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‘Bizarrely and personally lurking’: Gabbard’s appearance at FBI election raid alarms Dems

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‘Bizarrely and personally lurking’: Gabbard’s appearance at FBI election raid alarms Dems

Democrats, election experts and even some members of the Trump administration expressed alarm and bewilderment about why Tulsi Gabbard was on the scene as the FBI raided a Georgia election office that has been at the center of Donald Trump’s debunked claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, was photographed late Wednesday outside the Fulton County elections office near Atlanta, Georgia, as the FBI executed a search warrant to seize ballots and other records related to the 2020 election.

As DNI, Gabbard has no domestic law enforcement authority and is not typically involved in criminal investigations, a reality that alarmed many Democrats on Capitol Hill — and even puzzled some Trump officials.

“My constituents in Georgia and I think much of the American public are quite reasonably alarmed in asking questions after the director of national intelligence was spotted bizarrely and personally lurking in an FBI evidence truck in Fulton County, Georgia, yesterday,” Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) said during an unrelated Senate hearing Thursday morning.

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The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Gabbard was investigating the 2020 election, and has regularly briefed Trump and other administration officials about her search. “President Trump and his entire team are committed to ensuring a U.S. election can never, ever be rigged again. Director Gabbard is playing a key lead role in this important effort,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told The Journal.

Olivia Coleman, a spokesperson for Gabbard, confirmed the DNI was on the scene in Atlanta. She did not immediately respond to follow-up inquiries about her reported probe of the 2020 vote.

Despite concerns raised by Democrats, Gabbard appears to be taking on a more expansive public role in American elections. On Thursday, White House aide Jared Borg told a group of election officials that Gabbard — alongside Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi — is set to address the winter meeting of the National Association of Secretaries of State on Friday.

Trump has long fixated on unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in Georgia in the aftermath of the 2020 election, which he lost to former President Joe Biden. He has continued to falsely suggest that the election was stolen since returning to the White House, including in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week.

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White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended Gabbard in an emailed statement. “Director Gabbard has a pivotal role in election security and protecting the integrity of our elections against interference, including operations targeting voting systems, databases and election infrastructure,” he wrote. “She has and will continue to take action on President Trump’s directive to secure our elections and work with our interagency partners to do so.”

Trump spent much of the morning amplifying claims that the Georgia vote was rigged on Truth Social, and even called attention to Gabbard’s role in Wednesday’s raid.

Gabbard’s role remains confusing to some in the administration. Two current Justice Department officials and one Trump administration official said they were also puzzled by Gabbard’s presence in Fulton County. “It remains a mystery to me why she would need to be there,” said the administration official, who, like others interviewed, was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Sen. Mark Warner, (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, argued on X Wednesday that there “are only two explanations” for Gabbard’s presence in the raid.

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“Either Director Gabbard believes there was a legitimate foreign intelligence nexus — in which case she is in clear violation of her obligation under the law to keep the intelligence committees ‘fully and currently informed’ of relevant national security concerns — or she is once again demonstrating her utter lack of fitness for the office that she holds by injecting the nonpartisan intelligence community she is supposed to be leading into a domestic political stunt designed to legitimize conspiracy theories that undermine our democracy,” he wrote.

Warner and House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) wrote to Gabbard Thursday to request briefings for both panels about the legal basis, scope, and justification of her participation in the raid.

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who before entering Congress was California’s chief election official, told a panel at NASS on Thursday that Gabbard’s presence at the raid should be a reminder about “the urgency of the situation.”

“I guess they’re still searching for 11,000 more votes,” he quipped, referencing a call Trump had with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after losing the 2020 election. “But it should be a reminder — or a wake up — that this can happen at any point once again between now and this coming November.”

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Gabbard’s appearance at the raid led some Democrats to believe she wanted to be there to claim credit for it publicly.

“When the head of a department participates in something, it’s about PR, not about process and the law,” Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) told POLITICO. “If they have evidence, they want evidence and they have a valid warrant, and you let the professionals go in and do that.”

While Gabbard has veered in and out of the good graces of Trump during her tenure as DNI, she appeared to hit a high point last summer when she alleged that senior U.S. intelligence officials under then-President Barack Obama were guilty of treason because they had fabricated intelligence about Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Trump said last week that individuals who played a role in that year’s vote will soon be prosecuted.

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David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, told reporters on Thursday that Gabbard’s Georgia appearance only sparks more concerns that the raid “is an attempt to fuel false claims and disinformation.”

“There is no reason for the director of national intelligence to be in any kind of voting site,” he said. “She has neither the authority nor the competence to assess anything in that voting site. And so it’s incredibly troubling to see something like that.”

Mo Ivory, a Fulton County commissioner, said Thursday that federal officials took 700 boxes of ballots and “ancillary” materials from the 2020 election. The county’s attorney, she said, is “working with a group of local and national lawyers” to formulate a legal response.

The first DOJ official said the ballots are now being stored at an FBI facility in Winchester, Virginia.

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Spokespeople for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger did not respond to requests for comment. In 2020, Raffensperger famously rebuffed Trump’s pressure campaign to “find” enough votes to flip the state’s election for him.

The two DOJ officials said the FBI received a heads up that Gabbard would be on site for the raid. They said her participation did not bother FBI Director Kash Patel or other bureau officials.

Democrats, however, worry more broadly that the raid could have a chilling effect on future elections.

“The facts are clear, Trump lost, and he has to accept that and move on with his life,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in an interview. “And everyone in his administration should do the same, instead of terrorizing election officials and interfering with our work to simply just prepare for the midterm elections.”

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Erin Doherty and Andrew Howard contributed to this report.

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Heteroflexible Meaning Explained | HuffPost UK Life

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For some people, heteroflexible feels like an orientation, and for others it is more of a descriptive label for behavior or curiosity, explained Jesse Kahn, the director and a sex therapist at the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York.

If you asked dating app and content creator Terry Rhea what his sexual orientation is, he’d say he’s “heteroflexible”.

