שיהיה סוף סופית למלחמה הגרועה והעצובה הלילה

Da Pope. Online now, in Chicago soon. #raygun www.raygunsite.com

I never thought my undergrad would end up being brutally mocked by The Onion but here we go (and it's deserved mocking) theonion.com/russell-bran... cc @caseym.org @alexisjsantos.bsky.social

4 April 2025 marked the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Ohrdruf, a forced labor camp near Gotha, Germany. The 89th Infantry Division and the 4th Armored Division are recognized as the liberating forces. My great-uncle, with the 89th, arrived at Ohrdruf in the rain, at 1600 on 6 April 1945.

OpenAI is using Studio Ghibli-style memes as an ad hoc promotional campaign for its new image generator—despite Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki's famous hatred of AI. Sam Altman made his X avatar a 'Ghiblified' portrait. Disgracing Miyazaki is part of the point: It's more proof to them tech has won.

Roses are red Whales are gigantic I texted the war plans To the Atlantic - P. Hegseth

Beyond the sheer artistry of the images, I am not entirely sure just how many people are aware how subversive this brave individual's actions are in the Turkish context. My Ottomanist and early Turkish republic imagery bells are going off in direct rebuke of AKP.

The aims of Israel's unilateral ending of the ceasefire and return to mass bombing in Gaza: 1. Facilitate's Ben Gvir's return to government 2. Passing of budget (before 31 March otherwise early elections) 3. Deflecting public outrage over the attempted sacking of Attorney General, head of Shin Bet

I’m so tired of hearing Rubio & other rightwingers now claiming that if you’re on a green card you’re a ‘guest’ in this country. BS. You’re a lawful permanent resident. The clue is in the name. If someone is a permanent resident in your home, are they the same as the guests who come and go? Come on.

As another Trump-induced market crisis unfolds from tariffs, it's time we ask "What's the Matter with Billionaires?" I've run the numbers. Billionaires do better under Dems. So why do billionaires keep supporting GOP policies against their economic interests? See my latest piece on why. (TLDR 🧵⬇️)

This is a crisis. Please see fundnara.com for details and speak to your Congresspeople and Senators offices. I know I will be, this is a nonpartisan issue and affects us all.

Records preservation and access is a cornerstone of APG’s advocacy efforts; we encourage you to check out FundNARA.com to learn more about what YOU can do to help keep access to the US National Archives open to genealogists, historians, and others with an interest in American history.

What is the relationship between Congress and records preservation and access? Spoiler alert: funding! Join us on Sunday 2 March to understand more and learn how your voice can make a difference. Event is open to all, but registration is required.

!!! At least six federal judges in Texas, along with their clerks and staff, received DOGE’s “tell us what you did last week or else” email. The Chief Judge of the 5th Circuit told judges and staff not to respond. texaslawbook.net/texas-lawboo...

The legacy of the Iron Curtain, like in Poland, still clearly visible in the political fault lines in unified Germany.

OMB director Russ Vought has officially begun carrying out his section of Project 2025. Technical thread to follow, but it’s really important - this is a major path through which the Trump administration will illegally impound funding, refusing to carry out some of our spending laws.

The AP finally sued the White House over its ban. Here's the lawsuit: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

New in PN: AOC shows how to fight back and stand strong "Prominent figures standing up can undermine the climate of fear that MAGA relies on to impose terror. AOC’s work on behalf of her constituents and refusal to be intimidated are models of resistance other Democrats would do well to imitate."

If you are a genealogist, historian, or anyone involved in the field of history, this is a must attend. It is vital that we properly and effectively advocate for the continued funding of NARA. It is our canary in the coal mine.

Incredible public service. @propublica.org has catalogued the DOGE crew and their links to Elon. projects.propublica.org/elon-musk-do...

New: DOGE's spending has been secret. No longer. My colleagues have uncovered it. www.propublica.org/article/doge...

Tyranny requires your fear, your silence, and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul responds to Trump and says he is no king and that she’ll see him in court.

