Experiencing a rigid lower back at 55 and beyond? Discover five effective bed exercises to boost strength before you rise.
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Many people over 55 find themselves waking up to an all-too-familiar stiffness in the lower back. However, integrating it into your daily life is not a necessity. Extended periods of sleep in one position, compounded by natural muscle attrition and long hours of sitting, often leave the spinal muscles feeling weaker than before. With years of experience as a trainer, I’ve guided numerous adults out of the misconception that pricey equipment or elaborate treatments are the only solutions. More often, significant progress comes from simple, controlled exercises at home that fortify the spine’s protective muscles.
A resilient lower back does not rely solely on the muscles flanking the spine. A symphony of muscles—your abs, glutes, hips, and hamstrings—work in concert to stabilize every motion from standing to walking to bending. As these muscles gain strength, the burden on the lower back diminishes. This is why I advocate for bolstering the entire muscular network rather than isolating a single area.
For years, I have specialized in helping adults over age 55 regain their strength and self-assuredness without resorting to overly complex exercise regimens. These five gentle bed exercises engage the spine’s supporting muscles while being accessible for varying fitness levels. While they are not a substitute for personalized medical advice when necessary, they are excellent for enhancing strength and stability for a healthier back. With regular practice, you might find daily movements becoming easier and more fluid.
Pelvic Tilts
Whenever someone tells me their lower back feels stiff first thing in the morning, pelvic tilts usually become the first exercise I recommend. This gentle movement teaches the deep abdominal muscles and lower back to work together while restoring mobility throughout the lumbar spine. Rather than forcing a stretch, it encourages controlled movement that gradually wakes up the muscles supporting your back. Clients often tell me their backs feel looser after just a few slow repetitions. It’s one of the safest ways to begin rebuilding spinal strength.
How to Do It
- Lie on your back with your knees bent.
- Place your feet flat on the bed.
- Tighten your abdominal muscles.
- Gently flatten your lower back into the mattress.
- Relax back to neutral.
- Perform 12 to 15 repetitions.
Bent-Knee Marches
Strong core muscles reduce unnecessary stress on the lower back during nearly every daily activity. Bent-knee marches strengthen those deep stabilizers while teaching the pelvis to remain steady as the legs move independently. I prescribe this exercise frequently because it closely mimics the way your body functions during walking. Clients often notice improvements in posture and balance after practicing it consistently. Better core stability creates a stronger, healthier lower back.
How to Do It
- Lie on your back with your knees bent.
- Tighten your core.
- Lift one knee toward your chest.
- Lower with control.
- Alternate sides.
- Complete 10 to 12 repetitions per leg.
Glute Bridges
Many people underestimate how much the glutes influence lower-back health. Weak hips often force the lower back to compensate during standing, walking, and lifting, creating unnecessary fatigue over time. Glute bridges strengthen the hips while encouraging the abdominal muscles to stabilize the spine throughout the movement. I regularly include them because stronger glutes almost always translate into a happier lower back. Clients frequently report greater comfort getting out of bed and climbing stairs after adding them to their routine.
How to Do It
- Lie on your back with your knees bent.
- Keep your feet flat on the bed.
- Tighten your core.
- Lift your hips until your body forms a straight line.
- Lower slowly.
- Perform 12 to 15 repetitions.
Heel Slides
Heel slides strengthen the lower abdominals while improving coordination between the hips and core. I often recommend them because they challenge the muscles that stabilize the spine without placing excessive stress on the lower back. Keeping your pelvis steady throughout each repetition reinforces healthy movement patterns that carry over into walking and everyday activities. Clients are often surprised by how much their core works during such a gentle exercise. Small, controlled movements often produce the biggest improvements.
How to Do It
- Lie on your back with your knees bent.
- Tighten your abdominal muscles.
- Slowly slide one heel away from your body.
- Return with control.
- Alternate legs.
- Perform 10 repetitions per side.
Stefon Diggs Joins Commanders Following Surprising Patriots Release
Stefon Diggs has officially settled into a new team.
