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Almanac for April 9, 2026

Today is Thursday, April 9, the 99th day of 2026. There are 266 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War. (Remaining Confederate units elsewhere would formally surrender by early June of 1865, closing out the bloodiest conflict on American soil without further major combat.) Also on this date: In 1939, Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, ...

Pope Leo’s flawed war doctrine

Pope Leo XIV used part of his Palm Sunday message to castigate the United States for attempting to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power and threatening the world with mass destruction. In doing so, the “American Pope” confused the real enemy in the war. Addressing thousands in St. ...

In Hungary visit, Vance urges voters to re-elect PM Orbán

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday urged Hungarians to back Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in upcoming elections, dubbing the populist leader a defender of "Western civilization" during a visit to Hungary meant to help push Orbán over the finish line. Vance's ...

Almanac for April 8, 2026

Today is Wednesday, April 8, the 98th day of 2026. There are 267 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking Babe Ruth's home run record that had stood since 1935. (Aaron would go on to hit 755 career home runs, only to be surpassed in 2007 by Barry Bonds, who finished his career with a record 762 that still stands). Also on this date: In 1820, the Venus de Milo statue, likely dating to the 2nd century B.C., was discovered by a farmer on the Greek island of ...

The Iran hawks are losing their judgment

I am an Iran hardliner. But I'm struggling to understand how other hardliners can be so credulous about President Donald Trump's leadership of this war. It's as if you were stranded by the side of the road and accepted a ride from an obviously drunk driver. Earlier this month, the Wall Street ...

AP to speed pivot away from newspaper-focused history

The Associated Press, one of the world's oldest and most influential news organizations, said Monday it is offering buyouts to an unspecified number of its U.S.-based journalists as part of an acceleration away from the focus on newspapers and their print journalism that sustained the company ...