If you responded quizzically – what’s that? – he’d gladly go into detail about what the word means to him.

“To me, heteroflexible means that under the right circumstances – the right place, time, person and environment – I would potentially have fun with someone of the same sex,” Rhea told HuffPost.

“I view sex as something pleasurable, intimate and connecting. It’s supposed to be fun,” he said. “As long as everyone has been tested, boundaries are established, and all parties are consenting adults, I see no issue with that.”

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The “mostly straight” messaging of “heteroflexible” works for him in a way that “bisexual” doesn’t.

“Bisexual, to me, means you are romantically attracted to and would date or marry either sex,” he said. “Heteroflexible means you are primarily attracted to the opposite sex, but under the right conditions, you’d be open to same-sex experiences – for me, it’s strictly for fun, nothing more.”

He’s not alone in embracing the label. In its recent annual data deep dive, Feeld – a dating app that brands itself “for open-minded individuals” – found that heteroflexible is the fastest-growing sexuality on the platform. The number of people choosing the label increased by 193% over the past year.

Rhea isn’t the least surprised.

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“We have more nuanced terminology to describe the full spectrum of sexual identity these days,” he said. “People aren’t forcing themselves into boxes that don’t quite work anymore.”

But how does “heteroflexible” differ from all the other terms that are already out there: bi-curious, bisexual and pansexual? And is there something a little queerbaiting about hinting at queerness while aligning yourself with heterosexuality, as some critics have claimed? Below, we explore that and more.

For some people, heteroflexible feels like an orientation, and for others it is more of a descriptive label for behavior or curiosity, explained Jesse Kahn, the director and a sex therapist at the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York.

FG Trade via Getty Images

For some people, heteroflexible feels like an orientation, and for others it is more of a descriptive label for behavior or curiosity, explained Jesse Kahn, the director and a sex therapist at the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York.

Where did the word come from, and how does it differ from bisexual and other labels?

“Heteroflexible” first gained traction in the early 2000s on U.S. college campuses and in online forums. (For those too young to know, this was the “I kissed a girl, and I liked it” era.) People also started using the term “homoflexible”. Its inverse: someone who is mostly gay but open to opposite-sex experiences under the right circumstances.

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Is it full-blown orientation? Depends on who you ask.

For some people, heteroflexible feels like that, but for others, it’s more of a descriptive label for behaviour or even just curiosity, explained Jesse Kahn, the director and a sex therapist at the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York.

“Experiences like this have always existed, and the language continues to evolve as people look for words that feel accurate and affirming,” he said. “The word reflects a broader shift toward understanding sexuality as fluid, contextual, and not always fixed or binary.”

Bisexuality and pansexuality are more fixed, said Alexandra Askenazi Marcus, a therapist and clinical supervisor at the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center.

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“Bisexuality and pansexuality are more established sexual orientations that involve consistent attraction to more than one gender, with pansexuality emphasising attraction regardless of gender,” she said.

“Heteroflexibility differs in that it often maintains heterosexuality as the primary identity while allowing for exceptions,” she said. “It’s less about identity.”

“Younger generations have been more open to viewing sexuality (and sexual orientation) as a spectrum,” said Jaunté Marquel Reynolds-Villarreal, another therapist and clinical Supervisor at the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York.
“Younger generations have been more open to viewing sexuality (and sexual orientation) as a spectrum,” said Jaunté Marquel Reynolds-Villarreal, another therapist and clinical Supervisor at the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York.

“Queer” meanwhile works as an umbrella term that gives people room to define their sexuality outside rigid or traditional categories.

Jaunté Marquel Reynolds-Villarreal, another therapist and clinical supervisor at the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center, isn’t surprised the label is catching on. The discourse on love and sexuality is changing, he said, and younger people these days are down with the Kinsey Scale.

“Younger generations have been more open to viewing sexuality and sexual orientation as a spectrum,” he said. “In the past, we tended to use labels as very restrictive constructs, binding people into specific interests or attractions that just don’t really hold true here in 2026.”

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There are some queer people who are critical of the label

Mary Hellstrom, a therapist and clinical supervisor at The Expansive Group in Honolulu, Hawaii, thinks that for some heteroflexible people, the label may function similarly to the popular ’90s term “bi-curious”.

As Hellstrom poetically put it, “[It’s] like a beautiful stepping stone along the path, or a set of water wings as one begins wading into the deep waters of queer sexuality for the first time”.

If the sexual orientations of bisexual, pansexual or queer function like houses of self, with permanent walls and art and glass windows, Hellstrom suggested that heteroflexibility functions more like a pop-up camper.

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“It’s available for use when needed and easily packed away in storage when it isn’t,” she said. “Pop-up campers are wonderful inventions, perfect for those spontaneous, off-road weekend adventures, but they differ from a house and require much less effort to create and sustain.”

For critics of heteroflexibility – especially queer critics – what feels a little questionable about the label is how closely it sits to heterosexuality. Out of all the labels available, it’s a choice to describe your queer identity using the word hetero.

Given the hostile political climate LGBTQ people are currently facing, there’s safety in being straight adjacent, sex therapists we spoke to said.

“The most obvious difference between pansexual, queer or bisexual and heteroflexible is that those other identities are all subject to marginalisation and a lack of safety within our patriarchal systems,” Hellstrom said.

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And as single women joke about frequently on TikTok, most people using the word heteroflexible on Feeld tend to be cis-men. “‘No homo,’ but I do occasionally have sex with men.”

Heteroflexible straight men get to experience the safety and privileges that come with the identity, without fully buying in and having their queerness threaten their masculinity. A full-bodied label, like, queer or gay, comes with a whole lot more stigma.

Rhea, the self-identifying heteroflexible man, agrees that such fears may come into play for some men who pick the label on Feeld.

“Because of how patriarchy functions, straight men who also experience any inkling of a homosexual thought or feeling often experience this as deeply threatening to their sense of self and masculinity,” he said. “The system is designed to evoke this feeling.”

