Today is Monday, Nov. 4, the 309th day of 2024. There are 57 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Nov. 4, 2007, King Tutankhamen’s face was unveiled for the first time to the public more than 3,000 years after the pharaoh was buried in his Egyptian tomb.
Also on this date:
In 1922, the entrance to King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in Egypt.
In 1979, the Iran hostage crisis began as militants stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran, seizing its occupants; for some of the hostages, it was the start of 444 days of captivity.
In 1980, Republican Ronald Reagan won election to the White House for the first time as he trounced President Jimmy Carter.
In 1991, Ronald Reagan opened his presidential library in Simi Valley, California; attending were President George H.W. Bush and former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford and Richard Nixon — the first-ever gathering of five past and present U.S. chief executives.
In 1995, Yitzhak Rabin, prime minister of Israel, was assassinated by a right-wing Israeli minutes after attending a peace rally.
In 2008, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was elected the first Black president of the United States, defeating the Republican candidate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Today is Sunday, Oct. 27, the 301st day of 2024. There are 65 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Oct. 27, 2018, a gunman shot and killed 11 congregants and wounded six others at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history; authorities said the suspect, Robert Bowers, raged against Jews during and after the rampage. (Bowers was convicted and sentenced to death in 2023.)
Also on this date:
In 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the United States Constitution, was published.
In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down while flying over Cuba, killing the pilot, U.S. Air Force Maj. Rudolf Anderson Jr.
In 1995, a sniper killed one soldier and wounded 18 others at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. (Paratrooper William J. Kreutzer was convicted in the shootings and condemned to death; the sentence was later commuted to life in prison.)
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch cut through the western Caribbean, pummeling coastal Honduras and Belize; the storm caused several thousand deaths in Central America in the days that followed.
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in four games.
Today’s Birthdays:
Actor-comedian John Cleese is 85.
Author Maxine Hong Kingston is 84.
Country singer Lee Greenwood is 82.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is 79.
The vice presidential candidates, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, on Tuesday engaged in a fast-moving, largely civil debate on a wide range of issues. Here’s a look at some false and misleading claims from the debate.
___
Iran has not received $100 billion in unfrozen assets under the Biden-Harris administration
VANCE: “Iran, which launched this attack, has received over $100 billion in unfrozen assets thanks to the Kamala Harris administration. What do they use that money for? They use it to buy weapons that they’re now launching against our allies.”
THE FACTS: The Biden administration agreed last year to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets as part of a deal to free five U.S. citizens being held by Iran. But administration officials say not a dollar of that has yet been given to Iran. It was part of a deal negotiated by the Obama administration, before Biden and Harris took office, that could have allowed Iran to access frozen assets in exchange for accepting limits on its nuclear program.
In 2016, Iran said it had received access to more than $100 billion worth of frozen overseas assets following the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal with world powers. The money had been held in banks in China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey since international sanctions were tightened in 2012 over Tehran’s nuclear program. Then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew told Congress that only about $50 billion of the frozen assets would actually be accessible by Iran.
Walz overstates the cost of insulin before cap
WALZ: “They were charging $800 before this law went into effect.”
THE FACTS: Walz overstated how much Americans were paying for insulin before a new law capped prices at $35 per month for millions of older Americans on Medicare. A December 2022 study found that people who were on Medicare or enrolled in private insurance paid $452 yearly on average before the new law took effect.
Vance links unaffordable housing to immigrants who have come into the country illegally
VANCE: “You’ve got housing that is totally unaffordable because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes.”
THE FACTS: Most economists blame a long-term decline in the housing supply for the steady increase in home prices. The number of new homes under construction plunged from an annual pace of 1.4 million in April 2006 to barely above 400,000 in August 2011, and didn’t recover to 2006 levels until 2021.
Vance said at least one prominent economic analysis from the Federal Reserve supports his claims that immigrants are pushing up housing costs, but he didn’t provide details. He was likely citing a May 2024 blog post by Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Kashkari says immigration’s long-run effect on inflation is “unclear,” but immigrants need a place to live and their arrival has overlapped with higher prices.
There might be upward pressure on home prices in some markets because of immigrants arriving, but most economists say the issue is a lack of supply of homes on the market. Homebuilders say they need the immigrants to build the homes. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a September news conference that high mortgage rates mean people aren’t listing their homes for sale and there has not been enough supply.
WALZ: “Their Project 2025 is going to have a registry of pregnancies.”
THE FACTS: That’s not true. The conservative initiative calls for the collection of “accurate and reliable statistical data about abortion, abortion survivors, and abortion-related maternal deaths,” but not a record of every pregnancy that occurs.
More specifically, Project 2025 proposes that the Department of Health and Human Services require all states to report detailed information about abortions that are performed within their borders, including the total number of abortions, the age and state of residence of the mother, the gestational age of the fetus, the reason for the abortion and the method used to perform the abortion. It suggests that this data be separated into categories such as spontaneous miscarriages, intentional abortions, stillbirths and other medical treatments that result in the death of the fetus, like chemotherapy.
Vance overstates immigration numbers
VANCE: “We’ve got 20, 25 million illegal aliens who are here in the country.”
THE FACTS: That figure is highly inflated. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports more than 10 million arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico from January 2021 through September 2024.
That’s arrests, not people. Under pandemic-era asylum restrictions, many people crossed more than once until they succeeded because there were no legal consequences for getting turned back to Mexico. So the number of people is lower than the number of arrests.
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s latest available estimate, there were approximately 11 million people living illegally in the U.S. as of January 2022, 79% of whom entered prior to January 2010.
Vance distorts Minnesota abortion law
VANCE: “It says that a doctor who presides over an abortion where the baby survives, the doctor is under no obligation to provide lifesaving care to a baby who survives a botched late-term abortion.”
THE FACTS: This claim misrepresents a bill Walz signed into law in 2023, updating language about the care of newborns.
The new language uses the phrase “an infant who is born alive” instead of “a born alive infant as a result of an abortion.” It states that medical personnel are required to “care for the infant who is born alive” rather than “preserve the life and health of the born alive infant.”
Both the current version of the law and the 2015 version that was amended state that “an infant who is born alive shall be fully recognized as a human person, and accorded immediate protection under the law.”
