian cancers are not caused by genetic mutations, but mutations in the BRCA 1 and BRCA2 genes, which increase the risk of breast cancer, also increase the risk of ovarian cancer in women.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f7d8a0a1-08ef-4968-b298-2ff68c9aaa3e Women with a family history of these cancers may want to consider genetic testing.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629e431f8ce-340e-401b-99b7-d04ae71b92c1 Periodontal Disease Research has suggested a connection between periodontal disease (gum disease) and breast cancer. In a meta-analysis of studies published in 2018 in Frontiers in Oncology, study authors concluded that periodontal disease may be a potential risk factor for the development of breast cancer among women, and that effective periodontal therapy could serve as a valuable preventive measure against breast cancer.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629b6fa9025-d8e9-431c-9bca-487a48ec87f5
The Takeaway Breast cancer is a complex disease that starts in the breast and can spread, but early detection and tailored treatments improve outcomes. Noticing signs like lumps, nipple discharge, or changes in breast appearance should prompt a checkup with your healthcare provider. Regular screenings and prioritizing a healthy lifestyle are key takeaways to help manage your risk.
Resources We Trust Mayo Clinic: Assessing Breast Cancer RiskCleveland Clinic: Breast Cancer: Getting a Second OpinionAmerican Cancer Society: What Is Breast Cancer?National Cancer Institute: Breast Cancer Treatment During Pregnancy (PDQ) — Patient VersionNational Breast Cancer Foundation: Types of Breast Cancer

Great Job Tara Haelle & the Team @ google-discover for sharing this story.

The Best MicroSD Cards I’ve Tried

The Best MicroSD Cards I’ve Tried

Shopping for a MicroSD card can be a little daunting. There are a ton of numbers to consider, a huge number of brands producing cards with similar-sounding features and names, and words like Pro, Extreme, and Express getting thrown around everywhere.

To make a long story short, unless you’re shooting a ton of photos and videos, and doing so even semiprofessionally where losing those shots might be detrimental to your professional reputation, you’re fine to buy a MicroSD card from any company whose name you’ve heard before. I prefer cards from PNY, SanDisk, and Lexar. Keep an eye out for the “U” symbol with a 3 inside, or a “V30” on the card for the best balance of speed and price. There are two exceptions to that suggestion:

If you’re shooting on a high-end camera, you should consider a V60 MicroSD card, if you can find one for a reasonable price. Some cameras have extra video features you can enable with a faster MicroSD card, so check your manual for more info on whether you need to upgrade.

If you’re buying for a Nintendo Switch 2, you’ll need an unfortunately more expensive MicroSD Express card. While you can transfer images and videos from your Switch 2 with most regular MicroSD cards, you’ll need an Express version to use it for actually running games.

Capacity

How much storage you need will largely depend on your needs, but there are a few things to consider when debating between 128 GB and 1 TB. The first is that MicroSD cards are tiny, and having to swap them out on the road can be a risky proposition. Costs tend to go up exponentially for 1 TB and 2 TB cards, but the gap between 256 GB and 512 GB isn’t that large, so I recommend sizing up a bit.

The other factor is that storage sizes are also separated into different standards, so you’ll want to make sure your device actually supports that larger card. Cards that are 64 GB are higher are technically “SDXC” for Extended Capacity, and are currently the most common type, and you should be able to use them in most modern situations.

Speed

If you’re interested in learning more about MicroSD speeds, we have a write-up with a full explanation of the different speeds and how they interact, but I’ll give you the quick rundown here too.

Each MicroSD card will have its actual minimum sequential write speed indicated by a letter and number on the card. The number indicates the speed in MB/s, with the letter representing the generation. A C10, U1, and V10 are all essentially the same speed, just written differently, so you’re likely to see multiple symbols printed on each card. I’d recommend checking out the SD Association’s page on speeds with a handy chart showing the full comparison.

In practice, you have to go out of your way to find a MicroSD card that’s slower than V30/U3 at most retailers, though you may find them included with some electronics that don’t require anything more substantial.

Great Job Brad Bourque & the Team @ WIRED for sharing this story.

Trump Officials Attended a Summit of Election Deniers Who Want the President to Take Over the Midterms

Trump Officials Attended a Summit of Election Deniers Who Want the President to Take Over the Midterms

Several high-ranking federal election officials attended a summit last week at which prominent figures who worked to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election pressed the president to declare a national emergency to take over this year’s midterms.

