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Trump wants to be a dictator — and now we know which kind

It was already one of the most clownish (if sinister) moments in the Trump administration — the Department of Justice actually brought criminal charges against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn for sabotaging the president’s big, beautiful reflecting pool. It then dropped them for legal ...

DOJ creates new pathway to restore gun rights for some convicted felons

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department finalized a rule Monday that will pave the way for people who've been barred from owning firearms because of criminal convictions to apply to have their gun rights reinstated. The process launched by newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche is a ...

Almanac for Aug. 18, 2026

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 18, the 230th day of 2026. There are 135 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing American women’s right to vote, was ratified as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it. Also on this date: In 1590, John White, the governor of the Roanoke Island colony (in present-day North Carolina), returned to Roanoke after nearly three years abroad only to find the settlement deserted; the fate of the “Lost Colony” remains a mystery. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued his Proclamation of ...

The right to be left alone

“The makers of our Constitution undertook to secure conditions favorable to the pursuit of happiness. ... They conferred against the Government the right to be let alone — most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men.” — Justice Louis D. Brandeis ...

Kushner has a rare meeting with Hamas’ leader over Gaza road map

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. negotiator and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner had a rare meeting with the Hamas chief Sunday in a new diplomatic effort to make progress in the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Kushner will meet today with Israel’s prime minister, who is under pressure after ...

Almanac for Aug. 17, 2026

Today is Monday, Aug. 17, the 229th day of 2026. There are 136 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave grand jury testimony via closed-circuit television from the White House concerning his relationship with Monica Lewinsky; he then delivered a TV address in which he admitted his relationship with Lewinsky was “wrong” but denied previously committing perjury (Clinton was subsequently impeached by the House of Representatives, but acquitted in the Senate). Also on this date: In 1807, Robert Fulton’s North River Steamboat made its first ...