Opinion

Almanac for May 23, 2026

Today is Saturday, May 23, the 143rd day of 2026. There are 222 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1934, bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot to death during a police ambush in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Also on this date: In 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary, aligning with the Triple Entente of Russia, France and the United Kingdom. In 1939, the diesel-electric submarine USS Squalus sank during a test dive in 240 feet of water off the coast of New Hampshire, killing 22 crew members. (Thirty-three survivors were rescued from the vessel in a ...

Senators from both parties push Hegseth on Ukraine aid

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of senators is pushing back on delays by the Department of Defense in sending $600 million in security aid to Ukraine and other allies in eastern Europe, dispatching a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday that calls for the funding to be ...

Almanac for May 25, 2026

Monday, May 25, is the 145th day of 2026. There will be 220 days left in the year. Today in history: In 2020, George Floyd, a Black man, was killed when a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and pleading he couldn't breathe; Floyd's death, captured on video by a bystander, would lead to worldwide protests, some violent, and a reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S. Also on this date: In 1787, the Constitutional Convention began at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia ...

Cuba belongs to its people, not to Trump

While the world watched the pomp of Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing, the U.S. was turning up the pressure thousands of miles away. Its oil blockade has plunged Cuba into a humanitarian crisis, sparking nationwide blackouts that have prompted rare protests, closing schools and universities and leaving hospitals battling to treat patients. Surveillance flights are circling. U.S. media reported last weekend that federal prosecutors are preparing an indictment for Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president and brother of Fidel. (Editor's note: Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced ...

Editorial cartoon for May 22, 2026

Rubio, Trump raise possibility of military action in Cuba

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and America's top diplomat on Thursday again raised the specter of U.S. military intervention in Cuba, a renewed threat that takes on greater weight a day after the administration announced criminal charges against the island's former leader, Raúl ...