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A special golden anniversary

Golden anniversaries used to be special celebrations in the days when people got married and stayed married. This year marks the golden anniversary, not of a married couple, but of an organization that invests in the lives of people whom politicians largely ignore. It’s called Prison ...

Trump is threatening to bomb Oman, but why?

The world knows that U.S. President Donald Trump is angry with Iran. But he’s not happy with the small country lying across the Strait of Hormuz from the Islamic Republic, either: Oman. Oman has played a relatively low-profile role since the Iran war began, including as a mediator. But its ...

Almanac for Aug. 19, 2026

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 19, the 231st day of 2026. There are 134 days left in the year. Today in History: In 2010, the last American combat brigade exited Iraq, seven years and five months after a U.S.-led invasion marked the beginning of the Iraq War. Also on this date: In 1692, four men and one woman were hanged after being convicted of witchcraft at Salem in the Province of Massachusetts Bay; the story of one of the men, John Proctor, inspired Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible.” In 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off Nova Scotia ...

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 ...