Greg Casar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Greg Casar

Official portrait, 2023
Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus

Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2025
Preceded by Pramila Jayapal
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 35th district

Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Preceded by Lloyd Doggett (redistricted)
Member of the Austin City Council from the 4th district
In office January 6, 2015 – February 4, 2022
Preceded by Constituency established
Succeeded by Chito Vela

Personal details
Born Gregorio Eduardo Casar May 4, 1989 (age 37)

Houston, Texas, U.S.
Party Democratic

Other political affiliations Democratic Socialists of America (2018–2022)
Spouse Asha Dane'el ​(m. 2023)​
Children 1
Education University of Virginia (BA)

Signature

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Website House website Campaign website


Gregorio Eduardo Casar (born May 4, 1989) is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative from Texas's 35th congressional district since 2023. He served as a member of the Austin City Council from the 4th district from 2015 to 2022.[1] Casar is a member of the Democratic Party and was endorsed by the Working Families Party in his run for Congress.[2] He was first elected to the Austin City Council in 2014, representing District 4.[3] He was reelected in 2016[4] and 2020.[5] He was elected to Congress in 2022.[6]

Casar is the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.[7] He is a member of the Squad, which includes six other members who form the furthest-left wing faction of the House Democratic Caucus.[8][9][10][11]

On August 25, 2025, Casar announced he would seek reelection in the newly-drawn 37th district, instead of his current 35th district, as a result of impending new congressional maps.[12]

Early life and education

Gregorio Eduardo Casar was born on May 4, 1989, in Houston, to two Mexican immigrants and is a Catholic. His father was a surgeon.[13][14][15] He grew up in the enclave of Bellaire and attended Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, where he ran track.[16][17]

Source: Wikipedia

Gary Peters (Michigan Senator)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gary Peters

Official portrait, 2018

United States Senator from Michigan

Incumbent

Assumed office January 3, 2015

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Personal details

Born Gary Charles Peters

December 1, 1958 (age 67)

Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.

Party Democratic

Spouse Colleen Ochoa

Children 3

Education

Alma College (BA)

University of Detroit Mercy (MBA)

Wayne State University (JD, MA)

Michigan State University (MA)

Recorded April 20, 2023

Gary Charles Peters (born December 1, 1958) is an American politician, lawyer, and former naval officer serving as the senior United States senator from Michigan, a seat he has held since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Michigan's 14th congressional district, which included the eastern half of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Southfield, and Pontiac, from 2009 to 2015 (the district was Michigan's 9th congressional district until 2013).

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Early life and education

After high school, Peters attended Alma College, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1980 with a bachelor of arts in political science and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.[4] He later earned a master of business administration from the University of Detroit Mercy in 1984.[8] Peters also holds a juris doctor and a master of arts in political science from Wayne State University and a master of arts in philosophy from Michigan State University.[9]

Source: Wikipedia

P.S.

University of Detroit Mercy:

The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic university in Michigan.

"rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" @ Delaney Hall 6/4/2026

Here you hear a female voice from the protesters utter "rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr", which is strangely similar to what the late Radical Black Poet, Amiri Baraka (father of Ras Baraka Mayor of Newark, NJ) once expressed.

¤¤¤

Wikipedia:

Baraka even uses onomatopoeia in "Black Art" to express that need for violence: "rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ... tuhtuhtuhtuhtuhtuht ..." More specifically, lines in "Black Art" such as "Let there be no love poems written / until love can exist freely and cleanly", juxtaposed with "We want a black poem. / And a Black World", demonstrate Baraka's cry for political justice during a time when racial injustice was rampant, despite the civil rights movement.[40]

More from Amiri Baraka (Wikipedia)

In April 1965, Baraka's "A Poem for Black Hearts" was published as a direct response to Malcolm X's assassination, and it further exemplifies the poet's uses of poetry to generate anger and endorse rage against oppression.[42] Like many of his poems, it showed no remorse in its use of raw emotion to convey its message.[43] It was published in the September issue of Negro Digest and was one of the first responses to Malcolm's death to be exposed to the public.[44] The poem is directed particularly at black men, and it scoldingly labels them "faggots" in order to challenge them to act and continue the fallen activist's fight against the white establishment.

