My latest @nytimes.com oped shows that the White House is dramatically understating the cost of the war in Iran. By my calculations—and I show my work—this war will cost the typical American family thousands, and it could cost them tens of thousands. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/o...

"It's no big deal that your loved ones died of COVID. In fact, if you think about it, it was sort of their fault that they died."

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BBC News - Happy 100th birthday to broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough. 🎂 www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc... Attenborough: The risk-taker who changed how we see Earth - BBC News

Wanna time travel online? Check out Old'aVista. #genealogy oldavista.com Old'aVista is a search engine focused on personal websites that used to be hosted on services like Geocities, Angelfire, AOL, Xoom and so on.

Looking for fellow photo lovers who realized their pictures have been sitting in boxes like buried treasure. 📸 Some haven’t been seen since the day they were developed. Bringing them back feels like reopening chapters of your life. #Nostalgia www.usatoday.com/story/tech/t...

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In this week’s roundup, Stephen Colbert’s family roots, a frustrating WWI genealogy case, a new DNA company focused on Rusyn ancestry, and more. megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...

Once again offering domains in exchange for donations to @reclaimtherecords.org. Heads-up: there are 4 new ones this time! Shares are appreciated as I'd like as many of these as possible to go to good genealogical homes! 😊 If you see one you're interested in, give me a shout. Thanks! #genealogy

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"How to survive the information crisis: ‘We once talked about fake news – now reality itself feels fake’" www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...

here come the puns

Since we're sadly going to lose The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this month, I wanted to share this article I wrote about Stephen Colbert's roots. Wishing only the best to Stephen and Evie! The Amazing Women in Stephen Colbert’s Family Tree #genealogy

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Congrats to #Florida reporter @jkbjournalist.bsky.social, whose work blowing the lid off the Epstein scandal just won a special citation from this year's Pulitzer judges. www.pulitzer.org/winners/juli...

So frustrating! I researched (William) Henry Johnson, a WWI hero, for his posthumous Medal of Honor award in 2015. Someone emailed today saying Ancestry told them they were a cousin. I checked. 25 trees for him on Ancestry & ALL of them are wrong. ALL have an incorrect spouse & parents. 😠 #genealogy

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Can't wait for this! ☺️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxZg...

This new Banksy statue is a reminder that nothing can be more powerful, more creative, more impactful than human-made art. He's managed to capture the dangers of the current political moment in a single piece of artwork. Absolutely brilliant.

Absolutely bonkers footage of Ukrainian soldiers shooting down Russian drones in prop planes with shotguns. Not ai, came from an official Ukrainian account and verified by the WSJ.

I can't believe that what I'm about to share is a thing, but there's now a company focused specifically on analyzing *Rusyn* DNA! 🤯 Yes, really! 😁 Here's a portion of my Dad's results (and FYI - he's got pan-Rusyn roots that include villages in present-day Slovakia, Ukraine and Poland).

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New Zealand's kiwi bird returns to Wellington hills after a century-long absence

In this week’s roundup, new research milestone, a unique Ancestry partnership, kind words for my Annie Moore book, and more. megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...

“is the silverware on its way?”

I will always support nonfiction writers, especially history nonfiction writers

Speaking as a historian, just wanna add that we are almost certainly going to receive an Era Name that none of us wants or expects

#DNA #geneticgenealogy

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Also: Republicans have sued to stop the Virginia map from going into effect. The election still isn't certified!

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King Charles: I cannot help noticing the readjustments to the East Wing. I'm sorry to say that we British of course made our own small attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814.

Been a while since I shared this one; maybe you need it today. youtu.be/1W3C_xOPT9M?...

I've always liked the number 222 for some reason, so thought I'd share this milestone. As of now, 222 of the soldiers I've had the privilege of researching have been identified and returned home. #heroes #genealogy

AI can bring our ancestors’ stories to life—but what happens when the images aren’t real? I share a recent experience with Google NotebookLM and how I’m rethinking cinematic videos in genealogy.

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This is a very nice video.

I can only hope that this backfires - that they spread themselves so thin that a bunch of now comfortably red seats become competitive in 2026's environment.

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Just wanna say for the record my relationship with NATO is strong as shit NATO and I have sleepovers and stay up way too late and we're tired all day Sunday but it was worth it 'cause we had so much fun at the sleepover and whatnot love you NATO.

So here's a partnership I didn't see coming: Ancestry and Wrexham AFC. ⚽️ #genealogy www.phillyvoice.com/rob-mac-ance...

Kind words for "The Quest for Annie Moore of Ellis Island." ☺️☘️🗽

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As someone who's lived in 1 place in Florida for 11 years - 1st in a gerrymandered district, then in a court-ordered un-gerrymandered district & now in a re-gerrymandered district, 😆. I can stroll to my former district but have to drive 25 miles & over a bridge to get to the bulk of my current one.

We are on our way to Cyprus with good news. I welcome the agreement from the Member States on the 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine for 2026-27 and on 20th sanctions package.

One of the many who’s been inundated with these AI-generated pitches. 🙋🏼‍♀️

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In this week’s roundup, Prince's fascinating roots, a guide to researching Catholic nuns, Irish census records coming online soon, and more. megansmolenyak.com/genealogy-ro...

"Congratulations, Virginia! Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back." - @barackobama.bsky.social bluevirginia.us/2026/04/live...

Though I first wrote about this in 2013, it remains one of my popular pieces. 7 Things You Didn’t Know about Prince’s Roots. smolenyak.medium.com/7-things-you...