• Eight sitting members of Congress have died since November 2022.
• Every single one of them was a Democrat.
• The party has been wrestling with age and gerontocracy for years.

In the last two and a half years, eight sitting members of the House or Senate have died in office. Every time, it's been a Democrat.

Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, died on Wednesday at 75, after a battle with esophageal cancer.

He's the third House Democrat to die in the last three months. If Democrats had gained a narrow 1 or 2-seat majority in 2024, they would have lost it by now.

The streak of Democratic deaths could just be something of a coincidence. After all, there are plenty of elderly and diminished Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including former Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

But Democrats do tend to be older than Republicans, on average. A report from FiscalNote found that in the last Congress, the average House Democrat was six years older than the average House Republican, while the gap was seven years in he upper chamber.

There are some potential structural reasons for this as well, including the seniority system, which Democrats tend to employ more than Republicans.

The deaths are just another data point in a long-running conversation that's been raging within the Democratic Party for years about age and gerontocracy, which culminated last year in President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the presidential race after a disastrous debate performance.

Since then, Democrats in particular have been taking age more seriously, including when it comes to who's serving in important committee positions. Connolly notably beat back a challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York in December for the Oversight position he's now vacated.

Here's the full list of Democratic lawmakers who have died in office since November 2022:

• Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia
• Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona
• Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas
• Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey
• Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas
• Rep. Donald Payne of New Jersey
• Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California
• Rep. Donald McEachin of Virginia

• Palisade, Colorado, has become one of my favorite towns after moving to Denver four years ago.
• It's home to striking nature and more than 30 wineries.
• I've visited a handful of times, and still haven't explored all the town has to offer.

I thought I'd have to head to California's Napa Valley for wine and cross the Utah state border for canyons. For peaches, I assumed I'd have to make my way South to somewhere like Georgia.

Then, I discovered Palisade, Colorado. The small town four hours west of Denver has become one of my favorite Colorado towns after living in the state for four years.

While it has all the outdoor activities I love — hiking, camping, biking, and rafting — it also stands out for its wineries, vineyards, and farms.

Palisade is home to something I don't find everywhere in Colorado — vineyards

Most of my weekends in Colorado are spent camping. I'll head west from my home in Denver, searching for mountains, dispersed campsites, and glorious hikes.

Thankfully, the state is full of options. While living in Colorado, I've explored dozens of mountain towns, visited new national parks, and stumbled upon historic sites like former mining towns.

Being in the mountains never gets old, but finding new activities keeps camping trips from feeling repetitive.

So, when I crave an experience other than shopping on Main Street and hiking up a mountain, I head to Palisade for wine.

The small Colorado town is known as the state's wine country. It's home to over 30 wineries, and the region's desert climate creates an ideal environment for growing grapes.

When it comes to the wine itself, Palisade doesn't specialize in just one variety. Instead, you'll find everything from rosé to cabernet franc and riesling.

I've visited the town a few times, and my favorite way to explore is on a bike. Some lodges, campsites, and businesses offer daily bike rentals, which means I can check off a handful of wineries in a day. Other tour operators have shuttles, horse-drawn carriages, and limos that take visitors wine hopping across the town.

Regardless of how you get to each winery, most have breathtaking views of grape vines with Colorado's Grand Mesa, the largest flat-top mountain, as the backdrop. It's a view that's hard to beat.

Beyond wineries, Palisade has accessible nature

Sure, wine is the town's main appeal, but that just scratches the surface of how I spend a weekend in Palisade.

Surrounding the small town is stunning nature. The area is more arid than the nearby Rocky Mountains, which means the terrain includes canyon systems, plateaus, and rusty red stone. In some hiking areas, you'll find wild horses, and in others, you'll find canyons overlooking the Colorado River.

During hot summer months, paddleboarding and rafting are popular activities.

There's also plenty of camping. While there are a couple of RV resorts and state parks with amenity-filled campsites, the region also has primitive camping around the Grand Mesa.

Palisade is a hidden gem

While plenty of people in Colorado have heard of Palisade, when I step outside my Denver bubble, I've learned it's a hidden gem — one I'm still exploring since I haven't discovered all the town has to offer.

While I've stopped by small farm stands to pick up fresh fruit and jams, I haven't picked peaches yet. Palisade is one of Colorado's top peach producers, and during harvest seasons, nearby farms will welcome visitors to their orchards for peach picking.

I'm also itching to return for the town's annual bluegrass festival with national artists and local musicians.

