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Hegseth gets bipartisan grilling on Iran war

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced tough questions Tuesday from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the Trump administration's end game for the Iran war, the conflict's rising $29 billion cost and its impact on diminishing U.S. weapons stockpiles. While the ...

Almanac for May 13, 2026

Today is Wednesday, May 13, the 133rd day of 2026. There are 232 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1846, the United States Congress formally declared war against Mexico, following battles along the disputed U.S.-Mexico border in the preceding weeks; the Mexican-American War would continue for nearly two years until the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in February 1848. Also on this date: In 1940, in his first speech to the House of Commons as British prime minister, Winston Churchill said, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." In 1973, in ...

When the Pope isn't right

It must be the highlight for any Roman Catholic to meet the head of his church. So it must have been last week for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a practicing Catholic. Rubio was on more than a spiritual journey. His mission was to persuade Pope Leo XIV of the rightness, even the ...

Almanac for May 12, 2026

Today is Tuesday, May 12, the 132nd day of 2026. There are 233 days left in the year. Today in history: In 2008, a devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake in China's Sichuan province left more than 87,000 people dead or missing. Also on this date: In 1780, the besieged city of Charleston, South Carolina, surrendered to British forces in one of the worst American defeats of the Revolutionary War. In 1846, the pioneers of the Donner Party left Independence, Missouri, on the Oregon Trail, beginning their ill-fated attempt to migrate to California. In 1932, the body of Charles Lindbergh ...