Infanticide is criminalized in every state, including Minnesota, and the bill does not change that.
Vance on Trump and Jan. 6, 2021
VANCE: “Remember he said that on January the 6th, the protesters ought to protest peacefully.”
THE FACTS: It’s true that Trump told the crowd gathered near the White House, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
But Vance ignored the incendiary language Trump used throughout his speech, during which he urged the crowd to march to the Capitol, where Congress was meeting to certify President Joe Biden’s victory. Trump told the crowd: “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” That’s after his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, declared: “Let’s have trial by combat.”
Associated Press writers Melissa Goldin in New York, and Amanda Seitz, David Klepper, Chris Rugaber, Ellen Knickmeyer and Josh Boak in Washington contributed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tim Walz and JD Vance might have the chance to reshape the political landscape Tuesday in their first and only debate.
Vice presidential picks have traditionally taken on the role of political attack dog, laying into opponents so that their running mate can appear above the political fray. That’s generally been less true since former President Donald Trump scrambled political norms.
But Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, made it to national prominence by labeling rival Republicans “weird.” Vance, the Republican junior senator from Ohio, has torn into Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ party on immigration, notably by spreading a false story about Haitian immigrants in his home state that Trump then cited during his own debate with Harris.
Here’s a look at past vice presidential debates — and the larger role of the office Walz and Vance are both seeking.
What is the vice president’s job?
The vice president presides over the Senate and is empowered to break ties, as Harris has done a record 33 times. She exceeded the previous high mark last year, which had held since John C. Calhoun was vice president from 1825 to 1832. The officeholder also presides ceremonially in Congress over the certification of electoral results, which Vice President Mike Pence did even after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a bid to halt the process and transition of power, with some chanting, “Hang Mike Pence!”
But the vice president’s main job is to be ready to take over if something happens to the president. Nine have done so following a president’s death or departure from office — the last being Gerald Ford, who became president when Richard Nixon resigned in 1974.
The Constitution’s 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, spelled out the succession rules, stating that the vice president becomes president “in case of the removal of the president from office or of his death or resignation.” It also allowed the president and Congress to nominate and approve a new vice president if that office is vacated.
Vice presidential historian Joel K. Goldstein said two recent assassination attempts against Trump raise “the saliency of succession.” But he added that many voters view vice presidential nominees as appendages of the candidates who selected them, not necessarily as potential future presidents themselves.
“People do look at somebody as, are they ready to be a heartbeat away?” Goldstein said. “But it is also a question of how good a decisionmaker is the person who chose them.”
Memorable vice presidential debates featured Palin, Bentsen — and Harris
In 1992, Adm. James Stockdale, running mate of third-party candidate Ross Perot, was going for breezy but seemed befuddled when he opened the debate by saying, “Who am I? Why am I here?” His later response to a question, “I didn’t have my hearing aid turned up,” only reinforced that perception.
The debate between No. 2s was highly anticipated in 2008 after Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate and saw a bump in the polls. But her showdown with then-Delaware Sen. Joe Biden is best remembered for Palin approaching him before the start and saying, “Can I call you Joe?” That was Palin attempting to keep from mistakenly calling her opponent “O’Biden,” conflating Biden’s name with that of his running mate, then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
FILE – Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas, left, shakes hands with Sen. Dan Quayle, R-Ind., before the start of their vice presidential debate at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Neb., Oct. 5, 1988. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)
The vice presidential nominee and Texas Democratic senator, Lloyd Bentsen, offered a stinging rejoinder against his opponent, Republican Sen. Dan Quayle of Indiana, in 1988. After Quayle compared himself to John F. Kennedy, Bentsen replied, “You’re no Jack Kennedy, senator.” But it was one of the Democratic ticket’s few high points in a race it lost handily.
In 2020, Harris faced off with Republican Vice President Mike Pence and declared when he tried to interrupt her, “I’m speaking,” a line she’s reprised in this campaign. But both candidates might have been overshadowed by a fly that perched on Pence’s hair for what felt like an eternity.
Will the debate affect the campaign?
A nominee’s choice of No. 2 has historically made little Election Day difference. This year could be different.
Historical analysis by Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston, suggests that voters aren’t really swayed by a candidate’s running mate. Even the idea of using a pick to balance a ticket — like pairing the first major party nominee who is a woman of color with a white male in the case of Harris selecting Walz — may also be overstated.
“The evidence we have is that they’re really voting for the presidential nominee,” Jones said of Americans through the decades.
A key caveat might be that, given just how close the current race is looking to be in swing states, “It’s always possible that, at the margins, it may matter,” Jones said.
One reason why the Walz-Vance debate might shift more opinions this year is that Harris and Trump shared a stage only once, in early September. That means Tuesday may be the last chance before Election Day for voters to see the two tickets square off directly.
But, more likely, both Walz and Vance will simply need to avoid memorable unforced errors that can be endlessly replayed. Jones said such a race-shifting gaffe is unlikely — but not impossible.
“They’re disciplined,” Jones said. “But all it takes is one.”
Today is Sunday, Sept. 29, the 273rd day of 2024. There are 93 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Sept. 29, 1982, Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules laced with deadly cyanide claimed the first of seven victims in the Chicago area; the case, which led to legislation and packaging improvements to deter product tampering, remains unsolved.
Also on this date:
In 1789, Congress officially established a regular army under the U.S. Constitution.
In 1938, British, French, German and Italian leaders concluded the Munich Agreement, which was aimed at appeasing Adolf Hitler by allowing Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland.
In 1954, Willie Mays of the New York Giants made a running, over-the-shoulder catch of a ball hit by Vic Wirtz of the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series; “The Catch” would become one of the most famous plays in baseball history.
In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed an act creating the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.
In 1990, the construction of Washington National Cathedral concluded, 83 years to the day after its foundation stone was laid in a ceremony attended by President Theodore Roosevelt.
In 2005, John G. Roberts Jr. was sworn in as the nation’s 17th chief justice after winning Senate confirmation.
In 2017, Tom Price resigned as President Donald Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services amid investigations into his use of costly charter flights for official travel at taxpayer expense.
In 2018, Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, agreed to pay a total of $40 million to settle a government lawsuit alleging that Musk had duped investors with misleading statements about a proposed buyout of the company.
