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On oil, China is smarter than we are

We can thank China that gasoline prices aren’t higher than they are. By last month, China had cut imports of oil by 3 million barrels a day, the daily consumption of Italy and France combined. China’s economy, meanwhile, hums along. Americans agonize over how the price of oil affects gas ...

Poll shows what public thinks about Trump’s handling of Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans continue to disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling Iran, while his overall presidential approval holds steady, according to a new AP-NORC poll that was conducted as he suggested a deal with Iran had been reached. The poll points to just how ...

Almanac for June 20, 2026

Today is Saturday, June 20, the 171st day of 2026. There are 194 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted and was sentenced to five years in prison. (Ali’s conviction would ultimately be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court). Also on this date: In 1782, the Continental Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle. In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne after the death of her uncle, King William IV. In ...

Poll: Most Americans see core rights under threat

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans believe civil liberties like the right to vote are under threat, according to a new AP-NORC poll, while also continuing to agree that the rights expressed in the nation’s founding documents are still core to American identity. The survey from The ...

Almanac for June 19, 2026

Friday, June 19, is the 170th day of 2026. There are 195 days left in the year. Friday is Juneteenth. This day in history: On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over and that all remaining enslaved people in Texas were free — an event celebrated as the Juneteenth national holiday in the U.S. Also on this date: In 1910, the first-ever Father’s Day in the United States was celebrated in Spokane, Washington. (President Richard Nixon would make Father’s Day a federally recognized annual observation through a proclamation in ...

Almanac for June 18, 2026

Today is Thursday, June 18, the 169th day of 2026. There are 196 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1812, the War of 1812 began as the United States Congress approved, and President James Madison signed, a declaration of war against Britain. Also on this date: In 1778, American forces entered Philadelphia as the British withdrew during the Revolutionary War. In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo as British and Prussian troops defeated the French Imperial Army in Belgium. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter and Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev ...