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Nuclear power making a comeback?

A few years ago, nuclear power looked doomed. Plants were shutting down. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo won applause bragging about closing a nuclear plant “14 years ahead of schedule.” “Why would they applaud?” asks former nuclear engineer Ray Rothrock in my new video. “They ...

Rubio gathering signals Trump plan to focus on left-wing political violence

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday convened leaders from more than 60 countries to take part in the Trump administration’s latest effort to quell what it calls “left wing” political terrorism, a marquee issue for Republicans heading into the midterm elections. This focus comes ...

Almanac for July 17, 2026

Today is Friday, July 17, the 198th day of 2026. There are 167 days left in the year. Today in History: In 1955, Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, after its $17 million, yearlong construction; the park drew a million visitors in its first 10 weeks. Also on this date: In 1862, during the Civil War, Congress approved the Second Confiscation Act, which declared that all enslaved people taking refuge behind Union lines were to be set free. In 1902, Willis Carrier produced a set of designs for what would become the world’s first modern air-conditioning system. In 1918, ...

North shore ghosts of summers past

Escanaba often refers to its “north shore” area near Basic Marine and the Reiss Coal Dock. But that’s what the city wants you to believe! Esky’s true “north shore extends far beyond that nearly all the way to the mouth of the Escanaba River. It’s a huge, haunted area of rust, ...

Smoke on the water

“Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky,” – Deep Purple There’s a smell I occasionally get a whiff of when the damper on the fireplace is open and I’m sitting on the short couch in the living room. It’s the smell of charred wood – an aroma that’s pleasant around a campfire or ...

What a 700-year-old fresco can teach America

There are moments when history reaches across the centuries with startling clarity. Standing in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, Italy, and looking at Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s “Allegory of Good and Bad Government,” I had one of those moments. Nearly 700 years old, the series of fresco ...