According to videos, photos and social media posts reviewed by ProPublica, the meeting’s participants included Kurt Olsen, a White House lawyer charged with reinvestigating the 2020 election, and Heather Honey, the Department of Homeland Security official in charge of election integrity. The event was convened by Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, and attended by Cleta Mitchell, who directs the Election Integrity Network, a group that has spread false claims about election fraud and noncitizen voting. 

Election experts say that the meeting reflects an intensifying push to persuade Trump to take unprecedented actions to affect the vote in November. Courts have largely blocked his efforts to reshape elections through an executive order, and legislation has stalled in Congress that would mandate strict voter ID requirements across the country.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that activists associated with those at the summit have been circulating a draft of an executive order that would ban mail-in ballots and get rid of voting machines as part of a federal takeover. Peter Ticktin, a lawyer who worked on the executive order and had a client at the summit, told ProPublica these actions were “all part of the same effort.” 

The summit followed other meetings and discussions between administration officials and activists — many not previously reported — stretching back to at least last fall, according to emails and recordings obtained by ProPublica. The coordination between those inside and outside the government represents a breakdown of crucial guardrails, experts on U.S. elections said.

“The meeting shows that the same people who tried to overturn the 2020 election have only grown better organized and are now embedded in the machinery of government,” said Brendan Fischer, a director at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan pro-democracy organization. “This creates substantial risk that the administration is laying the groundwork to improperly reshape elections ahead of the midterms or even go against the will of the voters.”

Five of six federal officials who attended the summit didn’t answer questions about the event from ProPublica. 

A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said federal officials’ attendance at the gathering shouldn’t be construed as support for a national emergency declaration and that it was “common practice” for staffers to communicate with outside advocates who want to share policy ideas. The official pointed to comments Trump made to PBS News denying he was considering a national emergency or had read the draft executive order. “Any speculation about policies the administration may or may not undertake is just that — speculation,” the official said.

In the past, Trump has expressed an openness to a federal takeover as a way to stem projected Republican losses in November. This month, he said in an interview with conservative podcaster Dan Bongino that Republicans need “to take over” elections and “to nationalize the voting.”

Mitchell did not respond to questions from ProPublica about the summit. A spokesperson for Flynn responded to detailed questions from ProPublica by disparaging experts who expressed concerns, texting, “LOL ‘EXPERTS.’” 

The 30-person roundtable discussion on Feb. 19, at an office building in downtown Washington, D.C., was sponsored by the Gold Institute for International Strategy, a conservative think tank. Afterward, activists and government officials dined together, photos reviewed by ProPublica showed.

Flynn, the institute’s chair, told a social media personality why he’d arranged the event. 

“I wanted to bring this group together physically, because most of us have met online” while “fighting battles” in swing states from Arizona to Georgia, Flynn said to Tommy Robinson on the gathering’s sidelines. Robinson posted videos of these interactions online. “The overall theme of this event was to make sure that all of us aren’t operating in our own little bubbles.”

Flynn has repeatedly advocated for Trump to declare a national emergency and posted on social media after the event addressing Trump, “We The People want fair elections and we know there is only one office in the land that can make that happen given the current political environment in the United States.”

In addition to Olsen and Honey, four other federal officials from agencies that will shape the upcoming elections attended the event. At least four of the six attended the dinner.

One is Clay Parikh, a special government employee at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who’s helping Olsen with the 2020 inquiry. A spokesperson at ODNI said Parikh had attended the summit “in his personal capacity.” 

Another, Mac Warner, handled election litigation at the Justice Department. A department spokesperson said that Warner had resigned the day after the event and had not received the required approval from agency ethics officials to participate.  

The department “remains committed to upholding the integrity of our electoral system and will continue to prioritize efforts to ensure all elections remain free, fair, and transparent,” the spokesperson said in an email.

A third administration official who attended the summit, Marci McCarthy, directs communications for the nation’s cyber defense agency, which oversees the security of elections infrastructure like voting machines. 

Kari Lake, whom Trump appointed as senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, was a featured speaker. Lake worked with Olsen and Parikh in her unsuccessful bid to overturn her loss in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election.

Lake said in an email that she “showed up to the event, spoke for about 20 minutes about the overall importance of election integrity, a non-partisan issue that matters to all citizens — both in the United States and abroad. I left without listening to any other speeches.” 