The dynamic wide receiver, known for his two-time All-Pro status, has inked a deal with the Washington Commanders, based on reports from various sources.
Diggs’ contract is a one-year arrangement potentially worth up to $12 million. At 32, he was the most coveted wide receiver still available in free agency as NFL training camps get underway.
Washington’s quarterback, Jayden Daniels, will now have a new game-changer on his roster.
This move marks a homecoming for Diggs, who originally hails from Gaithersburg within the DC metropolitan area and grew up in Maryland.
Diggs will pair with Terry McLaurin in Washington as he comes off a 1,000-yard season with the Patriots.
New England released Diggs in March and head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed the team was not exploring a reunion with the veteran.
The Patriots instead traded for AJ Brown over the offseason to give Drake Maye a new No. 1 receiver.
“I don’t think that that’s something that, you know, that we are exploring, but I would never say no,” Vrabel said.
Diggs spent the bulk of his career with the Vikings and Bills before single-season stints with the Texans and Patriots.
Diggs was a critical piece of New England’s run to Super Bowl 2026. He led the Patriots with 85 receptions and 1,013 receiving yards last season. He became the Patriots’ first 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019.
Diggs has seen legal troubles in recent years. He’s been embroiled in a battle with Christopher Blake Griffith, who accused Diggs of drugging and sexually assaulting him in 2023. Diggs was also recently acquitted on assault charges in a separate case involving his former personal chef.
New Developments in UFO Disclosure Movement Reveal Surprising Claims About Trump
The momentum behind the UFO disclosure movement is gaining steam as key advocates intensify their calls for presidential transparency regarding the government’s supposed knowledge of extraterrestrial life.
Notably, one prominent entrepreneur reportedly met with former President Donald Trump to discuss the matter. Meanwhile, a UFO enthusiast claims that an influx of disclosure advocates is converging on Washington, DC, amid buzzing rumors of a potentially historic announcement from the White House.
Billionaire entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, a stalwart in the funding of UFO research, stated that he held a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, urging him to go public with what the government knows about nonhuman existence.
During an interview with KLAS 8 News Now, Bigelow shared that he handed the president a proposed statement to be read aboard Air Force One. The suggested declaration was direct: ‘A non-human intelligent presence has been on Earth for a very long time using spacecraft and with performances completely beyond our capabilities and our human physics.’
The entrepreneur advised that Trump should pause at the aircraft door, face the media, and impart this confirmation without further elaboration. Bigelow asserted that such a statement would mark a significant step toward both transparency and official acknowledgment, something he noted has remained elusive under previous administrations.
Filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee, who previously claimed Trump has a disclosure speech ‘written and ready,’ told the Daily Mail on Tuesday that he believes an announcement will come ‘potentially within the next 48 hours.’
White House officials, however, told the Daily Mail that no presidential speech on the subject is planned.
According to Lee, any such address would likely amount to a ‘soft disclosure,’ potentially acknowledging that some UFO incidents involved spacecrafts and possibly beings of nonhuman origin. He also claimed that the speech could reference historic UFO cases and call for greater transparency on the issue.
In February, Trump called on the Pentagon to release government files related to UFOs
Filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee, who previously claimed Trump has a disclosure speech ‘written and ready,’ told the Daily Mail on Tuesday that he believes a speech will come ‘potentially within the next 48 hours’
‘Whether President Trump will go as far as explicitly acknowledging recovered craft or biological material remains to be seen,’ Lee said.
‘My sources have always indicated there would be significant pushback from certain private and institutional interests, so I expect the final version to be carefully worded.’
Lee previously claimed to the Daily Mail that a supposed draft of Trump’s speech referred to several of the most closely scrutinized UFO encounters of the past 80 years, including the US Navy’s 2004 encounter with the so-called Tic Tac craft and a series of unexplained objects pursued by fighter pilots along the East Coast in 2015.
Lee also claimed that one version of the speech referred to forensic tests performed on entities purportedly recovered from crashed UFOs, with the results supposedly indicating that the beings did not originate on Earth.