In 2021, a judge in Los Angeles suspended Britney Spears’ father from the conservatorship that had controlled her life and money for 13 years, saying the arrangement reflected a “toxic environment.”
In 2022, rescue crews piloted boats and waded through flooded streets to save thousands of Floridians trapped after Hurricane Ian destroyed homes and businesses and left millions in the dark.
Today’s Birthdays:
Writer-director Robert Benton is 92.
NASA administrator and former Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., is 82.
Actor Ian McShane is 82.
Jazz musician Jean-Luc Ponty is 82.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa (lehk vah-WEN’-sah) is 81.
TV journalist and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel is 76.
Olympic gold medal runner Sebastian Coe is 68.
Rock musician Les Claypool is 61.
Actor Zachary Levi is 44.
Actor Chrissy Metz (TV: “This Is Us”) is 44.
Actor Kelly McCreary (TV: “Grey’s Anatomy”) is 43.
Today is Saturday, Sept. 28, the 272nd day of 2024. There are 94 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Sept. 28, 1928, Scottish medical researcher Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first effective antibiotic.
Also on this date:
In 1781, American forces in the Revolutionary War, backed by a French fleet, began their successful siege of Yorktown, Virginia.
In 1924, three U.S. Army planes landed in Seattle, having completed the first round-the-world trip by air in 175 days.
In 1941, Ted Williams became the most recent American League baseball player to hit over .400 for a season, batting .406 for the Boston Red Sox.
In 1962, a federal appeals court found Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett in civil contempt for blocking the admission of James Meredith, a Black student, to the University of Mississippi.
In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed an accord at the White House ending Israel’s military occupation of West Bank cities and laying the foundation for a Palestinian state.
In 2000, capping a 12-year battle, the U.S. government approved use of the abortion pill RU-486.
In 2020, the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic reached 1 million, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University.
In 2022, Hurricane Ian barreled ashore in southwestern Florida as a massive Category 4 storm. About 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate before the storm hit the coast with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 kph).
Today’s Birthdays:
Actor Brigitte Bardot is 90.
Filmmaker John Sayles is 74.
Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent is 70.
Zydeco musician C.J. Chenier (sheh-NEER’) is 67.
Hockey Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr is 62.
Actor-comedian Janeane Garofalo (juh-NEEN’ guh-RAH’-fuh-loh) is 60.
Actor Maria Canals-Barrera is 58.
Actor Mira Sorvino is 57.
Actor Naomi Watts is 56.
Olympic gold medal swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg is 49.
Today is Thursday, Sept. 19, the 263rd day of 2024. There are 103 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Sept. 19, 2022, Great Britain and the world said a final goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II at a state funeral that drew presidents and kings, princes and prime ministers — and crowds who thronged the streets of London.
Also on this date:
In 1796, President George Washington’s farewell address was published. In it, America’s first chief executive advised, “Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
In 1881, the 20th president of the United States, James A. Garfield, died 2 1/2 months after being shot by Charles Guiteau; he was succeeded by Vice President Chester A. Arthur.
In 1955, President Juan Peron of Argentina was ousted after a revolt by the army and navy.
In 1957, the United States conducted its first contained underground nuclear test, code-named “Rainier,” in the Nevada desert.
In 1985, the Mexico City area was struck by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 9,500 people.
In 1988, Olympic diver Greg Louganis suffered a concussion after striking his head on the diving board during the preliminary round of the 3-meter springboard diving competition at the Seoul Summer Games; Louganis would recover from the injury and win a gold medal in the event the following day.
In 1995, The New York Times and The Washington Post published the manifesto of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski (kah-ZIHN’-skee), which proved instrumental in identifying and capturing him.
In 2004, Hu Jintao (hoo jin-tow) became the undisputed leader of China with the departure of former President Jiang Zemin (jahng zuh-MEEN’) from his top military post.
In 2008, struggling to stave off financial catastrophe, the Bush administration laid out a radical bailout plan calling for a takeover of a half-trillion dollars or more in worthless mortgages and other bad debt held by tottering institutions. Relieved investors sent stocks soaring on Wall Street and around the globe.
In 2011, Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees recorded his 602nd save, making him baseball’s all-time leader in the category.
Today’s Birthdays:
Actor Rosemary Harris is 97.
Singer-songwriter Paul Williams is 84.
Singer Bill Medley (The Righteous Brothers) is 84.
Come dinnertime, pasta made with corn, rice, lentils or chickpeas can be a godsend to those with gluten sensitivities. But it also can break their hearts, just a little.
Not only is gluten-free pasta super expensive when compared to “regular” spaghetti, rigatoni and other noodles made with milled durum wheat, but it’s tough to find a gluten-free product that’s not gummy or doesn’t generally taste like mush.
That’s my son Jack’s view, anyway. He’s avoided eating anything with gluten for about a decade due to celiac disease.
As someone who absolutely adores, cooks and eats a lot of pasta, I can’t imagine how hard that must be. So the mom in me is always on the lookout for a tasty alternative he might enjoy.
A great sauce can help disguise the weird (some might say off-putting) textures that are a signature characteristic of gluten-free pasta. But what my kid misses most is wheat-free pasta that not only tastes like the real deal he remembers from childhood, but also boasts the same structural integrity.
This recipe, which couples highly rated Le Veneziane gluten-free potato gnocchi with an easy, cheesy cream sauce kissed with fresh lemon, just might be the answer.
You won’t miss the wheat in this gluten-free gnocchi tossed with spinach and peas in a lemony cream sauce. (Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)
Made with minimal prep in a single skillet, it takes about 15 minutes to pull together and includes one of the healthiest leafy greens, fresh spinach, along with peas, which are loaded with fiber and a great source of inexpensive plant-based protein.
True, the light cream, cheese and butter in the dish add calories and dreaded fat. But so long as you go easy on the serving size and don’t eat the entire pan yourself (Jack, are you listening?), it’s a wonderful occasional comfort food for the gluten-sensitive.
To make it less rich, substitute half-and-half for the cream and add more lemon or chicken broth. It’s best served right from the stove. If you have leftovers, you’ll want to add a little broth when you rewarm it.
You can find Le Veneziane gnocchi on Amazon. Like most gluten-free products, it’s a bit of a splurge, but worth it.
