Mediterranean Diet Tied to 23% Lower Risk of Death in Landmark 25-Year Study

Approaches scientific consensus

By BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL 

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have explored and evaluated the potential underlying mechanisms that could account for the 23 percent decrease in all-cause mortality risk among American women following the Mediterranean diet.

The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet have been reported in multiple studies, but there is limited long-term data on its effects on U.S. women and little understanding of why the diet may reduce the risk of death.

In a new study that followed more than 25,000 initially healthy U.S. women for up to 25 years, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, found that participants who had greater Mediterranean diet intake had up to 23% lower risk of all-cause mortality, with benefits for both cancer mortality and cardiovascular mortality.

The researchers found evidence of biological changes that may help explain why: they detected changes in biomarkers of metabolism, inflammation, insulin resistance, and more. Results are published in JAMA.

Multiple Trump Witnesses Have Received Significant Financial Benefits From His Businesses, Campaign

Witness tampering or just Trump biz as usual?

By Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski for ProPublica

Nine witnesses in the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump have received significant financial benefits, including large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, and a grant of shares and cash from Trump’s media company.

The benefits have flowed from Trump’s businesses and campaign committees, according to a ProPublica analysis of public disclosures, court records and securities filings. 

One campaign aide had his average monthly pay double, from $26,000 to $53,500. Another employee got a $2 million severance package barring him from voluntarily cooperating with law enforcement. And one of the campaign’s top officials had her daughter hired onto the campaign staff, where she is now the fourth-highest-paid employee.

These pay increases and other benefits often came at delicate moments in the legal proceedings against Trump. One aide who was given a plum position on the board of Trump’s social media company, for example, got the seat after he was subpoenaed but before he testified.

Significant changes to a staffer’s work situation, such as bonuses, pay raises, firings or promotions, can be evidence of a crime if they come outside the normal course of business. To prove witness tampering, prosecutors would need to show that perks or punishments were intended to influence testimony.

White-collar defense lawyers say the situation Trump finds himself in — in the dual role of defendant and boss of many of the people who are the primary witnesses to his alleged crimes — is not uncommon. 

Their standard advice is not to provide any unusual benefits or penalties to such employees. Ideally, decisions about employees slated to give evidence should be made by an independent body such as a board, not the boss who is under investigation.

Even if the perks were not intended to influence witnesses, they could prove troublesome for Trump in any future trials. Prosecutors could point to the benefits to undermine the credibility of those aides on the witness stand.

“It feels very shady, especially as you detect a pattern. … I would worry about it having a corrupt influence,” Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said after hearing from ProPublica about benefits provided to potential Trump witnesses.

What QAnon supporters, butthole sunners and New Age spiritualists have in common

Oh where to being?

Christopher T. Conner, University of Missouri-Columbia

Even though it’s been linked to cancer, butthole sunning
is an alternative wellness practice that has become
popularized. Nick Lehr, CC BY-SA

After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, former NBA player Royce White became an outspoken advocate of defunding the police. Over those ensuing months, he appeared at a number of protests and marches in Minnesota – demonstrations that conservative politicians and pundits excoriated.

Four years later, White accepted the endorsement of the Minnesota GOP in the state’s 2024 U.S. Senate race.

In the interim, White had appeared on the show of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, where he decried the “establishment” and “corporatocracy.” While on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, he complained that women “had become too mouthy.” Elsewhere, he lambasted the LGBTQ+ movement as “Luciferian” and described Israel as the vanguard of a “new world order.”

White’s transition from an NBA player who advocated for progressive causes to an acolyte of Jones is more common than you might think.

Many people might associate conspiracy theories with certain demographics or political leanings. But the reality is far more nuanced, with emerging research finding that there is far more diversity among conspiracists than scholars previously thought.

Conspiracy theories are just as likely to be held by your MAGA-hat wearing uncle as they are your best friend who’s a fan of the band Phish and goes to CrossFit three times a week.

Here's your MAGA

Marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day

Exploring the mysterious alphabet of sperm whales

Who knew whales could spell?

Rachel Gordon | MIT CSAIL

The allure of whales has stoked human consciousness for millennia, casting these ocean giants as enigmatic residents of the deep seas. 

From the biblical Leviathan to Herman Melville's formidable Moby Dick, whales have been central to mythologies and folklore. And while cetology, or whale science, has improved our knowledge of these marine mammals in the past century in particular, studying whales has remained a formidable a challenge.

Now, thanks to machine learning, we're a little closer to understanding these gentle giants. 