There is no publicly available evidence supporting that claim, and the Daily Mail could not independently verify it.
The US government has maintained that it has found no verifiable evidence that UFO sightings represent extraterrestrial life or that aliens have visited Earth.
Lee’s latest claims come after past predictions that never materialized.
In early July, he suggested Trump could deliver the alleged address during the NATO summit in Turkey on July 8, the 79th anniversary of the Roswell UFO incident.
The 1947 event in Roswell, New Mexico, involved the crash and recovery of what was said at the time to be a US Air Force high-altitude weather balloon, but was initially identified as a ‘flying disc,’ sparking conspiracy theories of extraterrestrial life and ‘flying saucers.’
Almost 50 years later, the government said that it was actually debris from a US spy balloon used to try to search for evidence of Soviet Union nuclear testing, though UFO enthusiasts claimed such explanations were a cover-up.
The anniversary of the Roswell incident last month passed without an announcement from Trump.
Billionaire businessman Robert Bigelow, who has spent years funding UFO research, said he met with Trump in the Oval Office and urged him to make a declaration about nonhuman life
The White House has released four batches of UFO files since May. Above is a still from a video taken in 2020 over the Atlantic Ocean, which was released in the latest tranche in July
The president’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump said in February this year that she was given reason to believe that an address had been prepared and was ready to be delivered publicly.
Trump has supported greater transparency around UFOs, although he has stopped short of describing himself as a believer in extraterrestrial visitation.
‘Am I a believer? No, I probably can’t say I am. But I have met with people who are serious people who say there are some really strange things that they see flying around out there,’ Trump said during a 2024 appearance on YouTuber-turned-WWE star Logan Paul’s podcast.
In February, Trump directed the Pentagon to declassify government materials on UFOs, resulting in the publication of multiple tranches of materials – a move that Lee had predicted in January.
None of the files released so far, however, have provided definitive evidence that extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth or that the US government possesses alien spacecraft.
‘While past administrations have sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, the president is focused on providing maximum disclosure to the public,’ White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement in May.
Australia Urges Swift Military Reinforcement to Counter Growing Chinese and Russian Threats
Japan faces a pressing need to enhance its military capabilities with a heightened sense of urgency, Japan’s defense minister emphasized on Tuesday. This call to action follows a fresh governmental assessment highlighting the increasing threats from China, North Korea, and Russia.
Amidst these growing concerns, Japan has already begun to escalate its military budget and strengthen security alliances across Asia. This includes deploying missile systems to remote islands and pursuing advancements in “counter-strike” abilities, alongside relaxing constraints on the export of military equipment.
Shinjiro Koizumi underscored in the annual defense report’s preface the importance of Japan’s commitment to enhancing and transforming its defense systems with an unprecedented sense of urgency.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Koizumi noted that both China and North Korea are significantly bolstering their military forces. Furthermore, strategic partnerships between China and Russia and between Russia and North Korea are becoming more robust.
The updated defense document specifies that China is increasing its regional military activities, extending its influence well beyond the initial island chain to a second chain surrounding Japan.
It listed a series of incidents in 2025, including activities by Chinese aircraft carriers and the “unusual close approach” by Chinese aircraft to Japanese planes in two incidents in June and July.
Japanese jets scrambled 595 times in the year to 31 March 2026, including 366 sorties against Chinese aircraft and 214 for Russian planes.
This compares to 704 the previous year and was the fewest since at least 2021.
Japan decided in April to lift its self-imposed ban on weapons exports, but the white paper highlighted problems in the country’s production base that could jeopardise procurement and innovation.
Strengthening regional ties
Koizumi also said that he and US counterpart Pete Hegseth had “exchanged candid views” on the “unwavering” US-Japan alliance, while also increasing security cooperation with the Philippines, Australia, and South Korea to realise a “a free and open Indo-Pacific”.
“As the security environment becomes increasingly and rapidly severe, what is required now is to strengthen resilience against crises all across the entire Indo-Pacific region,” Koizumi said.