Elon Musk claims DOGE has saved $55 billion, but the numbers don’t add up. DOGE released a list of canceled contracts totaling $16 billion in supposed savings. However, nearly half of that came from an $8 billion ICE contract—except that contract was actually worth just $8 million.

“I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.”

Scoop: The databases powering DOGE.gov are insecure, and people outside the government have already pushed their own updates to the site to prove it: www.404media.co/anyone-can-p...

Interesting piece: www.bostonreview.net/articles/let...

Happy to share that a rare Ottoman Empire Census with surnames for the Jewish community of Izmir that I located has been indexed and published on JewishGen. There will be more to come!

UK govt has announced that they are revising the historical knighthood to Sir Francis Drake to now say it was awarded to Sir Francis Lamar because in western tradition when you have a son he takes your last name

The good news is that reactionary centrists are engaging in some self-reflection on the excesses of the right-wing backlash to 'wokeness.' The bad news is that they are saying it is woke people's fault. archive.is/CaC56

Here is the letter from the Department of Justice ordering SDNY to drop the charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

I wrote about the biggest rap performance of all time, Kendrick’s positioning of anti-Drake-ness as part of a larger pro-Blackness and justice for Serena Williams andscape.com/features/gen...

Me in my natural element explaining esoteric legal sources for genealogy (photo shows me pointing at a cizye register from Izmir and explaining it, taken by @caitlinhollander.bsky.social at my presentation yesterday on Sephardic genealogy and history)

In a sentence never before uttered by humans, I am delighted to share that an alligator stole my conservation instructor’s hat by jauntily walking into the water while wearing it 🐊

We need to talk about the Federal Records Act. Everything else is a distraction.

Have you checked out our brand new website, all about the AWFUL proposed legislation that got snuck into New York's proposed budget, which would destroy public access to birth, marriage, and death records -- and even the basic indices? Well, you should. www.nysvitalrecords.org

In the never ending search for confirming family stories, today, I finally found proof that my gg grandfather was indeed a legitimate resident in Moscow during the time when legitimate Jewish settlement in the city was highly restricted. That proof? The birth of his first son that no one knew about!

it is very telling of these guys’ conception of how power works that they see issuing a flurry of executive orders as evidence of presidential strength and vigor and not a sign that the president is too weak to pursue a serious legislative agenda

Incredible stuff futurism.com/trump-admin-...

It's no exaggeration to say today brought a truly historical weather event to the Gulf Coast - lots of places all the way down to the water got over 6-8 inches of snow, shattering records going as far back as 1895 in some places. Let's review what caused this historic event 🧵

lmao

New in PN: The "find out" phase begins "Trump’s campaign was ugly, dystopian, and authoritarian. His first presidency was a disaster. A near majority of voters pulled the lever to put him back in charge anyway. Put bluntly, we, as a country, fucked around. And now ..."

Most holdings in Presidential Libraries aren't online either - not quite 3% of the 692 million textual pages. Oh yea, did you know NARA is responsible for administration of the Presidential Library System? All under NARA's tiny budget. Call for Congress to #fundNARA. www.archives.gov/findingaid/p...

New in PN: Jack Smith reminds us of the futility of truth in the Trump era "Smith’s final report feels a bit quaint, a relic of an era that started off hopefully but is now fully behind us. It's a sad reminder of the futility of truth as Biden exits the scene."

Thanks to the 1,600 people and organisations who responded to the UK Ministry of Justice’s proposals on the retention of wills. Good news: The UK Government has determined not to proceed with any reforms that involve the destruction of original wills Read in full here: www.gov.uk/government/c...

Give "Control Salt Delete" kid a medal you cowards

Best 🧵 series: 1/6 Settlements and Israel's security. The security rational of the settlements is that the threat they face from being embedded within Palestinian communities requires military presence for security, this presence denies terrorists a chance to entrench and build up militarily.

The Five Stages of Tankie Grief 1. They didn't capture Aleppo 2. They didn't capture Hama 3. They didn't capture Homs 4. They didn't capture Damascus 5. That's not Assad in Moscow.