FXBG Advance Thursday, June 25, 2026
The Longevity Game. A More Dangerous Nuclear World. Congressional Republican Candidates Tout their Pro-Military Bona Fides. Legislature Coming Back to Deal with Governor's Budget Amendments.
The Longevity Game
By Lauren Bock, Advance Contributor
I’m convinced that my step-mother-in-law should donate her body to science. A longevity marvel, she found her first gray hair at age 62. Her mother died at 87 with a luscious head of natural brown hair. They were both Lancaster, PA natives. Perhaps it’s the cow-manure-filled fresh air, or the Pennsylvania Dutch succotash. Three of my four grandparents raised in Pennsylvania lived into their 90s, so maybe we should all move there. Shoefly pies for everyone!
I’ve had the privilege of practicing Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine for nearly 20 years, and over that time, patients have taught me a lot about quality of life and longevity. I’ll always remember what one of my teachers told me early in my career: “The best thing you can do is sit down, shut up, and let the patient talk.” It was sound advice.
Admittedly, the word longevity was not in my patient vocabulary until I allowed myself to become the student and my patients to become the teachers. 91-year-old Jane was one of those teachers. Blissfully demented, she spent her days gardening with her daughter, and ultimately passed away peacefully without an ounce of agitation. We might not be able to age without disease, but to age gracefully and die peacefully sounds dreamy.
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A Weak Iran Deal and a More Dangerous Nuclear World
By Phil Huber, Advance Columnist
The new U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding is a bad deal. It may buy a short pause, but it does not do enough to stop other countries from deciding they need nuclear weapons of their own. At the very moment when the world should be making it harder for nations to move toward the bomb, this agreement risks sending the opposite message: Get close enough to nuclear status, survive the pressure, and eventually the world will bargain with you.
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7th Congressional District Republican Candidates Tout Their Pro-Military Bona Fides
By Hugh Lessig, Advance Military Columnist
Rep. Eugene Vindman recently shared his views on the defense spending blueprint that cleared the House Armed Services Committee, legislation that would affect thousands of service members and their families in the greater Fredericksburg area. The debate over defense spending and other issues will only get hotter as the political season turns from summer to fall, and Vindman will face one of three Republicans who want to unseat him.
Those three potential challengers will face off in the GOP primary on Aug. 4. That might seem like a long way off, but early voting is now underway, and it’s never too early to know the candidates. All three recently shared their thoughts on how they would approach military, defense and veterans’ issues in the Fredericksburg area and surrounding Seventh District.
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Legislature to Return to Take up Spanberger’s Amendments to Budget
VaNews/Virginia Public Access Project
By Brandon Jarvis, Virginia Scope
During a press conference in Richmond on Tuesday morning, Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she will propose amendments to the budget agreement that the General Assembly sent her on Monday night. “I will be putting forth some amendments, and importantly, some of those are technical amendments actually requested by patrons related to some of the implementation language,” Spanberger said. Spanberger has until Monday night to take action on the legislation.
Articles from newspapers throughout the Commonwealth and Washington D.C. Firewalls will block you from reading some, but you’ll at least have some idea about what’s going on from the headlines, which, let’s be honest, are all many of us have time to read anyway.
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