Today in History: Dr. Jack Kevorkian carries out his first publicly assisted suicide
Today in history:
On June 4, 1990, Dr. Jack Kevorkian carried out his first publicly assisted suicide, helping Janet Adkins, a 54-year-old Alzheimer's patient from Portland, Oregon, end her life in Oakland County, Michigan.
Also on this date:
In 1812, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its first war declaration, approving by a vote of 79-49 a declaration of war against Britain.
In 1919, Congress approved the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which said that the right of Americans to vote 'shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.' (The amendment was then sent to the states for ratification.)
In 1940, during World War II, the Allied military completed the evacuation of more than 338,000 troops from Dunkirk, France.
Also in 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared in a speech to the House of Commons: 'We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.'
In 1942, the World War II naval Battle of Midway began, which resulted in a decisive American victory against Japan and marked a turning point in the war in the Pacific.
In 1986, Jonathan Jay Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, pleaded guilty in Washington to conspiring to deliver national defense information to Israel. (Sentenced to life in prison, Pollard would be released on parole in November 2015.)
In 1989, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pro-democracy demonstrators and dozens of soldiers are estimated to have been killed when Chinese troops crushed a seven-week-long protest held by occupying demonstrators in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
In 1998, a federal judge sentenced Terry Nichols to life in prison without parole for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people.
Today's Birthdays: Actor Bruce Dern is 89. Golf Hall of Famer Sandra Haynie is 82. Singer-actor Michelle Phillips is 81. Jazz musician Paquito D'Rivera is 77. Actor Parker Stevenson is 73. Actor Keith David is 69. Singer El DeBarge is 64. Opera singer Cecilia Bartoli is 59. R&B singer Al B. Sure! is 57. Actor Scott Wolf is 57. Comedian Horatio Sanz is 56. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is 54. Actor Noah Wyle is 54. Actor Angelina Jolie is 50. Actor-comedian T.J. Miller is 44. Olympic figure skating gold medalist Evan Lysacek is 40.
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2 hours ago
Young Democrats have called for a rebrand. They're vying to replace the party's old guard
PHOENIX -- Deja Foxx celebrated her April birthday in a way most 25-year-olds don't. The extra candle meant she was now eligible to represent Arizona in Congress, and Foxx marked the occasion with a fundraiser. She's part of a wide-ranging group of young Democratic candidates, many running to replace older incumbents, who have grown restless waiting for their turn to lead their party back to power. After a crushing 2024 election loss, they say the party desperately needs a rebranding — and young leaders should steer it. In southern Arizona on Tuesday, Foxx is one of several Democrats hoping to step into a deep blue seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a longtime political power broker in Tucson. He had become one of the most senior lawmakers on Capitol Hill over two decades in Congress. Grijalva's daughter, Adelita, is one of the contenders, and three Republicans are vying in the GOP primary. But the push for younger leaders won't end there. In next year's midterm elections, primary challengers have already begun to emerge in states like California and Indiana that will give Democratic voters choices between longtime lawmakers and younger candidates. In Georgia, for example, 80-year-old Democratic Rep. David Scott's decades-long legacy could end with a primary he's expected to join. This has drawn challengers fed up with his refusal to step aside despite years of concern about his declining health and rare public appearances. The primary got crowded almost a year after former President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election race amid similar scrutiny over his age. Challenging well-connected candidates can be daunting, but progressive leaders say the moment calls for urgency. 'Passing of the torch implies the leaders are handing it off,' said Amanda Litman, head of a group called Run for Something that bolsters progressive young candidates. 'What we're seeing right now is, the new generation is taking the torch. They're not waiting for it to be passed.' Many Boomer and Gen Z candidates alike have largely abandoned the traditional playbook of spending millions on TV ads in favor of TikTok and social media. But it's a pivot that older political hands would recognize from an older playbook: meeting voters where they are. Foxx, a digital strategist, led influencer strategy for Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential campaign bid. On TikTok, she speaks to nearly 400,000 followers, saying she'd be the first woman of 'our' generation elected to Congress. In 2022, Florida voters elected the generation's first congressman — Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost. The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, which Frost co-chairs, has endorsed Adelita Grijalva. Foxx has leaned into popular Gen Z internet slang in branding her district tour 'Crashout or Congress.' 'Does the news make you feel like you're about to crash out? Be honest,' Foxx posted. Foxx said her campaign turned a corner after a primary debate in late May, when some clips of her performance drew the eyes of millions and helped spark a fundraising boost. If Scott seeks another term in his suburban Atlanta district, he'll face several candidates in the Democratic primary next May: microbiologist and state Rep. Jasmine Clark, 42; state Sen. Emanuel Jones, 66; and 33-year-old Everton Blair, former chair of the state's largest school district. Scott's campaign did not respond to requests for an interview. Clark racked up 7,000 TikTok followers after a popular influencer reposted her. She occasionally pops in with solutions to people's problems on NextDoor and is sometimes recognized as a podcast host instead of a state representative. She says Republicans have done a better job at saturating social media with their messaging. 