Why DO we celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

By now, hopefully, most Americans know that the 16th of September and NOT May 5th is Mexican Independence Day. So what exactly happened on this day and why do we celebrate in the United States? Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of the outnumbered and outgunned Mexican army over the French Imperial Army at the Battle of Puebla. Emperor Napoleon III of France (not THE Napoleon) needed a military victory to quell discontent at home, so when the administration of Benito Juárez suspended European debt payments France (along with Spain and Britain) invaded. The Mexican contingency was led by Ignacio Zaragoza, born in what was then Mexican-ruled Goliad, Texas. News of the battle and the role of Zaragoza, "the native son," arrived in Texas as early as 1867 when performers like Onofre Cárdenas from San Ignacio, Texas, sang ballads about both. It was not until the Chicano movement of the 1960s that Cinco de Mayo became widely celebrated in the United States, however. Although the day is technically about the Battle of Puebla, it became a day to celebrate Mexican-American identity. Oh, and the Battle of Puebla only temporarily stopped the French invasion. The French eventually occupied Mexico for three years and installed an Austrian Archduke as Emperor Maximilian of Mexico...and now you know the gist.  

What ARE the "Panama Papers?"

Recently, the news has been awash with stories about two things: Donald Trump losing the Wisconsin primary, ensuring a contested Republican convention, and the "Panama Papers." The Panama Papers are 11.5 million files that were leaked from the database of the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca. The unprecedented leak exposed 143 politicians who were using offshore accounts in various tax havens to stash their cash (you know, secretly). Included in this list are close associates of Russia's Vlamir Putin (shocker), former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Argentina's Mauricio Macri, and the Prime Minister of Iceland (who was forced to resign after all this came to light). Commentators were quick to note that almost no Americans were among the people named. Surely it is because we are a more law abiding society. If only...NBC quotes Ana Owens:

"This firm is one of thousands in the world and there are hundreds or thousands just like it in the U.S. If a company in the U.S. can do the exact thing for you as this company in Panama, then you might as well do it right here in the U.S. And its perfectly legal..." 

So who leaked the story? The firm says they were victims of a hacker, but we don't actually know exactly which hackers. So what does this all this hoopla mean? Only that offshore tax havens may no longer have their biggest selling point: secrecy....and now you know the gist.