References:

Video: https://youtu.be/vl51LjNlfT4?si=ifuk4FApwduuybmi

Article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiri_Baraka

NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill gives updates on Delaney Hall protests in Newark

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Nuestra América Convoy

The Nuestra América Convoy (English: Our America Convoy) is an international humanitarian movement proposed as a maritime convoy plan to deliver aid to Cuba in response to a severe humanitarian and economic crisis during early 2026. The initiative was initially a flotilla, before being expanded into a global coordinated mission involving the deliveries of humanitarian supplies by air, land, and sea, and is scheduled to converge in Havana on 21 March 2026.

Our America Convoy

Our America Convoy to Cuba

Nuestra América Convoy

The logo of the initiative since February 2026
Formation February 2026; 1 month ago

Region Europe, South America and North America

Organizer David R. K. Adler
Website https://nuestraamericaconvoy.org/

Formerly called Nuestra América Flotilla (Early February 2026)

What do Shias believe about Imam Mahdi?

+9

Shia Muslims (specifically Twelvers) believe Imam Mahdi is the 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, born in the 9th century and currently in a state of "occultation" (hiding) by divine will. He is considered the living, sinless Savior who will return at the end of time to eliminate injustice, oppression, and restore peace.

Wikipedia +4

Key Beliefs About Imam Mahdi:

•The 12th Imam: He is the son of the 11th Imam, Hasan al-Askari, and is believed to be the final successor to Prophet Muhammad.

•The Occultation (Ghaybah): Shias believe he did not die but was concealed by Allah to protect him. He exists in two phases: the minor occultation (when he communicated through representatives) and the major occultation, which continues today.

•Role in Society: Despite being hidden, Shia theology holds that he is still responsible for the spiritual guidance of humanity, acting as a "living guardian".

•Return and Justice: He will reappear alongside Jesus Christ to establish a global, just, and peaceful Islamic society.

•Signs of Reappearance: His return is expected during a time of rampant tyranny and requires specific conditions, including the preparation of 313 top followers.

•"Waiting" (Intezar): This is a core Shia practice, viewing the waiting for the Mahdi as a proactive state of hope, spiritual preparation, and resistance against injustice.

Wikipedia +8

While the concept of a Mahdi is shared in Sunni Islam, the distinction for Shias is the firm belief that he has already been born, is currently living in concealment, and is specifically the 12th Imam.

Wikipedia +1

Jesuit Refugee Service

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an international Catholic organisation with a mission to accompany, serve, and advocate on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, that they may heal, learn, and determine their own future. Founded in November 1980 as a work of the Society of Jesus, JRS was officially registered on 19 March 2000 in Vatican City as a foundation. The impetus to found JRS came from the then superior general of the Jesuits, Pedro Arrupe, who was inspired to action by the plight of Vietnamese boat people.[1] JRS has programmes in over 55 countries. The areas of work are in the field of education, emergency assistance, health care, livelihoods, reconciliation, and psychosocial support. JRS is also involved in advocacy and human rights work. This involves ensuring that refugees are afforded their full rights as guaranteed by the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees[2] and working to strengthen the protection afforded to Internally displaced persons (IDPs).[3] JRS's international headquarters is located in Rome at the Society's General Curia. The International Director is Br Michael Schöpf SJ.

Jesuit Refugee Service
Abbreviation JRS
Formation 14 November 1980; 45 years ago
Founder Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ
Headquarters Rome

Region over 50 countries worldwide
Affiliations Society of Jesus
Website https://jrs.net

Overton window

Overton window

This article is about the political concept. For the 2010 novel, see The Overton Window.