Researchers from the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) recently used algorithms to decode the “sperm whale phonetic alphabet,” revealing sophisticated structures in sperm whale communication akin to human phonetics and communication systems in other animal species. 

In a new open-access study published in Nature Communications, the research shows that sperm whales codas, or short bursts of clicks that they use to communicate, vary significantly in structure depending on the conversational context, revealing a communication system far more intricate than previously understood. 

Many PFAS forever chemicals are toxic

How to avoid them

Daniel Drage, University of Birmingham

Vladimir Gjorgiev/Shutterstock

From non-stick frying pans to stain-resistant sofas, some of the most innovative everyday products are made using chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

These “forever chemicals” – so-called because they don’t degrade – have been used in a variety of consumer and commercial applications since the 1950s. They can repel water and oil, resist high temperatures and act as “surfactants” by helping different types of liquids mix.

There are around 15,000 different PFAS chemicals. Each one has a slightly different chemical composition, but they all have at least two carbon-fluorine bonds. These extremely strong bonds mean that PFAS don’t readily break down. So the bond that affords PFAS some of its unique characteristics also causes them to build up and persist in our bodies and the environment for decades.

In 2020 alone, sales of fluoropolymers (a sub-group of PFAS) exceeded 39,000 metric tonnes in Europe alone. With enormous volumes of PFAS continually entering the world, these extremely persistent chemicals don’t get the chance to degrade before more are added. Unsurprisingly, it gets everywhere, from rainwater and snow through to soil and groundwater. As a result, PFAS has built up in the food chain and in humans.

It’s impossible to avoid PFAS exposure entirely – they are pretty much everywhere. But you can substantially reduce your exposure by avoiding contact with items directly treated with non-essential PFAS and opting for PFAS-free alternatives wherever possible. Here are four types of products to look out for.

General Assembly passes Tanzi-Sosnowski bill to give SK firefighters tax credit

If Charlestown starts now, we can get this done next year

The General Assembly approved legislation sponsored by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski and Rep. Teresa A. Tanzi to allow South Kingstown’s all-volunteer firefighting force to use a break on their district fire taxes to recruit and retain members.

“The Union Fire District has worked tirelessly on recruitment and retention efforts in recent years,” said Senator Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown). “And this bill will really help to support that goal, by implementing a policy that is not only a necessity, but one that shows the firefighting community how much we appreciate the time they give and the sacrifices they make to keep the district safe.”

The legislation (2024-S 2633, 2024-H 7838) which will allow the Union Fire District of South Kingstown to grant district fire tax exemptions or abatements to current and retired firefighters and their spouses.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Charlestown has the same recruitment and retention problems as South Kingstown. To get credits for our brave firefighters, the town must first enact it and then get the General Assembly’s approval, as South Kingstown just did. This is a tax reform that’s long overdue.  – Will Collette

“We are very fortunate in South Kingstown to have an all-volunteer force of firefighters who provide excellent service to our residents,” said Representative Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown, Narragansett). “However, in recent years it has become more difficult for them to recruit volunteers. Allowing the district to grant tax exemptions will give them another important recruitment tool and show our community’s appreciation for the work that they do protecting us.”

'I'll Take Up Arms If He Asks': Violent Supporters Rush to Trump After Guilty Verdict

What about you, Justin Price? Elaine Morgan?

JULIA CONLEY for Common Dreams

As supporters of Donald Trump flood right-wing platforms with threats against the jurors and judge following guilty verdicts Thursday in his criminal case regarding hush money payments, fears are growing that the influence the Republican presumptive presidential nominee has over his supporters will soon lead to violence.

"Until and unless he accepts the process, the extremist reaction to his legal troubles will be militant," Jacob Ware, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Reuters.

Former state Rep and MAGAnut Justin Price
took part in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Will he suit
up if Donald issues the call to arms? 

The former president gave no sign of accepting the legal process Friday as he held a press conference at Trump Tower, repeating claims that the case had been "rigged."

Shortly after a New York jury announced its verdict in the case regarding documents that were falsified to cover up payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniel just before the 2016 election to keep her from publicizing an alleged sexual encounter she had with Trump, right-wing websites like Gateway Pundit, Truth Social, and Patriots.Win saw an uptick in violent posts from users.

One commenter called for "someone in NY with nothing to lose" to "take care of" New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, while another on Gateway Pundit directed a threat at any and all opponents of Trump.

"Time to start capping some leftys," said the user. "This cannot be fixed by voting."

