DAILYCALLER (Nicole Silverio) - Mitch McConnell’s Staff Won’t Disclose If Senator Will Return After Recess
‘No additional guidance or announcements’
AMERICANALMANAC (Jack Newsome) - Upstate New York town near Fort Drum ranked among America's least livable communities
LeRay, New York, a small town built around one of the busiest Army posts in the country, landed in the bottom ten of AARP's national Livability Index, dragged down by inflated housing costs, drinking water problems, and rock-bottom civic engagement. The town of roughly 25,700 residents, wedged against Fort Drum in far-upstate New York just […] The post Upstate New York town near Fort Drum ranked among America's least livable communities appeared first on American Almanac .
LeRay, New York, a small town built around one of the busiest Army posts in the country, landed in the bottom ten of AARP's national Livability Index, dragged down by inflated housing costs, drinking water problems, and rock-bottom civic engagement. The town of roughly 25,700 residents, wedged against Fort Drum in far-upstate New York just outside Watertown, scored a 38 on the AARP Livability Index, twelve points below the national average of 50. That score ties LeRay with Pahrump, Nevada, a community outside Las Vegas, for fourth worst among mid-sized communities nationwide. LeRay is the only New York State entry on the bottom-ten list, the New York Post reported . AARP's index grades communities on a 100-point scale using 61 measures…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - A boa constrictor named Princess lands a role at the Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera held auditions for a live snake to appear in its upcoming production of "Così fan tutte", and a yellow-peach boa constrictor named Princess got the part. The Met requires every performer who sets foot, or, in this case, belly, on its stage to audition. On Friday, August 28, the institution opened its […] The post A boa constrictor named Princess lands a role at the Metropolitan Opera appeared first on American Almanac .
The Metropolitan Opera held auditions for a live snake to appear in its upcoming production of "Così fan tutte", and a yellow-peach boa constrictor named Princess got the part. The Met requires every performer who sets foot, or, in this case, belly, on its stage to audition. On Friday, August 28, the institution opened its doors to a lineup of boa constrictors vying for a role in its adaptation of Mozart's 1790 opera, reimagined as a 1950s Coney Island carnival. The Associated Press reported that Princess, a large sun-glow boa constrictor, was selected on a trial basis, with a smaller brown boa named Nala tapped as understudy. The auditions were no formality. Zoe Ziegfeld, a carnival performer turned opera actor cast as the…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Four thousand swifts spiral into an Oregon church chimney in annual migration spectacle
Roughly 4,000 Vaux's swifts descended on a Salem, Oregon church at dusk, swirling above the steeple and plunging into its chimney in a display that had social-media viewers half-joking about the apocalypse. The birds funneled into the brick chimney of Salem First United Methodist Church on September 6, forming what onlookers described as a living […] The post Four thousand swifts spiral into an Oregon church chimney in annual migration spectacle appeared first on American Almanac .
Roughly 4,000 Vaux's swifts descended on a Salem, Oregon church at dusk, swirling above the steeple and plunging into its chimney in a display that had social-media viewers half-joking about the apocalypse. The birds funneled into the brick chimney of Salem First United Methodist Church on September 6, forming what onlookers described as a living cyclone above the building before vanishing inside, one wave after another, to roost for the night. Willamette University professor David P Craig captured the spectacle on video and shared it on Instagram , where the footage quickly spread. The event is part of a well-documented annual pattern. Vaux's swifts, tiny birds measuring no more than five inches long and weighing just over half an…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Ken Jacobs) - Skeleton in a jar: archaeologists piece together a young Roman's final moments in Bulgaria
Archaeologists in Bulgaria have unearthed the skeleton of a young man who climbed into a storage jar to hide from attackers roughly 1,600 years ago, and never climbed out. Professor Lyudmil Vagalinski of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences announced the discovery on August 10, after his team dug through layers of construction debris at the […] The post Skeleton in a jar: archaeologists piece together a young Roman's final moments in Bulgaria appeared first on American Almanac .
Archaeologists in Bulgaria have unearthed the skeleton of a young man who climbed into a storage jar to hide from attackers roughly 1,600 years ago, and never climbed out. Professor Lyudmil Vagalinski of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences announced the discovery on August 10, after his team dug through layers of construction debris at the ancient Roman city of Deultum. Inside a burned-out defensive tower at the city's western gate, they found the lower half of a massive clay storage jar, and, crouched within it, the remains of a young man who had been sealed beneath a replacement floor for sixteen centuries. The find offers a grim, human-scale window into the collapse of Roman order along the empire's eastern frontier. Deultum, one of…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Stella Parton says Dolly was at peace before her death — but Nashville's silence has stung
Dolly Parton's sister Stella says the country music legend was "definitely prepared" and at peace when she died after a cancer battle, but the Nashville entertainment community has offered the family not a single word of condolence. Stella Parton sat down with CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King for an exclusive interview at RCA Studio A […] The post Stella Parton says Dolly was at peace before her death — but Nashville's silence has stung appeared first on American Almanac .