“In order to do so Japan will build and expand multilayered networks among allies and like-minded countries, and enhance interconnectivity with like-minded countries and others in every area.”
The link between defence and future prosperity comes as Takaichi’s administration prepares a new national security strategy.
Military experts expect it to call for further spending increases aimed primarily at deterring China from starting a conflict with Taiwan that could also draw Japan into a prolonged war.
Biggest military buildup since WWII
China has expressed alarm at what it sees as a return to “new militarism” by Japan, with relations worsening since Japan’s hawkish new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made comments about Taiwan last year.
Beijing reacted furiously in November when Takaichi said Japan could deploy its Self-Defense Forces if a Chinese attack on Taiwan also threatened Japan’s survival, demanding that she retract what it called an “egregious” remark.
Tokyo has assembled a patchwork of tax increases, spending reforms and one-off revenues to finance Japan’s largest military buildup since World War Two, which has pushed defence-related spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product. But Takaichi has yet to explain clearly how she would pay for a further expansion without adding pressure on Japan’s already stretched public finances.
Her government secured a record 122.3 trillion yen ($1.1 trilion) budget for the year to March 2027 and later added a 3.1 trillion yen ($28.3 billion) supplementary package to cushion households and businesses from higher energy costs, underscoring the competing demands on the public purse.
Much of the new defence spending so far has gone on missiles capable of striking targets more than 1,000 km away. A significant share of any further increase is expected to go toward drones and other unmanned weapons of the kind deployed extensively by Ukraine in its war with Russia.
— With additional reporting by the Reuters news agency.
Israeli President Herzog Condemns Antisemitism Surge: A “Contamination of Societies
In a powerful message from his Jerusalem residence, Israeli President Isaac Herzog highlighted the alarming rise of antisemitism worldwide during an exclusive conversation with News Media.
Herzog emphasized, “Antisemitism is a persistent affliction that transcends borders and affects all societies. It shouldn’t be viewed merely as an Israeli or Jewish concern.”
He further stated, “This societal toxin often begins with targeting Jewish communities but never stops there. It represents one of the gravest threats that must be met with unwavering resolve, thorough judgment, and education as its counterpart.”
The surge in antisemitism and related challenges prompted President Herzog to introduce Voice of the People in April 2023. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL for News Media)
Herzog’s statements resonate amid troubling findings from the New York City Police Department, which reveal that over half of all hate crimes confirmed since early 2026 were anti-Jewish, despite Jewish residents making up only about 10% of the city’s population.
Herzog pointed to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom he accused of spreading hate and compromising the lives of New Yorkers.
“Mamdani does not respect my nation’s right for self-determination — the Jewish people’s inherent right to have a nation of their own. And he’s basically spreading blasphemy, hate, antisemitic rhetoric. He should understand that he’s risking his own citizens, he’s risking their safety, well-being and life,” Herzog told News Media.
In a video posted on social media on July 21, Mamdani called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a war criminal” and “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Days later, Raul Morales, 51, allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” while stabbing two men on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, including one who was visibly identifiable as Jewish.
Members of the Jewish community view the scene of an antisemitic arson attack in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London, on March 24, 2026. (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
“We’ve seen the stabbing just a few days ago… just because somebody was dressed as an Orthodox Jew. This cannot be accepted in New York, which is a city that is dear to our heart, dear to Israelis, and dear to me personally,” Herzog said.
More broadly, a report released last month by the J7 Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism found that 20 people were killed in antisemitic attacks across seven countries outside Israel in 2025, marking the deadliest year for such violence in the Jewish diaspora since 1994.
The J7 comprises Jewish communities in the United States, Australia, Canada, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.
People walk through Times Square during an anti-Israel rally on Oct. 4, 2025, in New York City. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
According to the report, more than 23,000 antisemitic incidents were recorded across the J7 countries last year, representing a 97% increase in violent attacks and a 136% rise in overall incidents compared with 2022.