“This is the best thing you’ve ever made me,” raved my kid after I fed him and his wife.
Gnocchi with lemon, peas and spinach
PG tested
2 17.5-ounce packages gluten-free gnocchi, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely minced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
1/2 cup gluten-free vegetable broth
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup light cream or half-and-half
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
2 or 3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 cup frozen peas
Crushed red pepper flakes or chopped chives, for garnish
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions (about 2 minutes, or until they float to the top).
Drain and set aside. To keep them from sticking together while you make the sauce, drizzle with a little olive oil or add a bit of butter and stir to combine.
To make the sauce, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook for 1 minute. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour and slowly pour in the broth. Whisk in lemon zest and lemon juice
Pour in heavy cream and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium low and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens a bit.
Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted. Add chopped spinach and frozen peas and cook for 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. If you want a thicker sauce, you can cook for a few more minutes, stirring to help it thicken up.
Stir in cooked gnocchi and cook for 1 minute or until heated through.
Plate the gnocchi, spooning the sauce and peas over the top. Garnish with crushed red pepper, basil or chives, and extra Parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!
WASHINGTON (AP) — To many Democrats, Kamala Harris was everything Joe Biden was not in confronting Donald Trump on the debate stage: forceful, fleet of foot, relentless in going after her opponent.
In a pivot from Biden’s debate meltdown in June, Democrats who gathered in bars, watch parties and other venues Tuesday night found lots to cheer in her drive to rattle the Republican.
In a race for the White House that surveys say is exceptionally close, with both sides looking for an edge, it was the Democrats who came away more exuberant after the nationally televised debate.
“She prosecuted Donald Trump tonight,” said Alina Taylor, 51, a high school special education teacher who joined hundreds of people on a football field of the historically Black Salem Baptist Church of Abington in a suburb of Philadelphia, where people watched on a 33-foot (10 meter) screen.
As for Trump, she said, “I was appalled” by his performance. “People were laughing at him because he wasn’t making very much sense.”
People watch the ABC News presidential debate between Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump at a debate watch party at The Abbey on September 10, 2024 in West Hollywood, California. Harris and Trump are facing off in their first presidential debate of the 2024 presidential cycle. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
In Seattle, people gathered at Massive, a queer nightclub where scores watched the debate on a projector set up in front of the club’s large disco ball. The crowd laughed and cheered when Trump branded Harris a Marxist. More cheers when the debate moderator called out Trump’s false claim that some states legalize the killing of babies after birth.
“He’s getting smoked,” one said.
But in Brentwood, Tennessee, Sarah Frances Morris heard nothing at her watch party to shake her support of Trump.
“I think he beat her on the border,” she said. “I think he also beat her on actually having plans and letting the American people know what those are. And I think that Kamala Harris likes to mention that she has plans for things, but she doesn’t actually ever elaborate on what those plans are.”
Morris conceded she was watching history being made, “because we have our first Black woman running for president.” But, she added, “I don’t think she delivered to get her to that place she needed to be.”
Harris supporter Dushant Puri, 19, a UC Berkeley student, said the vice president took command before the first words were spoken — when she crossed the stage to shake Trump’s hand. “I thought that was pretty significant,” Puri said. “It was their first interaction, and I thought Harris was asserting herself.”
At the same watch party, fellow student Angel Aldaco, 21, said that unlike Biden, Harris “came in with a plan and was more concise.”
People watch the presidential debate during a debate watch party at Penn Social on September 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump face off in their first debate Tuesday evening at The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Aldaco was struck by one of the night’s oddest moments, when Trump “went on that rampage about eating pets.” That’s when Trump endorsed a baseless conspiracy theory that immigrants were stealing and eating people’s dogs ands cats. Harris was incredulous. “That was good,” the student said.
It’s questionable how much viewers learned about what Harris would do as president or whether she won over independents or wavering Republicans. But for some Democrats, despondent if not panicked after Biden’s fumbling debate performance, it was enough to see a Democratic candidate getting seriously under Trump’s skin.
“He is pretty incapable when he is riled up,” said Ikenna Amilo, an accountant at a Democratic watch party in a small concert venue in downtown Portland, Maine.
People watch the presidential debate during a debate watch party at Penn Social on September 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump face off in their first debate Tuesday evening at The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“When you poke him, he is really reactive and he doesn’t show the temperament you want in a president, so I think Kamala has shown she’s doing a good job.”
Annetta Clark, 50, a Harris supporter from Vallejo, California, watched at a house party hosted by the Oakland Bay Area chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. To her, the second presidential debate was a mighty relief from the one in June.
“I couldn’t stomach the first one, if I’m being honest,” Clark said. “I tried to watch it and it was a little too much. This one I was able to enjoy.” On Trump’s performance: “It was almost like talking to a child with him.” Harris? “Fabulous job.”
Democrat Natasha Salas, 63, of Highland, Indiana, saw the debate from an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority watch party at a bistro in Markham, Illinois, and welcomed Harris’ call to cool the political temperature — even as the vice president denounced Trump at every turn.
“We all want the same things, Democrats and Republicans,” Salas said. “We are more alike than different. I want to see the country move forward and less divisiveness.”
Interest in the debate transcended national borders. From a shelter for migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, where dozens watched a translated version of the debates on a television, Rakan al Muhana, 40, an asylum-seeker from Gaza, became animated when the candidates discussed Israel and Palestine.
“We are running from the war,” he said. “We are running from the Israeli bombs. He (Trump) doesn’t see us as human. My daughter, who is four months — for him, she’s a terrorist.”
Al Muhana has been on a four-month journey from Gaza to this border city, with his wife and four children. They left when both his mother and father were killed in a bombing.
Associated Press journalists Michael Rubinkam in Philadelphia; George Walker in Nashville; Robert Bukaty in Portland, Maine; Lindsey Wasson in Seattle; Godofredo Vasquez in Berkeley, California; and Gregory Bull in Tijuana, Mexico, contributed to this report.
Today is Sunday, Sept. 8, the 252nd day of 2024. There are 114 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Sept. 8, 1974, one month after taking office, President Gerald R. Ford granted a “full, free, and absolute pardon” to former President Richard Nixon for any crimes committed during Nixon’s presidency.
