Weather Words: Mammatus Clouds
Jennifer Gray
Fri, February 20, 2026 at 3:00 AM MST



Mammatus clouds are some of the most visually striking and unusual cloud formations in the sky.

They appear as rounded, pouchlike lobes that hang down from the base of a cloud, usually under cumulonimbus clouds. Their name comes from the Latin word "mamma," meaning udder or breast, which is pretty spot on when you consider their shape.

While they’re often associated with an unstable environment, mammatus clouds themselves aren’t dangerous.

They form when cold air sinks into warmer air below a cloud, the opposite of what typically happens in rising storm clouds. This sinking air causes pockets to form in the cloud base, creating the sagging, pouchlike structures we see.

Jennifer Gray

Think of these clouds as more of a visual signature of atmospheric turbulence, especially in the upper levels of the storm. Their presence often tells meteorologists that strong updrafts and downdrafts were present in the storm’s life cycle.

And for skywatchers and photographers, mammatus clouds are a rare treat. They are extremely photogenic, dramatic and always worth capturing.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.
View comments

Crabs Are Producing Nanoplastics That Could Quickly Move Into the Seafood We Eat, Study Finds

The research underscores growing concerns about how ultra-small plastic particles move through marine ecosystems and into foods people rely on.

Stacey Leasca

Fri, February 20, 2026
FOOD & WINE


lessydoang / Getty Images

Key Points

Researchers studying mangrove forests in Colombia found that fiddler crabs can ingest microplastics and grind them into even smaller fragments, potentially accelerating plastic degradation.


The crabs accumulated microplastics at levels 13 times higher than in their surrounding sediment, with most particles found in their digestive systems and gills.


While the crabs’ activity helps fragment plastic faster than sunlight or waves alone, it also produces nanoplastics that can enter the food chain and potentially affect human health.

Microplastics, those teeny, tiny shards of plastic that take more than 400 years to fully decompose, are just about everywhere, and the world's mangrove forests are no exception. Hidden in the tangled roots and sediment where they settle, one tiny critter appears to be helping break those plastics down just a little faster. And while this may sound like nature fighting back against pollution, scientists warn the process could actually accelerate the spread of even smaller plastic particles into the food chain.

In December, researchers from Universidad de Antioquia, the University of Exeter, and the Corporation Center of Excellence in Marine Sciences (CEMarin) in Bogotá published their findings in the journal Global Change Biology, examining fiddler crabs and their role in scooping up microplastics and digesting them into smaller pieces — fragments that may be even harder to track and contain.

To understand the crabs and their relationship to microplastics, the team studied a large population of crabs in a polluted mangrove forest in Turbo, along the north coast of Colombia. The researchers said the area has some of the "highest levels of plastic contamination reported anywhere in the world." They then selected five one-meter-square plots of mangrove and sprayed each with fluorescent red and green polyethylene microspheres, tiny plastic beads that glow under a microscope. Over the next 66 days, they sampled the soil and 95 crabs within it to see what happened next.

“We set out to answer three specific questions. The first question was: What is the uptake of microspheres by the crab under natural feeding conditions? Secondly, we wanted to learn how the microspheres are distributed among the major organs. And finally, we sought to find out whether the crab’s interaction with microspheres resulted in their physical fragmentation into smaller particles," Professor José M. Riascos, who led the research, explained.

The study found that the crabs accumulated microplastics at 13 times the concentration in the surrounding sediment, with most of the plastic located in their hindguts, digestive organs, and gills. A solid portion (about 15%) of the plastic particles had been broken into smaller pieces by the crab's grinding digestive system, and female crabs were more likely than males to contain fragmented particles. (The research did not examine whether these fragments harmed the crabs' health, only whether they ingested them and what happened to them afterward.)

Related: The More Bottled Water You Drink, the More Microplastics You’re Ingesting

This breakdown of plastic over such a short time could be seen as good news, since sunlight and ocean waves can take years to fracture plastic into smaller pieces. However, the group explained that this process can release nanoplastics into the crab's tissue and, eventually, the food chain. These even smaller pieces become harder to track, easier to spread, and ultimately end up in the seafood humans eat. As Food & Wine previously reported, microplastics have been widely found across the seafood we eat, including black rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, and pink shrimp. These, in turn, have the potential to affect many areas of human health, including our digestive, respiratory, and immune systems.

“The results emphasise that living creatures are not just passive components of the marine ecosystem but may be finding ways to cope with chronic anthropogenic pressures according to their evolutionary histories," Daniela Díaz, a researcher at the Universidad de Antioquia, said. "The results could lead to a better understanding of how animals adapt to pollution and the fate of plastics in the environment.”

How to reduce your exposure to microplastics from seafood

Microplastics are now widely detected in marine environments — and in many of the seafood species people eat. While you can’t eliminate exposure entirely, these seafood-specific steps may help lower it:

Vary the types of seafood you eat. Rotating between different species may help reduce repeated exposure from a single source or ecosystem.


Be mindful of shellfish. Bivalves like mussels and oysters — and small shrimp eaten whole — may contain higher concentrations because their digestive systems aren’t removed before eating.