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For heteroflexible people, the label may function similarly to the aforementioned '90s term "bi-curious."

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For heteroflexible people, the label may function similarly to the aforementioned ’90s term “bi-curious.”

Rhea understands the criticism, but he views the terms as genuinely distinct. (And for the most part, people have reacted positively when he shares that he’s heteroflexible.)

“To me, bisexual is the umbrella term. Heteroflexible and homoflexible are subsets within it,” he said. “Heteroflexible means you primarily date and partner with the opposite sex but are occasionally open to same-sex play. Bisexual, in my view, sits in the middle: open to dating, partnering with, or marrying either sex. These aren’t the same thing, and the distinctions matter.”

Calling himself “heteroflexible” is an ethical, honest choice, he thinks: As he dates around, he doesn’t want a man to get the wrong impression about his openness to a relationship.

“I’m glad that Feeld offers heteroflexible as an option,” he said. “We’ve been placed into a worn-out box of compulsory heterosexuality. It’s refreshing to see that people are experimenting with little pushes against its walls.”

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BBC Reporter Says Donald Trump Is Bewildered About Iran Conflict

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BBC Reporter Says Donald Trump Is Bewildered About Iran Conflict

Donald Trump is “bewildered” that the war in Iran is still going on, according to a BBC reporter covering the conflict.

Daniel De Simone, who is a correspondent based in Jerusalem, said the American and Israeli governments seemed to have “under-estimated” the Tehran regime.

The two countries began their bombardment of Iran at the end of February, sparking a wider Middle East conflict amid fears of a global economic meltdown as oil prices soar.

In his latest gambit aimed at ending the war, Trump has threatened to destroy Iran entirely unless it re-opens the Strait of Hormuz by later today.

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On Radio 4′s Today programme, De Simone said this was not now the US president had thought the war would go.

He said: “There are still missiles being fired towards Israel and that’s happening every day.

“That shows that the Iranian government, the military, is still able to pose a threat, that’s heading to the sixth week of this war.

“I think there’s a sense that there was a real under-estimation by the Israeli leadership [and] by the American leadership about how this war could go on, and certainly some of Donald Trump’s comments show that.

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“He seems a bit bewildered that this is still happening and that the Iranian military is still fighting.”

He added: “I think that as long as Iran is able to fire missiles, it’d hard to see how they can claim that their objectives have been met.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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The ‘Unhealthy’ Foods Paediatricians Let Their Own Kids Eat

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“For us, chicken tenders fit the bill because they’re affordable, cook quickly and will always be eaten," said Dr. Alicia Tucker.

There are so many things happening in children’s lives that are outside of parents’ control, so it’s understandable that parents can go a little bonkers over issues they can control, like food.

Some mums and dads worry so much about “proper” nutrition that they can suck the fun right out of one of life’s greatest pleasures – eating what we love.

Paediatric emergency room physician Dr. Dina Kulik said sugar, carbohydrates and processed foods, for example, trigger far more fear than they deserve. “In realistic amounts, and within an overall balanced diet, they’re not the villains they’re often made out to be,” she said. “The stress and restriction around these foods can be more harmful than the foods themselves.”

Many paediatricians are parents themselves, and they often have a more relaxed attitude about what their kids eat than you might expect. Here are some of the surprising things that show up at their dinner tables:

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Fast food

“We stop for fast food occasionally,” said Dr. Debra Langlois, a paediatrician at the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. “I’m a working parent; so when I get out of work late, and my children have an activity I need to get them to, they still have to eat. It’s important for all of us parents to remember that we’re doing the best we can. We need to give ourselves some grace as we strive to give children a healthy lifestyle that includes nutrition and physical activity.”

Chicken tenders

In a busy household, “some nights everyone just needs something quick and easy,” said Dr. Alicia Tucker, attending paediatrician at Children’s National’s obesity program called Improving Diet, Energy and Activity for Life (IDEAL).

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“For us, chicken tenders fit the bill because they’re affordable, cook quickly and will always be eaten. I aim to balance this with easy, healthy sides that add some fibre and other nutrients, like putting them on top of a salad or serving them with apple slices or corn.”

“For us, chicken tenders fit the bill because they’re affordable, cook quickly and will always be eaten," said Dr. Alicia Tucker.

Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images

“For us, chicken tenders fit the bill because they’re affordable, cook quickly and will always be eaten,” said Dr. Alicia Tucker.

French fries

“I do oven frying to use less oil, and I do use sweet potatoes sometimes,” said Dr. Tokunbo Akande, an integrative paediatrician. It’s a choice he feels just fine about: “A single food doesn’t determine a child’s health, so when the foundation is whole-food, plant-forward eating, occasional ‘fast foods’ don’t derail gut health, because the gut is more resilient.”

For Dr. Sara Hagan, a paediatrician at Oklahoma Children’s OU Health, frozen french fries are a welcome choice “on busy nights when we need something quick that our toddler will eat.” She went on to say that some parents worry unnecessarily about packaged foods and snacks. “While fresh foods are ideal, many packaged options contain added vitamins and nutrients that can support toddlers and picky eaters, and they can complement whole foods for a balanced diet.” Just remember that what your child eats isn’t a referendum on you, she said. “A child’s picky eating, preference for ‘treat’ foods or adventurous palate don’t reflect on a parent’s ability. The most important thing is raising a happy, healthy child.”

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Crisps

“My kids get barbecue or vinegar-and-salt chips as an occasional snack,” said Dr. Anisha Abraham, chief of adolescent medicine at Children’s National Hospital.

“As a teen health specialist taking care of adolescents with eating disorders, I know that strictly controlling what kids eat may increase anxiety around eating, lead to sneaking food, or contribute to disordered eating patterns later in life. Kids benefit from structure, including regular meals and snacks, but they also need independence and trust so they can develop healthy patterns as they become young adults.”

