Jon Ossoff is quite the miracle worker. Perhaps the Democratic senator can’t turn water into wine, but he has managed to turn whining conservatives into impassioned feminists.

During a rally last Sunday, the Georgia senator delivered a takedown of Donald Trump, which included a reference to his aide Natalie Harp. “He doesn’t want to do the job,” Ossoff said of the president. “He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.”

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

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There was a time when Robert Bell was living day to day, doing what he could to get by. Today, he’s built a life surrounded by the family he fought to reconnect with.

Bell served in the Navy for two and a half years, following in the footsteps of his father who proudly served in the Marines during the Vietnam War. In a meaningful twist of fate, Bell would go on to serve aboard the same ship as his father, the USS Kitty Hawk, a connection that further deepened his sense of pride in carrying on his family’s legacy of service.

During his time in the Navy, Bell embraced the opportunity to experience new places and meet new people. However, after leaving the service, his transition back to civilian life proved to be anything but easy.

After serving in the Persian Gulf, the weight of those experiences began to take a toll, and he turned to drugs and alcohol to help him cope. This was the beginning of a vicious cycle that Bell described as a pattern of “building things up just to break it down again.” Still, he refused to give up.

For more than a decade, he moved in and out of homelessness. At one point, Bell had been living in his car for a year while continuing to struggle with substance use. That is when two dedicated individuals stepped in and helped change the course of his life.

Meeting two advocates who refused to give up on him

Cynthia Villatoro, an outreach specialist with Insight Housing, a Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) provider, had been looking for Bell and finally tracked him down at a local park. She brought him shoes, food and supplies, but also promised—or rather insisted—that he let her bring him to the next Stand Down event to help him get connected to resources and housing. Villatoro kept her word, and a few days later, met up with Bell and took him to the local Stand Down. It was at this event that he also met his current HUD-VASH case manager, Charles Wilson.

What followed was the start of a new chapter for Bell.

Within hours, team members helped secure a hotel room for Bell, where he would stay for 60 days before moving into his sister’s home while awaiting permanent housing. Just three weeks later, he moved into his own one-bedroom apartment.

Rebuilding trust and honoring his father’s service

With support from the VA Northern California Health Care System and Wilson, Bell was determined to rebuild both his life and his relationship with his family, from whom he had become estranged during his years of homelessness and substance use. His mother’s declining health became a powerful motivator, reminding Bell of the importance of family, and of time he did not want to lose.

Slowly, trust began to return as Bell followed through on his commitment to change. He knew that things were truly different this time when his sister, Robyn, entrusted him to stay in her home alone for the first time while he waited for housing. Overwhelmed with emotion, he called Wilson to share the moment, recognizing its significance. “That’s when I knew, she sees that I’m trying this time,” Bell said. “For me, that’s one of the biggest rewards in being sober and being straight and right.”

In return, Bell wanted to do something special for his sister. Remembering her disappointment at having nothing to honor their father’s memory after he passed away, Bell used money earned from a part-time job to purchase an American flag, then contacted the local Marine Corps recruiting station to ask whether they would be willing to present it in his father’s honor. A staff sergeant was more than willing to honor his request and showed up to his sister’s house soon after with a group of cadets to surprise them. Dressed in formal uniforms, they rendered full honors as they folded and presented the flag, transforming a heartfelt gesture into a powerful tribute that symbolized closure, healing and reconnection.

Building a life grounded in family and purpose

Today, life looks very different for Bell.

Now stably housed and continuing his recovery, Bell has stepped into a new and meaningful role: grandfather. After welcoming his first grandchild, he is cherishing his time with his family and fully embracing the life he fought to rebuild. He’s now present for his loved ones, providing care and support to both his mother and sister.

Bell appreciates Villatoro and Wilson for helping him secure housing and supporting him on his path to recovery. “Without her, I wouldn’t have met Charlie,” he said. “And without them, I wouldn’t have got housed. They played a vital, vital role in all of this.”

Wilson reflects warmly on the bond they built throughout that journey. “I’ll always have a connection with him,” Wilson said. “He knows he has a whole family, not just me, but the whole VA system behind him. And all the other Veterans out there are rooting for him as well.”

When asked what he hopes Veterans take away from his story, Bell’s message is simple but powerful: “Don’t give up before that miracle happens, because it could be the next minute. You know, we don’t ever know… you just can’t give up. That’s what I would tell them, don’t give up and just keep pushing.”