Clean and prep fish carefully. Removing the guts and rinsing the cavity of whole fish may help reduce the concentration of particles in the digestive organs.


Balance seafood with other protein sources. Rotating between plant-based or land-based options can help limit overall exposure while maintaining dietary variety.

UK Greens win seat from Labour in  Leicester by-election

Dan Martin - Leicester political reporter; 

Caitlin James - Local Democracy Reporting Service

BBC
Fri, February 20, 2026 


Aasiya Bora secured 1,195 votes in Thursday's vote [Leicester Green Party]

The Green Party has won a seat from Labour in a Leicester City Council by-election.

Aasiya Bora was elected to the authority to represent the Stoneygate ward on Thursday.

Bora secured 1,195 votes, finishing ahead of Labour candidate Adam Sabat, who got 1,089 votes.

The Greens now have four seats on the council.

Labour's Manjula Sood - the UK's first female Asian lord mayor - served as a city councillor for 25 years before her death [BBC]

Bora told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the election campaign had been "positive, unifying and joyful".

"For the community to put the trust in me, and give the Greens a 22% swing, is truly breathtaking," she said.

"We took nothing for granted and had hundreds of conversations on the doorstep. I look forward to sitting with our Green group in council and working with any and all allies in the interests of the people of Leicester."

One Leicester candidate, Asif Udin, came third, while Conservative Rashmi Joshi finished fifth, behind independent candidate Faisal Noor.

Reform's Michael Dabrowski came sixth.

Liberal Democrat candidate Asit Sodha came seventh in the poll - a single vote ahead of independent candidate Michael Barker.
Full result

Aasiya Bora, Green Party - 1,195


Adam Sabat, Labour - 1,089


Alef Uddin, One Leicester - 638


Faisal Noor, Independent - 453


Rashmi Joshi, Conservative - 327


Michael Dabrowski, Reform UK - 106


Asit Sodha, Libera Democrat - 62


Michael Barker, Independent - 61



The turnout in the election was 27.75%.

Labour remains in control of the authority, holding 30 of the 54 available seats, with Sir Peter Soulsby as elected mayor.

The seat became vacant after the death of long-serving Labour councillor Manjula Sood in December at the age of 80.

Sood was the UK's first female Asian lord mayor.

According to her website, she came to Leicester from India, where she had been studying for a PhD, in 1970, and completed her studies before becoming a primary school teacher for about 20 years.

She became the city's first female Hindu councillor in October 1996, after winning a by-election triggered by her husband Paul's death earlier that year.

In May 2008, she became the UK's and Leicester's first Asian female lord mayor.

Sood was appointed an MBE during her time as lord mayor and awarded an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Leicester.

The Conservatives remain the largest opposition party, holding 15 seats on the authority.

There are three Liberal Democrats, and a One Leicester member.


More on this story

Tributes as UK's first female Asian lord mayor dies

Related internet links

Leicester City Council

Eileen Gu's 'Sweet' Reply To JD Vance's Olympics Criticism Is Clapback Gold


Ron Dicker
Fri, February 20, 2026 

HUFFPOST

Eileen Gu playfully dissed JD Vance’s criticism of her at the Winter Olympics on Thursday.

Responding to outrage over the U.S.-born freestyle ski star competing for China in her second straight Olympics, the vice president said recently, “I certainly think that somebody who grew up in the United States of America, who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope that they want to compete with the United States of America.”

“I’m flattered,” Gu said, per USA Today, when asked about the comment. “Thanks, JD! That’s sweet.”

Eileen Gu (right) replied to Vice President JD Vance's negative remarks about her competing for China. Getty

Gu, an international celebrity and model who has won two silver medals in the Milan Cortina Games after winning two golds and a silver at Beijng in 2022, has been a lightning rod for judgment from often-conservative naysayers.

Ex-NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom said on Fox News this week that Gu was a “traitor” siding with an “authoritarian regime” after host Laura Ingraham painted her as an ingrate who aligns with the communists.

Politics: 'She Said It': Karoline Leavitt Just Totally Undermined Trump's 'I Didn't Do It' Claim

Gu’s supporters suggest she has been subjected to racism and Sinophobia while other U.S.-born athletes compete under different flags with far less controversy.

“So many athletes compete for a different country,” Gu, whose mother is from China, said, according to USA Today. “People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it’s not really about what they think it’s about.”

“And also, because I win. Like if I wasn’t doing well, I think that they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions,” she continued.

Gu advanced through halfpipe qualifying on Thursday and will compete in the final on Saturday.

US snowboard star Chloe Kim calls for unity after Trump bashes teammate over immigrant crackdown


Associated Press
Mon, Feb 9, 2026·

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu, two Olympic standouts who have faced their share of hate over the years, each weighed in Monday on Donald Trump's bashing of their friend, American freeskier Hunter Hess, for having said he didn't back the U.S. president's heightened crackdown on immigrants.

“I think in moments like these, it is really important for us to unite and kind of stand up for one another for all that’s going on," said Kim, the two-time Olympic gold medalist whose parents are South Korean immigrants and who has faced racism throughout her career for her Asian heritage.