The crunchy treat also gets a nod from Dr. Adolfo Flores, a paediatrician at Children’s Health Dallas. “I have a 19-month-old, and she’ll occasionally enjoy some potato chips,” he said. “Although the amount of sodium and carbohydrates may give pause, it’s important that my daughter understands that a healthy diet looks like a diverse selection of foods, and that includes things like chips on occasion.”

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Dessert

Registered dietitian Katherine Shary leads paediatric obesity prevention efforts at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “I let my kids have dessert with dinner a couple times per week,” she said. “That includes ice cream, cake, brownies, cookies or popsicles.” She offered a smart approach to offering sweets. “If your child asks for brownies, you might say, ‘Sure, we can have brownies with dinner,’ and then serve one brownie to each person. If they ask for more, you can respond with: ‘That’s all the brownies we have for this meal, but if you’re still hungry, there’s plenty of other food on the table.’ This sets a clear boundary without shame or making dessert feel off-limits.”

An easily portioned dessert, like a brownie square, makes it easier to set limits.

Lindsay Upson via Getty Images

An easily portioned dessert, like a brownie square, makes it easier to set limits.

“Peanut butter chocolate ice cream is my son’s favourite sweet treat,” said Dr. Paulina Tran, a paediatrician and associate program director in the allergy and immunology department of paediatrics at Los Angeles Medical Center. “As an allergist, I’m very aware that peanut is a top allergen. We know from strong evidence that early and regular exposure to allergens like peanuts can help prevent food allergies in many children. Since I know my child can safely eat peanuts, I’m supportive of him enjoying chocolate peanut butter ice cream as part of maintaining that regular exposure.”

Soda

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“I do allow my kids, who are school-aged, to drink soda when we’re on vacation or celebrating birthdays,” said Dr. Rebecca Carter, a paediatrician at the University of Maryland Golisano Children’s Hospital and an associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “As parents, we feel that treating soda as a once-in-a-while treat is a fair compromise, so that foods don’t feel fully off-limits or forbidden.”

Remember your kids are watching what you do

Tucker noted, “Research consistently shows that parental modelling of healthy eating behaviours has a huge impact on a child’s developing relationship with food. When kids see their parents eating a variety of foods, they’re more likely to do so as well.”

She had some practical tips for being a good food role model: “Put cucumber sticks or other crunchy veggies on the table for a pre-dinner snack while you’re cooking, and over time your kids are likely to pick up on the habit, too. And if you’re craving a cookie after dinner, remember to avoid comments about weight or body image or only getting to eat it because you exercised. Just let everyone take a cookie together and enjoy the evening.”

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The biggest takeaway from the paediatricians we spoke with is that you set the tone around food, and it should be one of pleasure, enjoyment and nourishment.

“Most parents restrict treats because they care deeply about their kids’ growth and development – and that comes from a loving place,” Shary said. “If you’ve been using dessert only as a reward or bribe, you haven’t failed – you were doing what you thought was best. You can always try something new, like offering a small dessert with a meal or snack without strings attached. When dessert is treated as simply another food, kids build a healthier, more positive relationship with eating that can benefit them for life.”

Finally, remember the vibe at the dinner table can be so much more important than what’s being served. “Creating a positive mealtime environment where kids feel safe, heard and included often matters just as much as what’s on their plate,” Abraham said.

“Gut health is as much emotional as it is nutritional,” Akande reminded parents. “When we remove shame and pressure from eating, we support the nervous system and kids digest better. The most ‘integrative’ thing we can offer is a relaxed, joyful relationship with food.

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Trump’s Iran Escalation Would Increase Death And Chaos Across The Middle East

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Trump’s Iran Escalation Would Increase Death And Chaos Across The Middle East

The economic pain at home and civilian death in the Middle East wrought by President Donald Trump’s war on Iran could hit new levels in the coming days if he follows through on an oft-repeated threat to destroy Iran’s entire electrical infrastructure.

Trump says an attack, which would almost certainly be a war crime, will come if Iran does not agree to a “deal” by Tuesday night. That country’s leaders will likely hit back in kind against Gulf states that are helping the United States, according to military and Iran experts.

“Iran’s only retaliatory capability is to target America’s immediate allies in the Gulf, and Israel, if possible,” said Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Iran has, since the war began, struck military targets used by US forces in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. It has also targeted civilian infrastructure, but attacks on its own civilian infrastructure are likely to prompt further escalation. One especially life-threatening possibility is attacks on the Gulf states’ water desalination plants, which are even more critical to those predominantly desert countries than the ones in Iran.

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“Iran has already demonstrated both its willingness and ability to retaliate in kind should the US and Israel escalate strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure,” said Mona Yacoubian, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“Bahrain and the UAE are among the likely countries to be hit. Israeli targets may prove more challenging, but Iran will certainly attempt to lash out at Israel as well.”

Such retaliation would dramatically increase the human suffering Trump’s war has already brought to the region, particularly if the damage to desalination plants reduces critical drinking water supply for residents.

Thirteen US service members have died in the war, with hundreds more injured. US and Israeli strikes in Iran have also killed at least 1,500 civilians, according to a human-rights group, including 175 at a girls school in the first hours of the attack.

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Iran is also likely to hit more oil production and distribution facilities in the region, which could further inflame the world’s oil market. Crude oil prices have increased about 50% since Trump launched the war, with petrol prices up more than a dollar a gallon in America.

Industry executive Matt Randolph, though, points out that it could get even worse if Iran, with its Houthi allies in Yemen, chooses to close the entrance to the Red Sea as it has already done at Hormuz, the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

“If the response by Iran is to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and I believe they will, then oil prices jump a lot,” he said. “They did it briefly in 2024 just for fun. Just to see if they could.”

The Houthis attacked commercial shipping that year in retaliation for Israel’s total war approach in Gaza that wound up killing many tens of thousands of civilians there. Red Sea traffic was reduced dramatically for a period.

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These possibilities did not appear to concern Trump on Monday. Speaking to reporters at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, he said Iran was not ready to accede to his demands to end the war.

