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A requiem for privacy

When President Donald Trump appointed an obviously unqualified friend, a home builder executive, to be acting director of national intelligence, he inadvertently triggered attention to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The director of national intelligence is the head ...

Almanac for June 15, 2026

Today is Monday, June 15, the 166th day of 2026. There are 199 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1904, more than 1,000 people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat PS General Slocum in New York’s East River; it remained the deadliest individual event in the New York area until 9/11. Also on this date: In 1215, England’s King John placed his seal on the Magna Carta (“the Great Charter”), which curtailed the absolute power of the monarchy. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to appoint George Washington head of the Continental Army. In ...

Ways to deal with a bad year for ticks

Although the warm weather is just starting in the region, from what we’re hearing, it’s the worst season for ticks that anyone has seen. Tick season is in full swing and with it, the danger of contracting one of several nasty infections that are becoming all too common in the area. But ticks shouldn’t keep you out of the woods, if that’s something you enjoy doing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has these suggestions to avoid contact with ticks: Before going outdoors • Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy or wooded areas, or even on ...

Swiss voters appear to reject setting population cap at 10M

GENEVA (AP) — Nearly 55% of voters in Switzerland on Sunday rejected an initiative championed by the top right-wing party to cap the rich Alpine country’s population at 10 million, early results showed. The populist Swiss People's Party, which has the most seats in parliament, has ...

Almanac for June 13, 2026

Today is Saturday, June 13, the 164th day of 2026. There are 201 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1971, The New York Times began publishing excerpts of the Pentagon Papers, a top secret study of America’s involvement in Vietnam since 1945 that had been leaked to the paper by military analyst Daniel Ellsberg. Also on this date: In 1942, during World War II, a four-man Nazi sabotage team arrived by submarine on Long Island, New York, three days before a second four-man team landed in Florida. (All eight men were arrested within weeks, after two members of the first group ...