There are also restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and vineyards I've eyed from past trips.

So, while there are plenty of small Colorado towns I've yet to visit, I'm always willing to return to Palisade and shake up the traditional weekend camping trip.

• I drove three hours to visit one of the last-remaining KFC buffets in the world.
• The $13 meal included chicken, side dishes, desserts, and a few items not on the regular menu.
• I was pleasantly surprised by the meal, but wished this location offered mac and cheese as a side.

During an eight-hour drive from northern Delaware to Charlotte, North Carolina, my girlfriend's voice broke my glassy-eyed daze.

"Did that sign say KFC Buffet?" she asked.

My immediate reaction was disbelief, that maybe we'd been driving too long and hallucinated it — but a quick Google search confirmed that the KFC buffet was real. Although I couldn't find much about it online, according to an article from Mashed, they seemed to be most popular in the '80s before fizzling out after a decade or so.

During my research, I also stumbled across a Facebook group called "KFC Buffet Aficionados," where fans of the restaurant answer questions about the buffets and keep a map of all the remaining locations in North America.

There aren't many left in the world, but there is one pretty famous location in Tokyo. Turns out, the nearest one to my house is even closer than the one we originally passed.

So, my girlfriend and I took a three-hour drive to Dunn, North Carolina, to see what a KFC buffet is like.

• TikTok Shop employees are bracing for layoffs after the company said it's making personnel changes.
• The company sent an email to e-commerce staffers telling them to work from home today.
• TikTok Shop sales have been slumping amid global tariffs and broader economic uncertainty.

TikTok Shop employees in the US are bracing for layoffs after the company told staffers to work from home Wednesday ahead of "organizational and personnel changes," per a memo viewed by Business Insider.

The moves are expected to impact employees who work in US operations and global key accounts, a team that works with large brands.

The company said it was making the changes after "careful analysis of how to create more efficient operating models for the team's long-term growth," according to the memo, which was sent by e-commerce executive Mu Qing.

Employees began receiving emails that their roles were affected on Wednesday morning.

BI was not able to determine the scale of employees who would be affected by the changes. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bloomberg earlier reported on the memo.

TikTok's US e-commerce business has been off to a rocky start this year, as sales have slumped amid global tariffs and broader economic uncertainty. Employees previously told BI that daily US sales from foreign sellers, many based in China where tariffs skyrocketed in April, contributed to a broader sales drop-off on the platform starting in late March.

TikTok's coming personnel changes follow a round of job cuts in April when it restructured its e-commerce governance and experience team, BI previously reported.

TikTok Shop's growth in the US is a big priority at ByteDance, which sees hundreds of billions in annual sales on its Chinese sister app, Douyin. But even before its more recent sales slump, the US e-commerce business failed to meet many of its performance goals in 2024, company leaders told staffers during a February all-hands.

Over the past year and a half, TikTok has shaken up its leadership structure across the company, giving greater oversight to some Chinese and Singaporean leaders in departments including Shop.

TikTok's US future is up in the air due to a divest-or-ban law that requires ByteDance to give up majority ownership of its US app.

TikTok has until June 19 to find a new owner, though President Donald Trump may extend that deadline. During a recent press appearance, he said he had a warm spot in his heart for TikTok.

Read the full memo sent to e-commerce staffers telling them to stay home ahead of personnel changes:

Over the past month, I have taken the opportunity to learn and evaluate how best to support US business in meeting the opportunities and challenges ahead of us.

We have undergone careful analysis of how to create more efficient operating models for the team's long-term growth and, as a result, will be communicating organizational and personnel changes to the e-Commerce US operations, US operations center, and global key accounts teams beginning early on Wednesday, May 21 (PT).

Our goal is to communicate with employees swiftly and with as much clarity as possible. All updates will be made via your company email, followed by HRBP outreach.

To best facilitate these conversations, it is recommended that you work remotely on Wednesday, May 21.

We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we navigate these difficult discussions. We are committed to supporting our teams throughout this transition with as much compassion and support as possible.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected] or Signal at @danwhateley.94. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will bring golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen to his meeting with Trump.

"Aww they love each other," one viewer on TikTok said, while another commented: "My dog and cat said this is AI."

TGL's expansion plans went from ideas to facts with the addition of a new team representing one of the country's most important cities.

Thomas' recently released new high protein bagels, Proactiv's got a treatment for redness and acne and Tate's Bake Shop launched delicious soft cookies.

"I love seeing how deeply dogs understand what we're saying," one user said in the comments section.