“They just don’t want to say ‘uncle.’ They don’t want to cry, as the expression goes, ‘uncle,’ but they will. And if they don’t, they’ll have no bridges, they’ll have no power plants, they’ll have no anything. I won’t ― I won’t go further, because there are other things that are worse than those two,” he said.

Hours later at a White House news conference he called to celebrate the recovery of two Air Force crew members whose F-15 fighter plane was shot down in Iran late last week, Trump repeated that his deadline for Iran to capitulate was just over a day away.

“We’re giving them till tomorrow, eight o’clock eastern time, and after that they’re going to have no bridges, they’re going to have no power plants. Stone Ages. Yeah, Stone Ages,” he said.

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Asked whether that level of destruction would not necessarily harm civilians, Trump claimed that everyday Iranians want to be attacked.

“They would be willing to ― they would be willing ― and it’s suffering. They would be willing to suffer that in order to have freedom. The Iranians have ― and we’ve had numerous intercepts: ‘Please keep bombing,’ bombs that are dropping near their homes, ‘Please keep bombing, do it.’ And these are people that are living where the bombs are exploding,” he said. “And when we leave and we’re not hitting those areas, they’re saying, ‘Please come back, come back, come back.’ These are the people.”

What precisely he wants from Iran, however, remains unclear. On several occasions since he began his air attack on February 28, Trump demanded regime change in Iran, but on Monday he said the regime has already changed. He continues to insist that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon while also saying that their programme to make one was “obliterated” in last June’s attacks.

And on Monday, he would not even say that reopening the Strait of Hormuz to unfettered oil tanker traffic was an absolute must ― which was the subject of his Easter demand that Iran “Open the Fuckin’ Strait” – because Iran could effectively close the strait merely by claiming to have laid mines in it.

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“They’re very good bullshit artists,” he said.

Trump also again refused to lay out what plan he has, if any, to conclude the war. “I have the best plan of all, but I’m not going to tell you what my plan is,” he said.

He also waxed poetic about an era when larger countries could steal natural resources from smaller ones — known as “pillaging” and defined as a war crime by the Geneva Conventions — and wished he could “take” Iran’s oil.

“I’ve said, why don’t we use it — ‘To the victor, go the spoils’ — and we don’t have that. We haven’t had that in this country probably in 100 years, because even the Second World War, you look at the Second World War, we didn’t have it with the Second World,” he said, before adding that he is good at languages and can probably get elected president of Venezuela after he leaves the White House.

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Trump has not ruled out using troops for a ground assault, but has not assembled anywhere near the size of a force necessary to seize and hold Iran’s oil production infrastructure.

When asked specifically whether he was trying to wind the war down or ramp it up, Trump responded: “I can’t tell you. I don’t know.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Mamdani’s investigation nominee faces questions on independence

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani nominated former federal prosecutor Nadia Shihata (far left) to lead New York City's Department of Investigations.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani nominated former federal prosecutor Nadia Shihata (far left) to lead New York City's Department of Investigations.

DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 6

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: During his campaign, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had a historic number of volunteers who canvassed on his behalf. Among them was his pick to lead the Department of Investigation.

In February, Mamdani nominated former federal prosecutor Nadia Shihata to lead the investigation department, which acts as a watchdog over city government.

On Monday as part of the confirmation process, she faced questions from members of the City Council, who focused particular attention on her prior support of the administration she would be charged with auditing and investigating.

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Shihata gave $700 to Mamdani’s campaign in four installments last year. She spent a day canvassing for the then-mayoral hopeful. And after graduating from law school 20 years ago, she struck up a friendship with Ramzi Kassem, who is now the mayor’s chief counsel in City Hall and the person who reached out to see if she’d be interested in the job.

“How do you compartmentalize that political kinship, if you will, with a role that may have you investigating that very leader and his administration?” asked Council Member David Carr, leader of the body’s Republican caucus.

Shihata pushed back, saying the support she offered to her future boss would not cloud her ability to probe city government should she be approved by the Council, which has veto power over the pick. And she clarified that she and Kassem are not close friends, though she did consult him before establishing a law firm after leaving the Department of Justice.

“I have investigated people I have supported in the past,” she said in response to Carr’s question. “That has not affected my ability to investigate them and reach conclusions driven by the evidence of the law.”

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Shihata worked for 11 years as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, which has pursued past public corruption cases in tandem with DOI. Her stint there included serving as chief of the Organized Crime and Gangs Section and deputy chief of the Public Integrity Section — two roles that give her a law-enforcement pedigree typical of DOI commissioner candidates.

It is the training she received there that will serve her well in her potential new gig, according to someone who knows a thing or two about independence from City Hall.

“These questions were raised when I was up for confirmation, and I don’t think there’s a lot of doubt that I ultimately was very independent,” said former DOI Commissioner Mark Peters, who was a longtime friend and campaign treasurer to former Mayor Bill de Blasio before the then-mayor tapped him to lead DOI.

Once installed as commissioner, Peters pursued the administration aggressively — some might say that’s putting it mildly — and released several bombshell probes before de Blasio fired him, citing an independent report that found Peters abused his power and mistreated staffers.

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Speaking with Playbook, Peters said Shihata would be an excellent DOI commissioner.

“If you’re like I was and like Nadia is — a trained, professional investigator and prosecutor — inherent in that training is learning how to be independent and compartmentalize other parts of your life,” he said. “Prosecutors are supposed to be politically independent. And well-trained prosecutors are.” — Joe Anuta

From the Capitol

Gov. Kathy Hochul is planning her next budget extender to the Legislature.

BUDGET MONTH: Gov. Kathy Hochul is preparing to send state lawmakers a second stopgap spending bill as a broader deal over the state budget remains elusive.

The Legislature will return on Tuesday to take up the extender legislation. The bill will cover payroll for thousands of state workers, but it’s not yet clear how long the government will be funded. The Legislature was initially scheduled to be on a two-week hiatus this month, but the late spending plan has scrambled the legislative calendar.

