LIFE EXTENSION: Will 90 Become The New 60? As our lifespans have increased, so too have our active years. Can that go on?

As I wrote in Forbes some time ago, that’ll give us a longevity dividend.

VIDEO: New York Times Reporter Claims There’s a Tape of Trump’s Golden Showers Incident.

When do we get to see the Khalidi tape?

TAMMY BRUCE ON THE TRUMP BUDGET AND BIG BIRD:

Dealing in fake news is even easier when you actually don’t know the facts. For all the fainting over Mr. Trump’s budget reduction for CPB and its supposed fatal effect on Big Bird, few noticed “Sesame Street” is no longer a PBS property. HBO is now home to the bird and his friends. Investor’s Business Daily reported, “In 2015, it signed a five-year deal with HBO, which gets exclusive rights to air new episodes for nine months on its premium cable network. … At the time, ‘Sesame Street’ co-founder Joan Ganz Cooney said that the changing media landscape meant that ‘in order to fund our nonprofit mission with a sustainable business model, Sesame Workshop must recognize these changes and adapt to the times.’”

What a concept. It’s also the smart business move.

But it won’t stop headlines such as this: “’But Elmo hasn’t been unemployed since the ’80s!’ Heartbreaking parody video depicts the Sesame Street character getting FIRED when ‘Donald Grump’ proposes PBS funding cuts.”

CTL-F and the letters HBO? Zero returns until the comments section.

CAULDRON: US-led coalition air-drops SDF, US forces in Syria’s Raqqa.

21ST CENTURY MATERIALS: This Self-Poofing Fabric Transforms From T-Shirt to Parka: Otherlab’s self-fluffing fabric changes its insulation in response to temperature. “What’s most exciting about Otherlab’s fabric is that it operates completely passively. There’s no power source, no wiring, and no controls—nothing but a combination of common synthetic fibers, each of which has different thermal expansion characteristics.”

COURAGE: Apple omits (PRODUCT)RED branding for red iPhone in China, perhaps to avoid AIDS controversy.

Tim Cook said yesterday it was in celebration of ten years’ partnership with the charity, and the PRODUCT(RED) branding was prominent on the homepage of its websites around the world – except in China, that is …

As TechCrunch notes, Apple’s Chinese website omits all mention of the link to the charity. This isn’t a language thing – the Taiwanese site has the same PRODUCT(RED) branding as the rest of the world – but the site suggests this is instead a political decision by Apple. Its theory is that Apple doesn’t want to jeopardise its somewhat delicate relationship with the Chinese government by getting embroiled in what is a controversial topic in the country.

There is reason to support this theory. China has been criticized in many quarters for failing to adequately respond to a growing AIDS crisis in the country.

It’s a great-looking phone — my wife wants one now, even though our contracts don’t come up until this autumn when newer models are expected. But it sure would be nice if Tim Cook showed Beijing the same courage of his convictions as he does Washington.

MICHAEL WALSH: A Year After Brussels Atrocity, Islam Strikes Again in London.

THE ART OF THE DEAL: Lockheed CEO: Trump Accelerated F-35 Price Drop.

GREAT, JUST WHEN THE CEREBELLUM WAS HOPING FOR A BIT OF REST: Neuroscientists Have Accidentally Discovered a Whole New Role for the Cerebellum.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE DON’T FEAR THE WEST ANYMORE: Turkish President: Europeans Will Not Walk Safely Unless Demands Are Met.

CRACKING DOWN: New House Sanctions Introduced as North Korea Reportedly Tests More Missiles.

RIGHT ON CUE: NBC Reporter Fears London Terror Will ‘Put Wind in the Sails’ of ‘Right-Wing Movement.’

Jon Gabriel’s Media Narrative Chart continues to be predictive, even during international stories:

READER BOOK PLUG: From Paula Sadok, Leaving Egypt.

WIRETAPPED: Trump team communications captured by intelligence community surveillance, Nunes says. “Members of the intelligence community collected ‘incidental’ communications of the Trump transition team during legal surveillance operations, producing ‘dozens’ of reports which eventually unmasked several individuals’ identities and which were ‘widely disseminated,’ a top lawmaker said Wednesday afternoon.”

It’s the “widely disseminated” part that may be felonious.

