Estimates show the 1918 flu epidemic killed about 45,000 US soldiers, about 38% of the total US military deaths in WWI. The flu and its secondary illnesses made up the majority of death by disease. Thousands (possibly as many as 36,000) died before making it from basic training to the battlefield.

I think it's useful to think of MAGA political culture as a long running, decentralized reality TV show from which hundreds of "influencers" are profiting by generating new story lines. We're now in season 11 and the shark jumping and brain-breaking plot twists are coming at an accelerating pace.

This is a favorite strawman of the Religious Right, asserting that the exact phrase "separation of church and state" isn't in the Constitution.

They ignore that there are only three references to religion in the entire Constitution, all three of which work to separate church and state.

I took to calling them "hard pants."

An Arch Too Far: Trump's Vanity Monument and the Dishonoring of Arlington National Cemetery How the President's Arch Turns Hallowed Ground Into a Backdrop

The fallen buried at Arlington deserve better than to spend eternity in the shadow of someone else’s ambition. Some places should not be improved. Some views should not be interrupted. Some silences should be left alone. #CivilWarMemory open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...

Now do automatic voter registration.

So true!

First rule of TACO is don't talk about TACO. The President has found a way to climb down from a disastrously ill-conceived war that was not achieving U.S. objectives. Let him.

Y'all there is a woman and a black man circling the moon and NASA's mission control+ science teams are so diverse and people are nerding out about science and exploration this is all a gigantic middle finger to the stupid and hate and grotesque ghouls running our country

I’m wondering about what impact #ArtemisII is having on young people worldwide who see this and think, I’d like do to that. Can I do that? And I hope they can and will and then gather from all corners of the globe to uplift themselves and humanity.

The #ArtemisII mission is just the best of us. So many people collaborating under the aegis of NASA to do great and cool things. Can we all spend more time in this place instead of the other one, please?

Reid Wiseman on #Artemis II: "We have Earth out window 4 and Moon out window 3... the Moon is about 3-4 times the size of the Earth and it is almost full, and the Earth is just a small crescent out there... it's magnificent... such a majestic view out here"

Mission Control: "Amaze, amaze, amaze!"

efore going to sleep on flight day 5, the Artemis II crew snapped one more photo of the Moon, as it drew close in the window of the Orion spacecraft. Orion and the four humans aboard entered the lunar sphere of influence at 12:37 a.m. EDT on April 6, at the tail end of the fifth day of their mission. That marked the point at which the Moon's gravity had a stronger pull on the spacecraft than the Earth's. Artemis II's closet approach to the Moon will come on flight day 6, as they swing around the far side before beginning their journey back to Earth. About an hour after entering the lunar sphere of influence, Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch said, "We are now falling to the Moon rather than rising away from Earth. It is an amazing milestone!"

It is astonishing that humans are able to do these things. This is what happens when we act collectively to solve extremely difficult technical problems. (It works with many other kinds of problems, too.)

You can follow Artemis II's encounter with the Moon starting at 1pm EDT. 🧪🔭

plus.nasa.gov

Off the court: How one basketball star’s death is saving lives | Brookings Research shows that investing in programs and places for youth to participate in sports can reduce gun violence. But what can the people most directly affected do in the wake of tragedy? In this episo...

120 people die from gun violence every day in America. For The Current, Rashawn Ray, Ron Cottrell, and Taren Weaver-Smith discuss how the death of basketball star Darius Lee sparked a movement—and a practical toolkit for coaches to address gun safety and conflict de-escalation with their players.

I hate this!

I hate this so much. I don't want AI to replicate anything about my deceased ancestors' personalities or lives. One, I don't want to give AI that information and two, it's creepy. What, my dead mom is going to say hello? I'd rather use my imagination to research, write and tell their stories my way.

Trump speech is implicit recognition that Iran war is not going well & US options for escalating its way out are bad. 1/

GO FOR LAUNCH!!

This. Is. So. Cooooooooool!!

I love this crossover of literature and pro-cycling. Vive le Tour!

My family history passion starts with a document I like to ask people the question, “if you didn’t have to work for money, what would you do?” My answer? Genealogy and family history research, all the time. My passion for geneal…

I wrote a blog post to answer this very question! Shorter: a family tree document prepared ca. 1973. publichistorian.com/2022/01/24/m...

Any lasting constraints on Iran's nuclear program achieved through this war (none have been achieved yet) should be measured not against the alternative of doing nothing, but against what could have been and was achieved through diplomatic alternatives that the President has repeatedly disregarded.

Bouie: "The evidence in favor of the traditional view of the citizenship clause is overwhelming. To rule otherwise is to say, in essence, that two plus two equals five. ..."

The delayed Trump-Xi summit, Iran, and the US-China relationship | Brookings President Trump's planned visit to Beijing has been postponed to May 14 to 15 because of the ongoing U.S. war with Iran. What does the delay signal about the state of U.S.-China relations, how does Ch...

What does the delayed Trump-Xi summit signal about the state of U.S.-China relations, and how does Chinese leadership read this moment? Brookings China experts unpack on the debut episode of The Beijing Brief—a new podcast going beyond the headlines on U.S.-China relations 🎧

I think this is SUCH an important discussion, and she was so great. Reupping so people know this is out there. I raved to my husband about it all evening— she was fantastic.

President Ford: "... I would hope our Presidents will be remembered for their labors in building better Government rather than for their efforts to constructing public works projects to themselves."

Love this

Reagan Shot: “Don’t you dare say I told you so” On this day, March 30, in 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot by the deranged John Hinckley, Jr. As news came into the school, all of us kids were lined up in the hallway outside our second floo…

45 years ago today, Ronald Reagan was almost assassinated. My sixth grade teacher said to me personally, "Don't you dare say I told you so." I wrote about why she said that: publichistorian.com/2014/03/31/r...

Opinion | Trump Says Birthright Citizenship Was for ‘the Babies of Slaves.’ He’s Wrong.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments about birthright citizenship. Here, for the NYTimes and with Kate Masur, I offer a view of what those of you who think historically should be listening for. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/o...

Kings Don't Like History They Didn't Write The movement in the streets today and the executive order turning one year old are fighting over the same thing: Who gets to tell America's story.

A nation confident in its values does not need to curate what its people are allowed to learn.

My thoughts about the anniversary of Trump's Executive Order calling for "Restoring Truth and Sanity To American History." #CivilWarMemory kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/kings-dont...