Facing Younger Primary Challenger, Waters Says No One Is Too Old To Serve - QuickStory
Rep. Maxine Waters declined to endorse age limits for elected officials during a Capitol Hill exchange Thursday, insisting voters — not arbitrary age thresholds — should decide who remains in office.
Rep. Maxine Waters declined to endorse age limits for elected officials during a Capitol Hill exchange Thursday, insisting voters — not arbitrary age thresholds — should decide who remains in office.
The 87-year-old California Democrat was approached by TMZ producer Jacob Wasserman following a Working Families press conference and asked whether younger Americans have a point when they argue some leaders are simply too old to remain in power.
Waters made it clear that she does not believe that age alone should determine whether someone is fit for office.
“What do they do? What can you document? What can you give them credit for? What can you criticize them for? If you do what it takes to evaluate, then you can decide,” Waters said.
When Wasserman suggested voters should focus on what politicians actually accomplish rather than their age, Waters agreed.
“Performance and effectiveness,” she said.
The conversation then shifted toward President Donald Trump after Wasserman asked whether an 80-year-old commander in chief might be too old, referencing prior public concerns over former President Joe Biden’s age.
Waters declined to directly engage on Trump’s age and instead launched into criticism of the president’s leadership.
“The president of the United States is destroying our democracy,” Waters said.
“He’s made unkept promises. He is enriching himself and his family with cryptocurrency. He is absolutely committed to empowering himself,” she said.
Wasserman then returned directly to the age issue, asking whether there should be an age limit for the presidency.
Waters again rejected the premise.
“People should be evaluated and thought of in terms of what they do,” she said.
He pressed further, asking whether even a hypothetical 100-year-old “fighter” should still be allowed to serve in office.
“The people should evaluate who should be in office with their vote, and that’s it,” she said.
At 87 years old, Waters is among the oldest serving members of Congress and is facing a stiff primary challenger from a younger progressive candidate.
Waters has represented South L.A. in Congress for 35 years and is fighting for her political life ahead of her June Democratic primary.
Waters is facing off against 53-year-old Myla Rahman, a nonprofit executive who’s worked in politics.
“She’s a force… Since I was 6 years old, she’s been in office, but as I do my work in the community, walk through the districts, talk to people, people want new leadership,” Rahman said.
“The average age in the district is 36 years old. That’s a big difference… When you talk about relatability, when you talk about going to the store, the price of affordability – I’m a renter,” Rahman said.
“Being able to afford housing. Raising my children in the district and school there, talking to their friends. And elections are about the future. They’re not really about the past,” Rahman added.
Waters says her experience and the energy she brings to the job every day are why she’s running for re-election.
“The Democratic Party is working as it normally does,” Waters said. “They will choose their candidates based on the relationships that they have, the work that they have done, the interests that they have shown – not about age.”
Waters appeared at an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles in February, chanting “ICE out of L.A.” hours before the demonstration descended into violence and police made multiple arrests.
“What I see here at the detention center are people exercising their constitutional rights,” Waters said while standing in front of officers wearing riot gear, Fox News reported. “And, of course, they’re now trying to tear gas everybody. It’s in the air, but people are not moving.”
Later on Friday, Los Angeles police arrested multiple violent agitators after issuing dispersal orders as protests erupted near a federal detention center.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside City Hall Friday afternoon before many marched to the detention facility, where a group of agitators pushed a large construction dumpster and blocked the entrance to the building’s loading dock, according to police.
The LAPD shared video of the unrest on social media and said officers deployed pepper balls and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
NBC Co-Hosts Launch Explosive Physical Brawl During Live Debate - GMT - G1
NEW YORK — A high-profile morning political debate turned into absolute pandemonium inside 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Thursday when two seasoned NBC co-hosts engaged in a violent, on-set brawl on live national television. The unprecedented melee forced master control to pull the emergency plug, instantly severing the network’s live satellite feed and thrusting the broadcast giant into a severe operational and legal crisis.
The shocking confrontation played out in real time before millions of American households, triggering what broadcast historians are calling one of the most catastrophic on-air collapses in modern television history.
The Breaking Point: How Sharp Rhetoric Turned Physical
According to floor staff and internal network communications, the friction ignited during an open-panel discussion on breaking domestic policy. The co-hosts—routinely paired to generate sharp ideological contrast—quickly abandoned the day’s editorial rundown as policy friction escalated into vicious personal jabs.
Within seconds, the broadcast format completely collapsed:
- The Initial Lunge: Following a biting verbal attack, one anchor slammed their palms onto the desk, rose from their chair, and lunged across the set to shove their colleague.
- The Melee: The altercation instantly spiraled into a full-scale wrestling match over the anchor desk, sending high-end studio microphones crashing, shattering glassware, and scattering production rundown papers across the stage.
- The Master Cut: Open studio audio captured gasps from crew members, heavy scuffling, and an open floor mic catching a panicked director screaming: “Cut the feed! Cut the feed now!”
- The Blackout: Exactly four seconds after physical contact began, control room engineers terminated the live feed, replacing the chaotic scene with an abrupt slate of national commercials.
Security Swarms Set, Medical Deployed to 30 Rock
Immediately after the broadcast was cut, building security and floor managers swarmed the Studio 6A set to physically pry the two anchors apart.
On-site medical staff treated both individuals for minor contusions and abrasions sustained during the fall over the anchor platform. Following on-site evaluation, corporate security escorted both commentators out of 30 Rockefeller Plaza through separate exits to prevent further escalation.
Network Issues Indefinite Suspensions, Evaluates Legal Fallout
Late Thursday afternoon, NBC News corporate leadership issued an emergency statement confirming swift disciplinary action:
“NBC News maintains an uncompromising commitment to workplace safety and professional conduct. Physical violence of any description is completely unacceptable. Both on-air contributors have been suspended indefinitely without pay pending an internal investigation and legal consultation.”
Clips capturing the moments leading up to the blacked-out feed exploded across social media within minutes, racking up tens of millions of views across X, TikTok, and YouTube, while igniting widespread public outcry over the deteriorating state of national broadcast discourse.
Industry Fallout: The Breaking Point of Partisan Panel Formats
The shocking clash has ignited an industry-wide reckoning over the risks of high-friction television formats:
- Workplace Liability & OSHA Scrutiny: Broadcast networks face severe legal liability when on-air debate formats escalate into physical workplace violence.
- Advertiser Sensitivity: Major commercial sponsors are closely monitoring the network’s disciplinary measures, with media buyers warning that extreme volatility endangers high-value morning ad slots.
- Panel Format Reassessment: Media analysts predict the brawl will force network executives to overhaul live debate segments, pivoting away from explosive ideological collisions in favor of heavily structured, lower-risk moderation.
As NBC legal and human resources executives review unedited high-definition studio tapes, the Studio 6A brawl remains a stark reminder of the volatile edge facing unscripted live television.
This is a developing media report. Further network statements and talent updates will follow as internal reviews proceed.
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