Racing was just better in the 80s. It’s not exactly that the horses have changed. They’re still just as fixated on eating grass and running fast as ever. It’s that the sport is different. Once a major mainstay of American culture, racing has been on a steady decline for the last fifty years.Viewership numbers have declined by as much as 30% in the twenty-first century. Local race tracks are shuttering all over the country. The sport just isn’t what it used to be.Good racing moments are still happening all the time. Regardless, the '80s era just hits a little different. Let’s venture back to an era of racing that was less saturated with Instagram, AI, and screen time.1989 Belmont StakesThe 1989 Belmont Stakes was a sort of grudge match of sorts. It’s safe to bet that Easy Goer and Sunday Silence were not aware that they were engaged in a bitter rivalry. The rest of us were quite acquainted with that notion.Sunday Silence had already picked up a few good wins at the Derby and the Preakness, edging out Easy Goer both times to claim the first two legs of the Triple Crown.Second-place finishes were in Easy Goer’s bloodline. The son of Alydar, a horse famous for finishing second in all three Triple Crown Races, it looked like Easy Goer was born to be the bridesmaid.But no. In 1989, Easy Goer beat Sunday Silence by a decisive eight lengths to take home the win.1980 Kentucky DerbyIn 1980 a minor but interesting milestone was achieved at the Kentucky Derby. Genuine Risk became the first filly to win a Triple Crown event since 1915. If you aren’t a horsebreed nerd, that’s ok. You can still appreciate the excitement of the event itself.Genuine Risk took home the Derby in a hotly contested race that certainly justified the event’s slogan: The most exciting two minutes in sports.Genuine Risk was also involved in one of the most controversial races in the sport’s history. At Preakness Stakes, a competing jockey infamously whipped Genuine Risk in the face multiple times without getting disqualified. That jockey, Angel Cordero Junior, would go on to win, but at what cost? Nearly fifty years later, we are still talking about him. And not as fans.  Nonetheless he put his name in this list: https://www.twinspires.com/kentuckyderby/winners/ 1989 Preakness StakesAlex Lacarcy, writing for ABC Sports, described the 1989 Preakness Stakes as “Not unlike a motion picture.” Which is almost a strong language! The event was exciting. Sunday Silence and Easy Goer, at it again.Despite having already won the Kentucky Derby, not much was expected of Sunday Silence. The horse’s owner, Arthur Hancock III explained it like this: "It was somewhat frustrating for us. We weren't getting any respect despite winning the Derby. A lot of people thought it was kind of a fluke."Easy Goer entered the race favored to win. We know now, of course, that it would have its moment, but not at Preakness.Even Hancock wasn’t very confident. “Easy Goer was a magnificent horse, and something like 97 out of 100 sportswriters predicted that he was going to win. That didn't do much for my confidence level."It turns out there was no reason to worry. Despite going into the event with some discomfort and swelling, Sunday Silence pulled out the win. And though we know that Easy Goer would ultimately keep it from winning the Triple Crown, Sunday Silence is still remembered as one of the best horses of the 1980s.Is Sports Nostalgia Silly?Well, is it? So many of us sporting fans look back fondly at games we continue to tune into every day. Basketball fans remember the Michael Jordan era with such intense fondness that modern ballers could never hope to compare.Golf fans know that Tiger’s 2000 run will never be surpassed. Baseball fans long for the vintage Yankees.Is there something naturally silly and self-defeating about only looking back? Of course, there is. New stars are born all the time. When we look back at sporting events of the past, we aren’t just admiring the game. We are remembering who we were at the time.Maybe you grew up in the 80s and you miss that feeling of relaxed responsibility only possible for a teenager or young adult. Maybe you are just nostalgic for any era that predates cell phones. Understandable.Racing is different now. It’s still great. Need proof? The Kentucky Derby will soon be upon us. You’ll see racing at its very best during the most exciting two minutes in sports this year. Place a  bet. Pour yourself a mint julep. Watching knowing that maybe fifteen years down the line, you’ll be feeling nostalgic for the exact moment you have in your hands right now.

