NEW YORK (AP) — A new platform from a progressive group that’s notched several recent primary victories is becoming fodder for Republican attacks, as the GOP looks to frame Democrats as extremists and communists ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Although the Democratic Socialists of America’s Workers Deserve More platform doesn’t necessarily line up exactly with the candidates’ own agendas, prominent Republicans over the weekend decried it. The DSA platform proposes drafting “a new constitution” with significant changes to the structure of the U.S. government, including abolishing the Senate, replacing the president and the Supreme Court with leaders picked by Congress and allowing all permanent U.S. residents to vote. Alongside those changes, the platform, published earlier this month, calls for a number of social reforms.

“The barbarians are inside the gate — and Democrats are WELCOMING them in,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote on X. “Communism is no longer a far fetched threat. It is here on our SHORES!”

The Wall Street Journal’s conservative-leaning editorial board also warned about the agenda, calling it radical and writing that the job of Republicans and willing Democrats is to educate the country about it. But it cautioned Republicans to avoid communism attack lines, saying they wouldn’t resonate with younger generations.

Progressive and DSA-backed candidates running in Democratic primaries across the country don’t all subscribe to the group’s full agenda. The left is also split between progressive and moderate wings that have different ideas about the best policies to carry the Democratic Party forward. But the DSA platform has created an opening for Republicans to attack Democrats with a broad brush as they look for an edge in races that will determine which party has a majority in Congress next year.

President Donald Trump this year has returned to an old habit of calling Democrats communists, saying they want to “destroy the traditional American way of life.” Other Republicans have followed suit, turning to more comfortable territory after months spent defending their party as disgruntled Americans fume about foreign wars and the high cost of living.

DSA agenda calls for dramatic overhaul of government and society

The DSA’s vision for the country laid out in mid-July proposes major changes that the group says can in part be achieved under the current system but ultimately would require “building a new society from the ground up.”

Among the suggested changes are expanding voting rights, publicly financing all elections, replacing the two-party system with a multi-party democracy, establishing public ownership of large corporations and expanding rights for immigrants while ending Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions and deportations.

In a recent Fox News Channel appearance, the group’s co-chair Megan Romer confirmed various aspects of the agenda while acknowledging that some of the proposals, like abolishing borders and prisons, would be considered parts of a long-term plan.

The Republican National Committee over the weekend called attention to the platform in a post that several GOP lawmakers seized on to raise alarm.

“These people are insane,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz replied on X.

“Watch this clip closely,” wrote Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican. “These ideas could be coming to your community sooner than you think.”

Progressive candidates have succeeded in recent races

The DSA’s agenda comes as aligned candidates have triumphed in several recent Democratic primaries. They’ve capitalized on voter anger at the party establishment and rising skepticism of the U.S. alliance with Israel to edge out moderates in House races in New York and Colorado.

Democratic socialist candidates also have succeeded in mayoral elections in major U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., New York and Seattle. An upcoming Missouri primary pitting a DSA-backed former congresswoman against the moderate Democratic incumbent will further test the movement’s momentum.

In other elections, progressive candidates have outlined where they differ from the DSA’s agenda. In an upcoming Michigan Senate primary, for example, progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed has distanced himself from socialism, saying that he believes in capitalism but that it needs to be regulated.

Meanwhile, establishment Democrats including former Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison have forcefully pushed back against DSA candidates who run in the party’s primaries while criticizing the way the party is going.

“I say this with no ill will or animosity: if you hate the Democratic Party, then please don’t run for our nomination,” Harrison wrote in a social media post in June. “Don’t use our resources. Don’t rely on our volunteers. Don’t use our infrastructure. Don’t ask Democrats to invest their time, money, and energy in your campaign. Focus on building the party you actually support.”

Other pledges by the Count include that 99 Flake ice-creams to cost no more than 99p, arcade grabber games to be made fairer so players “actually have a change to win”, Parliament to be moved “to my new Bin HQ” while the Palace of Westminster is restored, and Wayne Rooney to be “new expert summariser for BBC” at Eurovision.

It seems like a lot of devices, but Amazon told Engadget that the move will affect around three per cent of current users. In theory, if you’re using a device that’s affected, then Amazon should already have notified you via email. If in doubt, however, the company has a support page with pictures and specifications of every Kindle ever released. If you’re still unsure, entering the model number into Google should reveal the exact version you’re using. This can typically be found on the back of devices.

For Kindle Fire tablets, the process is simpler. Open the Settings menu and select “Device Options”. You’ll find the model you’re using either under “Device Model” or “About Fire Tablet”.

Why did this happen?

