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.
'National Emergency' Declared as Trump Administration Officials Are Now Warning Americans To Be Vigilant As Cases Of Parasit...
CDC Confirms 1,645 Cyclospora Cases, More Than 5,100 Others Investigated
A rapidly growing foodborne illness outbreak has expanded far beyond what federal health officials first believed, with thousands of Americans now either confirmed or under investigation for a parasitic infection that can cause weeks of debilitating gastrointestinal illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the outbreak has reached a level far exceeding recent years, with investigators now working across dozens of states to determine exactly what is making so many people sick.
The CDC announced Tuesday that 1,645 people have been confirmed to have cyclosporiasis after becoming infected in the United States since May 1, while more than 5,100 additional cases are under investigation.
Combined, health officials are now reviewing more than 7,000 possible cases across the country.
The CDC said confirmed infections have been identified in 34 states, with several separate investigations underway.
A major outbreak centered in Michigan and Ohio has now been epidemiologically linked to cases in West Virginia and Kentucky, suggesting those infections may share a common source.
Federal health officials say the number of confirmed cases is already more than six times higher than it was at this point last year.
If the confirmed and suspected cases are combined, this year’s total is roughly 27 times higher than the same period in 2025.
“This is much, much higher than what we’ve seen last year or the year before,” said Dr. Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of the CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases.
“It’s a very big shift.”
The parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, causes cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness that commonly produces severe watery diarrhea, abdominal cramping, bloating, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite.
Symptoms can last for several weeks and often return after initially improving.
According to CDC data, approximately one out of every eleven confirmed patients has required hospitalization.
No deaths have been reported.
Investigators believe at least 400 confirmed cases spanning Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky appear to be connected.
Michigan has emerged as the hardest-hit state, reporting more than 3,300 cases during its investigation.
State officials have interviewed more than 1,000 patients and say the evidence currently points toward lettuce or salad greens as a possible source.
However, investigators emphasized that no specific produce item, grower, supplier or distributor has been identified.
The CDC likewise says multiple investigations remain active and that no single nationwide source has been confirmed.
As concern has grown, Taco Bell announced Tuesday that it is voluntarily removing certain ingredients from menus at select restaurants as a precaution.
The company stressed that public health officials have not linked Taco Bell, any ingredient, supplier or restaurant to the outbreak.
“Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer,” the company said in a statement.
Cyclosporiasis is generally spread by consuming food or water contaminated with the microscopic parasite rather than through person-to-person contact.
Previous U.S. outbreaks have been traced to fresh produce, including raspberries, cilantro, basil and salad greens.
Federal investigators continue working with state health departments to identify the source of the current outbreak.
Until that source is identified, health officials are urging anyone who develops persistent watery diarrhea or other symptoms consistent with cyclosporiasis to contact a healthcare provider, particularly if symptoms continue for several days or lead to dehydration, CNN reported.
With confirmed cases continuing to climb and thousands more still under investigation, the CDC says the scope of the outbreak remains fluid as investigators work to determine exactly where the contamination originated.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
