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Verbal gaffe or sign of trouble? Mixing up names like Biden and Trump have done is pretty common

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Verbal gaffe or sign of trouble? Mixing up names like Biden and Trump have done is pretty common

WASHINGTON (AP) — Any parent who’s ever called one of their children by the other’s name — or even the family pet’s name — likely could empathize when President Joe Biden mixed up the names of French leaders Macron and Mitterrand.

The human brain has trouble pulling names out of stuffed memory banks on cue. But when are those and other verbal stumbles normal, and when might they be a sign of cognitive trouble?

“When I see somebody make a flub on TV, I’m really not all that concerned,” said well-known aging researcher S. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois at Chicago. “What science will tell you about flubs is that they’re perfectly normal, and they are exacerbated by stress for sure.”

Biden, 81, has a decadeslong history of verbal gaffes. But they’re getting new attention after a special counsel this past week decided Biden shouldn’t face criminal charges for his handling of classified documents — while describing him as an old man with trouble remembering dates, even the date his son Beau died.

That prompted a visibly angry Biden to lash out from the White House, saying, “My memory is fine.” As for his son’s 2015 death from brain cancer, “Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, it wasn’t any of their damn business,” Biden said.

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Biden is not the only candidate making verbal slips. Former President Donald Trump, Biden’s likely opponent in the November presidential election, has also. Last month the 77-year-old Trump confused his major opponent for the GOP nomination, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Health experts caution that neither verbal gaffes nor a lawyer’s opinions can reveal whether someone is having cognitive trouble. That takes medical testing.

But certain glitches are common at any age.

“To easily recall names, right in the moment, is the hardest thing for us to do accurately,” said Dr. Eric Lenze of Washington University in St. Louis, a geriatric psychiatrist who evaluates cognition in older adults.

Some studies have suggested that everyday “misnaming” may occur when the brain has names stored by category — like your family members or perhaps in Biden’s case, world leaders he’s long known — and grabs the wrong one. Or the miss may be phonetic, as the names of France’s current president, Emmanuel Macron, and former President Francois Mitterrand both begin with “M.” Mitterrand died in 1996.

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As for dates, emotion may tag certain memories but not run-of-the-mill ones, such as the special counsel’s questions about when Biden handled a box of documents.

“Attaching a calendar date to an event is not really something that the human brain does at any age,” Lenze said. It’s “not like a spreadsheet.”

Whether it’s a name, date or something else, memory also can be affected by stress and distractions — if someone’s thinking about more than one thing, Olshansky said. And while everybody’s had an “it’s on the tip of my tongue” lapse, flubs by presidents, or would-be presidents, tend to be caught on TV.

Olshansky watches recordings of his presentations at science meetings and “there isn’t a single time I don’t make a mistake,” he said. “I’m 69 years old, which I do not consider to be old, but I made the same mistakes when I was 39.”

It’s reasonable for people to wonder if leaders in their 70s and 80s remain sharp, Lenze said. What’s reassuring is if overall, what someone says is overall accurate despite a verbal gaffe.

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Some cognitive aging is normal, including delay in memory retrieval. People’s brains age differently, and heart health, blood pressure and physical activity play a role in brain health.

And while Trump often brags about passing a screening-style memory test several years ago, Lenze said the best assessment includes rigorous neuropsychological testing.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Protesters in Tel Aviv say government responsible for captives’ fate

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Protesters in Tel Aviv say government responsible for captives’ fate

Angry demonstrators demand the Israeli government secure the release of captives held in Gaza.

There have been more large protests in Israel, demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conclude a captives-for-prisoners exchange deal with Hamas.

There are about 58 captives still held in Gaza, 34 of whom the Israeli military says are dead.

Family members of the captives and those supporting them rallied, with tensions rising between them and police in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

People take part in a protest demanding the immediate release of captives held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel [Maya Alleruzzo/AP]

Demonstrators condemned the government’s decision to return to war, and held aloft pictures of their family members in captivity. They said they were holding the Israeli government responsible for their lives.

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Saturday’s protest comes as Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, released a video titled, Time is Running Out, purporting to show an Israeli captive in Gaza calling on the government to secure his release, the second such video shared by the group within days.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group identified the man as Elkana Bohbot, who was taken captive from the site of a music festival in southern Israel during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that led to Israel’s latest campaign against Gaza.

The footage lasts more than three minutes, showing Bohbot speaking in Hebrew and pleading for his freedom.