The Overton window is the range of subjects and arguments politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time.[1] It is also known as the window of discourse.[2] The key to the concept is that the window changes over time; it can shift, or shrink or expand.[3] It exemplifies "the slow evolution of societal values and norms".[3]

An illustration of the Overton window, along with Treviño's degrees of acceptance

The term is named after the American policy analyst and former senior vice president at Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Joseph Overton, who proposed that the political viability of an idea depends mainly on whether it falls within an acceptability range, rather than on the individual preferences of politicians using the term or concept.[4][3] According to Overton, the window frames the range of policies that a politician may recommend without appearing too extreme, in order to gain or keep public office given the climate of public opinion at that particular time.[5]

Democrat Mikie Sherrill elected governor of New Jersey

 Democrat Mikie Sherrill elected governor of New Jersey

Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli in race that suggests Democratic resilience amid Trump’s second term

Jake Wasserman in East Brunswick

Tue 4 Nov 2025 21.34 EST

Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill was elected on Tuesday to be the 57th governor of New Jersey, defeating Jack Ciattarelli, a former state representative and Republican, in a race that suggested the resilience of the party after Donald Trump’s return to office.

The Associated Press called the race for Sherrill just two hours after polls closed.

Source

---------------:---------------

Early life

Mikie Sherrill was born in Alexandria, Virginia.[2] She grew up in various locations along the East Coast of the United States due to her father's job.[2][6]

Sherrill is a graduate of South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia.[7][8] In 1994, she earned her Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.[1] In 2003, Sherrill received an MSc in international and world history from the London School of Economics. In 2004, she received a certificate in Arabic language from the American University in Cairo. In 2007, Sherrill earned a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.[9]

Wikipedia

Who is Sara L. Ellis, U. S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois?

Sara L Ellis

Ellis in 2013

Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Incumbent

Assumed office October 8, 2013
Appointed by Barack Obama
Preceded by Joan B. Gottschall

Personal details

Born 1969 (age 55–56)

London, Ontario, Canada

Education 

Indiana University (BA)

Loyola University Chicago (JD)


Sara Lee Ellis (born 1969) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Early life

Ellis was born in 1969, in London, Ontario, Canada,[1] to Jamaican-born parents. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States when she was 15 years old.[2][3]

Education and career

She received a Bachelor of Arts in 1991 from Indiana University. She received a Juris Doctor in 1994 from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She worked as a staff attorney at the Federal Defender Program in Chicago from 1994 to 1999. From 2000 to 2004, she worked at Stetler, Duffy & Rotert, Ltd., a white-collar criminal defense law firm. From 2004 to 2008, she served as assistant corporation counsel for the Chicago Department of Law, handling claims for injunctive relief and civil rights lawsuits. From 2008 to 2013, she served as counsel at the law firm of Schiff Hardin LLP in Chicago, where she was a member of the litigation and white-collar crime practice groups.[4][3]

Federal judicial service

On May 6, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Ellis to be a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, to the seat vacated by Judge Joan B. Gottschall, who assumed senior status on April 23, 2012.[4] She received a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 19, 2013, and her nomination was reported to the floor of the Senate on July 18, 2013, by voice vote. The Senate confirmed her nomination on October 7, 2013, by voice vote. She received her commission on October 8, 2013.[3]

Source

No Lives Matter

No Lives Matter

Logo as of August 2024

Ideology 

• Accelerationism[1]
• Antihumanism
• Misanthropy
• Neo-Nazism
• Nihilistic violent extremism

Status Active
Designated as a terrorist group by United States[1]

No Lives Matter (NLM) is a misanthropic, neo-Nazi online hate group that advocates for violence, terrorism and the destruction of humanity. Its core principles are radical nihilism and antihumanism. The organization gained notoriety for its actions in the form of attacks.[2] NLM also released violent manifestos explaining their philosophy, as well as advice on assault and murder.[2][1][3] The name "No Lives Matter" is a reference to the Black Lives Matter movement.[4]

NLM is closely associated with peripheral online communities such as Maniac Murder Cult (MKU), "Sadistic Maniacs Cult", "Satanic Front", and 764.[1] In July of 2024 NLM referred to a collaboration with the Mordwaffen Division, the European splinter group of the Atomwaffen Division.[1]

In its propaganda, the group refers to itself as "children of fire" whose mission is to "Kill mundane [ordinary] people in any dimension they're deployed in".[5] The group uses private messaging platforms such as Telegram[1] and Discord. On Telegram, NLM distributes crime manuals and provides information on bombs, disguises, selecting victims, recruiting new members, and evading justice.[1]