Gu, the American-born freeskier who competes for China, said after her silver-medal win in slopestyle that she had been in touch with Hess, who told her she was one of the few people who could relate to what he's going through.

“As someone who’s been caught in the crossfire before, I feel sorry for the athletes,” said Gu, who was born in San Francisco and whose decision to compete for China turned her into a lightning rod.

Hess drew Trump’s ire when he was asked by reporters to give his views on the immigration crackdown that has claimed the lives of two protestors in Minnesota and disrupted thousands of lives of immigrants and U.S. citizens. Hess answered: “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

The next day, Trump lashed out at Hess on his Truth Social account, calling him “a real Loser” and saying he would be hard pressed to root for him at the Games. Hess's friends — snowboarders and freeskiers competing this week in Livigno — were asked for their reaction.

“My parents being immigrants from Korea, this one definitely hits pretty close to home,” said Kim, who begins defense of her title Wednesday.

"I’m really proud to represent the United States,” she said. “The U.S. has given my family and I so much opportunity, but I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions of what’s going that we need to lead with love and compassion.”

Other American snowboarders spoke out for diversity and the right of expression.

“I think there are a lot of different opinions in the U.S. right now. Obviously we’re very divided,” snowboarder Bea Kim said. “I personally am very proud to represent the United States. That being said, I think diversity is what makes us a very strong country and what makes that so special.”

Teammate Maddie Mastro added: “I’m also saddened with what’s happening at home."

“It’s really tough and I feel like we can’t turn a blind eye to that. But at the same time, I represent a country that has the same values as mine of kindness and compassion. And we come together in times of injustice,” Mastro said.

Gu called it “an unwinnable press war” for Hess and lamented the fact that the controversy could be a distraction for the athletes, and overshadow the beauty of the biggest event in winter sports.

“I’m sorry that the headline that is eclipsing the Olympics has to be something so ... unrelated to the spirit of the Games," she said. "It really runs contrary to everything that the Olympics should be.”

___

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Who is Alysa Liu? Meet Team USA's alt-girl athlete who became 1st U.S. woman to win Olympic figure skating gold in 24 years.

Liu earned gold for the U.S. in women's figure skating with a total score of 226.79.

Neia Balao, Reporter
Updated Thu, February 19, 2026 
YAHOO SPORTS

Gold medalist Alysa Liu celebrates on the podium at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Alysa Liu is one of a kind. The 20-year-old figure skater from Clovis, Calif., emerged as one of Team USA’s standout performers — and made history at this year’s Winter Olympics, where she won two gold medals.

It seems Liu has always been in a league of her own. At just 13 years old, she became the youngest-ever national champion — breaking Tara Lipinski’s record — and the first U.S. woman to land three triple axels during a performance. She made history again the following year as the first to land a quadruple jump in competition.

Liu has represented her country several times before the 2026 Winter Olympics: She won bronze at the 2022 World Championships and made the Olympic team in 2022, placing sixth in Beijing before retiring at 16. Now, four years later, Liu is out of retirement and skating entirely on her own terms.

Below, Yahoo rounded up everything to know about the Olympic darling, from her distinctive alt-girl style to her admiration for pop singer Laufey.

She has halo hair and a ‘smiley’ piercing

A quick glance at the horizontal blonde and brunette stripes in her hair, and you know almost immediately that it’s Liu. The figure skater has been DIY-dyeing a blonde ring to the crown of her head every year since 2023, giving it that halo effect.

“I do this every year. I add a stripe, so it's going to be like this for a year. Then next year, wintertime, like end of December, I do another ring,” Liu told NBC New York. “So this one I did at the end of 2023, then did another one in 2024 and 2025.”

Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Liu enlisted St. Louis-based hairstylist Kelsey Miller to freshen up her locks and create a stronger contrast between the blonde and brunette. The process took about five hours, according to Miller.

“Your hair is truly your identity,” Miller told Allure. “It can help you with your confidence. … I love to see that this is brought into the sports world because I feel like [the confidence that comes from it] only makes her a better athlete.”

Beyond her distinctive halo hair, Liu also has a distinctive piercing. That bit of metal you glimpse when she grins on the ice? That’s her “smiley.” Referred to casually as a “smiley” piercing, Liu has her frenulum pierced, which is the thin strip of tissue that connects the upper lip to the upper gum. The subtle modification, which Liu actually did herself, is another defining feature of her alt-girl look.

She’s beloved for being herself

Liu’s self-assurance and deviation from the status quo has garnered praise from viewers at home. Her halo hair, “smiley” piercing and unique approach to figure skating costumes are welcomed departures for fans of the sport.

“Alysa Liu’s alternative style heals the kid in me that was told to be a ‘beautiful swan’ growing up,” one Reddit user wrote. “I grew up in a skating environment and world where figure skaters had to be just ‘pretty’ ‘elegant’ ‘pristine.’ … It’s just awesome to me to have more representation of skaters that love the sport, and flaunt their own taste in style.”

Another Reddit user added, “I think the biggest thing is, Alysa is a person who happens to be a competitive skater, not the other way around. She’s not letting preconceived ideas of what a skater looks like stop her from expressing herself because she knows how much more there is to life outside of skating now.”