Nobody expects electronic devices to be supported forever, but it’s disappointing that the Kindle’s most enthusiastic early adopters got cut off. Given the basic functionality of e-book reader technology, there doesn’t appear to be a technical reason behind the decision, making it appear like an anti-consumer move to push older customers towards the purchase of newer devices where existing Kindles would become an e-waste casualty.

When asked why these devices were losing support, we received a response defending the (admittedly impressive) longevity.

“These models have been supported for at least 14 years – some as long as 18 years – but technology has come a long way in that time, and these devices will no longer be supported moving forward,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “We are notifying those still actively using them and offering promotions to help with the transition to newer devices.”

At the initial time of writing, the promotions mentioned appeared to be 20 per cent off “select new Kindle devices” alongside a £15 eBook credit. While the latter was welcome, the highlighted discount is somewhat disappointing for a number of reasons. Firstly, according to the promotion’s terms and conditions, the “select” caveat excludes the most expensive model, the Kindle Scribe. It doesn’t apply to Fire devices for those tablet owners looking to replace like-for-like, either.

More importantly, the prices aren’t all that impressive considering happy owners of older Kindles weren’t budgeting for this purchase. Amazon frequently discounts its own-brand devices like Echo smart speakers and Fire tablets, and 20 per cent isn’t that unusual. Last year’s Black Friday sale saw discounts of over 30 per cent on the basic Kindle and Kindle Colorsoft, and the price-tracking site CamelCamelCamel shows that the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition has been as low as £183 in the past – a 32 per cent discount on its current price of £269.

There was added time pressure, too. Amazon said the discount and credit offer was only valid until June 20, one month after support for the older Kindles ended. 

Additionally, owners of the earliest UK Kindle will see that prices have gone up over the past decade. The £109 they paid in 2010 is some way off the £159.99 Kindle Paperwhite, even with a 20 per cent discount, let alone the £219.99 Kindle Colorsoft. That said, at £94.99, the basic Kindle 12th Generation remains a bargain for no-frills readers, with a 20 per cent discount taking it down to £75.99.

Possible upgrades

If you’re affected by this news, the silver lining is that while e-book technology moves relatively slowly, things have still advanced significantly in the past 14 years. Resolutions are higher; most are backlit for bedtime reading; there’s support for audiobooks; and storage has increased. There are also optional extras like colour screens, blue-light filters to prevent eye strain and waterproofing.

As outlined in our guide to the best Kindles, our pick for most people is the 12th Generation Kindle Paperwhite, which costs £159.99 with lockscreen ads or £169.99 without. The seven inch screen with warm lighting makes for a comfortable reading experience, and it’s waterproof for bathtime or poolside reading.

At £94.99 (or £104.99 without ads), the basic 11th Generation Kindle is a great budget pick, however. It’s slightly smaller at six inches, and like the Paperwhite, can hold around 8,000 e-books with support for audiobooks through Audible. It lacks the warm light and waterproofing, however, and its battery life is around half that of the Paperwhite — albeit still a generous six weeks of normal use.

The two remaining Kindles occupy specific niches. The Kindle Colorsoft has a colour screen, making it well suited to those who enjoy graphic novels. The Kindle Scribe, meanwhile, has a bundled stylus for note taking.

Can I still use my old Kindle?

Yes, Amazon said users would be able to “continue to read books already downloaded on these devices”. If you factory reset your older Kindle, however, or you deregister it, you won’t be able to use it anymore.

Restricting your eating to just eight hours a day and having no food after 6pm could slash your risk of suffering from dementia, new research suggests.

In a recent study, researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey recruited overweight or obese women over 50 years old and put them on a diet plan.

All participants were told to reduce their food intake by 500 calories per day, but half were also told to eat in a time restricted window, also known as intermittent fasting.

After six months, both groups had lost 15lbs (6.8kg), but those who only ate between 10am and 6pm had significant improvements on memory and learning tests.

Further examination showed they also had improved spatial planning and problem solving skills compared to those who ate when they wanted. 

Researchers said the results suggested it ‘may be possible to reduce the risk of dementia by eating during fewer hours of the day.’ 

Dr Sue Shapses, a nutritionist who led the study, said: ‘Losing weight alone will ward off some of the aging-related cognitive decline.

‘[But] these data suggest there may be additional benefits if you stop eating four hours before going to sleep and reduce food intake to eight to nine hours per day, compared with the usual eating window of 12 hours per day.’

About seven million Americans have dementia currently, but this is expected to nearly double over the next 25 years to 13 million, estimates suggest. 

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in America, tied to 116,000 fatalities every year. Globally, it is the seventh leading cause. 