Learn about VA programs

• If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness or need to connect with a Veterans justice outreach specialist, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838.
• Read the story of how a Veteran found housing and purpose through VA and gardening. 
• Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
• Get involved with housing homeless Veterans.

Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, the pilot who saved 155 people after making an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River in what became known as “The Miracle on the Hudson,” shared in a public statement that he was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“It is early stage,” he revealed. “For now, this means a name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I have recently told, or I don’t sleep as well, but I am in the beginning of this long journey.”

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Sullenberger, 75, shared with People magazine that he’s had trouble recalling details within the last year, despite having a photographic memory. He received his official diagnosis in August 2025.

The pilot became a celebrity when he carried out the emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on Jan. 15, 2009, after colliding with a flock of geese that resulted in engine failure. Everyone onboard survived.

Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia, impacts more than seven million people in the U.S. over the age of 65, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“My doctor, Dr. Gil Rabinovici with UCSF Medical Center, has opened my eyes to the prevalence of Alzheimer’s,” Sullenberger said in his statement. “This disease, he has told me, spares no age group and impacts millions of people around the world. It is the unwanted visitor at the door.”

Sullenberger’s wife, Lorrie, shared with People that the diagnosis has not dimmed his strong demeanor.

“Just as he was the same steady person before and after Flight 1549, he is the same steady person now, before and after this diagnosis,” she said. “That strength and steadiness is guiding us as a family.“

“We’re supporting him on this journey that we now walk with so many other families. Though the future is uncertain, we continue to live our lives, have hope and find joy in the everyday.”

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Flight 1549 first officer Capt. Jeff Skiles also commented on the news of his friend’s diagnosis.

“Sully is larger than life, even to me,” Skiles told People. “He’s somebody I’ve always looked up to, and I think a lot of other people do, too. Hopefully, it’s going to progress slowly and he’s going to be able to create the kind of life going forward that he would be proud of.”

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel noted that Sullenberger had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the Miracle on the Hudson, which could have increased his risk.

“Age 75 is relatively late-onset,” he told Fox News Digital. “PTSD doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer’s because of changing brain chemistry and structure and sleep disruption.”

Sullenberger reflected on how he has been a staunch advocate for travel safety, often addressing roadblocks in the aviation industry, fighting for increased pilot training and care.

Now, Capt. Sully, a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, plans to continue serving the public by focusing on raising Alzheimer’s awareness.

“This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service,” he said. “And the answer is to speak up. It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they, too, can step forward.”

“So many people told us after Flight 1549, that the outcome gave them hope,” he went on. “Lorrie, my incredible partner of 37 years, says we can all use a little of that hope right now.”

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Though the soon-to-be National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee’s memory of the past may be impacted, Sullenberger said his diagnosis “will not prevent me from looking forward to and appreciating our future. I will navigate this chapter with my wonderful family by my side.”

“Over the years, when people would ask about the successful outcome of Flight 1549, I would say that ‘courage can be contagious,’ and on that day it helped everyone band together to get everyone off that airplane successfully,” he said.

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“Now we need that courage to battle this disease. I am now part of a larger community with many of you, and we will be courageous together.”

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia affecting memory, thinking and behavior, as described by the Alzheimer’s Association. It accounts for 60% to 80% of all dementia cases.

It is a progressive disease, meaning the symptoms gradually worsen over time. The memory loss is usually mild in early stages, but late-stage Alzheimer’s can include loss of ability to carry a conversation and respond to environmental factors.

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While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, there are treatments that can help slow symptoms. Newer, more effective therapies are on the horizon, experts say.

Certain lifestyle changes, including mental and physical activity, have been shown to help prevent the disease.

Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist, brain imaging doctor and founder of Amen Clinics in California, previously spoke with Fox News Digital about Alzheimer’s risk and management.

“Alzheimer’s starts in your brain decades before you have any symptoms,” he said. “So, a 59-year-old woman I diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease likely had negative changes in her brain in her 20s.”

“It’s really never too early to think about protecting your brain and your mind.”

Amen listed 11 major protective factors that can help ward off Alzheimer’s. These include promoting blood flow, reducing inflammation, and avoiding toxins like alcohol and drugs. Improving mental health, boosting immunity, getting adequate sleep and keeping diet and weight in check can also help reduce risk.

The doctor also recommends staying informed of hereditary diseases, maintaining a healthy hormonal balance and keeping the brain active in retirement.