Opinion

Almanac for Aug. 4, 2026

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 4, the 216th day of 2026. There are 149 days left in the year. Today in history: In 2020, nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored for years in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, exploded, killing more than 200 people, injuring more than 7,000 and devastating nearby neighborhoods; it was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded. Also on this date: In 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard had its beginnings as President George Washington signed a measure authorizing a group of revenue cutters to enforce tariff and trade laws and ...

Why the Blanche nomination should be rejected

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is not qualified to be the attorney general of the United States because he has demonstrated a hopeless conflict between the rule of law — which he has taken an oath to support — and his sense of personal loyalty to President Donald Trump, whom he ...

US-Saudi nuclear agreement further erodes safeguards

Even as he threatened to escalate an unlawful war sold in part as preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, Donald Trump opened the door to proliferation in the region when the U.S. announced it had signed a deal with Saudi Arabia that would potentially allow the kingdom to enrich uranium in future and to avoid the fullest inspection rights for the international watchdog. Experts have long warned that a civilian nuclear programme could create a path towards a nuclear-armed Riyadh. Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince and de facto leader, has said that if Tehran gets a ...

Editorial cartoon for Aug. 3, 2026

Sen. Moreno: Former son-in-law should not serve in the House

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno said his former son-in-law, U.S. Rep. Max Miller, should not be serving in the House and should “seek professional help” as Miller defended himself against allegations of domestic abuse in a live video on X Sunday. Moreno, who has been publicly ...

To be a great country

Is a great country based on power or the substance of its character and influence in the world? It is often said by politician and others that this country is the greatest in the world largely based on its wealth and power and a myth of opportunity for all. Many countries in the past and present have been wealthy and powerful but lack character due to oppression, brutality of minorities and religious acceptance of that within the country. Our country’s history puts us in that category. In my opinion, a country can become great but has to accept its past brutality, arrogance, ...