'Instead of looking at Republicans and wagging our fingers at them, we could take some lessons from them,' she said. Voters have been crushed by high living costs, Clark said, but Republicans, not Democrats, have been the ones to tell people their pain is real — even though Democrats have better ideas for fixing things. Blair agreed that Democrats have better policy prescriptions for addressing voters' economic concerns, but he said too many longtime lawmakers have stifled the party's ability to get that message across. He said President Donald Trump is fattening the wallets of billionaires but cheating low- and middle-income voters 'out of the American dream.' 'We have an incumbent who is just not doing the job, and we need a better fighter,' Blair said. 'The stakes are just too high.' Young people have grown up in a political climate dominated by algorithms, said 21-year-old Akbar Ali, first vice chair of the Democratic Party in Gwinnett County, home to some of Scott's district. That gives them a built-in understanding of how information spreads today, he said, but doesn't replace on-the-ground outreach to voters of all ages. He said Scott's physical absence is palpable, both in the community and as a voice in Congress. 'A lot of people are upset on a national level because we can't hit back with enough vigor.' he said. Adelita Grijalva carries a household name in Tucson and is regarded as the frontrunner. To Foxx, Grijalva benefits from her 'legacy' last name. Grijalva, who has received several endorsements, including from Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, has pushed back. She said she brings her own credentials to the table. Her father was progressive and antiestablishment, and she said she is, too. But Foxx, who benefited personally from some government programs the Trump administration has slashed or is looking to slash, said Democrats need to do more to reach new voters. 'We are bringing people into this party, into this democracy, who have felt left out — by and large young people and working-class folks,' Foxx said. In New York City, 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani recently won the mayor's race with an upbeat campaign that leaned heavily on TikTok and emphasized finding new ways to make city life more affordable. In an era where so many young people doubt they'll ever be better off than their parents, they're increasingly willing to ditch pragmatism for bold policy platforms, said David Hogg. Hogg was removed from his leadership role with the Democratic National Committee, which said his election broke party rules. His decision not to run again followed his push to oust long-serving Democrats in safe congressional seats. He has not backed away from his vow to primary 'asleep-at-the-wheel' Democrats with fresher faces. People of all ages want a fighter who understands what's at stake as Trump cuts Medicaid and other programs that millions of Americans rely on, Hogg said. That's why his political action committee, Leaders We Deserve, endorsed Foxx. Young voters were key to Democratic wins in recent years, but some swung to the right as Trump made gains in 2024. Hogg said he's looking for candidates to 'win them back' by talking about how change happens. Older candidates can do that too, he said, but for better or worse, young people aren't yet 'jaded' by politics. 'In this dark moment, we need people who can provide us a general sense of hope, as crazy that can feel sometimes,' Hogg said. 'To believe that maybe things won't be as screwed up as they are now forever.'
2 hours ago
Fuel to Air India plane was cut off moments before crash, investigation report says
NEW DELHI -- Fuel control switches for the engines of an Air India flight that crashed last month were moved from the 'run' to the 'cutoff' position moments before impact, starving both engines of fuel, a preliminary investigation report said early Saturday. The report, issued by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, also indicated that both pilots were confused over the change to the switch setting, which caused a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff. The Air India flight — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — crashed on June 12 and killed at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Only one passenger survived the crash, which is one of India's worst aviation disasters. The plane was carrying 230 passengers — 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian — along with 12 crew members. According to the report, the flight lasted around 30 seconds between takeoff and crash. It said that once the aircraft achieved its top recorded speed, 'the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another" within a second. The report did not say how the switches could have flipped to the cutoff position during the flight. The movement of the fuel control switches allow and cut fuel flow to the plane's engines. The switches were flipped back into the run position, the report said, but the plane could not gain power quickly enough to stop its descent after the aircraft had begun to lose altitude. 'One of the pilots transmitted ''MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY',' the report said. It also indicated confusion in the cockpit moments before the crash. In the flight's final moment, one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. 'The other pilot responded that he did not do so,' the report said. The preliminary report did not recommend any actions to the Boeing. Air India in a statement said it is fully cooperating with authorities investigating the crash. 'Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses,' it said. The plane's black boxes — combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders — were recovered in the days following the crash and later downloaded in India. Indian authorities had also ordered deeper checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner to prevent future incidents. Air India has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Young Democrats have called for a rebrand. They're vying to replace the party's old guard