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“We’re still working out the details on the length of each extender,” Hochul said Monday during an unrelated event in Albany. “Certainly we gave a longer one because of the religious observances of Easter and Passover.”

Read more from POLITICO Pro’s Nick Reisman.

BLAKEMAN AVOIDS A PRIMARY: Libertarian Larry Sharpe did not submit petitions to run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, so GOP standard-bearer Bruce Blakeman is locked in as his party’s presumptive nominee.

Sharpe still plans to gather petitions later this spring to run as a Libertarian in November, eight years after he received 95,000 votes on that minor line. But he didn’t hit the 15,000 signatures needed to also run in the major party’s primary.

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“Republicans are leaving the state left and right, there’s not enough out there for me to get,” Sharpe said, adding that it was a challenge finding registered Republicans to collect signatures since they’re “getting pressure from the elites to not carry for me.”

Sharpe also blamed the weather since February: “We had two snowstorms,” he said. “How am I supposed to get signatures when I’ve got snowstorms?”

As of a couple of hours before the Monday filing deadline, the state Board of Elections had posted submissions from three gubernatorial candidates. Each of these was able to skip gathering petitions thanks to their backing at a party convention: Hochul, on the Democratic line; Blakeman, who’s endorsed by the Republicans and Conservatives; and Amy Taylor, the Working Families Party’s placeholder. — Bill Mahoney

FROM CITY HALL

Mayor Zohran Mamdani was joined by Chief Equity Officer and Commissioner Afua Atta-Mensah in the Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan announcement.

NEEDS NOT MET: Mamdani administration officials are moving to curb child welfare investigations of cases they say should instead be referred to community-based groups — a shift based on data showing most families can’t afford necessities that often form the basis of such cases.

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At a Monday press conference, Mamdani tied the city’s preliminary racial equity plan to its “True Cost of Living” report, which found roughly 70 percent of families with children can’t meet basic expenses and nearly three-quarters of kids live in economically insecure households. For single parents, the crisis is nearly universal, with up to 93.8 percent falling short. By contrast, the only households meeting the cost of living are two-adult households with no children.

“New York City’s affordability crisis and its history of racial inequity are bound together,” Mamdani said.

The Administration for Children’s Services’ child protection division is also strained and has required substantial funding. The city is set to spend roughly $142 million in the 2026 fiscal year on child protection personnel alone, with an average cost of about $2,800 per case.

The administration’s plan for children and families is to redirect those resources — expanding community-based referrals, training mandated reporters on when a report is legally required and emphasizing prevention.

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According to the New York City Family Policy Project, a child welfare policy and research group, New York’s investigation rate was 17 percent higher than the national average in 2024 with nearly 80 percent of investigations unsubstantiated. This past December, Hochul signed a bill banning anonymous child abuse reports, following claims that such tips can double as harassment, often directed at families of color.

Nora McCarthy, director of the Policy Project, said the city’s shift in approach is likely driven in part by research showing the strongest predictors of investigations are economic: income loss, housing instability and material hardship.

“Poverty is the driver,” McCarthy said. “When you have a lot going wrong in terms of being able to meet your basic needs, you can really start having trouble, like getting your child to school.” — Gelila Negesse

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Republican House candidate Anthony Constantino is in a primary battle against Assemblymember Robert Smullen.

WHO’S THE WILD MAN NOW: Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani today endorsed Republican House candidate Anthony Constantino, who is in a bitter primary against Assemblymember Robert Smullen.

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The endorsement from the ex-mayor came after Constantino said he wrote “a beautiful two-page letter” to Giuliani.

“Rudy has a great eye for talent,” Constantino told Playbook.

The campaign to succeed outgoing Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik in the sprawling North Country House district has been a bruising one. Smullen has accused Constantino, the impresario of a sticker company, of hawking bawdy stickers mocking President Donald Trump. Constantino has called Smullen “Slime Bob.”

The Republican establishment has largely lined up behind Smullen, a retired Marine colonel who has the backing of the state GOP.

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That makes endorsements from leading MAGA figures like Giuliani all the more valuable for Constantino’s outsider bid. Giuliani played a central role in Trump’s effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. And Constantino has a flair for advertising his MAGA bona fides, like erecting a large pro-Trump sign atop a building.

In the lead up to the endorsement, Giuliani met with Constantino in Florida to discuss the race. Constantino came away charmed by the man once known as “America’s Mayor.”

“I want to become friends with him. He’s brilliant. He’s kindhearted,” Constantino said. “He likes the regular person. He doesn’t consider himself better than anyone.” — Nick Reisman

IN OTHER NEWS

OPEN TO WORK: New York City’s Economic Development Corporation still has no leader as business leaders voice concerns over the city’s economic and job growth. (Gothamist)

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ALLEGED SCHEME: Frank Carone, former chief of staff to Eric Adams, says associates charged by federal prosecutors in an insurance fraud scheme scammed him too. (THE CITY)

POLITICAL MISCHIEF: New York State Assembly member Andrew Hevesi accused primary rival Jonathan Rinaldi of changing his registration. (The New York Times)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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Trump's Shock Answer On Iran War Time Frame

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Trump's Shock Answer On Iran War Time Frame

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Sacked for tackling a shoplifter? Britain is so lost right now

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Sacked for tackling a shoplifter? Britain is so lost right now

Imagine a country where those who apprehend thieves are punished more harshly than the thieves themselves. Where the one who gets shamed and shunned is not the workless bum on a stealing spree but the decent bloke who stands in his way. It sounds like some dystopic fantasy where morality has been turned on its head and crime decriminalised. But it’s real. The country you’re imagining is Britain.

The story of the Waitrose employee getting the heave-ho for blocking the path of a light-fingered crook has shocked everyone. Even the Guardian, which normally pooh-poohs such stories as right-wing fare designed to get ‘the gammon’ even more red-faced than usual, has given it half a page. Things must be bad. His name is Walker Smith, he’s 54, he had worked at Waitrose for 17 years, and he was let go for stopping a shoplifter from pilfering some Easter eggs. Sacked for thwarting crime – this is where we’re at, fellow Britons.