“Of course, Israel is doing its best, but it has to be an effort with governments all over the world, law enforcement agencies, educational systems and Jewish communities, which we care about a lot,” Herzog said, in reference to confronting Jew-hatred.
Referencing a recent article by professor Niall Ferguson titled “The Death of History,” he said, “How much TikTok or the social networks distort the facts of history? They negate the worst and greatest horror of humankind, the Holocaust. And that’s why we have to stand up together and combat it,” he told News Media.
Herzog stressed that misinformation spread through distorted and superficial channels makes it easy to smear Israel on social media, but that such narratives do not reflect reality.
Aerial view of Israel’s Mediterranean coastal city Tel Aviv. (Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)
“[Israel] is the place where the Startup Nation flourishes. This is the place where great ideas are given to the world and contribute enormously to the world in so many great fields, from health to energy, to science, to agriculture, to food security, to what not. There’s a reason why Americans who visit our country, young Americans, fall in love with this country,” he said.
Growing antisemitism, coupled with polarization within and between Jewish communities and a weakening sense of Jewish identity in some places, led Herzog to launch Voice of the People in April 2023. The initiative brings together a council of 150 emerging leaders — one-third from Israel, one-third from the United States and the remainder from around the world.
Leaders are selected through an algorithm from thousands of candidates and serve rotating terms of roughly two years, developing ideas to address challenges facing the Jewish world.
The initiative held an in-person kickoff summit in March 2025 in Haifa, featuring Herzog and bringing together all council members, reflecting his belief in building the next generation of Jewish leadership, which he described as one of his main tasks.
“I’m overjoyed by the great ideas I see and feel, and I hope that around November we will have a new registration starting for the next slot, the next cohort, and I invite as many Jewish friends to register,” he said.
Adorable Twin Tiger Cubs Bring Rare Delight to British Safari Park
Two enchanting and rare tiger cubs have made their debut at a safari park, arriving just in time to celebrate International Tiger Day.
These delightful newcomers were born on July 29 to proud parents Red and Yana at Longleat Safari Park, marking the couple’s third time experiencing the joys of parenthood.
The new additions to the park’s family are Amur tigers — the largest wild cats on the planet. Only two weeks old, these lively twins have yet to reveal their genders to the keepers at the Wiltshire Estate.
As of now, the cubs remain unnamed, but the park has often turned to public opinion when it comes to choosing names, sparking excitement and engagement in the community.
In a heartwarming video shared by the safari park, the tiny cubs are seen nestled closely, mewling softly, before their attentive mother, Yana, begins grooming them with tender care.
Amy Waller, team manager of safari, said, “It is a real privilege to welcome another litter of these endangered animals and in the 60th year of the drive-through safari no less.
“Yana is a fantastic mom and has raised six cubs so far, so we have no doubt that she knows exactly what she’s doing and we’re following her lead.
“The cubs will feed from mom for around six months before she starts weaning them onto meat.
“So far, they are looking like chunky little cubs, so we’re just making sure Yana is getting more food than usual so she can provide for them.”
Amur tigers are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, with only an estimated 450 individuals remaining in the wild, making them one of the most endangered animals in the world.
“We’ve seen such success with the European breeding program (EEP), with three of our cubs having moved onto new homes, and Yuki from our first litter, even having her own cubs.”
Longleat is now home to seven tigers, the largest family group in the UK, with Red, Yana, Heidi, Seeka and Dora-Boo calling the park home, as well as the two new cubs.
Yana and Red’s last litter was born in May 2024, with four girls, Ginger Biscuit, Dora-Boo, Heidi and Seeka, who were named with the help of the public.
Their first litter, and the first in 20 years at Longleat, was born in 2019 with one boy, Rusty, and one girl, Yuki.
“We aren’t sure yet when the cubs will be able to be seen as it is still early days and they will need to have their inoculations before venturing outside.
“We will keep everyone updated once we start introducing them further to Tiger Territory but keep your eyes peeled when driving through as Yana has access to the paddock and might move them at anytime,” Amy said.