“Elections should be free from fraud or any other malfeasance that subverts the will of the people,” she added. 

At the meeting, activists presented on ways to transform American elections that would help conservatives, according to social media posts and interviews they gave on conservative media, such as LindellTV, a streaming platform created by the pillow mogul Mike Lindell. They said the group broke down into two camps: those who wanted to pursue a more incremental legal and legislative strategy and those who wanted Trump to declare a national emergency.

Multiple activists left the meeting convinced Trump should do the latter, a step they believe would allow the president to get around the Constitution’s directive that elections should be run by states. 

Former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne, a prominent funder of efforts to overturn the 2020 election, told LindellTV that Trump has “played nice” so far in not seizing control of American elections. “But at some point,” Byrne said, “he’s got to do something, the muscular thing: declare a national emergency.”

Byrne responded to questions from ProPublica by sending a screenshot of a poll that he said suggested “2/3 of Americans correctly do not trust” voting machines, which the proposed national emergency declaration aims to do away with.

Will Huff, who has advocated for doing away with voting machines, told a conservative vlogger that Olsen, the White House lawyer, and other administration representatives would take the “consensus” from the gathering back to Trump. “It’s got to be a national emergency,” said Huff, the campaign manager for a Republican candidate for Arkansas secretary of state.

In response to questions from ProPublica, Huff said in an email that Olsen and Trump would use their judgment to decide whether to declare a national emergency. 

“The President has been briefed on findings of shortcomings in election infrastructure,” Huff wrote. “I believe there are steady hands around the President wanting to ensure that any action taken is, first, constitutional and legal, but also backed by evidence.”

McCarthy, the cybersecurity official, expressed more general solidarity with fellow attendees in a post on social media about the summit. “Grateful for friendships forged through years of standing shoulder-to-shoulder, united by purpose and conviction,” she wrote. “The mission continues… and so does the fellowship.”

Marci McCarthy, second from left, Heather Honey, fourth from right, and Cleta Mitchell, third from right, were among the conservative activists and officials who attended the summit. McCarthy posted about the event on LinkedIn. Screenshot by ProPublica. Redactions by ProPublica.

Last week’s gathering was the latest in a string of private interactions between conservative election activists and administration officials, according to emails, documents and recordings obtained by ProPublica. Many have involved Mitchell’s Election Integrity Network. Before taking her government post, Honey was a leader in the Election Integrity Network, ProPublica has reported, as was McCarthy.

Previously unreported emails obtained by ProPublica show that just weeks after Honey started at the Department of Homeland Security, she briefed election activists, a Republican secretary of state and another federal official on a conference call arranged by her former boss, Mitchell.

“We are excited to welcome her on our call this morning to hear about her work for election integrity inside DHS,” Mitchell wrote in an email introducing presenters on the call.

Honey didn’t respond to questions from ProPublica about the call. Experts said Honey’s briefing gave her former employer access that likely would have violated ethics rules in place under previous administrations, including the first Trump administration — though not this one.

The prior “ethics guardrails would have prevented some of the revolving door issues we’re seeing between the election denial movement and the government officials,” said Fischer, the Campaign Legal Center director. Those prior rules “were supposed to prevent former employers and clients from receiving privileged access.”

Great Job Doug Bock Clark & the Team @ ProPublica for sharing this story.

Paradise Season 3: Cast, Rumours & Release Date – Our Culture

Paradise Season 3: Cast, Rumours & Release Date – Our Culture

Post-apocalyptic series Paradise is back with season 2, which takes the action outside the Colorado bunker. With a strong cast and the kind of plot you can’t look away from, it’s a show tailor-made for thriller and sci-fi enthusiasts.

So much so that, despite the second season having just premiered on Disney+ in the UK, some fans are wondering whether a third outing may be in the cards. Here’s what we know so far.

Paradise Season 3 Release Date

At the time of writing, Paradise hasn’t been officially picked up for more episodes. That said, we’re cautiously optimistic.

Creator Dan Fogelman previously stated that he has a three-year master plan, and writer John Hoberg confirmed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that work on a third season is underway. He also hinted that it will be the final one.

All in all, things are looking good. Timeline-wise, Paradise season 3 might arrive sometime in early 2027.

