Daylight Savings Bill, Smoke & Heat, & Sneeze Proudly

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
July 16, 2026

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The House voted 308-117 to make daylight saving time permanent, ending the twice-yearly clock changes if the measure becomes law. The bill now heads to the Senate, where a similar proposal passed in 2022 but ultimately stalled.
Supporters say permanent daylight saving time would provide more evening daylight, benefiting families, businesses and tourism. Opponents argue it would create darker winter mornings, raising safety concerns for schoolchildren and commuters.
A 2025 AP-NORC poll found 56% of Americans favor making daylight saving time permanent, compared with about 40% who prefer permanent standard time. The White House has endorsed the bill, saying President Donald Trump would sign it if Congress gives final approval.

Spain, the U.K., Gibraltar, and the E.U. have implemented a post-Brexit agreement eliminating border checks between Spain and Gibraltar, a small British territory on Spain's southern coast. The deal ends more than four years of negotiations and led to the removal of the border fence that had physically separated the territories since 1908.
The agreement removes routine border checks for the roughly 15,000 Spanish workers who commute to Gibraltar each day and is expected to reduce the long lines that often formed during periods of political tension. Spain will oversee passport checks for travelers arriving at Gibraltar's airport and port, while the territory remains under British sovereignty.
Britain has controlled Gibraltar since 1713, though Spain has long claimed the territory. The border was completely closed from 1969 to 1982 under dictator Francisco Franco, separating families and disrupting the local economy before reopening in 1982.

More than 830 wildfires were burning across Canada yesterday, sending smoke into the Upper Midwest and Northeast and prompting air quality alerts from Minnesota to New York.
Some of the largest fires are burning in western Ontario, with dense smoke expected to spread through cities including Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia and New York City before rain later this week helps disperse some of the haze.
The poor air quality is coinciding with a coast-to-coast heat wave pushing temperatures into the upper 90s and triple digits. Heat index values are forecast to reach 104 degrees in New York City, 105 in Washington, and as high as 107 in Philadelphia, while parts of the Upper Midwest remain under extreme heat warnings through today.

The Pentagon will begin annual testosterone deficiency screenings for troops 30 and older, with treatment offered on a voluntary basis. (More)

A failed House amendment to end U.S. aid to Israel exposed sharp divisions among Democrats, who split nearly evenly on the vote. (More)

One person died and three remained missing after a boat carrying 20 people capsized near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. (More)

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay agreed to pursue a unified aviation market modeled on Europe's, to increase competition and reduce ticket prices. (More)

France's parliament approved legislation allowing some terminally ill adults to receive assisted dying, pending a possible constitutional review. (More)

Hong Kong police raided two independent bookstores and arrested five people accused of selling publications deemed "seditious" under national security laws. (More)

U.S. stock markets closed higher on Wednesday (S&P +0.38%, Nasdaq +0.62%, Dow +0.29%), driven by gains in big tech and cooling inflation data. (More)

The average 30-year mortgage rate climbed to 6.65%, the highest since last August, sending home purchase demand down 7% last week. (More)

Amazon will launch its satellite internet service in South Africa in 2027, beating rival Starlink into the country's largest telecom market. (More)

Argentina scored twice in the final five minutes to beat England 2-1 and advance to a second straight World Cup final. (More)

The NHL will open its 2026-27 season Sept. 29 with champion Carolina raising its Stanley Cup banner before hosting Florida. (More)

The Open Championship begins today at Royal Birkdale, where unusually firm conditions could make this year's major one of the course's toughest tests in years. (More)

Astronomers discovered the faintest planet ever directly imaged, a Jupiter-like world orbiting the young star Beta Pictoris 63 light-years away. (More)

Researchers extracted 50,000-year-old DNA from an African antelope tooth, the oldest genetic material ever recovered from sub-Saharan Africa. (More)

A blood test identified healthy older adults at high risk of developing Alzheimer's symptoms within 5 to 10 years, potentially helping researchers test preventive treatments. (More)

Ranking Europe’s best cities.

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