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Almanac for May 9, 2026

Today is Saturday, May 9, the 129th day of 2026. There are 236 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1960, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conditionally approved Enovid for use as the first oral contraceptive pill. Also on this date: In 1754, the famous political cartoon "Join or Die" was first published by Benjamin Franklin in the Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson, acting on a joint congressional resolution, signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. In 1951, the U.S. conducted its first ...

Data center freak-out

Data centers are big buildings full of machines that process what we do on our phones and computers. AI requires even more computing power, so companies are eager to build more data centers. The usual suspects are freaking out. "We must stop it!" says Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "Slow ...

Tennessee enacts US House map dividing majority-Black district

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Amid raucous protests Thursday, Republicans in Tennessee enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up a majority-Black district in Memphis, reshaping it to the GOP's advantage as part of President Donald Trump's strategy to hold on to a slim majority in the November ...

Almanac for May 8, 2026

Today is Friday, May 8, the 128th day of 2026. There are 237 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1945, President Harry S. Truman announced in a radio address that Nazi Germany's forces had surrendered, stating that "the flags of freedom fly all over Europe" on V-E (Victory in Europe) Day. Also on this date: In 1541, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River, the first recorded European to do so. In 1846, U.S. forces led by Gen. Zachary Taylor defeated Mexican forces near modern-day Brownsville, Texas, in the first major battle of the Mexican-American ...

The US energy triumph

It’s not 1973 anymore, and that’s a very good thing for the United States. Back then, the U.S. imported more than a third of its oil, much of it from the Middle East, and it paid the price. Now, it’s in a transformed position. “Drill, baby, drill” is arguably the most successful ...

Trump’s Indiana victories a warning to GOP dissenters

Five months ago, President Donald Trump was stinging from one of the first political defeats of his second term as Republican state senators defied him on redistricting in Indiana. Now he has proved he can still punish wayward party members after he endorsed a slate of challengers who defeated ...