Paradise Cast

  • Sterling K. Brown as Xavier Collins
  • Julianne Nicholson as Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond
  • Sarah Shahi as Gabriela Torabi
  • Nicole Brydon Bloom as Jane Driscoll
  • James Marsden as Cal Bradford
  • Krys Marshall as Nicole Robinson
  • Enuka Okuma as Teri Rogers-Collins
  • Shailene Woodley as Annie Clay
  • Thomas Doherty as Link

What Could Happen in Paradise Season 3?

While Paradise kicks off as a tense mystery thriller, it quickly reveals itself to be a sprawling post-apocalyptic drama. Three years after a global cataclysm, much of human civilisation has collapsed. A massive underground bunker city known simply as Paradise was built to protect a select group of survivors, including political leaders and billionaires.

Inside this subterranean enclave, Secret Service agent Xavier Collins is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the shocking death of a U.S. president. But Paradise is not just a safe haven. Turns out, it’s a tangle of secrets and power struggles. As expected, the price of survival is steep.

The first season ended with Xavier escaping the bunker and determined to search for his missing wife Teri. Season 2, which debuted with three episodes, picks up from there, painting a grim picture of what life looks like above ground. There are new mysteries and exciting cliffhangers that will make you come back from more.

By the looks of it, this installment will explore the world at large, while also keeping tabs on those still in the bunker. Depending on how things go, Paradise season 3 might see the outside collide with the inside, and finally let us know whether humanity still has a shot at long-term survival.

Until then, you can catch weekly season 2 episodes on Disney+, with the finale scheduled for March 30.

Are There Other Shows Like Paradise?

If you like Paradise, you should check out other series that keep you guessing. Like The Last of Us, Lost, The 100, Fallout, The Leftovers, Silo, Fringe, or Counterpart.

Great Job Alexandra Pleșa & the Team @ Our Culture Source link for sharing this story.

Meet the Gen Z college students who turned Excel into a competitive esport—they’re competing in spreadsheet challenges and it’s helping them land jobs | Fortune

Meet the Gen Z college students who turned Excel into a competitive esport—they’re competing in spreadsheet challenges and it’s helping them land jobs | Fortune

If you’ve ever opened a spreadsheet, chances are you probably didn’t find it particularly fun—or feel eager to open it again in your free time. 

But at dozens of universities across the country, devoted Excel fans are gathering in classrooms, firing up their laptops, and racing against the clock to solve complex spreadsheet challenges. What started as a niche hobby has evolved into a competitive collegiate esport that culminates each year in a global competition sponsored by Microsoft, aired on ESPN, and features a $100,000 prize fund.

Beyond the novelty of being a spreadsheet master, participants and sponsors say Excel esports offers something more meaningful: a way for Gen Z students to turn their passions into professional opportunities. It’s giving students a chance to showcase highly sought-after skills like problem-solving under pressure, analytical thinking, and the ability to collaborate in team-based environments.

For Nate Insko, now a senior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) on the school’s Excel esports team, that edge proved tangible. While applying for post-grad jobs, he interviewed with companies including Wells Fargo, Boston Consulting Group, and Raymond James, and nearly every time, recruiters asked about his experience as a competitive Excel player.

“When you’re rolling your finger down the resume and you see, ‘Oh my gosh, competitive Excel, What is this like? I want to talk to this kid about this,’” Insko told Fortune. “Just that alone is enough to get you in the interview room.”

That distinction ultimately helped him secure a role as an incoming investment banking analyst at Harris Williams—proof that in a crowded job market, even something as unlikely as competitive Excel can be the edge that sets a candidate apart.

Turning Excel skills into a job offer

Excel competitions themselves are far from ordinary. Students build complex formulas to perform everything from risk-and-return calculations for stock portfolios to mock video game avatar tracking systems. It’s high speed, high-pressure problem-solving—just with spreadsheets.

That technical prowess has turned players into unlikely campus celebrities. Last academic year, it wasn’t football or baseball that brought home a championship trophy at UTK—it was Excel.

Ben Northern, who was finishing his industrial engineering master’s program, was part of the 2024 Microsoft Excel World Championship team. After six months of competition, they bested 8,000 students from more than 70 schools worldwide, culminating in a final showdown in Las Vegas. Northern described the victory as “literally a dream come true.”

“A year ago, I had no clue what Excel esports was, and now here we were, world champions,” he told Fortune. 