This Marvel star says he has no more interest in the MCU.

US President continues spat with Springsteen, with meme showing Trump hitting the star with a golf ball.

The Republican congresswoman has accused her ex-fiancé of rape, physical abuse and recording sex acts with her and others without consent.

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger made a major prediction if Aaron Rodgers signs with the team.

The U.S. president says the onus is on Russia and Ukraine, not Washington, to end the war, according to a report.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were linked to an All-Star reliever in a potential trade idea.

The FDA recently approved an "important" breakthrough in Alzheimer's treatment.

• A personal trainer in his 50s got back in shape after colon cancer treatment with simple workouts.
• His routine includes rucking, walking with a weighted pack to build muscle and endurance in less time.
• He recommends shorter, more consistent workouts instead of exhausting yourself for long-term gains.

Shorter workouts could be the key to getting in shape and staying that way into your 50s and beyond, according to a personal trainer who learned to work smarter instead of harder.

Bill Maeda, 56, said recovering from a health crisis taught him that short, simple, and consistent is key to building muscle and fitness long-term.

"My raw horsepower is less than it was 10 or more years ago, but I don't care," he told. "The difference is now, I'm moving better, and it's fun."

Inspired by Bruce Lee to start training at 8 years old, Maeda had been a personal trainer for decades, even landed a few movie roles with his muscular physique. But in 2012, he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in his early 40s, requiring major emergency surgery and half a year of chemotherapy.

Recovering from cancer made him realize that focusing on his physique over his health was like building a nice car without proper brakes or steering.

"I wanted a strong frame. I wanted a powerful engine, but I spent so much time building this car, I forgot how to drive it. That's what I'm doing now," he said.

Maeda slowly rebuilt his fitness, one rep at a time, and said shorter and simpler can be better for long-term gains.

Build a foundation on the basics: deadlifts, squats, push-ups

Maeda's current workouts on social media often feature unusual exercises, but he said most people shouldn't do complicated workouts unless they've mastered the basics. You don't need elaborate movement to build muscle, and the risk of injury can increase as an exercise become more intricate.

"Well into my forties, I didn't do anything fancy. It was deadlifts, squats, kettlebell swings, just a lot of very fundamental movements," Maeda said. "Those are what built my physical base, what people see now, the muscle I carry."

To gain muscle and strength, focus on progressive overload, performing the same exercises over time with gradually increasing weight.

From there, you can explore variations of exercise to keep workouts fun and challenging while improving mobility, agility, and balance.

"I do less of that heavy basic lifting because of the time I have now, I'd rather put it towards movements that spread the stress of what I'm doing more evenly throughout my body," Maeda said.

Work out in less time by rucking

One regular part of Maeda's fitness routine is rucking, or walking with weight. He typically carries a 45-pound backpack for 30 minutes a day, at least five days a week, while walking his dogs.

He first starting rucking as he was slowly rebuilding his endurance after colon cancer. He began with short walks wearing a backpack full of bricks and added weight (and better gear through his partnership with fitness brand GORUCK) over time.

Building muscle and endurance comes from challenging your body over time. Rucking provides a convenient way to work the muscles during activities that are already a part of a routine, like walking dogs or taking a hike.

For Maeda, it added an extra challenge without taking more time out of his day.

"It got me to a point where just walking seemed like a total waste of time," he said. "If I'm doing something that often and I can just put a 45-pound backpack on, that's a lot of minutes under load."

Ending a workout early can pay off

In his younger years, Maeda embraced the "no pain, no gain" mindset of tough exercise, but now warns against it.

"I don't personally recommend programs that are aggressive and based on sucking it up and willpower. Life is hard enough," Maeda said.

He said it's better not to be completely exhausted after exercise, so you're energized and excited for the next workout, even if that means cutting your workout short.

"Consistency over days is way more important than a hard weekend warrior workout that means you're sore for the rest of the week," he said.

Try this no-equipment workout for beginners

Maeda recommends starting with a workout you can do at home.

To complete his "exercise ladder," do:

• one squat, one push-up;
• two squats, two push-ups;
• three squats, three push-ups;
• continue up to five reps, or until the next set starts to feel daunting.

Over time, you can repeat the workout, aiming to reach a higher number of reps as you progress, or change up the exercises (doing lunges and pull-ups, or single-leg deadlifts and burpees).

• A United Airlines passenger says she was injured when a suitcase fell on her.
• The lawsuit says the flight crew should have intervened or assisted so that it was stowed properly.
• Eugenia Lyashenko has suffered from stress and depression since the incident, it adds.