She set her comeback performance to a Laufey song

Liu put on a show-stopping performance during the figure skating team event in her 2026 Winter Olympics debut on Friday. The roars of applause from her teammates and fans at the Milano Ice Skating Arena were immediate, as the 20-year-old, who stepped out in a moody, cream-and-gray gradient dress, launched into her routine.

In the routine, set to “Promise” by Grammy-winning jazz-pop singer Laufey, Liu glided gracefully across the ice, landing several technically challenging moves, including a double axel, a triple Lutz and a triple loop, which earned her second overall. Liu’s song selection is also believed by fans to reflect her emotional return to the sport, and the complexities that came with making that decision.

Liu, who has previously performed to Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” and “Bad Romance,” has also taken to helping design her own dresses in collaboration with renowned figure-skating designers like Lisa McKinnon, who brought her team event garment to life.

“I’m so into fashion, and I love being able to control little things,” Liu told Elle in a story published last week. “Even my training outfits, I get to choose now. Before, I didn’t. Isn’t that crazy? But now I do.”

She advocates for immigrant rights

Liu spoke out about the current political climate in the U.S. and the need to acknowledge the “faults in our own government” ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

“There’s so many protests that are going on and I’ve attended. Coming from a family of immigrants, I think immigrants deserve rights,” she told ABC last October. “I think it’s a little silly, especially in America.”

She won figure skating gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Liu competes in Women Single Skating - Free Skating at the Milano Cortina Games.(Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images)

After helping Team USA win gold during the women’s short program team event on Feb. 6, Liu performed once more on Tuesday during the women’s single skating short program. Skating to her fan-favorite track, “Promise” by Laufey, the young athlete put on yet another stunning display, receiving a personal best score of 76.59 to place third.

“I’m really confident in myself,” Liu told NBC after her performance on Tuesday. “Even if I mess up and fall, that’s totally OK too. I’m fine with any outcome, as long as I’m out there. And I am. There’s nothing to lose.”

But it was during the women’s figure skating final on Thursday where Liu shined. The California native, who danced to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite,” secured first place with a combined score of 226.79. When the results were announced, Liu immediately congratulated her fellow competitor, bronze medal winner Ami Nakai of Japan.

With her historic win, Liu has become the first American woman to win individual Olympic gold in figure skating since Sarah Hughes in 2002 — three years before she was even born.

TRUMP'S GUNSEL

Lindsey Graham accused of derailing diplomatic meeting with sexist insult to Danish Prime Minister

Graig Graziosi
Wed, February 18, 2026 


Senator Lindsey Graham allegedly called Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen ‘little lady’ and yawned in the face of Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen during diplomatic talks in Munich (Getty)

Senator Lindsey Graham allegedly made sexist remarks towards Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during diplomatic talks in Munich, including addressing her as "little lady" and yawning in the face of Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.See more


Senator Lindsey Graham allegedly caused a spectacle during diplomatic talks in Munich by lobbing a sexist insult at Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Graham allegedly addressed Frederiksen as "little lady" as he looked her "straight in the eye" and sneered at her, according to an account from Danish newspaper Berlingske, cited by the Daily Beast.

Members of the U.S. House and Senate and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen were also at the meeting, which was held to discuss Trump’s threats to annex the autonomous territory of Denmark, which is a NATO ally.

Puck first reported on Graham’s alleged meltdown, and cited sources familiar with the talks who claim the senator was "combative" and throwing around "lots of F-bombs."

One person reportedly described the scene as "Graham on his worst TV day."

Berlingske cites alleged witnesses who said the debacle was "disturbing," "shocking" and "extremely inappropriate."

Another source told the paper that Graham also “yawned directly in his [Nielsen’s] face in a way that could only be perceived as mocking.”

Reports suggest that prior to his outburst, Graham was boasting about Trump and the amount of power he controls.

Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin, who was reportedly in attendance, was said to have been so shocked by Graham's behavior that she walked out of the meeting. She later returned “visibly shaken,” according to reports.

The Independent has requested comment from both Graham and Slotkin.

A day before the alleged incident took place, Slotkin told Bloomberg’s Oliver Crook that actions taken by American leaders could very easily damage the nation’s relationship with long-time allies.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was reportedly a target of sexist taunts by Graham (AFP via Getty Images)

“I think it takes a long time to build trust and an instant to lose it,” Slotkin said. “When you start acting erratically, when you act like a madman and no one knows what you’re going to do next, they can’t trust to make a deal with you, to sign up for something.”

Frederiksen reportedly took the tantrum in stride, waited for Graham to finish, and told him "when you're done with that, the meeting can continue."

Graham may have given the world a taste of his reported diplomatic performance on Friday when he made dismissive remarks to Politico about Denmark's relationship with Greenland.

"Who gives a s*** who owns Greenland," he told the outlet. “The point is Greenland is going to be more fortified because Donald Trump, once he feels like it’s his brand or his buy-in, is going to go big.”