The title quickly paid off. One company flew Northern out after finding him through the championship, and he ultimately landed a full-time project management role at Pilot Company, a truck-stop chain majority-owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

Eric Kelley, a finance professor at UTK and faculty advisor for the Excel esports team, said the skills used with competitive spreadsheets give students an automatic leg up in the hiring process—but it goes beyond companies caring about applicants knowing how to properly wrangle and analyze data.

“The interviewer will look at their resume, and they’ll see [Excel esports], and they’ll say, what is that? Tell me about it,” Kelley said. “They get to tell a story.”

As AI makes it easier for students to polish resumes and cover letters, Kelley said having something tangible, competitive, and niche like Excel esports can make all the difference.

“What I tell my students is the world is hungry for problem solvers, and if you can demonstrate that you can solve problems, then you’re valuable to some employer,” he said.

NIL isn’t just for popular sports—even Excel esports teams are landing deals

Excel esports has also begun attracting sponsorship money, which is typically reserved for traditional athletics.

After one of the team members applied for a corporate job at Weigel’s—a local convenience store chain with about 90 locations—the company took interest in the Excel squad. It signed one of the first name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals in Excel esports, providing funding for travel and equipment.

“It’s a win-win for everyone,” said Greg Adkins, president of New Frame Creative, a Knoxville-based marketing firm that coordinates Weigel’s NIL deals. He helped produce a viral Instagram video featuring the team—shot with the same polish typically reserved for football or basketball players.

Having an NIL sponsorship to your name can also travel well beyond campus, Adkins added.

“If you’re talking to two candidates for a job, and one of them says, I know how to use Microsoft Excel, and the other one says, I’m so good at Microsoft Excel I got a sponsorship from a large convenience store chain,” Adkins said. “I definitely think it’s an advantage.”

Great Job Preston Fore & the Team @ Fortune | FORTUNE for sharing this story.

Michael Jackson Former Family Friends Reportedly Sue His Estate For Alleged Sex Trafficking & Abuse

Michael Jackson Former Family Friends Reportedly Sue His Estate For Alleged Sex Trafficking & Abuse

Michael Jackson’s former family friends, the Cascios, have reportedly filed a lawsuit against his estate, alleging sex trafficking and abuse. According to TMZ, members of the Cascio family claim they endured decades of misconduct, starting when some of them were minors.

RELATED: Aht! Aht! Michael Jackson’s Estate Reportedly Reacts After Sexyy Red Samples ‘Beat it’ With SPICY NSFW Lyrics (VIDEO)

Cascios Family Claims Michael Jackson Subjected Them To Years Of Misconduct

Edward Cascio, Dominic Cascio, Marie Porte, and Aldo Cascio filed a lawsuit against The Michael Jackson Company, accusing the corporation of sex trafficking children through force, fraud, and coercion. In the suit, they claim the pop icon carried out the alleged conduct for years, starting when some of them were just seven or eight years old. The siblings stated that Jackson would insert himself into their lives by showering them with gifts and giving them access to his lavish lifestyle. Afterwards, he would allegedly separate them from each other and from their families before carrying out years of abuse.

The lawsuit lists several accusations, including claims that he targeted the siblings during interstate and international trips, taking them to places like Switzerland, Florida, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Edward Cascio specifically alleges that Jackson assault him inside Elizabeth Taylor’s home in Switzerland and Elton John’s home in the United Kingdom. The Cascios also argue that Jackson tried to normalize the abuse by showing them explicit photos of nude children. Additionally, the family mentioned that MJ frequently used prescription drugs such as Xanax and Vicodin.

The Cascios previously approached Jackson’s estate after watching the 2019 ‘Leaving Neverland’ documentary, leading them to secure a settlement. TMZ notes that each sibling reportedly collected $690K, per year for five years, but they now consider that amount insufficient. Their attorney, Mark Geragos, reportedly traveled to Los Angeles last month in an effort to void the agreement. However, MJ’s estate lawyer, Marty Singer, pushed back and accused the siblings of attempting to extort the late singer’s team.

Social Media Reacts To Allegations In MJ Lawsuit

After The Shade Room posted the details about the suit against Michael Jackson’s estate, fans flooded the comment section. Some said they don’t believe the allegations, while others insisted on letting the “King of Pop” rest in peace.

Instagram user @liyaahjasinyah wrote, “Bro he’s been gone since 2009 be fr rn.” 