DIGITAL TERROR: Hamas tried to get more accurate maps to aim rockets.. “Shin Bet security agency says terror group sought advanced mapping program from Turkish organization.”

The Shin Bet discovered after questioning Muhammad Murtaja, who was arrested last month on suspicion of working on behalf of Hamas, that over the past two years the terror terror organization had asked the Turkish IHH organization for advanced satellite mapping programs to improve the accuracy of its rockets, the Hebrew-language Ynet news site reported.

The Shin Bet investigation reportedly revealed that during its last war with Israel in 2014, Hamas used Google Maps in order to target locations in Israel, leading to most of the rockets missing their targets. Many of the other rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

Murtaja, the manager of the Gaza branch of the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA), is accused of having taken advantage of his position in TIKA in order to direct funds and resources away from “meaningful humanitarian projects” and toward Hamas’s military wing.

One apparent scam detailed by the security service allowed “millions of shekels” to be given to Hamas members in food and cash.

Hamas is backed by Iran, whose finances were backed in violation of U.S. law by the previous Obama Administration.

SPYING: Microsoft Windows 10 has a keylogger enabled by default – here’s how to disable it. Or just go back to Windows 7.

SMALL-TIME CROOK: Former Colorado GOP chairman charged with voter fraud, forgery.

The former chairman of Colorado’s Republican Party has been charged with voter fraud and forgery. Steve Curtis, 57, is accused of filling out and mailing in his ex-wife’s ballot for the 2016 presidential election.

Curtis was the state’s GOP chairman from 1997 to 1999 and currently hosts a talk radio show on KLZ-560 AM.

He made his first court appearance Tuesday morning in Weld County to be advised of the charges against him.

“We’re not going to talk about this,” Curtis said when asked if he voted for his ex-wife in November.

This case demands a statewide investigation into voter fraud by both parties, due to the seriousness of the charge.

FIFTH COLUMN: Obama Admin Loyalists, Government Insiders Sabotage Trump White House: Former admin planted series of landmines to subvert Trump team.

CULTURE OF CORRUPTION: Emails to Rahm Emanuel raise questions about dozens of possible lobbying violations.

PROCUREMENT: Army Still Testing Ripsaw, the ‘Luxury Super Tank’

A handful of the Ripsaw Extreme Vehicle 2, or EV2, products made by Howe and Howe Technologies Inc., based in Waterboro, Maine, are undergoing evaluations at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey to assess how they could be used in future combat operations. Indeed, on Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, head of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, rode in one of the vehicles with a driver as part of a demonstration.

The company describes the 750-horsepower, optionally manned vehicle — which is capable of reaching speeds of almost 100 miles per hour and costs roughly $250,000 — as a “handcrafted, limited-run, high-end, luxury super tank developed for the public and extreme off road recreation.”

The EV2 looks more than a little like the Batmobile from the Chris Nolan/Christian Bale movies, but unless it sports a 105mm cannon they really shouldn’t call it a tank.

120mm for the genuine luxury version.

HAVE A COYOTE PROBLEM? Get A Donkey.

YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH! The Real Story About Neil Gorsuch and the TransAm ‘Frozen Trucker’

DATA: Peter Ingemi looks at What CPAC attendees want from Trump.

ALICE SALLES: How the Government Ruined U.S. Healthcare — and What We Can Actually Do About It.

SO YOU CAN HEAR ME ON THE BUCK SEXTON SHOW LAST NIGHT, talking about my USA Today column on expertise and the lack thereof among our ruling class. (My part starts at about 1:39 on the timeline). On the advice of my brother, who’s become a total microphone geek, I upgraded my setup from the Blue Yeti and now I have an ElectroVoice RE-20 (left over from the old Glenn & Helen Show days), going through an inexpensive ART tube preamp/compressor and then a FocusRite Scarlett USB converter. The producer and tech on Buck’s show said it sounded like I was in the studio with them, which was the goal. Downside: You can hear my sinus infection. Should’ve taken a shot of Afrin. . .

I may add a Cloudlifter to the chain, as the RE-20 puts out kind of low, but it sounds okay and I haven’t had time to experiment. And don’t feel sad for the Blue Yeti — I took it to my office, so I can use it for Skype calls and interviews there. And it looks cool sitting on my desk.

UPDATE: Sorry, had the link for the Buck Sexton interview wrong. Fixed now! (Bumped).