In the UK, nearly a million people are estimated to have dementia. That number is set to double over the same period to two million. 

Time-restricted eating, or intermittent fasting, is a dietary habit where a person limits their caloric intake to either certain hours of the day or days of the week in order to lose weight and control eating habits.

Popular iterations include the 14:10 plan – where a person only eats within a 10-hour window – and the 5:2 – where someone eats five days a week and fasts for two.

The meal plans took off in the 2010s, popularized by celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Mark Wahlberg. Today, an estimated one in 10 Americans follows the diet.

Some experts say the plans help someone to lose weight and curb hunger, while others have raised concerns that it can lead to muscle loss, a nutritional deficiency and low mood.

The new study was presented at NUTRITION 2026, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition held earlier this month in Maryland.

Jennifer Aniston previously said that she uses intermittent fasting, saying in 2019 that she only drinks water in the mornings or delays her first meal until midday

In the research, the 47 participants were between 50 and 79 years old.

Those in the time-restricted eating group were told to eat for no more than nine hours per day. 

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Overall, they ate for an average of eight hours and 12 minutes per day. For comparison, those in the non-time restricted eating group ate for 12 hours and 18 minutes.

Cognitive tests showed broad improvements in the restricted eating group, but there was no significant difference between the two on multitasking and reaction times.

Shapses added: ‘There was a modest effect of time-restricted eating to improve spatial planning and problem-solving and on reducing errors related to memory and learning.

‘These outcomes suggest a better ability to remember information during everyday tasks and reducing mistakes related to memory, attention and problem-solving. Reductions in the eating window predicted greater improvements.’

It was not clear why time-restricted eating may have boosted brain health, but previous research has suggested that it may trigger neuroprotective processes in the brain.

Previous research has also suggested that eating shortly before bedtime can disrupt sleep, which is considered vital for helping to prevent dementia.

The study was small and detected an association. It did not prove that time restricted eating slashed the risk of dementia. 

The researchers said that further larger studies were needed to confirm the results. 

They are now planning to investigate the mechanisms that might explain the possible benefits of time-restricted eating, such as the interactions between circadian rhythm, nutrient-sensing pathways, inflammation and metabolic health. 

Ubisoft has cancelled an extraction shooter set in the Far Cry universe according to a report, in favour of a new spin-off. 

While Assassin’s Creed continues to be a key priority at Ubisoft, one of its other major franchises has dropped off the radar in recent years. 

Far Cry hasn’t seen a new entry since 2021’s Far Cry 6, which proved divisive among fans and critics. Ubisoft hasn’t officially announced a new game, but there have been rumours for some time that a mainline sequel and a multiplayer spin-off are in development. 

However, according to a new report, the multiplayer game has now been shelved, as work gets underway on a new spin-off.

As reported by Insider Gaming, the Far Cry multiplayer spin-off codenamed Maverick, which was apparently an extraction shooter, has been cancelled. 

However, a new game set within the Far Cry universe, codenamed Kodiak, has reportedly passed the conception stage at Vantage Studios – the newly created Ubisoft subsidiary. 

This project has been described as ‘really ambitious’ by sources, although it’s built on the foundations of Maverick. It’s said to be several years away from release. 

Per the report, Kodiak is described as an open world first person shooter where ‘player interactions and player-driven stories take centre stage’ – a description which could apply to almost every Far Cry game so far.

It’s unclear if Kodiak will be multiplayer or single-player focused. However, the next mainline Far Cry game, codenamed Blackbird, is said to have a multiplayer element where several players can experience the world together at once. 

It’s unclear when Blackbird will launch but it will likely be the next Far Cry game on the way, if Kodiak has only just passed the conception stage. 

The big question is what the next mainline Far Cry game could do to spice up the formula, which has grown stale over recent entries. Far Cry 6 starred Giancarlo Esposito as a dictator on a fictional Caribbean island, but all the recent sequels have struggled to make the same impact as Far Cry 3.

Vantage Studios is managing development across Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six titles. The only game we know they’re working on is Assassin’s Creed Hexe, which has been subject to notable shifts in senior management over recent months.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.

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For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

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Equity release is only available to homeowners that own a property within the United Kingdom. 

If you choose a mortgage with required payments during your lifetime, your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up with the payments. Borrowing with a lifetime mortgage or retirement interest-only mortgage will reduce the value of your estate. Receiving a cash lump sum may also affect your entitlement to means-tested benefits. Think carefully before securing other debts against your home.

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Responsible Life Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal London Group who may benefit if you choose to take regulated mortgage advice. Being a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal London Group does not alter Responsible Life Limited’s regulatory responsibilities.