Also on this date:
In 1504, Michelangelo’s towering marble statue of David was unveiled to the public in Florence, Italy.
In 1565, a Spanish expedition established the first permanent European settlement in North America at present-day St. Augustine, Florida.
In 1664, the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British, who renamed it New York.
In 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a hurricane that killed an estimated 8,000 people; it remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
In 1935, Sen. Huey P. Long, D-La., was fatally shot in the Louisiana State Capitol building.
In 1941, the 900-day Siege of Leningrad by German forces began during World War II.
In 1951, a peace treaty with Japan was signed by 49 nations in San Francisco.
In 1964, public schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia, reopened after being closed for five years by officials attempting to prevent court-ordered racial desegregation.
In 1986, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” began the first of 25 seasons in national syndication.
In 2016, California and federal regulators fined Wells Fargo a combined $185 million, alleging the bank’s employees illegally opened millions of unauthorized accounts for their customers in order to meet aggressive sales goals.
In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II, who spent more than seven decades on the British throne, died at age 96; her 73-year-old son became King Charles III.
Today’s Birthdays:
Former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., is 86.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is 83.
Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis is 74.
Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges is 70.
Author Terry Tempest Williams is 69.
Basketball Hall of Famer Maurice Cheeks is 68.
Actor Heather Thomas is 67.
Singer Aimee Mann is 64.
Actor Thomas Kretschmann is 62.
Alternative country singer Neko (NEE’-koh) Case is 54.
TV personality Brooke Burke is 53.
Actor Martin Freeman is 53.
Actor David Arquette is 53.
TV-radio personality Kennedy is 52.
Actor Larenz Tate is 49.
Singer-songwriter Pink is 45.
Actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas is 43.
Rapper Wiz Khalifa is 37.
MLB pitcher Gerrit Cole is 34.
Actor Gaten Matarazzo (TV: “Stranger Things”) is 22.
Today is Wednesday, Sept. 4, the 248th day of 2024. There are 118 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Sept. 4, 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee began confirmation hearings for future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a day that saw rancorous exchanges between Democrats and Republicans.
Also on this date:
In 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers under the leadership of Governor Felipe de Neve.
In 1944, during World War II, British troops liberated Antwerp, Belgium.
In 1949, more than 140 people were injured following a performance by singer Paul Robeson in Peekskill, N.Y. as an anti-Communist mob attacked departing concertgoers.
In 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus ordered Arkansas National Guardsmen to prevent nine Black students from entering all-white Central High School in Little Rock.
In 1972, U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz became the first to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games, winning a seventh gold at the Munich Olympics in the 400-meter medley relay.
In 1972, the longest-running game show in U.S. history, “The Price is Right,” debuted on CBS.
In 1974, the United States established diplomatic relations with East Germany.
In 1998, Google was founded by Stanford University Ph.D. students Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
In 2016, elevating the “saint of the gutters” to one of the Catholic Church’s highest honors, Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa, praising her radical dedication to society’s outcasts and her courage in shaming world leaders for the “crimes of poverty they themselves created.”
Today’s Birthdays:
Actor Mitzi Gaynor is 93.
Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd is 82.
Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson is 75.
Actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs is 71.
Actor Khandi Alexander is 67.
Actor-comedian Damon Wayans Sr. is 64.
Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza is 56.
DJ-musician-producer Mark Ronson is 49.
Actor Wes Bentley is 46.
Actor Max Greenfield is 45.
Singer-actor Beyoncé is 43.
Actor-comedian Whitney Cummings is 42.
Actor-comedian Kyle Mooney (TV: “Saturday Night Live”) is 40.
Today is Tuesday, Sept. 3, the 247th day of 2024. There are 119 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Sept. 3, 1935, Sir Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive an automobile more than 300 miles-per-hour, speeding across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
Also on this date:
In 1861, during the Civil War, Confederate forces invaded the border state of Kentucky, which had declared its neutrality in the conflict.
In 1894, the United States celebrated the first federal Labor Day holiday.
In 1783, representatives of the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War and recognized U.S. sovereignty.
In 1939, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland; in a radio address, Britain’s King George VI said, “With God’s help, we shall prevail.”
In 1943, Allied forces invaded Italy during World War II, the same day Italian officials signed a secret armistice with the Allies.
In 1976, America’s Viking 2 lander touched down on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the red planet’s surface.
In 1999, a French judge closed a two-year inquiry into the car crash that killed Princess Diana, dismissing all charges against nine photographers and a press motorcyclist, and concluding the accident was caused by an inebriated driver.
In 2019, Walmart said it would stop selling ammunition for handguns and short-barrel rifles, and the store chain requested that customers not openly carry firearms in its stores; the announcement followed a shooting at a Walmart store in Texas that left 22 people dead.
Today’s Birthdays:
Singer-musician Al Jardine (The Beach Boys) is 81.
Actor Valerie Perrine is 81.
Filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet is 71.
Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 69.
Today is Wednesday, Aug. 28, the 241st day of 2024. There are 125 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Aug. 28, 1963, during the March on Washington, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech before an estimated 250,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Also on this date:
In 1845, the first issue of “Scientific American” magazine was published; it remains the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.
In 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run began in Prince William County, Virginia, during the Civil War; the Union army retreated two days later after suffering 14,000 casualties.
In 1898, pharmacist Caleb Bradham of New Bern, North Carolina changed the name of the carbonated beverage he’d created five years earlier from “Brad’s Drink” to “Pepsi-Cola.”
In 1955, Emmett Till, a Black teenager from Chicago, was abducted from his uncle’s home in Money, Mississippi, by two white men after he had allegedly whistled at a white woman four days prior; he was found brutally slain three days later.
In 1957, U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond (D-S.C.) began what remains the longest speaking filibuster in Senate history (24 hours and 18 minutes) in an effort to stall the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
In 1968, police and anti-war demonstrators clashed in the streets of Chicago as the Democratic National Convention nominated Hubert H. Humphrey for president.
In 1988, 70 people were killed when three Italian Air Force stunt planes collided during an air show at the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein (RAHM’-shtyn), West Germany.
In 2005, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation as Hurricane Katrina approached the city.
In 2013, a military jury sentenced Maj. Nidal Hasan to death for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood that claimed 13 lives and left 30 people injured.