PHOENIX (AP) — Deja Foxx celebrated her April birthday in a way most 25-year-olds don't. The extra candle meant she was now eligible to represent Arizona in Congress, and Foxx marked the occasion with a fundraiser. She's part of a wide-ranging group of young Democratic candidates, many running to replace older incumbents, who have grown restless waiting for their turn to lead their party back to power. After a crushing 2024 election loss, they say the party desperately needs a rebranding — and young leaders should steer it. In southern Arizona on Tuesday, Foxx is one of several Democrats hoping to step into a deep blue seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a longtime political power broker in Tucson. He had become one of the most senior lawmakers on Capitol Hill over two decades in Congress. Grijalva's daughter, Adelita, is one of the contenders, and three Republicans are vying in the GOP primary. But the push for younger leaders won't end there. In next year's midterm elections, primary challengers have already begun to emerge in states like California and Indiana that will give Democratic voters choices between longtime lawmakers and younger candidates. In Georgia, for example, 80-year-old Democratic Rep. David Scott's decades-long legacy could end with a primary he's expected to join. This has drawn challengers fed up with his refusal to step aside despite years of concern about his declining health and rare public appearances. The primary got crowded almost a year after former President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election race amid similar scrutiny over his age. Challenging well-connected candidates can be daunting, but progressive leaders say the moment calls for urgency. 'Passing of the torch implies the leaders are handing it off,' said Amanda Litman, head of a group called Run for Something that bolsters progressive young candidates. 'What we're seeing right now is, the new generation is taking the torch. They're not waiting for it to be passed.' Campaigning online Many Boomer and Gen Z candidates alike have largely abandoned the traditional playbook of spending millions on TV ads in favor of TikTok and social media. But it's a pivot that older political hands would recognize from an older playbook: meeting voters where they are. Foxx, a digital strategist, led influencer strategy for Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential campaign bid. On TikTok, she speaks to nearly 400,000 followers, saying she'd be the first woman of 'our' generation elected to Congress. In 2022, Florida voters elected the generation's first congressman — Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost. The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, which Frost co-chairs, has endorsed Adelita Grijalva. Foxx has leaned into popular Gen Z internet slang in branding her district tour 'Crashout or Congress.' Foxx said her campaign turned a corner after a primary debate in late May, when some clips of her performance drew the eyes of millions and helped spark a fundraising boost. If Scott seeks another term in his suburban Atlanta district, he'll face several candidates in the Democratic primary next May: microbiologist and state Rep. Jasmine Clark, 42; state Sen. Emanuel Jones, 66; and 33-year-old Everton Blair, former chair of the state's largest school district. Scott's campaign did not respond to requests for an interview. Clark racked up 7,000 TikTok followers after a popular influencer reposted her. She occasionally pops in with solutions to people's problems on NextDoor and is sometimes recognized as a podcast host instead of a state representative. She says Republicans have done a better job at saturating social media with their messaging. 'Instead of looking at Republicans and wagging our fingers at them, we could take some lessons from them,' she said. Message or messenger? Voters have been crushed by high living costs, Clark said, but Republicans, not Democrats, have been the ones to tell people their pain is real — even though Democrats have better ideas for fixing things. Blair agreed that Democrats have better policy prescriptions for addressing voters' economic concerns, but he said too many longtime lawmakers have stifled the party's ability to get that message across. He said President Donald Trump is fattening the wallets of billionaires but cheating low- and middle-income voters 'out of the American dream.' 'We have an incumbent who is just not doing the job, and we need a better fighter,' Blair said. 'The stakes are just too high.' Young people have grown up in a political climate dominated by algorithms, said 21-year-old Akbar Ali, first vice chair of the Democratic Party in Gwinnett County, home to some of Scott's district. That gives them a built-in understanding of how information spreads today, he said, but doesn't replace on-the-ground outreach to voters of all ages. He said Scott's physical absence is palpable, both in the community and as a voice in Congress. 'A lot of people are upset on a national level because we can't hit back with enough vigor.' he said. Adelita Grijalva carries a household name in Tucson and is regarded as the frontrunner. To Foxx, Grijalva benefits from her 'legacy' last name. Grijalva, who has received several endorsements, including from Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, has pushed back. She said she brings her own credentials to the table. Her father was progressive and antiestablishment, and she said she is, too. But Foxx, who benefited personally from some government programs the Trump administration has slashed or is looking to slash, said Democrats need to do more to reach new voters. 'We are bringing people into this party, into this democracy, who have felt left out — by and large young people and working-class folks,' Foxx said. A positive vision In New York City, 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani recently won the mayor's race with an upbeat campaign that leaned heavily on TikTok and emphasized finding new ways to make city life more affordable. In an era where so many young people doubt they'll ever be better off than their parents, they're increasingly willing to ditch pragmatism for bold policy platforms, said David Hogg. Hogg was removed from his leadership role with the Democratic National Committee, which said his election broke party rules. His decision not to run again followed his push to oust long-serving Democrats in safe congressional seats. He has not backed away from his vow to primary 'asleep-at-the-wheel' Democrats with fresher faces. People of all ages want a fighter who understands what's at stake as Trump cuts Medicaid and other programs that millions of Americans rely on, Hogg said. That's why his political action committee, Leaders We Deserve, endorsed Foxx. Young voters were key to Democratic wins in recent years, but some swung to the right as Trump made gains in 2024. Hogg said he's looking for candidates to 'win them back' by talking about how change happens. Older candidates can do that too, he said, but for better or worse, young people aren't yet 'jaded' by politics. 'In this dark moment, we need people who can provide us a general sense of hope, as crazy that can feel sometimes,' Hogg said. 'To believe that maybe things won't be as screwed up as they are now forever.'