Fatal Kitchen Play Set Sparks Urgent Police Warning to Parents
Following the tragic death of a three-year-old girl due to suffocation, authorities have released images of the kitchen play set involved in the incident, cautioning parents that the toy remains available for purchase online.
The tragedy occurred when little Briella Holmes became trapped inside the toy’s confines while she was being cared for by a babysitter in Meadows of Boynton Beach, Florida, on the morning of July 23.
On Tuesday, the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner confirmed to the Daily Mail that Briella’s death was ruled accidental, attributed to ‘probable positional asphyxia.’
Boynton Beach Police have now released a photograph of the specific play set linked to this unfortunate accident, noting it was initially purchased via Facebook Marketplace.
According to an official statement given to the Daily Mail on Wednesday, the play set involved in this incident carries no markings or identifiers that could disclose its brand, make, or model.
‘However, similar Country Living Kitchen replica sets are currently sold online for approximately $100.’
The miniature kitchen comprises a small two-door cupboard with a pretend cooker top and taps beside a sink hole. The wooden set is decorated with paintings of flowers, pots and pans, wooden logs and rooster-patterned kitchen tiles.
Briella became stuck in the playset on the morning of July 23 at a babysitter’s home, after she was left in the living room with her preschooler older brother, Brock.
Briella Holmes, three, suffered a freak accident involving a toy kitchen set and died of suffocation after becoming stuck, a medical examiner has told the Daily Mail
The kitchen play set involved in the suffocation death of a three-year-old girl has been pictured by cops, as they warn parents that the toy is still for sale online. The toy is shown above
Boynton Beach Police said the children were being supervised by a nanny, who left them in her spouse’s care as she headed out.
‘During this time, the spouse remained upstairs as the children played downstairs, periodically checking on the children and giving them snacks,’ the department said.
‘The spouse came down to check on the children and located the three-year-old with their head stuck in a kitchen play set.’
‘The spouse removed the child and immediately began performing life-saving measures until first responders arrived,’ they continued.
‘The toddler’s sibling advised that the child’s toys had fallen into the kitchen play set when they attempted to retrieve the toys and became stuck.’
Officers were dispatched to the home just after 11am, with a caller telling them the child was ‘unresponsive and not breathing.’
‘Upon arrival, officers located the toddler and immediately began life-saving measures,’ police said.
Boynton Beach Fire Rescue also arrived on scene and transported the child to a local hospital in critical condition.
Briella passed away on July 27 after the incident which unfolded four days before at a babysitter’s house in Meadows of Boynton Beach. She is pictured with her brother, Brock
Briella’s heartbroken parents, Suzi and Jason Holmes, remembered her as ‘pure joy in a tiny, stubborn, independent little package’ in a tribute sent to the Daily Mail
Tragically, Briella died four days later on July 27.
Police are investigating the child’s death. No charges have been filed in connection with the incident.
Briella’s heartbroken mother, Suzi Holmes, 42, said that she and her husband Jason were too traumatized to speak about the death of their youngest child.
‘We are devastated, and we just can’t talk now. We are just trying to get through each day,’ she told the Daily Mail on Tuesday.
Suzi and Jason Holmes remembered Briella as ‘pure joy in a tiny, stubborn, independent little package’ in a tribute shared with the Daily Mail.
‘She loved to sing, about everything and nothing, and if you spent even a few minutes with her, you knew it right away,’ they said.
The parents added that Briella was ‘kind from the very beginning’ of her short life and ‘the kind of kid who lit up a room without even trying.’
‘She adored her big brother, Brock, with her whole heart,’ they said. ‘Briella, you were, and always will be, one of our life’s little miracles.’
The medical examiner told the Daily Mail on Tuesday that the child’s manner of death was an ‘accident’ caused by ‘probable positional asphyxia.’ Briella is pictured with her brother
Briella died after getting her head stuck in a kitchen playset while being cared for by a babysitter in Meadows of Boynton Beach, Florida, pictured above
The family has also launched a fundraiser to cover Briella’s funeral and memorial expenses.
‘Thank you for your love, support, and generosity as we honor Briella’s life and cherish the memories she gave us,’ they wrote on the page.