In 2016, six scientists completed a yearlong Mars simulation on the big island of Hawaii, where they emerged after living in a dome in near isolation on Mauna Loa.
Today’s Birthdays:
Former Defense Secretary William S. Cohen is 84.
Actor Ken Jenkins (TV: “Scrubs”) is 84.
Former MLB manager and player Lou Piniella (pih-NEHL’-uh) is 81.
Former MLB pitcher Ron Guidry (GIH’-dree) is 74.
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove is 72.
Artist Ai Weiwei is 67.
Actor Daniel Stern is 67.
Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton is 66.
Actor Jennifer Coolidge is 63.
Film director David Fincher is 62.
Country singer Shania (shah-NY’-uh) Twain is 59.
“Pokemon” creator Satoshi Tajiri is 59.
Actor Billy Boyd is 56.
Actor Jack Black is 55.
Hockey Hall of Famer Pierre Turgeon is 55.
Actor Jason Priestley is 55.
Technology executive Sheryl Sandberg is 55.
Olympic gold medal swimmer Janet Evans is 53.
Actor Carly Pope is 43.
Country singer Jake Owen is 43.
Country singer LeAnn Rimes is 42.
Rock singer Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine) is 38.
Actor Quvenzhane (kwuh-VEHN’-zhah-nay) Wallis is 21.
Today is Sunday, Aug. 25, the 238th day of 2024. There are 128 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On August 25, 1916, Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act, establishing the National Park Service as an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior to maintain the country’s natural and historic wonders and “leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Also on this date:
In 1875, Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, crossing from Dover, England, to Calais (ka-LAY’), France, in under 22 hours.
In 1928, an expedition led by Richard E. Byrd set sail from Hoboken, N.J., on its journey to Antarctica.
In 1944, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation during World War II.
1948 – In the House Un-American Activities Committee’s first televised congressional hearing, Alger Hiss denied charges by Whittaker Chambers that Hiss was a communist involved in espionage. (Hiss was later charged with perjury and sentenced to five years in prison, but maintained his innocence until his death in 1996.)
In 1981, the U.S. spacecraft Voyager 2 came within 63,000 miles of Saturn’s cloud cover, sending back pictures of and data about the ringed planet.
In 2001, R&B singer Aaliyah (ah-LEE’-yah) was killed with eight others in a plane crash in the Bahamas; she was 22.
In 2012, Neil Armstrong, 82, who commanded the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing and was the first man to set foot on the moon in July 1969, died in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 2017, Hurricane Harvey, the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade, made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas, with 130 mph sustained winds; the storm would deliver five days of rain totaling close to 52 inches, the heaviest tropical downpour that had ever been recorded in the continental U.S.
In 2020, two people were shot to death and a third was wounded as 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle during a third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. (Rittenhouse, who was taken into custody in Illinois the next day, said he was defending himself after the three men attacked him as he tried to protect businesses from protesters; he was acquitted on all charges, including homicide.)
In 2022, regulators approved California’s plans to require all new cars, trucks and SUVs to run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035.
Today is Monday, Aug. 19, the 232nd day of 2024. There are 134 days left in the year.
Today in History:
On Aug. 19, 2010, the last American combat brigade exited Iraq, seven years and five months after a U.S.-led invasion marked the beginning of the Iraq War.
Also on this date:
In 1692, four men and one woman were hanged after being convicted of witchcraft at Salem in the Province of Massachusetts Bay; the story of one of the men, John Proctor, inspired Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible.”
In 1807, Robert Fulton’s North River Steamboat arrived in Albany, two days after leaving New York on its maiden voyage.
In 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off Nova Scotia during the War of 1812, earning the nickname “Old Ironsides.”
In 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces landed at Benedict, Maryland, with the objective of capturing Washington D.C.
In 1854, 31 U.S. soldiers were killed after one of the soldiers fatally shot Brule Lakota Chief Conquering Bear, sparking the First Sioux War.
In 1909, Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted its first automobile race.
In 1934, German voters approved the vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler.
In 1955, torrential rains caused by Hurricane Diane resulted in severe flooding in the northeastern U.S., claiming some 200 lives.
In 1960, a tribunal in Moscow convicted American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers of espionage. (Although sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, Powers was returned to the United States in 1962 as part of a prisoner exchange.)
In 1980, 301 people aboard Saudia Flight 163 died as the jetliner made a fiery emergency return to the Riyadh airport.
In 2013, South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius was indicted in Pretoria, South Africa, on charges of murder and illegal possession of ammunition for the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his home on Valentine’s Day 2013; Pistorius maintained he’d mistaken her for an intruder. (Pistorius would be found guilty of murder and sentenced to prison; he was released on parole in January 2024.)
Today’s Birthdays:
Former tennis player & coach Renee Richards is 90.
Actor Jill St. John is 84. Author Jack Canfield is 80.
Rock singer Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) is 79.
Former President Bill Clinton is 78.
Actor Gerald McRaney is 77.
Actor Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”) is 76.
Former First Lady Tipper Gore is 76.
Rock bassist John Deacon (Queen) is 73.
Actor-director Jonathan Frakes is 72.
Political consultant Mary Matalin is 71.
Actor Peter Gallagher is 69.
Actor Adam Arkin is 68.
Actor Martin Donovan is 67.
Football Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz is 66.
Musician Ivan Neville is 65.
Football Hall of Famer Morten Andersen is 64.
Actor John Stamos is 61.
Actor Kyra Sedgwick is 59.
Actor Kevin Dillon is 59.
Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 58.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is 57.
Country singer Clay Walker is 55.
Rapper Fat Joe is 54.
Olympic gold medal tennis player Mary Joe Fernandez is 53.
Actor Erika Christensen is 42.
Actor Melissa Fumero is 42.
Olympic gold medal snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis (jay-kuh-BEHL’-ihs) is 39.
Today is Monday, Aug. 5, the 218th day of 2024. There are 148 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Aug. 5, 1962, South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested on charges of leaving the country without a passport and inciting workers to strike; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment.
Also on this date:
In 1861, Abraham Lincoln signed the Revenue Act of 1861, which levied the first income tax on Americans (a flat tax of 3% on those making over $800/year) to help fund the Union’s Civil War effort.
