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What a 700-year-old fresco can teach America

There are moments when history reaches across the centuries with startling clarity. Standing in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, Italy, and looking at Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s “Allegory of Good and Bad Government,” I had one of those moments. Nearly 700 years old, the series of fresco paintings includes a depiction of a bustling city that illustrates the effects of good government, as well as representations of the decay that results from arbitrary and unjust rulers. The visual treatise on political economy holds important lessons for us today. Lorenzetti’s city isn’t thriving ...

Hegseth announces new policy to test troops for low testosterone

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that he is rolling out a new screening program for “testosterone deficiency” among troops, calling it necessary to allow them to operate at their “absolute best.” The screenings will be conducted annually as part ...

Almanac for July 16, 2026

Today is Thursday, July 16, the 197th day of 2026. There are 168 days left in the year. Today in History: In 1945, the United States detonated its first experimental atomic bomb in the desert of Alamogordo, New Mexico; the same day, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis left Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California on a secret mission to deliver atomic bomb components to Tinian Island in the Marianas. Also on this date: In 1790, a site along the Potomac River was designated the permanent seat of the United States government; the area became Washington, D.C. In 1862, Flag Officer David ...

When the guardrails are destroyed

People of a certain age were taught to respect the police, obey the law and other rules and regulations mostly practiced by our parents and grandparents. They believed such things would lead to better lives for themselves and for the nation. For many, they did. Today we look at the ...

Supreme Court justices testify more must be spent on security

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told lawmakers Tuesday that a sharp increase in threats targeting her and other justices is increasingly encroaching on their personal and family lives. During a rare appearance by justices before Congress, Barrett said she had to ...

Almanac for July 15, 2026

Today is Wednesday, July 15, the 196th day of 2026. There are 169 days left in the year. Today in History: In 1799, the Rosetta Stone, a key to deciphering ancient Egyptian scripts, was found at Fort Julien in the Nile Delta during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt. Also on this date: In 1834, the Spanish Inquisition was abolished more than 350 years after its creation. In 1870, Georgia became the last Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union. In 1913, Democrat Augustus Bacon of Georgia became the first person elected to the U.S. Senate under the terms of the recently ...