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Almanac for Jan. 27, 2026

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 27, the 27th day of 2026. There are 338 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1945, during World War II, Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz and Birkenau Nazi concentration camps in Poland. Also on this date: In 1756, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria. In 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for his incandescent electric lamp. In 1967, astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test aboard their Apollo 1 spacecraft at Cape Canaveral, Florida. In 1973, the ...

The American police state has arrived

In recent days, the government in America has not only failed to protect the freedom of speech, it has attacked it. Like authoritarians throughout history, it has sought to silence the speech it hates and fears. But most authoritarians did not have a Constitution that was written as an ...

Democrats vow to oppose homeland security funding bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic senators are vowing to oppose a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security following the shooting death of a 37-year-old Minnesota man, a stand that increases the prospect of a partial government shutdown by the end of the week. Senate Democratic ...

Almanac for Jan. 26, 2026

Today is Monday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2026. There are 339 days left in the year. Today in history: In 2020, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed when their helicopter plunged into a steep hillside in dense fog in Southern California; the former Lakers star was 41. Also on this date: In 1887, groundbreaking began for the construction of the Eiffel Tower; the tower would be completed just over two years later. In 1905, the Cullinan Diamond, at 3,106 carats (621.2 grams) the largest diamond ever found, was discovered in South ...

Trump turns us into villains in the world

A most American of movies, "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," is a morality tale about what happens when intimidation goes unanswered. The Clanton gang marauds through Tombstone, flashing their guns and humiliating townspeople. Feeding on fear, their bullying escalates as decent people avoid ...

Thousands rally in frigid Minnesota against immigration crackdown

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Police arrested about 100 clergy demonstrating against immigration enforcement at Minnesota's largest airport Friday, and thousands gathered in downtown Minneapolis despite Arctic temperatures to protest the Trump administration's crackdown. The protests are part of a ...