In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Adm. David G. Farragut led his fleet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama.
In 1884, the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal was laid on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor.
In 1914, what’s believed to be the first electric traffic light system was installed in Cleveland, Ohio, at the intersection of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue.
In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the 200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals.
In 1953, Operation Big Switch began as remaining prisoners taken during the Korean War were exchanged at Panmunjom.
In 1957, the music and dance show “American Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark, made its national network debut, beginning a 30-year run on ABC-TV.
In 1962, Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from “acute barbiturate poisoning.”
In 1964, U.S. Navy pilot Everett Alvarez Jr. became the first American flier to be shot down and captured by North Vietnam; he was held prisoner until February 1973.
In 1974, the White House released transcripts of subpoenaed tape recordings showing that President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, had discussed a plan in June 1972 to use the CIA to thwart the FBI’s Watergate investigation; revelation of the tape sparked Nixon’s resignation.
In 2010, thirty-three workers were trapped in a copper mine in northern Chile after a tunnel caved in (all were rescued after being entombed for 69 days).
In 2011, the sun-powered robotic explorer Juno rocketed toward Jupiter on a five-year quest to discover the secret recipe for making planets. (Juno reached Jupiter on July 4, 2016.)
Today is Tuesday, July 30, the 212th day of 2024. There are 154 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On July 30, 1976, Caitlyn Jenner, who was then known as Bruce Jenner, set a world record of 8,618 points and won the gold medal in the Olympic decathlon at the Montreal Summer Games.
Also on this date:
In 1619, the first representative assembly in Colonial America convened in Jamestown in the Virginia Colony.
In 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces tried to take Petersburg, Virginia, by exploding a gunpowder-laden mine shaft beneath Confederate defense lines; the attack failed.
In 1916, German saboteurs blew up a munitions plant on Black Tom, an island near Jersey City, New Jersey, killing about a dozen people.
In 1930, Uruguay won the first FIFA World Cup, defeating Argentina 4-2.
In 1945, the Portland class heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, having just delivered components of the atomic bomb to Tinian in the Mariana Islands during World War II, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine; only 316 out of nearly 1,200 service members survived.
In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure making “In God We Trust” the national motto, replacing “E Pluribus Unum.”
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965, which led to the creation of Medicare and Medicaid.
In 2008, ex-Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic (RA’-doh-van KA’-ra-jich) was extradited to The Hague to face genocide charges after nearly 13 years on the run. (He was sentenced by a U.N. court in 2019 to life imprisonment after being convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.)
In 2012, three electric grids in India collapsed in a cascade, cutting power to 620 million people in the world’s biggest blackout.
In 2013, U.S. Army Pfc. Chelsea Manning was acquitted of aiding the enemy — the most serious charge she faced — but was convicted of espionage, theft and other charges at Fort Meade, Maryland, more than three years after she’d spilled secrets to WikiLeaks. (The former intelligence analyst was later sentenced to up to 35 years in prison, but the sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama in his final days in office.)
In 2016, 16 people died when a hot air balloon caught fire and exploded after hitting high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture near Lockhart, Texas, about 70 miles northeast of San Antonio.
Today’s Birthdays:
Former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is 90.
Blues musician Buddy Guy is 88.
Singer Paul Anka is 83.
Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is 77.
Actor Jean Reno is 76.
Actor Ken Olin is 70.
Actor Delta Burke is 68.
Law professor Anita Hill is 68.
Singer-songwriter Kate Bush is 66.
Film director Richard Linklater is 64.
Actor Laurence Fishburne is 63.
TV personality Alton Brown is 62.
Actor Lisa Kudrow is 61.
Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Mullin is 61.
Actor Vivica A. Fox is 60.
Actor Terry Crews is 56.
Actor Simon Baker is 55.
Film director Christopher Nolan is 54.
Actor Tom Green is 53.
Actor Christine Taylor is 53.
Actor Hilary Swank is 50.
Olympic gold medal beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor is 47.
Actor Jaime Pressly is 47.
Alt-country singer-musician Seth Avett (AY’-veht) is 44.
Today is Friday, July 27, the 209th day of 2024. There are 157 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting on the Korean peninsula that killed an estimated 4 million people.
Also on this date:
In 1789, President George Washington signed a measure establishing the Department of Foreign Affairs, forerunner of the Department of State.
In 1866, Cyrus W. Field finished laying out the first successful underwater telegraph cable between North America and Europe.
In 1909, during the first official test of the U.S. Army’s first airplane, Orville Wright flew himself and a passenger, Lt. Frank Lahm, above Fort Myer, Virginia, for one hour and 12 minutes.
In 1940, Billboard magazine published its first “music popularity chart” listing best-selling retail records. In first place was “I’ll Never Smile Again” recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, with featured vocalist Frank Sinatra.
In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to adopt the first of three articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon, charging he had personally engaged in a course of conduct designed to obstruct justice in the Watergate case.
In 1980, on day 267 of the Iranian hostage crisis, the deposed Shah of Iran died at a military hospital outside Cairo, Egypt, at age 60.
In 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh was abducted from a department store in Hollywood, Fla., and was later murdered (Adam’s father, John Walsh, subsequently became a victim’s rights activist and, in 1988, launched and hosted the television show “America’s Most Wanted”).
In 1996, terror struck the Atlanta Olympics as a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park, directly killing one person and injuring 111. (Anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph later pleaded guilty to the bombing, exonerating security guard Richard Jewell, who had been wrongly suspected.)
In 2012, Britain opened its Olympic Games in a celebration of Old England and new, even cheekily featuring a stunt double for Queen Elizabeth II parachuting with James Bond into Olympic Stadium.
In 2013, security forces and armed men clashed with supporters of Egypt’s ousted president, Mohammed Morsi, killing at least 80 people.
In 2015, the Boy Scouts of America ended its blanket ban on gay adult leaders while allowing church-sponsored Scout units to maintain the exclusion for religious reasons.
In 2018, the White House announced that North Korea had returned the remains of what were believed to be U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War, with a U.S. military plane making a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases of remains.
In 2020, the world’s biggest COVID-19 vaccine study began with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers helping to test shots created by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc.