According to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, NLM and the "True Crime Community" have been linked to at least nine school shooting plots.[6]

History

On 21 August 2024, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness released a threat assessment. According to the report, NLM is "[...] looking for more soldiers to join our ranks, true misanthropic individuals" and they "only accept people that do irl [in real life] action". One precondition for acceptance into NLM is the practice of self harm in the form of "[...] deep bloody cuts that represent us [NLM]".[1]

The FBI arrested a man from Virginia on 17 December 2024 and confiscated 150 explosive devices, most of which were pipe bombs. They were stored in a backpack with a "#NoLivesMatter" patch attached to it. There was no evidence that he was associated with the No Lives Matter organization.[7][8]

Source: Wikipedia

Martin Makary

 

Martin Adel Makary (/məˈkæri/) is a British-American surgeon, professor, author, and medical commentator. He practices surgical oncology and gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, is Mark Ravitch Chair in Gastrointestinal Surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and is the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins.

Makary is an advocate for disruptive innovation in medicine and physician-led initiatives, such as a surgical checklist that he developed at Johns Hopkins.[1][2] In 2018, Makary was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.[3]

While supporting universal masking early in the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines for adults, he opposed broad vaccine mandates and certain school and university restrictions.[4][5][6][7]

In November 2024, President-Elect Donald Trump announced Makary would be his nominee to head the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as its commissioner.[8][9]

Early life and education

Makary was born in Liverpool, England, and moved to Baltimore as a young child. His Egyptian family later moved to Danville, Pennsylvania, when his father took a job as a hematologist at the Geisinger Medical Center. Makary holds degrees from Bucknell University, Thomas Jefferson University and Harvard University. He was president of the student body at Harvard and later served on the alumni board. He completed a Masters of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree, with a concentration in health policy.

Professional career

Makary completed a surgical residency at Georgetown University[10] in Washington D.C. where he also worked as a writer for The Advisory Board Company. Makary completed sub-specialty surgery training at Johns Hopkins in surgical oncology and gastrointestinal surgery under surgeon John Cameron, before joining Cameron's faculty practice as a partner.[11] In his first few years on the faculty at Johns Hopkins, Makary researched and wrote articles on the prevention of surgical complications.[12] He published on frailty[13] as a medical condition, and on safety and teamwork culture in medicine. Makary is the first author of the original scientific publications describing "The Surgery Checklist".[14] Makary worked with the World Health Organization[15] to develop the official World Health Organization Surgical Checklist.[1]

Source

António Costa - President of the European Council

His Excellency António Costa GCC GCIH
Official portrait, 2024
President of the European Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 December 2024
Preceded by	Charles Michel
Prime Minister of Portugal
In office 26 November 2015 – 2 April 2024
President	Aníbal Cavaco Silva Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
Preceded by	Pedro Passos Coelho
Succeeded by	Luís Montenegro
Secretary-General of the Socialist Party
In office 22 November 2014 – 7 January 2024
President	Carlos César
Deputy	Ana Catarina Mendes José Luís Carneiro João Torres
Preceded by	António José Seguro
Succeeded by	Pedro Nuno Santos
Leader of the Opposition
In office 22 November 2014 – 26 November 2015
Prime Minister	Pedro Passos Coelho
Preceded by	António José Seguro
Succeeded by	Pedro Passos Coelho
Mayor of Lisbon
In office 1 August 2007 – 6 April 2015
Preceded by	Carmona Rodrigues
Succeeded by	Fernando Medina
Minister of Internal Administration
In office 12 March 2005 – 17 May 2007
Prime Minister	José Sócrates
Preceded by	Daniel Sanches
Succeeded by	Rui Pereira
Minister of Justice
In office 25 October 1999 – 6 April 2002
Prime Minister	António Guterres
Preceded by	José Vera Jardim
Succeeded by	Celeste Cardona
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
In office 27 November 1997 – 25 October 1999
Prime Minister	António Guterres
Preceded by	António Couto dos Santos
Succeeded by	Luís Marques Mendes
Member of the Assembly of the Republic[1][2]
In office 23 October 2015 – 26 March 2024
Constituency	Lisbon
In office 5 April 2002 – 9 March 2005
Constituency	Leiria
In office 4 November 1991 – 26 October 1995
Constituency	Lisbon
Member of the European Parliament
In office 20 July 2004 – 11 March 2005
Constituency	Portugal
Personal details
Born	António Luís Santos da Costa 17 July 1961 (age 63) Lisbon, Portugal
Political party	Socialist (since 1975)
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Spouse	Fernanda Tadeu   ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	2
Parents	Orlando da Costa (father) Maria Antónia Palla (mother)
Alma mater	University of Lisbon
Signature
Website	portugal.gov.pt/pm
Military service
Allegiance	Portugal
Branch/service	Portuguese Army