He was an assistant at the Waitrose in Clapham Junction in south London. Quick question: what’s going on in Clapham? First, mobs of idle youths terrify shoppers for two nights straight as useless coppers look on in bewilderment. Now a man loses his job for saving property from the clutches of a tea-leaf. The pilferer was trying to make off with a bag-full of expensive Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs. But Mr Smith had other ideas. He grabbed the bag of booty, a small tussle ensued, and the shoplifter scarpered empty-handed. Promotion for Mr Smith? Nope. He was reprimanded.

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The details are mad. Smith says he recognised the shoplifter as a repeat offender. And he wasn’t going to let him get those choco bunnies for free. So he yanked the bag, it broke, and the bunnies crashed to the floor, one of them breaking into pieces. Smith says he picked up one of the slivers of chocolate and out of frustration threw it towards some shopping trolleys, ‘not aiming it at the shoplifter’. He was told off by his manager (?) but that wasn’t the end of it: it was pushed upstairs to that most deathly of bureaucracies – HR.

He was hauled in for a meeting with two store managers. He begged for his job – ‘Waitrose is like my family’, he said – but to no avail. He was told that he had broken the rules, one of which is that shop staff must not tackle shoplifters. Can the managerial classes hear themselves? Do they not know how insane this sounds? Forbidding retail staff from confronting thieves is like telling a lollipop lady she’s not allowed to smile at children. It’s crazy officious bollocks.

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Of course it’s all about ‘health and safety’. In its statement on Smith’s case, Waitrose said all employees are told not to be have-a-go heroes, because ‘nothing we sell is worth risking lives for’. What a ruthless weaponisation of fear: never do anything good because you might die. It sums up how thoroughly anti-social nonchalance has been institutionalised in modern Britain. From terror attacks to bad behaviour on buses to theft in shops, the cry of the boss class and political class is the same every time: Don’t do anything. Just go home. It’s not worth it.

We have decommissioned heroism. We have made it tantamount to a crime – or at least a sackable offence – to feel a sense of social responsibility. Self-preservation has become the most celebrated virtue. You don’t have to be a sociologist to see how savagely such fretful hyper-individualism tears at the social fabric. A society where shop assistants are taught to let shoplifting happen, where Tube workers watch as entitled shits leap the barriers, and where even police and medical staff hold back from the site of terror attacks until a risk assessment has been carried out, is a society in name only. Our ‘betters’ have birthed a post-social hellscape where standing up for your fellow citizens is now seen as the maddest thing you can do. Won’t you think of yourself!

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Yes, confronting a thief or telling anti-social arseholes to behave themselves is risky. It has consequences we cannot always predict. But you know what else has consequences? This ceaseless discouragement of bravery. It alienates us from one another. It tells us other people aren’t worth the effort. It elevates the self over the citizenry. And it green-lights crime. Today’s virtual decriminalisation of shoplifting and fare-dodging and phone-snatching – not to mention bike theft and even burglary, crimes that are rarely solved – emboldens the lowlifes who want to make the most dishonest of livings. We aren’t safer by being dutifully anti-social – quite the opposite.

Imagine the managerial classes pissing their pants over some shattered Easter eggs and never clocking the social wreckage left by their own celebration of cowardice as a virtue. In breaking Waitrose’s rules, Mr Smith broke this post-social ethos too, and reminded us that having a go is often far better than covering your own back. Good on him. He should be reinstated. And so should that old ideal of looking out for other people.

Brendan O’Neill is spiked’s chief political writer and host of the spiked podcast, The Brendan O’Neill Show. Subscribe to the podcast here. His latest book – After the Pogrom: 7 October, Israel and the Crisis of Civilisation – is available to order on Amazon UK and Amazon US now. And find Brendan on Instagram: @burntoakboy.

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Trump Doubles Down On Iran Wipeout Threat

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Trump Doubles Down On Iran Wipeout Threat

Donald Trump has doubled down on his threat to take out Iran by claiming the entire country could be wiped out in one night.

The US president claimed over the weekend that Tehran had until Tuesday evening to open the major oil shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, or face total wipeout.

In a post on TruthSocial on Tuesday, he said: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!

“Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”

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The country closed the waterway, which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil supply, in response to US-Israeli strikes five weeks ago – knocking the global economy in the process.

While describing the US military’s “historic” mission to rescue two airmen from Iran during a press conference on Monday, the president interrupted himself to reissue his warning.

“The entire country could be taken out in one night. And that night might be tomorrow night,” the president said.

During an earlier Easter address, Trump claimed Iran is “not too strong at all” compared to a month ago, when the US-Israeli strikes began.

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He also told the press that the US would target Iranian civilian infrastructure if it does not surrender.

“And if they don’t, they’ll have no bridges. They’ll have no power plants. They’ll have no anything,” Trump said.

Then he claimed he “won’t go further, because there are other things that are worse than those two”, adding: “If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil.

“Because it’s there for the taking. There’s not a thing they can do about it.

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“Unfortunately the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, I’d take the oil, I’d keep the oil […] make plenty of money and I’d also take care of the people of Iran.”

The president also upped his attacks on UK prime minister Keir Starmer, comparing him to Neville Chamberlain who championed the appeasement policy for Adolf Hitler prior to World War 2.

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Trump Compares Starmer To Neville Chamberlain In Latest Jibe

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Trump Compares Starmer To Neville Chamberlain In Latest Jibe

Donald Trump has appeared to compare Keir Starmer to the British prime minister who tried to appease Adolf Hitler before the Second World War.

The US president said “we won’t want another Neville Chamberlain” in his latest jibe at the prime minister.

Discussing the conflict at an Easter event at the White House on Monday, the president told reporters the UK had “a long way to go”.