The reaction is a direct result, said Ware, of Trump's "insistence that he is being mistreated."

Din-din

Waylon Bacon 

Trump's definitive policy on how to handle drug dealers

Representative’s proposal to include green space in bond added to budget bill

Cotter works to save conservation funding 

Megan got more done in this past legislative
session than her predecessor Justin Price (MAGA)
did in 6 years. Price says he plans to run this
year to defeat her because she's
"hanging out with the wrong people"

Rep. Megan Cotter’s legislation to amend the proposed “green bond” that will be put before voters in November has been added to the amended budget bill approved by the House Finance Committee Friday. The bill will come before the full House for a vote Friday, June 7.

The Finance Committee added funding for several land conservation programs to the green bond to appear on November’s ballot: $5 million for the Agricultural Land Preservation Committee for farmland protection, $5 million to the Department of Environmental Management to bring the state open space program funding back to historic levels, and $3 million to DEM’s Division of Agriculture and Forest Environment to fund forest and habitat management on state property.

In the past, the state has usually funded all three of these programs through green bonds. At this point, that previous funding has been allocated, so without their inclusion in the proposed bond, the state would be cutting off further support.

Millions of current smokers became addicted when they were teens

Advertising STILL targets the young

Jon-Patrick Allem, Rutgers University

Research shows nicotine exposure results in long-term
changes to the brain. 
smartboy10/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

About 37 million children ages 13 to 15 around the world use tobacco, according to a 2024 report from the World Health Organization.

In 2023, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product in the U.S., with 7.7% of middle school and high school students reporting e-cigarette use. Cigarettes were the next most common, with 1.6% of middle- and high school students saying they had consumed them in the past month.

Research shows that most people who use tobacco start in childhood.

I am a public health researcher who studies the different ways in which corporations influence adolescent health, with current projects focused on identifying sources of exposure to tobacco marketing among adolescents and young adults.

Over the past decade, I’ve researched ways in which tobacco companies market to children and young adults.

Yes, finally, masks DO work, and on more than COVID

Masks really DO work

Trish Greenhalgh, University of Oxford; C Raina MacIntyre, UNSW Sydney, and David Fisman, University of Toronto

When a Texan farm worker caught bird flu from cattle recently, social media was abuzz with rumors. While bird flu is not a human pandemic, scientists and policymakers the world over are keen to prepare as best they can for when such a pandemic emerges – a tricky task, given that science is messy, policy must be pragmatic and people’s values don’t always align.

It’s time for masks to enter the chat. At the beginning of a pandemic caused by a novel or newly mutated virus, there may be no vaccine, no firm knowledge about how bad things will get and no specific treatment. Slowing transmission until more is known will be critical.

Getting most people to wear a mask could nip the outbreak in the bud, preventing a pandemic or lessening its impact. Wearing a mask is inconvenient, but not as inconvenient as lockdowns.

But do masks work? A review of masks and respirators, that looked only at clinical trials, concluded that there was not enough evidence to assess whether mask wearing reduces the risk of spreading or contracting respiratory diseases. However, we disagree with that.

The review, by the not-for-profit Cochrane Collaboration, failed to influence recent guidance issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in response to the troubling news of bird flu transmission to humans. The CDC recommended well-fitting respirators – along with overalls and safety goggles – for anyone working with potentially infected cattle until the bird flu threat subsides.

URI and Rhode Island Energy partnering to propel research on renewable energy, energy alternatives, sustainability

URI cuts a deal with energy utility

Editor's Note: Since 2000, PPL has committed at least 40 violations resulting in fines of over $205 million. Nearly all involved air or water pollution. Here is a break-down of PPL's violations from the Good Jobs First Violation Tracker:

Often programs like the one involving URI are ways that law-breaking corporations "green-wash" their problems by appearing to do good deeds. However, in most cases, the profits from the illegal acts far exceeds the fines companies pay and the "contrition" payments they make.

As a general rule, I think organizations like URI should do a little due diligence to prevent themselves from doing business with criminals.   - Will Collette

University of Rhode Island President Marc Parlange and Greg Cornett, president of Rhode Island Energy, Friday announced a strategic partnership that will propel important research in renewable energy, energy alternatives, and sustainability. The partnership brings together researchers at URI and the PPL Corporation, a Pennsylvania-based energy company composed of Rhode Island Energy, LG&E, Kentucky Utilities, and PPL Electric Utilities, which serves 3.5 million customers in four states.