A passenger is suing United Airlines, saying flight attendants should have helped put heavy luggage in the overhead bin.

Eugenia Lyashenko was flying from Boston to London in June 2023, per the lawsuit filed last Friday in the Massachusetts US District Court.

She was sitting in an aisle seat when another passenger's "heavy roller suitcase" fell from the open overhead bin, the suit says.

The lawsuit alleged that Lyashenko suffered serious head, neck, and back injuries after being struck by the suitcase.

"United should not have allowed other passengers to struggle with stowing heavy roller suitcases in the overhead bins without intervening to ensure that it was done properly and safely," it stated.

It added that the crew's failure to assist in storing the luggage contributed to Lyashenko's injuries.

As a result of the incident, she has since been unable to sit or stand for extended periods, and "suffered great pain, agony and mental anguish, stress, depression," the complaint says.

United Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lyashenko's attorneys sought unspecified compensatory damages under the Montreal Convention.

The treaty stipulated that airlines are liable for any passenger injuries on board an aircraft, or while boarding or deplaning, unless they can prove the passenger was negligent.

It says damages can be as high as about $175,000.

The Montreal Convention is often cited in airline lawsuits, such as when a Ryanair passenger broke her leg after falling down the aircraft's steps. She was awarded $33,000 in compensation.

And last year, a Delta Air Lines passenger said he broke a rib after his armrest collapsed when he leaned on it.

• US Navy planes recently carried out history's "largest airstrike" from an aircraft carrier, a top US admiral said.
• The bombardment targeted terrorist groups in Somalia, said the acting chief of naval operations.
• The carrier USS Harry S. Truman spent months engaged in combat operations in the Middle East.

US Navy planes recently launched the largest-ever airstrike from an aircraft carrier, dropping 125,000 pounds of ordnance, a top admiral said this week.

The USS Harry S. Truman and its strike group "launched the largest airstrike in the history of the world — 125,000 pounds — from a single aircraft carrier into Somalia," Adm. James Kilby, acting chief of naval operations, said on Monday.

A defense official told Business Insider the operation — a single bombing run involving around 16 F/A-18 Super Hornets — occurred on February 1 while the Truman was operating in the Red Sea.

US Africa Command said in February that airstrikes at the start of the month targeted senior ISIS-Somalia leadership in a series of cave complexes. The military assessed that over a dozen terror operatives were killed. Kilby's comments this week shed more light on the bombardment.

US forces have executed dozens of airstrikes this year against ISIS and Al Qaeda affiliate group al-Shabaab in Somalia. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence considers both groups to be a threat to American interests.

The Truman carrier strike group recently left the Red Sea and is participating in NATO maritime exercises in the Mediterranean Sea before heading back to its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia.

The strike group, consisting of the carrier and several other warships, deployed last fall and spent months operating in the Middle East, where it was a pillar of US combat operations against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen that were paused earlier this month.

Kilby, speaking at a Council on Foreign Relations event, said the Truman strike group engaged 160 drones and missiles that the Houthis had fired at Israel, the Navy, or shipping lanes. He also said the ships carried out 670 strikes in Yemen, targeting rebel assets.

The munitions used in these engagements could include a mix of surface-to-air missiles, land-attack missiles, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface bombs, and air-launched standoff weapons. Multiple carriers have been a part of operations against the Houthis, expending significant amounts of ordnance to curb the group's attacks.

"We've seen an increase in how the Houthis are acting," Kilby said. "Sometimes, I hear people speak dismissively of them. They're not China, but they are a threat. And they are hunting our ships."

The Truman has had an eventful deployment. In December, one of the warships in its strike group accidentally shot down an F/A-18, which is estimated to cost roughly $60 million apiece, over the Red Sea. The military described the engagement as an "apparent case of friendly fire."

Several weeks later, in mid-February, the Truman collided with a commercial vessel in the Mediterranean. The aircraft carrier suffered some damage, and the incident led to the firing of its commanding officer.

In late April, with Truman back in the Red Sea, an F/A-18 and a tow tractor fell overboard from the carrier's hangar bay. A sailor had to jump from the cockpit just before the fighter jet went into the water.

And just over a week later, in early May, an F/A-18 was landing on the flight deck when Truman's arresting cables failed, sending the jet overboard. The two aviators safely ejected and were rescued from the water.

Alexandria Diaz's neutral expression during a meeting with Trump has taken off online.