Danish Prime Minister Squashes Lindsey Graham's Sexist Remark Like the Little Bug He Is

The South Carolina senator threw a tantrum because Trump hasn't been allowed to buy Greenland.

Danielle Han
Wed, February 18, 2026 
JEZEBEL



As if MAGA’s madcap appetite for Greenland didn’t already reek of jingoist douchery, over the weekend, at the Munich Security Conference, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) reportedly embarrassed himself (and the United States) during a meeting with world leaders after he threw a sexist tantrum and called the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen a “little lady.”

The meltdown took place during a meeting between lawmakers, Frederiksen, and Greenland PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Saturday afternoon at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel, which was scheduled to discuss Trump’s repeated threats to annex Greenland, a Danish territory. It was initially reported by Puck News on Monday, which wrote that “Graham completely unloaded on both prime ministers.” According to sources who were in the meeting, Graham was “combative” and threw out “lots of F-bombs.” “Picture Graham on his worst TV day,” one source said. The outlet also reported that Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) got so upset she had to leave the meeting.

More details emerged on Wednesday, as Danish newspaper Berlingske wrote that “events were even more intense than previously reported.” In addition to the above remark, Graham apparently also stared Frederiksen “straight in the eye” and “sneered” at her, to which the PM reportedly replied, “When you’re done with that, the meeting can continue.” Apologies to Frederiksen for having to deal with our GOP manchild lawmakers.

Berlingske also said that at one point, the senator deliberately yawned in Nielsen’s face to mock him. Hoping—for Nielsen’s sake—that the senator remembered to floss the Chick-fil-A from his teeth before that.

But birds of a MAGA feather are sexist together. In January, Trump confirmed he raised tariffs on Switzerland because the country’s woman finance minister annoyed him; earlier this month told a CNN reporter to “smile” more; and in November told another reporter, “Quiet, piggy.”

Graham’s spectacle came a day after he told reporters, “Who gives a shit who owns Greenland?” (Evidently, everyone in MAGA?) “The point is Greenland is going to be more fortified because Donald Trump, once he feels like it’s his brand or his buy-in, is going to go big.”


Trump’s fantasies of owning slash buying Greenland have become a big flashpoint on the international stage, and the president recently appeared to float using military force to seize it before finally backing down in January, saying instead that he’s reached a “framework” of a NATO deal regarding the entire Arctic region. But at the conference, Frederiksen said, “I think the desire from the US president [to take Greenland] is exactly the same. He’s very serious about this.”

Primary challenges may be PROGRESSIVE Democrats' secret weapon | Opinion

Sara Pequeño, USA TODAY
Fri, February 20, 2026 at 3:06 AM MST

Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney talked to God about several things before he decided to enter the Democratic primary race for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. The first thing? Getting his wife’s approval.

“We have a young family,” McKinney, a father of three children whose ages range from 6 months to 4 years old, told me earlier in February. “It's really stressful on them.”

Beyond that, McKinney prayed for a clear field, a strong coalition and the ability to raise money without relying on corporate donors.

The progressive Detroit native is going up against Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Michigan, an incumbent financed by wealthy donors and crypto investments. McKinney’s campaign, on the other hand, has received more than 20,000 individual contributions, with the average donation being $27.

Throughout Thanedar’s tenure in Congress, McKinney said, he has watched as constituent services have fallen by the wayside and the U.S. lawmaker failed to show up for his district, like when there was a water main break in Detroit in 2025. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, corroborated this story when she endorsed McKinney in May.

Michigan Rep. Donavan McKinney, D-Detroit, announces on April 28, 2025, a run against U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar.

Tlaib isn't the only one supporting McKinney. He has the support of community leaders and progressive champions alike, and has been endorsed by everyone from local pastors to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.

"We are building the biggest and baddest coalition in the country," McKinney said.

This race is a single example of what’s happening across the country as Democratic primary elections get underway. From New York and California to Texas and Tennessee, progressive Democrats are challenging incumbents in safe blue districts with the hopes of pushing the party forward. Their campaigns are showing that primary elections aren’t just important – they’re necessary to democracy, and necessary if we are to see any change in the Democratic Party

Primaries do more than select candidates

These campaigns are about more than offering voters a second option. They’re a means of moving a party forward when it seems more committed to gerontocracy than democracy. Even former President Barack Obama recently acknowledged this on a podcast.

“There is an element of, at some point, you age out,” Obama told Brian Tyler Cohen. “You’re not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going through.”

While I think Obama’s point is important, the problem with these incumbents isn’t solely age. There are plenty of incumbent candidates, like Sen. Sanders, 84, or Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, 79, who have proved to be staunch supporters of progressive causes and therefore don’t get challenged.

But for lawmakers who care more about corporate donors than what their constituents want them to accomplish in Congress, a primary challenger is a brush with reality. They can’t run from the people forever.



Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff


Usamah Andrabi, the communications director at the progressive political action committee (PAC) Justice Democrats, lays it out plainly.

“We have a corporate Democratic Party whose level of fighting back, be it against billionaires, be it against Republican fascism, is dictated and hamstrung by their own corporate PAC donors, who more often than not are Trump’s corporate PAC donors,” Andrabi told me.