In 2021, American gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of the gymnastics team competition at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental well-being, saying she realized following a shaky vault that she wasn’t in the right headspace to compete.
Today’s Birthdays:
Singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry is 82.
Actor-director Betty Thomas is 77.
Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 76.
Singer Maureen McGovern is 75.
Comedian-actor-writer Carol Leifer is 68.
Comedian Bill Engvall is 67.
Actor-martial artist Donnie Yen is 61.
Jazz singer Karrin Allyson is 61.
Rock musician Juliana Hatfield is 57.
Actor Julian McMahon is 56.
Former professional wrestler Triple H is 55.
Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (NIH’-koh-lye KAH’-stur WAHL’-dah) is 54.
Comedian Maya Rudolph is 52.
Rock musician Abe Cunningham (Deftones) is 51.
Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn is 50.
Former MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez is 49.
Actor Jonathan Rhys (rees) Meyers is 47.
Actor/comedian Heidi Gardner (TV: “Saturday Night Live”) is 41.
Today is Saturday, July 13, the 195th day of 2024. There are 171 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 13, 1985, the “Live Aid” benefit rock concerts were held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia, raising millions for famine relief in Ethiopia.
Also on this date:
In 1793, French politician, physician and journalist Jean-Paul Marat was assassinated by Charlotte Corday, who stabbed him to death in his bath.
In 1863, deadly rioting against the Civil War military draft erupted in New York City. (The insurrection was put down three days later.)
In 1923, a sign consisting of 50-foot-tall letters spelling out “HOLLYWOODLAND” was dedicated in the Hollywood Hills to promote a subdivision (the last four letters were removed in 1949).
In 1930, the first FIFA World Cup began in Uruguay.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy won the Democratic presidential nomination on the first ballot at his party’s convention in Los Angeles.
In 1973, former presidential aide Alexander P. Butterfield revealed to Senate Watergate Committee staff members the existence of President Richard Nixon’s secret White House taping system.
In 1999, Angel Maturino Resendiz, suspected of being the “Railroad Killer,” surrendered in El Paso, Texas.
In 2013, a jury in Florida cleared neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman of all charges in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager whose killing unleashed furious debate over racial profiling, self-defense and equal justice.
In 2018, a grand jury indictment, sought by special counsel Robert Mueller, alleged that the Russian government was behind a sweeping conspiracy to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
In 2020, Washington’s NFL franchise dropped the “Redskins” name and logo amid pressure from sponsors; the move followed decades of criticism that the name and logo were offensive to Native Americans. (The team was eventually renamed the Commanders.)
Today’s Birthdays:
Game show announcer Johnny Gilbert (TV: “Jeopardy!”) is 96.
Author and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka is 90.
Actor Patrick Stewart is 84.
Actor Harrison Ford is 82.
Singer-guitarist Roger McGuinn (The Byrds) is 82.
Rubik’s Cube inventor Erno Rubik is 80.
Actor-comedian Cheech Marin is 78.
Actor Daphne Maxwell Reid is 76.
Sportswriter and talk show host Tony Kornheiser is 76.
Actor Didi Conn is 73.
Actor Gil Birmingham is 71.
Singer Louise Mandrell is 70.
Former boxing champion Michael Spinks is 68.
Actor-director Cameron Crowe is 67.
Comedian Tom Kenny is 62.
Actor Ken Jeong is 55.
Singer Deborah Cox is 50.
Actor Aya Cash is 42.
Former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is 42.
Today is Friday, July 12, the 194th day of 2024. There are 172 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 12, 1979, as an angry reaction to the popularity of disco music, the Chicago White Sox held the “Disco Demolition Night” promotion, in which a crate of disco records was blown up on the field between games of a double-header; the ensuing riot and damage to the field caused the White Sox to forfeit the second game.
Also on this date:
In 1543, England’s King Henry VIII married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr.
In 1812, United States forces led by Gen. William Hull entered Canada during the War of 1812 against Britain. (However, Hull retreated shortly thereafter to Detroit.)
In 1862, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authorizing the Army Medal of Honor.
In 1909, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, allowing for a federal income tax, and submitted it to the states. (It was declared ratified in February 1913.)
In 1962, the Rolling Stones played their first show, at the Marquee Club in London.
In 1967, rioting erupted in Newark, New Jersey, over the police beating of a Black taxi driver; 26 people were killed in the five days of violence that followed.
In 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale announced his choice of U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running-mate; Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket.
In 1991, Japanese professor Hitoshi Igarashi, who had translated Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses,” was found stabbed to death, nine days after the novel’s Italian translator was attacked in Milan.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton, visiting Germany, went to the eastern sector of Berlin, the first U.S. president to do so since Harry Truman.
In 2003, the USS Ronald Reagan, the first carrier named for a living president, was commissioned in Norfolk, Virginia.
In 2012, a scathing report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh said the late Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials had buried child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky more than a decade earlier to avoid bad publicity.
In 2022, Twitter sued Elon Musk to force him to complete the $44 billion acquisition of the social media company after Musk said he was backing off his agreement to buy the company. (He would eventually become Twitter’s owner three months later.)
Today’s Birthdays:
Writer Delia Ephron is 80.
Fitness guru Richard Simmons is 76.
Singer Walter Egan is 76.
Writer-producer Brian Grazer is 73.
Actor Cheryl Ladd is 73.
Gospel singer Ricky McKinnie (The Blind Boys of Alabama) is 72.
Gospel singer Sandi Patty is 68.
Actor Mel Harris is 68.
Boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez is 62.
Rock singer Robin Wilson (Gin Blossoms) is 59.
Actor Lisa Nicole Carson is 55.
Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is 53.
CBS newsman Jeff Glor is 49.
Actor Anna Friel is 48.
R&B singer Tracie Spencer is 48.
US Senator Kyrsten Sinema is 48.
Actor Topher Grace is 46.
Actor Michelle Rodriguez is 46.
Country singer-musician Kimberly Perry (The Band Perry) is 41.
Actor Natalie Martinez is 40.
Actor Ta’Rhonda Jones is 36.
Golfer Inbee Park is 36.
Actor Rachel Brosnahan is 34.
Olympic gold medal gymnast Jordyn Wieber is 29.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai is 27.