A non-partisan ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), has filed a complaint against Georgia Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff, accusing him of violating Senate ethics rules by directly linking official action to a request for campaign contributions. FACT sent a letter to Ethics Committee Chairman Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and Vice-Chairman Chris Coons (D-DE) in which they stated: On March 14th, 2025, Senator Ossoff sent out an email that contained only two subjects: (1) that he planned to vote against a specific bill; and (2) a request for a campaign contribution. The email began with the statement, “I will vote ‘NO’ on the Trump/Musk/Johnson ‘CR.’” Following several statements about the bill, he then makes a direct request for a campaign contribution: “If you can afford it, please rush $5 to Jon Ossoff’s re-election campaign today. If you’ve stored your info with ActBlue, we’ll process your contribution instantly.”  “Senate Ethics Rules specifically prohibit Senators from soliciting campaign contributions based upon any action taken in their official capacity,” the letter continued. “By linking a promise of official action with campaign contributions, a Senator violates a ‘basic principle’ of Senate Ethics that guards against conflicts of interest.” “Voting on legislation is one of the primary jobs of a Senator, which simply cannot be tied to campaign fundraising. The ethics rules forbid certain practices in campaign fundraising, and linking it to official action is one that is simply not allowed–and for good reason. This fundraising tactic dangerously incentivizes Senators to take official action based on their estimation of what will raise the most campaign funds. Senators, who are nearly always raising campaign funds, will be rightly seen as making important official decisions based on what will bring in the most money—not on the merits of an issue,” said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT. Ossoff won his seat in the Senate in 2021 in a run-off election after GOP candidate David Perdue defeated him in the November 2020 general election but narrowly missed getting 50% of the vote. His victory in the run-off election, along with Raphael Warnock’s win in another run-off, gave Georgia two Democratic U.S. senators and gave the Democrats a majority in the Senate. Ossoff is up for re-election in 2026, and there’s a good chance he will be opposed by Georgia’s enormously popular GOP governor, Brian Kemp.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that 17 more “foreign gang terrorists” identified as members of Tren de Aragua or MS-13 by the State Department had been deported to El Salvador. Rubio’s announcement comes as the administration has been locked in a battle with a federal judge over President Donald Trump’s ability to deport suspected members of gangs designated as terrorist networks. Rubio did not disclose who specifically had been sent to El Salvador but said some were guilty of murder and rape.  “Last night, in a successful counter-terrorism operation with our allies in El Salvador, the United States military transferred a group of 17 violent criminals from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 organizations, including murderers and rapists,” Rubio announced. “In order to keep the American people safe, President Trump designated the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. These criminals will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens.” Rubio thanked El Salvador President Nayib Bukele for his “unparalleled partnership” with the United States to crack down on gang crime.  Last night, in a successful counter-terrorism operation with our allies in El Salvador, the United States military transferred a group of 17 violent criminals from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 organizations, including murderers and rapists.  In order to keep the American people… — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) March 31, 2025 Bukele confirmed the operation and posted of the alleged gang members being escorted off a U.S. Air Force plane and brought into El Salvadoran custody. The video shows the men having their heads shaved and being thrown behind bars.  “Last night, in a joint military operation with our allies from the United States, we transferred 17 extremely dangerous criminals linked to Tren de Aragua and MS-13,” Bukele said. “All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists. This operation is another step in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.” Last night, in a joint military operation with our allies from the United States, we transferred 17 extremely dangerous criminals linked to Tren de Aragua and MS-13. All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists. This operation… pic.twitter.com/Tk1Xq7vnuB — Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 31, 2025 Earlier this month, the Trump administration deported 250 suspected gang members to El Salvador. That action has been at the center of a subsequent legal battle as Judge James Boasberg issued a temporary order blocking the administration from deporting illegal migrants under the Alien Enemies Act.  The Justice Department has invoked state secrets privilege in response to requests from Boasberg for more specifics on the flights. The DOJ told the judge that national security concerns prevent the administration from divulging more information on the deportations.  On Friday, the DOJ asked the Supreme Court to intervene, saying that Boasberg threatened the “government’s sensitive negotiations with foreign powers” with his orders. 

Three U.S. Army soldiers were found dead on Monday, and the search for a fourth is ongoing after their vehicle sank in a peat bog during a training exercise in Lithuania last week. Four soldiers assigned to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, went missing “in the early morning hours” last Tuesday while driving an M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle during a training mission. They were on a mission to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle, according to a statement from U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The identities of the three deceased soldiers are being withheld until their families are notified as “search and recovery operations continue for the remaining fourth Soldier.” U.S. Navy divers found the armored vehicle “four meters below the water’s surface and encased in about two meters of mud.” The recovery effort lasted six days and “required tremendous resources from Lithuania” as officials solved “the engineering challenge of recovering the 63-ton-vehicle from an area surrounded by unstable ground conditions.” The M88A2 Hercules was finally removed from the soft, spongy wetland after the military “brought in excavators, sluice and slurry pumps, other heavy construction equipment, technical experts, and several hundred tons of gravel and earth to enable the recovery.” A U.S. Army social media account posted photos of the recovery operation, writing, “Together we will bring our Soldiers home.” Together we will bring our Soldiers home #WeWillNotRest #MesNenurimsime #NieSpoczniemy #StrongerTogether #WeAreNATO #SwordOfFreedom pic.twitter.com/D7W8PlJ8kk — U.S. Army Europe and Africa (@USArmyEURAF) March 31, 2025 “Today is a very sad and tragic day. The loss of these Soldiers weighs heavy on me, the hearts of all Task Force Iron service members, and the 3rd Infantry Division. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of these brave Soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commander of Task Force Iron and the 1st Armored Division. “I’d like to personally commend the heroic efforts of the search parties, and especially our Lithuanian allies who were instrumental in the recovery efforts. Their courage and commitment to this operation will always be remembered and demonstrates the strong relationship between our countries. However, search and recovery efforts are not complete – they will continue until we bring all of our Soldiers home.” After the soldiers went missing last week and their vehicle was found submerged in the swamp, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said all four soldiers had died. The United States did not confirm any deaths until Monday morning.

'Massive damage'

'Outrageously bad and stupid'

This list brings together ten memorable tracks where “everything” takes center stage, each offering a distinct perspective within the genre. Jethro Tull’s “A Time for Everything?” blends progressive rock with folk influences, highlighting the band’s signature approach to introspective storytelling. Bread’s “Everything I Own” resonates as a heartfelt ballad of love and loss, showcasing David Gates’ smooth, emotive vocal style. Cyndi Lauper’s “Money Changes Everything” delivers a sharp new wave edge, reflecting on how relationships shift when finances come into play. Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” epitomizes the power ballad, blending earnest lyricism with a The post 10 Best Songs With The Word ‘Everything’ In The Title appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.