Usha Chilukuri Vance, wife of Republican VP candidate J. D. Vance

Usha Vance

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Usha Vance

Vance in 2023

Born

 
Usha Chilukuri

January 6, 1986 (age 38)
San Diego, California, U.S.

Education 

Yale University (BA, JD)
Clare College, Cambridge (MPhil)

Political party 

Republican

Other political affiliations 
Democratic (before 2014)[1]

Spouse
J. D. Vance
​(m. 2014)​

Children 3


Usha Chilukuri Vance (née Chilukuri; born January 6, 1986) is an American lawyer. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Vance was a law clerk for multiple federal judges and Supreme Court justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh when he was serving on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and judge Amul Thapar of the Eastern District of Kentucky.[2] She is the wife of the junior United States Senator from Ohio, J. D. Vance,[3] who is Donald Trump's running mate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Early life and education

Born in San Diego, California,[4] and raised in the upwardly mobile Rancho Peñasquitos suburb,[5] Usha Chilukuri is the daughter of Telugu-speaking Indian Hindu immigrants.[6] Her father, Krish, is a lecturer at San Diego State University's Department of Aerospace Engineering while her mother, Lakshmi, is a marine molecular biologist and biochemist, and current Provost of Sixth College at UC San Diego.[7][8] Her parents hail from Andhra Pradesh state of India.[9] Childhood friends described her as a "leader" and a "bookworm."[10]

She attended Yale University, graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in history, with membership in Phi Beta Kappa. She then attended Clare College, Cambridge, in England as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, receiving a Master of Philosophy degree in early modern history in 2010.[11] In 2013, she graduated Juris Doctor at Yale Law School, where she was the Executive Development Editor of the Yale Law Journal and Managing Editor of the Yale Journal of Law & Technology.[12][13][14] During her time at Yale, she also taught American history as a Yale-China Teaching Fellow at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China.[13]

While at Yale Law School, Chilukuri met her future husband, J. D. Vance, a relationship encouraged by their professor Amy Chua.[15] In 2013, Chilukuri and Vance collaborated to organize a discussion group at Yale focused on the topic of "social decline in white America."[16]

Career

She served as a law clerk from 2014–2015 for then–District of Columbia Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh and from 2017–2018 for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.[17] She was admitted to the DC Bar in May 2019 and worked for the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, handling civil litigation and appeals in cases involving higher education, local government, entertainment and technology, until July 2024.[18]

She has served on the board of the Gates Cambridge Alumni Association and as secretary of the board of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.[19]

Personal life

Chilukuri and J. D. Vance married in 2014 in Kentucky, in an interfaith marriage ceremony.[20][10] They have three children: Ewan (born 2017), Vivek (born 2020), and Mirabel (born 2021).[21][22] She is a practicing Hindu and her husband is Roman Catholic.[20][23]

As of 2014, Chilukuri was a registered Democrat, but records show she pulled a Republican primary ballot in the 2022 election.[10]
Portrayal in media

In Hillbilly Elegy (2020), a film about the life of her husband, she was portrayed by actress Freida Pinto.

7/16/2024

Source

P.S. 

Gates Cambridge Scholarship

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation established the Gates Cambridge Scholarships in 2000 with a $210 million donation to support outstanding graduate students' study at the University of Cambridge.