On this day in 1973, a final jet left the Tan Son Nhut airbase in South Vietnam, ending U.S. direct military involvement in the Vietnam War. The departure marked the end of nearly a decade of combat – and followed years of anti-war demonstrations and protests.

(Bernie Boston)

Gabriel Arana on how the climate for immigration reform has changed since 2006:

Last Sunday, 200,000 immigrant-rights protesters shared the National Mall with a tea-party crowd that shouted racial epithets and spat at members of Congress. Unsurprisingly, the media focused on the histrionics of the tea partiers, but Sunday's immigration demonstration was an important manifestation of the movement's building impatience. In its enthusiasm and optics -- legal and undocumented immigrants chanting "Sí se puede," singing folk songs, and waving both American and Mexican flags -- the demonstration was reminiscent of the immigration protests in 2006.