These competitive primary elections aren’t happening in districts where a Democrat could lose the general election. They’re happening in safe blue areas where the primary elections are often more competitive than the November iterations.

Lara Trump reveals president has speech pre-written to announce the discovery of alien life after Obama claim


“The primary election is our general election,” McKinney said. “Whoever comes out of our primary, hell will have to freeze over for you to lose the general election.”

Opinion: 'Abolish ICE' isn't radical. Democrats should embrace it.

This is true even in states that went for President Donald Trump in 2024. Nida Allam, a county commissioner running to unseat an incumbent in North Carolina's very blue 4th Congressional District, pointed out that the district she’s running to represent is the youngest, most diverse region of the state, with six colleges in the district she wants to represent.

“That young people can be the deciding factor in this race, and we are really working to make sure that young people understand the value and the power that they hold,” Allam said.

Young people have been the decisive voice in these primaries before. Take the New York City mayoral primary in 2025, where voters under 40 showed out early and in droves to support Zohran Mamdani. His win in the Democratic primary was enough to propel him to victory in the general election.


Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as New York City's 112th mayor by New York Attorney General Letitia James, left, alongside his wife Rama Duwaji, right, in the former City Hall subway station on Jan. 1, 2026 in New York City. Mamdani's term as mayor begins immediately in the new year, and a public inauguration will also take place in the afternoon at City Hall.

Zohran Mamdani hugs New York Attorney General Letitia James after being sworn in as New York City's 112th mayor in the former City Hall subway station on Jan. 1, 2026 in New York City. Mamdani's term as mayor begins immediately in the new year, and a public inauguration will also take place in the afternoon at City Hall.More

But, as Andrabi pointed out to me, progressives are more than good graphic design and vertical video, nor is it just about replacing older representatives with younger ones who will follow the same playbook.

“It’s about finding leaders who are unbought and unbossed," he said. "Which means that they have the moral and political courage to take on both Republican authoritarianism and Democratic corporatism with the same urgency and fight.”
Primary challengers give Democrats an edge over GOP's Trump loyalty test

Of course, the main goal of running as a challenger is to win the primary election and make it to Washington. It’s been done before, like when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, upset incumbent Joe Crowley back in 2018.

Successful progressive challengers are important to introducing left-wing legislation, like Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal. But they’re also important for the party’s image. Ocasio-Cortez is one of the Democratic Party’s strongest messengers, and polls incredibly well amongs their voters. Yet it seems that the Democratic Party is almost scared of the change these candidates can bring.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, speaks during New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's inauguration ceremony on Jan. 1, 2026.

Party members balked when former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg wanted to fund progressive challengers in primary elections. He left party leadership shortly after when questions arose about the procedure for his election within the DNC, but many saw it as a response to his attempts to transform the party's strategy.

“I will promise you that they are threatened, and that makes sense,” Andrabi said of the DNC. “They will always be threatened by working-class people organizing to take on corporate power and billionaire interests.”

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store.

These challengers also know how to face reality: There’s a big possibility that they won’t win. That is OK.

“Even if we can’t win every race, we can show these incumbents that their voters want something different, and that (they) are not doing it,” Andrabi said.

And there are real results from Democratic incumbents feeling the heat.

McKinney noted that the day he announced he was running to represent Michigan in the U.S. Congress ‒ April 28 ‒ was the same day Rep. Thanedar introduced articles of impeachment against Trump.

Rep. Valerie Foushee, the incumbent Allam is running to unseat in North Carolina, announced in August that she would no longer accept money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee after the organization spent huge amounts on her 2022 campaign, which was also against Allam.

It’s fascinating to see this play out on the left, mostly because it’s not happening on the right whatsoever.

The Republican machine is so fine-tuned that anyone who doesn’t fall in line with Trump is kept from even running again. Just look at what happened to Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina: After he challenged the president, he decided to retire rather than lose a primary election to Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chair.

These Democratic primary elections aren’t necessarily pretty, but what they lead to is something beautiful: an organization that can have intraparty discussions for the good of the American public. No matter who wins these primaries, whether it be the fiery newcomers or the well-financed incumbents, it’s important that the party is capable of creating this environment in the first place.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky: @sarapequeno.bsky.social

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats need to embrace primary challenges to win midterms | Opinion

Civil Rights icon Jesse Jackson left an indelible mark on America | The Excerpt

Dana Taylor, USA TODAY
Fri, February 20, 2026 

On the Friday, February 20, 2026, episode of The Excerpt podcast: Jesse Jackson, one of the most influential civil rights leaders in America, spent decades transforming his moral convictions into public action. A two-time Democratic presidential candidate, Jackson became one of the world’s most recognized Black activists through his unwavering advocacy for justice and equality. USA TODAY National Correspondent Trevor Hughes joins The Excerpt to explore his legacy.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

We need not ease back into the uncivilized era of fighting to be a superior race, that is a contradiction in terms because there is but one race, the human race.

Dana Taylor:

Jesse Jackson spent decades as a public figure turning his moral convictions into public action. Jackson was a presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, a democratic presidential candidate, and one of the world's best-known Black activists. Following a lengthy illness, Jesse Jackson died earlier this week, on the morning of Tuesday, February 17th, he was 84 years old.

