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Almanac for Feb. 17, 2026

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2026. There are 317 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, electing Jefferson president; Burr became vice president. Also on this date: In 1863, five appointees of the Public Welfare Society of Geneva announced the formation of an "International Committee for the Relief of Wounded Combatants," which would later be renamed the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 1864, during the Civil War, the Union ship USS Housatonic ...

Nudity is the new submission

Some listeners who are not entirely sold on Chappell Roan's artistry brush off her songs and bawdy stage persona as "campy and loud." They see a flashy, attention-grabbing circus act. And even as Roan markets herself as an over-the-top lesbian, the styling still reads as catering to the male ...

What to know about the Homeland Security shutdown

Another shutdown for parts of the federal government is expected this weekend as lawmakers debate new restrictions on President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire today. Democrats say they won't help approve more ...

Almanac for Feb. 14, 2026

Today is Saturday, Feb. 14, the 45th day of 2026. There are 320 days left in the year. This is Valentine's Day. Today in history: In 2018, a former student opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people in the nation's deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack in Newtown, Connecticut, more than five years earlier. (Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty to murder in October 2021 and was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.) Also on this date: In 1779, English ...

Almanac for Feb. 16, 2026

Monday, Feb. 16, is the 47th day of 2026. There will be 318 days left in the year. This day in history: In 1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as premier of Cuba, six weeks after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown and fled the country into exile. Castro's rise to power marked the start of Cuba's transformation into a communist nation. Also on this date: In 1862, the Civil War Battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee ended with the surrender of about 12,000 Confederate soldiers; Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's victory earned him the moniker "Unconditional Surrender Grant." In 1923, ...

Is there nothing we can do to stop fraud?

Americans want to help people in need, but when government does that, about 500 billion taxpayer dollars get stolen. It's how the system is designed, says the United Council on Welfare Fraud's Andrew McClenahan in this new video. "You're measuring success by the amount of money you put ...