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Venice says it will host Bezos wedding and denies reports of possible disruptions for the city

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Venice says it will host Bezos wedding and denies reports of possible disruptions for the city

ROME (AP) — The city of Venice confirmed Saturday it will host the wedding of multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sanchez, denying reports the famous Italian city would be invaded by hundreds of celebrities and possible disruptions for citizens and tourists.

The city in a short statement didn’t give a date for the wedding. Italian media have reported it will be between June 24-26, with a few days of celebrations.

“The many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff Bezos’ wedding are completely unfounded,” the statement said.

Bezos is the owner of The Washington Post and founder and largest individual shareholder of Amazon. Among others, George and Amal Clooney celebrated their wedding in Venice in 2014.

The city said only 200 guests would be invited, a number easily accommodated without any disruption to the city, its residents and visitors. It noted that it has broad experience handling international events “much larger than this.”

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“Venice is used to being the stage for events and shows every week, without significant impacts,” the city said, citing G20 and G7 summits, the Architecture and Cinema Biennales, as well as private events and VIP weddings.

Several reports in both Italian and international media suggested that Bezos’ wedding organizers had already booked rooms at Venice’s main luxury hotels and reserved for a few days in late June large numbers of gondolas and water taxis — which are mainly used by locals and tourists for daily transportation.

The city denied those reports, saying it “is their utmost priority to make sure the city functions as normal, for all, with no abnormal disruption to anyone.”

“We are mutually working and supporting the organizers, to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said.

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Faye Hall, American detained by Taliban, has been released

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Faye Hall, American detained by Taliban, has been released

An American woman who had been detained by the Taliban since February has been freed, a source with knowledge of the release told Fox News on Saturday.

American citizen Faye Hall was released on Thursday and received at the Qatari embassy in Kabul. She has been confirmed to be in good health after undergoing a series of medical checks, the source said. Arrangements are currently underway for her return to the United States.

The Taliban agreed to release Hall after President Donald Trump removed multimillion-dollar bounties on senior members of the militant group, according to a report by the Telegraph.

Faye Hall, an American woman who had been detained by the Taliban since February, has been freed a source with knowledge of the release told Fox News Saturday. (Diplomatic source in Afghanistan)

TALIBAN FREES AMERICAN HOSTAGE GEORGE GLEZMANN FOLLOWING NEGOTIATIONS WITH US, QATAR

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Trump agreed to remove millions of dollars of bounties on three senior members of the Haqqani network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban government’s interior minister, the outlet reported, noting that Washington was offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.

Fox News Digital wasn’t immediately able to confirm the nature of the agreement and has reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.

Her release was initiated following a court order and with logistical support from Qatar serving in its role as the United States’ protecting power in Afghanistan, the Fox News source said. 

Hall, along with the British couple, Peter Reynolds, 79, his wife Barbie, 75, and their interpreter were arrested on Feb. 1, the outlet reported. 

Faye Hall and Qatari officials

Faye Hall pictured with Qatari officials following her release. (Diplomatic source in Afghanistan)

FAMILY OF THIRD AMERICAN HELD BY TALIBAN CALLS FOR HIS IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ‘WE ARE CONCERNED’

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The Associated Press previously reported that the British couple ran education programs in Afghanistan via Rebuild, an organization that provides education and training programs for businesses, government agencies, educational organizations and nongovernmental groups. 

The Sunday Times said one project was for mothers and children. The Taliban severely restricts women’s education and activities in the country.

It is unclear what relationship Hall had with the couple or their group.

The couple’s detention was not based on any violations of local laws or religious customs, but was a political move by a faction to increase international pressure on the government and Haibatullah Akhundzada, its supreme leader, the Telegraph reported. 

Afghanistan-Taliban

Trump agreed to remove millions of dollars of bounties on three senior members of the Haqqani network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban government’s interior minister, the Telegraph reported.

The couple’s children wrote a letter to the Taliban pleading for their release, saying that the couple respected and obeyed the laws.

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“They have chosen Afghanistan as their home, rather than with family in England, and they wish to spend the rest of their lives in Afghanistan,” the letter reads in part, according to the Associated Press.

Hall’s release comes after the Taliban released American hostage George Glezmann, 65, last week after holding him for more than two years. That deal was also struck after negotiations between the Trump administration and Qatari officials. Glezmann was abducted while visiting Kabul as a tourist on Dec. 5, 2022.

Two other Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, were released earlier this year in exchange for a Taliban member in U.S. custody in a final-hour deal struck by the Biden administration.

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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