Hello, and welcome to USA TODAY's, the Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor, today is Friday, February 20th, 2026. For more on the life and legacy of the late Jesse Jackson, I'm now joined by USA TODAY National Correspondent Trevor Hughes. Trevor, thank you so much for joining me.

Trevor Hughes:

Yeah, good to be here.


Dana Taylor:

As you wrote, Trevor, Jesse Jackson was a towering civil rights icon, his civil rights story really begins at a public library in Greenville, South Carolina. Tell me about the Greenville Eight.

Trevor Hughes:

This is one of those stories that feels like it's from the ancient past, but it is not. This was 1960. Jesse Jackson was home from college, he was studying divinity, and he needed a book from the library. Now, at the time, segregation was legal under the Jim Crow laws. And the book he needed was in the white-only library. He tried to borrow it, they wouldn't let him, even though it was just steps away, they told him to come back maybe a week later and they would have it available. So, with a few friends, he did something audacious. They walked into the white library and started reading books. They sat down and read books. They weren't talking, they weren't hassling people, they just sat and read. And it so offended the community that these young men and women were arrested for violating the law. It ultimately led to the desegregation of the public libraries in their community, but it is really one of the first places that he got his start in civic activism.



Dana Taylor:

Like the late representative, John Lewis, who died in 2020, Jesse Jackson's civil rights legacy is tied to Martin Luther King Jr. What was Jackson's connection to MLK?

Trevor Hughes:

The two men came up very much at the same time, they were peers, and Jesse Jackson, after leaving college, moved to Chicago to help run operations for Dr. King. There was a protest organized, they called it Operation Breadbasket. But the two men were very much linked, and when Dr. King was killed, Jesse Jackson really took up that mantle, was present all over this country as sort of this civil rights conscience of America.



Dana Taylor:

Jackson was a trailblazer in American politics. He ran for president in 1984, in 1988. Trevor, how did those campaigns shape coalition politics?

Trevor Hughes:

I think people started to realize that there was a very powerful constituency here. Jesse Jackson worked to build this coalition, his group was called the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. And so, he really helped lay the foundations for the modern Democratic Party, which is built in bringing together disparate groups of people who are perhaps less specifically identified with one kind of belief, or one kind of worldview. And so, he really spoke to a broad variety of people who cared about civil rights, about racial justice, about economic justice, because that was a huge part of what he pushed for.



Dana Taylor:

And of course, he didn't shy away from engaging in foreign politics. What can you share here regarding his work in negotiating the release of American hostages?

Trevor Hughes:

It's easy to forget because he has fallen out of the public view over the last few years because of his long illness, but Jesse Jackson was such a powerfully known name. And so, he actually was able to travel the world and release a number of hostages in Syria, and then also in Cuba. He was not of the government, but he was in some ways of the American people, and that apparently was very successful.

Dana Taylor:



Presidents on both sides of the aisle held Jackson in high esteem, including current president Donald Trump. What were his remarks following the passing of Jesse Jackson?

Trevor Hughes:

In a social media post, the president said something, I didn't realize, which is that he had provided office space for Jackson's coalition in New York City for quite some time. The two men were in New York City, they were operating at the same time. But it's also important to remember that the two very much split over the fate of the Central Park Five. This, you may recall, was an instance where five young, Black and Hispanic men were arrested and accused of raping and assaulting a woman in Central Park. President Trump, at the time, he was a New York businessman, he actually took out newspaper advertisements, calling for the death penalty, calling for these young men to be executed. Ultimately, they were exonerated, and that really separated Jackson from President Trump.

Dana Taylor:



And how have other leaders marked his passing?

Trevor Hughes:

Oh, I think you're really seeing the impact of Jesse Jackson across the country, from California, to Ohio, to Illinois, to... He had such an impact on so many politicians, particularly democratic politicians, who saw his work in coalition building, who saw his work in focusing on civil rights and workers' rights as something to really aspire to.

Dana Taylor:

Jesse Jackson was a staunch advocate for civil rights, we know that. That it includes pressing corporations on their hiring practices. What can you tell me about that push?

Trevor Hughes:



I think back to one of the things that really made his name was Operation Breadbasket, in Chicago, and it was this revolutionary idea at the time that members of the Black community would not patronize businesses that wouldn't hire Black people. Again, we're talking about a time in America where racial segregation, in many cases was not only widely accepted but legal. And so, his coalition and Operation Breadbasket really kicked that off, really brought attention to this idea that Black communities would not patronize businesses that were not supporting them.

And I got a press release earlier today from the union that represents hotel workers, restaurant workers, in Las Vegas, and they are mourning his loss because he marched with them under threat of arrest. And the arrest didn't happen, but he was there to lend his voice to the workers against these big corporations that own casinos.

Dana Taylor:

Like Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson was a reverend and a powerful public speaker. The cadence of the Black church was always evident in his speech. Can you give me some examples of the signature style he'll be remembered for?



