While campaigning, President Donald Trump said, “We’re a nation in decline.”
Now that he’s president, the left agrees.
“We are witnessing the collapse and implosion of the American empire,” says Cornell West.
Are the predictors of doom correct? Will America collapse like so many civilizations before us?
If we don’t learn from history, says historian Johan Norberg, that might happen.
“It’s a clash within every civilization on whether they should keep going, be open to innovation and progress, or
As we wrap up one year and look hopefully ahead to the next, most in our region are looking forward to the possibility of peace, prosperity, success … all the good things that are possible when the blank slate of an entire year stretches out before us.
Sure, we take some accountability by assigning resolutions to ourselves — improvement plans to which we say we will stick for 365 days. (On the other hand, some eat their pork and sauerkraut and hope for the best knowing they’ve done their part.)
(AP) — Why let New York City have all the fun with its Times Square ball drop on New Year’s Eve?
Dozens of places across the U.S. will ring in 2026 by dropping a quirky assortment of fruits, vegetables, sea creatures and balls of all shapes and sizes. Many have a hometown flair.
There’s the giant cheese wedge in Plymouth, Wisconsin, a chile pepper in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a pinecone in Flagstaff, Arizona, and a conch shell in Key West, Florida.
Pennsylvania is home to a bonanza of bizarre New
To project onto the New Year, political prognostications are always hazardous. Unless one has a crystal ball handy, one can never be sure what will develop. However, you can speculate based on past events about what might happen in Congress and at the White House.
Donald Trump faces a critical period, particularly in the first quarter of 2026. Before Christmas, he received good news in that the economy grew at a healthy 4.3%. But at the exact moment, the Supreme Court ruled that he acted
The lunar change from Taurus to Gemini casts a social and carefree glow over New Year’s Eve. Everything good and bad that’s happened over the last 12 months has brought us to this moment together. And whether we are in the same room or oceans away, we are all under the same stars — and that alone is something worth celebrating.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Out with thinking you must do everything alone. Independence is admirable, but isolation is exhausting. In with supported ambition. Let others
For anyone aiming to cut back drinking, January’s arrival times perfectly. Some may have simply overdone it through the long holiday stretch, when alcohol seemed piped into any vaguely celebratory event. Some may worry that they’re beginning to forget the last drink they accepted.
Recovering alcoholics or others who don’t drink at all have it easier, in one small way. Their intimates get to know that they do not imbibe — not beer, not wine, not liquor — and so don’t push alcohol in their
CHARLESTON – Governor Patrick Morrisey has issued a proclamation granting West Virginia state employees the full day off on Friday, Jan. 2.
State employees automatically receive a half-day off under West Virginia State Rules on Wednesday, Dec. 31, and a full day off on Thursday, Jan. 1, according to West Virginia Code.
“The dedication of our state employees is truly remarkable,” said Morrisey. “They work tirelessly year-round serving the people of West Virginia with professionalism and heart. I
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Whittingham brought plenty of energy on four hours’ sleep Sunday when he was introduced as Michigan’s football coach, saying it was one of five jobs that could bring him out of a short retirement and offering no hesitation about joining a program in the midst of cultural chaos.
And after 21 years as the head coach of Utah, the 66-year-old Whittingham answered perhaps the most important question: Does he dislike Ohio State or will he have to learn?
“I do now,” said
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Anthony Joshua, the Nigerian-British boxer and former world heavyweight champion, was involved in a car accident that killed two other passengers in Nigeria on Monday.
The Lagos state commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotoso, confirmed the accident in a post on X, adding that the government had sent ambulances to the crash site. Local media reports say the boxer has been transferred to a hospital.
According to a statement by Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson for the
HONG KONG (AP) — China’s military on Monday dispatched air, navy and missile units to conduct joint live-fire drills around the island of Taiwan, which Beijing called a “stern warning” against separatist and “external interference” forces. Taiwan said it was placing forces on alert and called the Chinese government “the biggest destroyer of peace.”
Taiwan’s aviation authority said more than 100,000 international air travelers would be affected by flight cancellations or diversions.
The drills