Dolly Parton's sister Stella says the country music legend was "definitely prepared" and at peace when she died after a cancer battle, but the Nashville entertainment community has offered the family not a single word of condolence. Stella Parton sat down with CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King for an exclusive interview at RCA Studio A in Nashville, the same recording studio where Dolly cut some of her most iconic tracks, and spoke openly about her sister's final days, her nearly six-decade marriage, and a cold shoulder from the industry Dolly helped build. Dolly Parton died late last month after battling cancer. She was 80 years old. Her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, had died the previous March after nearly 60 years of marriage. Stella…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Sadie Smith) - Henry Winkler says he was 'out of my mind' before starting therapy at 70
Henry Winkler, the 80-year-old actor beloved for playing the Fonz on "Happy Days," opened up about the decade of talk therapy he credits with saving his relationships and transforming his acting career. In an interview on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" released September 9, Winkler described years of emotional shutdown that kept him from connecting […] The post Henry Winkler says he was 'out of my mind' before starting therapy at 70 appeared first on American Almanac .
Henry Winkler, the 80-year-old actor beloved for playing the Fonz on "Happy Days," opened up about the decade of talk therapy he credits with saving his relationships and transforming his acting career. In an interview on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" released September 9, Winkler described years of emotional shutdown that kept him from connecting with his wife of nearly 50 years, Stacey Weitzman, and from reaching the depth his craft demanded. He started therapy around age 70, late by any measure, and says the work changed everything, including the Emmy-winning performance that followed. Winkler did not sugarcoat where he was before he picked up the phone. He told Bensinger he had spent decades rationalizing, smoothing things over in…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Tom Jones says ITV pushed him off 'The Voice UK' over insurance costs, not a 'creative refresh'
Sir Tom Jones, 86, says ITV removed him from his longtime coaching chair on The Voice UK because of insurance costs, and he wants the public to know the network's official story doesn't match what he was told. Jones broke his silence in an Instagram statement that directly contradicted ITV's public framing of his departure […] The post Tom Jones says ITV pushed him off 'The Voice UK' over insurance costs, not a 'creative refresh' appeared first on American Almanac .
Sir Tom Jones, 86, says ITV removed him from his longtime coaching chair on The Voice UK because of insurance costs, and he wants the public to know the network's official story doesn't match what he was told. Jones broke his silence in an Instagram statement that directly contradicted ITV's public framing of his departure from Season 15. The network called the shakeup a "creative refresh." Jones called it something else: a firing driven by "financial difficulty with insurance." The two accounts cannot both be true, and Jones made clear he has no interest in letting the network's version stand unchallenged. The Welsh singer has coached on The Voice UK for fourteen years, starting with the show's first season on the BBC in 2012. His acts…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alex Tanzer) - Billy Baldwin vows never to work with Sharon Stone again, airing decades-old feud on podcast
Billy Baldwin says he will never share a set with Sharon Stone again, detailing a bitter on-set falling-out during their 1993 thriller Sliver that he claims left him refusing even to kiss her on camera. Baldwin, 63, made the remarks on the Lisa Guerrero Unleashed podcast, calling it the first time he had spoken publicly […] The post Billy Baldwin vows never to work with Sharon Stone again, airing decades-old feud on podcast appeared first on American Almanac .
Billy Baldwin says he will never share a set with Sharon Stone again, detailing a bitter on-set falling-out during their 1993 thriller Sliver that he claims left him refusing even to kiss her on camera. Baldwin, 63, made the remarks on the Lisa Guerrero Unleashed podcast, calling it the first time he had spoken publicly about the full scope of his working relationship with Stone. The actor alleged that Stone, 68, went from friendly to ice-cold within weeks of filming, then spent three months refusing to acknowledge him on set, no "hello," no "goodbye," nothing. The podcast appearance is the latest chapter in a feud that reignited in 2024, when Stone discussed their time on Sliver during an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast. Baldwin…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Evidence against Tyler Robinson in Charlie Kirk killing: confessions, engravings, and a trail of texts
One year after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University, the evidence prosecutors have assembled against the man charged with his murder paints a picture of premeditation, political hostility, and a failed attempt to cover his tracks. Kirk, 31, was struck in the neck by a single.30-06 caliber bullet on […] The post Evidence against Tyler Robinson in Charlie Kirk killing: confessions, engravings, and a trail of texts appeared first on American Almanac .
One year after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University, the evidence prosecutors have assembled against the man charged with his murder paints a picture of premeditation, political hostility, and a failed attempt to cover his tracks. Kirk, 31, was struck in the neck by a single.30-06 caliber bullet on September 10, 2025, while debating in front of thousands at the Orem, Utah, campus. He died from the wound. Two days later, authorities arrested Tyler Robinson, then 22, after a manhunt that included the release of surveillance footage showing a suspect walking across campus with an apparent limp. Robinson, now 23, has pleaded not guilty to all seven charges, including aggravated murder creating a…Open