Trevor Hughes:

There are two things, one which is very serious and one which is a little funny. He used to lead these chants about, "I am." And it was this idea that you as a person had value, that you matter to society. And that call and response was such a... I get chills thinking about it, because I heard this happen a number of times over the years. The other time that many people may have remembered is when he appeared on Saturday Night Live and read Dr. Seuss's book, Green Eggs and Ham. It's hard to imagine a politician today, and he had just run for president, it's hard to imagine a president today so seriously, but also so hilariously reading a nonsensical book like that. But the way he delivered it, the tone, the tenor, his cadence was just... It's amazing. If you go back and watch the recording, you can hear the studio audience just rolling on the floor laughing at the way he presented that.

Dana Taylor:

Trevor, Jesse Jackson marched with Dr. King back in the 1960s, and was still out decades later in support of protesters in 2021, that was during the trial of Derek Chauvin, who was ultimately convicted in the murder of George Floyd. Jackson was fearless in publicly affirming his beliefs and in his efforts for civil rights and justice. How much of that is part of Jackson's legacy as a public servant? Do you think that's what he'll be most remembered for?

Trevor Hughes:

Oh, I think so. Jesse Jackson was present in the lives of people for decades, and I remember being in Minneapolis when he came and spoke to the crowds who were protesting about the death of George Floyd, about the trial for Derek Chauvin. And I remember talking to young Black men in particular, who had known him all of their lives, who had grown up hearing him, who had grown up seeing him. And to have him lend his weight to their cause, that was really powerful. And I have to tell you, one of those young men that I covered back years ago, he was recently arrested, along with Don Lemon, in the church as part of the protests from the ICE actions. And so, I think his legacy really will last many, many years as it just, he sort of embodied this kind of protest and civil consciousness and civil conscience that really spoke to millions of Americans.

Dana Taylor:

Trevor Hughes is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, thank you so much for joining me on The Excerpt, Trevor.

Trevor Hughes:

Of course.

Dana Taylor:

Thanks to our senior producer, Kaely Monahan, for her production assistance, our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@usatoday.com. Thanks for listening, I'm Dana Taylor, I'll be back Monday morning with another episode of USA TODAY's The Excerpt.

OUTLAW WITCH HUNTING

Mother and infant burnt to death in Indian state over witchcraft allegations

Mohammad Sartaj Alam - BBC Hindi, Jharkhand
Fri, February 20, 2026 at 3:10 AM MST



The spot where the woman and child were burned after a mob stormed their house [Mohammad Sartaj Alam/BBC]


Four people have been arrested in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand for allegedly burning to death a woman and her 10-month-old son on suspicion of practising witchcraft earlier this week.

The woman's husband, who was also attacked, suffered severe burns and is in hospital.

Police say they are searching for more people who may be involved. The accused are in custody and haven't commented publicly yet.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, more than 2,500 people, mostly women, were killed in India on suspicion of witchcraft between 2000 and 2016.

The murders occurred in the Kudsai hamlet of Jharkhand state [Mohammad Sartaj Alam/BBC]

Tuesday's murder of Jyoti Sinku and her son occurred months after five members of a family in neighbouring Bihar state were brutally killed and allegedly burned alive on accusations of practising witchcraft.

Such cases are often reported from areas inhabited by disadvantaged tribal communities, where superstition is rife and a non-existent public health system leads to dependence on quacks for medical advice.

The murders in Jharkhand occurred in the Kudsai hamlet, a remote tribal settlement of around 50 mud houses located 250km (155.3 miles) from the state capital, Ranchi.

​The violence appears to have been triggered by recent incidents in the village, including rumours of sudden cattle deaths and the illness and death of a local man named Pustun Birua.

His wife Jano Birua says she consulted an informal healthcare provider - common in villages where no doctors are available - when he began suffering from anxiety and fainting spells. He told her that her husband was not suffering from any physical illness.

Asked why she did not take him to a hospital, she said: "We are poor people, so it wasn't possible to take him that far."

Meanwhile, rumours spread that Jyoti Sinku was practising witchcraft and was responsible for the man's illness.

Pustun Birua died on Tuesday evening. That night, according to Jyoti's husband Kolhan Sinku who is in hospital, a mob of about a dozen people, including five women, stormed their home and set fire to his wife and child.

Recalling the horror from his hospital bed, he said: ​"I pleaded with folded hands to have the matter resolved in the village council but the attackers didn't listen to me."

Based on the testimonies of Kolhan Sinku and another family member, the district police have registered a complaint of murder and criminal conspiracy.

Police say four men have been arrested and a special police team has been set up to track down other members of the mob.

They added that they would organise programmes in rural areas to raise awareness against superstitions.

Theguardian.comwww.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/28/witch-history-of-fear-ronald-hutton-review

The Witch by Ronald Hutton review – why fear of witchcraft hasn't ...

Jul 28, 2017 ... The Witch by Ronald Hutton review – why fear of witchcraft hasn't gone away ... It comes as no surprise to learn that the study of witches and ...

Archive

https://archive.org › details

The witch : a history of fear, from ancient times to the …

Jan 12, 2023 · This book sets the notorious European witch trials in the widest …

• Pages: 394