Opinion

Almanac for June 26, 2026

Today is Friday, June 26, the 177th day of 2026. There are 188 days left in the year. Today in history: In 2015, in its 5-4 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country, ruling that state-level bans on same-sex marriage violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Also on this date: In 1917, U.S. troops entered World War I as the first soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force landed in Saint-Nazaire, France. In 1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San ...

Why Trump couldn't bring Iran to heel

Iran, a second-rate power in a state of economic collapse, just fought the U.S. to a standstill in a major military conflict. The disappointing outcome has echoes of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, in that a major world power hasn't been able to impose its will on a militarily inferior foe. ...

Hegseth’s vaccine policy backfires with flu outbreak

An influenza outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas has sickened almost 160 people in the past few weeks and might have even killed one person going through basic training. If it wasn’t already clear why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to eliminate the military’s universal flu vaccine mandate was an exceptionally bad idea, it should be now. Hegseth announced the policy change in April, and since then, fewer than half of Air Force trainees have opted to get the shot. The vaccine does not provide perfect protection, but it reduces infections, lessens the severity for ...

Editorial cartoon for June 25, 2026

Judge bars Trump order for proof of citizenship to vote

A federal judge Wednesday permanently barred President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing most of his first executive order on elections, part of which sought to require people to show documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The ruling by U.S. District ...

Almanac for June 25, 2026

Today is Thursday, June 25, the 176th day of 2026. There are 189 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1950, war broke out in Korea as forces from the communist North invaded the South. The conflict would last for over three years and would bring about an estimated 4 million deaths, three quarters of them civilians. Also on this date: In 1876, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand, began in the Montana Territory. As many as 100 Native Americans were killed in the battle, as were 268 people attached to the 7th Cavalry Regiment, including George ...