Instagram user @thegatheringspots wrote, “It’s still Black History Month.” 

While Instagram user @sheismichaela wrote, “Yeah.. this is where you cut it out.” 

Then Instagram user @joshuamccravey wrote, “Mike been gone longer than most children on the internet been alive. Please let him rest in peace already.” 

Another Instagram user @jcockerhamofficial wrote, “WE THE PEOPLE DON’T BELIEVE YOU BEAT IT!” 

Instagram user @deucecaliber wrote, “Ain’t no way. This man ain’t got a good 24 hrs rest since he passed ” 

Then another Instagram user @saucee.chasee wrote, “anything to take the spot light off the Epstein files.. we ain’t having it. nice try.” 

Finally, Instagram user @_jadaabigail wrote, “You guys don’t want to let this man rest in peace.”

MJ’s Estate Previously Made Headlines For Reportedly Reacting To Sexyy Red’s ‘Beat It’ Sample

Earlier this month, Michael’s team made headlines after Sexyy Red teased a spicy sample of ‘Beat It.’ Some fans thought she was just trolling and having fun in the studio, but the viral clip reportedly caught MJ’s estate’s attention. ‘Breakfast Club’ host Loren Lorosa said a spokesperson from the estate spoke with her exclusively, making it clear that Sexyy Red didn’t have permission to use Michael’s music. The spokesperson also added that the estate had no idea about Red’s sample before it went viral.

RELATED: Really HIM! Celebrating Michael Jackson & 5 Moments That Still Have The Internet Shook (VIDEOS) 

What Do You Think Roomies?

Great Job Ashley Rushford & the Team @ The Shade Room for sharing this story.

Tempers flare between Nuggets and Thunder as Dort is ejected after fouling Jokic

Tempers flare between Nuggets and Thunder as Dort is ejected after fouling Jokic

OKLAHOMA CITY – Thunder guard Lu Dort was ejected as tempers flared in the fourth quarter of Oklahoma City’s 127-121 overtime victory over Nikola Jokic and Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

Dort fouled Jokic, and the Denver star got in Dort’s face. A scrum ensued and Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams were called for offsetting technical fouls. Dort was issued a Flagrant 2 and ejected.

The situation was brewing from the start. The Thunder beat Denver 4-3 in the Western Conference semifinals last season, and the Nuggets — especially Jokic — were committed to matching Oklahoma City’s aggressive style.

Dort was a first-team All-Defensive selection last season with a reputation for pushing the boundaries of acceptable physical play. Crew chief James Williams said after the game that Dort’s hip check/trip combination was dangerous.

“Lu Dort was assessed a flagrant foul penalty 2 because we deemed his contact on Jokic to be unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury, and also because the contact led to an altercation that did not dissolve,” Williams said. “So, by rule, a flagrant foul penalty 2 carries an automatic ejection.”

Jokic, who had initiated contact with Thunder players throughout the game rather than letting it come to him, finally had enough.

“It’s an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction,” Jokic said. “I think there are not supposed to be those things on the basketball floor, so it was just an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction by me.”

Nuggets coach David Adelman said he understood why Jokic finally snapped. He feels Jokic gets beat up when he’s away from the basket and doesn’t get the calls because of his 7-foot, 284-pound frame.

“I think he was reacting to what was being done to him,” Adelman said. “And his reaction’s not going to be cower away. He’s competitive.”

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he’s fine with the ejection as long as the call is consistent.

“If J. Will (Jalen Williams) is running off the floor and gets tripped, we expect a flagrant 2 from this point forward,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. said. “That’s all. If that’s the precedent, if it becomes a malicious play, and flagrant 2 is the line in the sand on that, we would expect that if it’s J. Will, we’d expect that it’s anybody. And if that is the case, we’re good.”

Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was called for a technical in the opening minutes when he threw the ball at Jokic, who made high contact with him after play had stopped. James Williams said he did not consider the contact by Jokic’s left forearm to be unsportsmanlike.

Denver’s bench was called for a technical in the third quarter, and there was plenty of trash talking and shoving throughout.

The teams meet March 9 in Oklahoma City.

“When we play them again, whatever it is, in like 10 days, I’m sure it’ll be the exact same way,” he said.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Great Job Cliff Brunt, Associated Press & the Team @ KSAT San Antonio for sharing this story.

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