Kathy Wall, president of Safe Kids Palm Beach County, gave a warning to parents and caregivers in light of the incident.
‘Our kids are our greatest assets, they’re our future, and we have to be present for them, day to day,’ she said.
‘We have to have active supervision in keeping them safe.’
Hawaii House Candidate Faces Felony Charges: Shocking Beach Brawl Caught on Video
A Democratic hopeful for Congress from Hawaii was left unconscious after a heated and explicit altercation on a beach. The incident, which was captured on video, occurred just days before he was due in court facing two felony charges related to terroristic threats.
The footage begins with Kirill Basin, a candidate for the U.S. House and member of the Hawaii Democratic race, confronting beachgoers and instructing one of them, “Put your bag away, bro. Put your bag away.”
As music from the band Pixies filled the air, a woman stepped up to Basin. Addressing the crowd, he warned, “I told him if he wants to go to the hospital, come here.”
DEMOCRATS ABANDON CANDIDATE WHO ALLEGEDLY HID LGBTQ+ STANCES FROM MUSLIM CONSTITUENTS
Tensions seemed to subside momentarily when Basin remarked, “It is over,” and exchanged a handshake with another individual. However, the calm was fleeting.
Hawaii Democratic congressional candidate Kirill Basin is seen during a confrontation with beachgoers at Keawakapu Beach on Maui before his arrest on felony terroristic threatening charges. (Credit: Maile Stiller-Elliott via Storyful)
Basin then turned toward another beachgoer, shouted an obscenity and resumed arguing with members of the group. When a man told Basin he was speaking to his girlfriend, Basin replied, “I don’t care.”
The exchange quickly escalated. Basin repeatedly asked, “What are you going to do?” before challenging another man to fight.
After a woman called him “a child,” Basin turned toward her, demanded to know what she had said and threatened to “put [her] in the ground” and “in the hospital” before walking away while calling her a derogatory term.
Kirill Basin is seen near beach chairs during the confrontation at Keawakapu Beach that ended with his arrest on felony terroristic threatening charges. (Credit: Maile Stiller-Elliott via Storyful)
Moments later, Basin walked back toward his belongings where a larger man – later identified as Kama Homan – approached from behind. Basin shoved Homan before the two began scuffling.
Basin stumbled backward over two beach chairs and fell to the sand. After getting back to his feet, he grabbed one of the chairs and swung it at Homan, who shoved the chair aside before punching Basin and knocking him unconscious.
Homan walked over and repeatedly told Basin to “wake up.” Once Basin regained consciousness, he told someone he was “going to jail” before walking away. Moments later, he charged toward Homan again while shouting obscenities.
Homan, who said he had mixed martial arts training, told Hawaii News Now he decided to intervene after watching Basin become increasingly aggressive.
Kirill Basin, right, confronts another man during a beach altercation at Keawakapu Beach on Maui that was captured on video. (Credit: Maile Stiller-Elliott via Storyful)
“I’m like, maybe I should intervene,” Homan said. “As I got closer and closer, he was just getting more irate and violent.”
Homan said Basin shoved him before he responded.
“He put his hands on me and as soon as he tried to shove me, I hit him with a left and a right,” Homan said. “That’s when he stumbled and fell over the chairs.”
The criminal complaint, which News Media reviewed, alleged Basin threatened multiple people during the confrontation, including Homan. A second felony count specifically alleged Basin threatened Homan with a knife.
Homan said he recovered what he described as a 5-inch switchblade and turned it over to Maui police.
News Media reached out to Basin and his attorney, Brandon Segal, for comment.
During Tuesday’s initial court appearance, a judge maintained Basin’s $1 million bail and ordered him to have no contact with Homan and four other people.
If released, Basin also must stay away from Keawakapu Beach, including its parking lot, refrain from possessing firearms or ammunition, avoid drugs and alcohol, submit to random drug testing and undergo a mental health assessment with any recommended treatment.
Basin was scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing Thursday at 1 p.m.