He said: “We won’t want another Neville Chamberlain, do we agree? We don’t want Neville Chamberlain.”

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Chamberlain was Tory prime minister in the 1930s and is most remembered for the policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany.

After returning from talks with Hitler in Munich in 1938, he produced a piece of paper with the German leader’s signature which declared indicated “peace for our time”.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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The Best Sex Positions For People Over 60

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These expert-backed tips will make sex after 60 more pleasurable.

As we age, it’s natural for our bodies, minds and everyday lives to change. And those shifts bring about changes to our sexuality, too.

But different doesn’t necessarily mean bad. It’s very much possible to have satisfying sex well into your 60s and beyond, even if it’s not the same kind of sex you had in your younger years.

For some, that may mean trying different sex positions that honour their current body and its abilities, while also exploring other intimate acts that don’t necessarily include penetration.

“Getting older is not about trying to be able to do the same sexual activities you’ve always done before,” clinical sexologist and sexuality educator Lawrence Siegel told HuffPost, “but to find positions and paces that are more comfortable and make the sexual act more enjoyable.”

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“If sex is painful or uncomfortable, it leads to disappointment and avoidance, which detracts from the quality of life for both individuals and couples,” he added.

 These expert-backed tips will make sex after 60 more pleasurable.

wundervisuals via Getty Images

These expert-backed tips will make sex after 60 more pleasurable.

Finding ways to be more present and comfortable in your body and less caught up in your thoughts can make sex much more pleasurable at any age.

“People who enjoy sex over their lifespan all report being able to enjoy first and foremost being in their bodies,” said sex therapist Nan Wise, author of Why Good Sex Matters.

“Rather than thinking so much about how our bodies look to others, the ability to feel connected with the sensations in our bodies and appreciate all that’s right with our bodies, rather than focus on how we think our bodies should look and feel, is key to lifelong sexual potential.”

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We asked sex experts which positions they recommend for folks in their 60s and beyond.

Modified Missionary

Modified missionary is a variation on the tried-and-true sex position.

Illustration:Jianan Liu/HuffPost; Photo:Getty Images

Modified missionary is a variation on the tried-and-true sex position.

In the classic missionary sex position, the receiving partner is lying flat on their back, while the penetrating partner is on top of them and they’re facing one another. In this variation on missionary, the receiving partner lays on their back with their legs in the air and places a pillow beneath their lower back. It’s a great option if standard missionary puts too much pressure on the penetrating partner’s hips or back, said sex therapist Jesse Kahn.

“If they’re on a bed, the penetrating partner then stands at the edge of the bed. This gives the partner lying down additional support while the partner standing up is able to use more of their body for force, rather than predominantly their hips,” Kahn, the director of the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York City, told HuffPost.

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69ing

Sixty-nining is when two partners are giving and receiving oral sex simultaneously. The inverted position of the two bodies – their face by your genitals, your face by their genitals – sort of looks like the numbers 6 and 9, hence the name.

Traditionally, 69ing is done with one partner lying on their back and the other on top, straddling their partner’s face. But you can also do it lying on your sides, facing one another.

“You can play around with positions based on each person’s needs, such as one partner being on top of the other or the sideways 69,” Kahn said. “The sideways 69 reduces stress on the joints and body to hold yourself up by having both partners laying on their sides. Of course, being on a soft surface, such as a bed, can help with comfort and reduce stress on the body as well.”

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The Speed Bump

For the speed bump, you'll need a regular pillow or a sex wedge, if you have one.

Illustration:Jianan Liu/HuffPost; Photo:Getty Images

For the speed bump, you’ll need a regular pillow or a sex wedge, if you have one.

Also known as “supported rear entry,” the speed bump is a position that involves the receiving partner lying on their stomach with a pillow (wedged-shaped ones can be useful here) beneath their hips, with the penetrating partner on top in a tabletop position, entering from behind.

“This position allows the bottom partner to control the depth and angle of the penetration,” said Siegel. “It can also make it easier to hit the G-spot, as well as giving more control to those that find deep penetration either comfortable or uncomfortable. There can also be added clitoral or penile stimulation by grinding against the pillow or bolster underneath.”

For a non-penetrative option, you can have the person on top lay face down, across the back of the partner on the bottom.

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“This can be particularly fun when a good massage oil is added and it becomes about bodies rubbing against each other and does not have to involve penetration at all,” Siegel said.

“In situations where both partners have vulvas, this position affords the person on top to grind their clitoris and vulva against the buttocks of the person below. It can also be an ideal position for strap-on play, even in the absence of physical limitations.”

Doggy-Style

Doggy style is when the receiving partner is on all fours and the penetrating partner kneels and enters them from behind. Kahn recommends this one for folks with lower mobility and hip pain, but notes that it might not be so comfortable for people with certain types of back pain.

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For additional support, the receiving partner can also try placing a pillow (or a sex wedge, if they have one) beneath their pelvic area.

“In this position, you can also play around with your leg position, such as wide-legged, based on each person’s body’s needs,” Kahn said.

Spooning

The spooning position is a great option even when full-on intercourse is not on the menu.

Illustration:Jianan Liu/HuffPost; Photo:Getty Images

The spooning position is a great option even when full-on intercourse is not on the menu.

When spooning, “both partners are lying on their sides, facing the same direction, with the back of one partner against the front of the other,” Siegel explained.

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The benefit of this position: It allows you to explore many different types of stimulation without a whole lot of physical effort, he said, such as “reaching over and playing with your partner’s breasts, vulva, penis or belly, holding them close as you press against them,” Siegel said.

“This could be a good position for entering your partner’s vagina or anusor just sliding your penis between your partner’s thighs if full intercourse is not desired. This can be helpful for those with limited mobility, knee or back pain or upper-body weakness.”

Remember that sex doesn’t need to be centered around genital penetration to be pleasurable. For many older adults, “it’s about sharing intimacy, affection and emotional gratification,” Siegel said.

The original version of this story was published on HuffPost at an earlier date.

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