Only if you choose to proceed and your case completes will Responsible Life Limited charge an advice fee, currently not exceeding £1,890. Their adviser will talk through the setting up costs before you choose to proceed.

The actress, who played barmaid Gina Ward for 18 years, revealed that she had bought The Goathland Hotel – known to millions as the Aidensfield Arms – alongside two business partners, marking a full-circle moment for fans of the long-running series.

Following the announcement, Press readers shared their own stories of the much-loved pub and its role both on and off screen.

Heartbeat fans’ memories as TV star takes on Goathland Hotel, pictured. (Image: Submitted)

Taking to The Press website and Facebook page, some recalled how the show was made, with filming taking place both in Goathland and beyond.

Philip Hopkinson said: “The internal scenes were indeed initially filmed inside the Goathland Hotel for the first 2/3 years but after that, like many internal scenes, were filmed in an old mill in Farsley, West Yorkshire.

“My wife and I were invited to the sets during the final months of filming.”

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Others pointed to scenes filmed closer to York.

Granville Durkin said: “A lot of the exterior scenes were filmed in the Acomb, Foxwood and Chapelfields areas of York.

“One of the most memorable episodes, where Greengrass gets his private parts caught in a mousetrap, was filmed on Bramham Road in Chapelfields.”

For many, however, the pub’s importance goes far beyond television.

The Aidensfield Arms, in Heartbeat. (Image: Submitted)

Keith Thompson said: “It was ‘village central’ for many years, the social hub of the village, not some fictitious place depicted on a TV screen.

“If you wanted something, wanted help, needed advice, an opinion, or just to talk then the pub bar of the Goathland was that place.

“People think that TV ‘made’ the village, brought tourism, ‘put it on the map’ is the oft trailed expression, the village was a tourist destination long before YTV ‘discovered’ it.”

The show’s global reach was also clear, with fans travelling from afar to visit.

Susanne Linde, from Sweden, said: “I came to Goathland 2014 to visit the pub and stay at the hotel – all because of the TV series ‘Heartbeat’. And – I love steam trains! So NYMR was a dream come true.

“I fell in love with both The Aidensfield Arms and Goathland. So I came back from Sweden to visit every year after that, sometimes twice and even three times a year.

“I got friends with the owners of the hotel and I did even work at the pub and hotel a couple of times for some weeks.  ..Lovely memories.”

Others shared connections to the show itself.

Wendy Coates said: “My husband worked on the set of Heartbeat for 10 years. Providing period car, Volvo Amazon 130. Knows Miss Penrose, lovely lady.”

And there was excitement about what the future might hold.

Chris Hoggard said: “I just hope we can say ‘Pint please Ginna’.”

James Birkinshaw said: “Nice for her, it played a big part of her life and now gets to share it with other that the way to do it. Well done lass – all them hours well worth it; things always come at the right time.”

Brian Womble added: “Had a wonderful time visiting Goathland and the pub for a drink a few years ago. Need to go back xxx.”

Reader Gloria Tyler Daykin suggested a name change: “I wish them all the best and I’m pretty sure they’ll change the name to the Aidensfield Arms in keeping with the show.”

The Goathland Hotel has long attracted visitors from across the world thanks to its starring role in Heartbeat, which ran from 1992 to 2010 and was filmed across North Yorkshire.

Now, with one of its best-known faces at the helm, many fans are hoping the spirit of the Aidensfield Arms will live on for years to come.

What are your memories of Heartbeat and filming in North Yorkshire? We’d love to hear – email nadia.jeffersonbrown@newsquest.co.uk

Josh Miller, 29, was jailed for a year at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday.

An offender who has spent much of his adult life in custody is behind bars again after he was caught carrying a knife in Uddingston.

Josh Miller, 29, was jailed for a year at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday.

He admitted having a lockback knife in Gardenside Avenue on July 11 last year.

Connor McIntyre, prosecuting, said police went to the area about 2.20pm after a report that a man was “in distress”.

He stated: “Officers saw the accused and began to speak to him. He was under the influence of drink or drugs.

“The knife was found in a pocket of his tracksuit top. The accused was arrested but not formally charged at that stage due to his level of intoxication.”

Defence lawyer Ian Scott said Miller, now of Portwell, Hamilton, was living in a hostel in Uddingston at the time.

Mr Scott told the court: “He was a chaotic drug user. He is easily led and follows a bad crowd.

“It wasn’t unexpected to find him under the influence with a knife in his possession.

“He has spent a lot of his adult life in a custodial setting where he is an exemplary and trusted prisoner.”

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