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How Should the Australian War Memorial Address the Nation's War on the Indigenous?

The pressure to depict the heroic exploits of Australian forces in service of the Crown has chilled discussion of the nation's internal military history and how it should be publicly acknowledged. Changing leadership of the body responsible for commemoration is an opportunity to take a new course. 

This Conservative Thinks TPUSA is a Dangerous Turn Toward Campus McCarthyism

by Jonathan Marks

Turning Point USA is now a $40 million a year behemoth. Its influence is steering campus conservative culture to the conspiratorial and extreme, "more Alex Jones than Allan Bloom."

"Nature" Editors Acknowledge Journal's Contributions to Scientific Racism

The leading cross-disciplinary science publication acknowledges that it has given a platform to the scientifically discredited writings of eugenicists and has an ongoing obligation to ensure that it does not offer further support for oppression justified by the authority of science. 

The "Stolen Babies" of Fascist Spain Seek the Truth

Some estimate that tens of thousands of babies were taken from poor mothers and secretly sold to elite Catholic families, with compliant government officials providing documentary cover. 

Law Professor Unearths Murder Cases from Jim Crow Era

Margaret Burnham has been appointed by President Biden to a five-person Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board to increase public access to records of unsolved racially motivated crimes. 

Recovering the Story of the Black Men who were the Nation's First Paramedics

In Pittsburgh's Hill District in the 1960s, a group of Black men from a neighborhood where many were considered unemployable revolutionized emergency medical response. But the story of Freedom House has been suppressed. 

Law is Unclear Whether Public College Faculty Have Free Speech Rights in Classroom

The state of Florida contends that, when operating within approved curricula, in-class instruction becomes the state's speech, obviating the First Amendment. It's unclear how much traction this argument will get in court. 

U of Idaho Advises Faculty of Legal Jeopardy for Discussing Abortion in Classrooms

The university's general counsel warned that the vagueness of the state's abortion restrictions means faculty are at risk of prosecution for how they discuss the issue in their classrooms. 

If Putin Says Nuclear Weapons Threat is No Bluff, Believe Him (and Prepare)

by Joseph Cirincione

The first use of nuclear weapons is a part of both Russian and American military strategy; the task for the world is to assess the most likely scenario and plan to respond effectively. 

Do the Italian Elections Reflect a Turn to Fascism or Cynicism?

Giorgio Meloni's electoral success may simply reflect Italians' frustrations with national leadership more than a permanent shift, argues political analyst Yascha Mounk. 

Black Family and Kansas History Converge at Nicodemus Reunion

by Patricia E. Weems Gaston

Descendants of its residents visit Nicodemus, Kansas yearly to take part in a homecoming festival for the first Black-founded town west of the Mississippi. This July's reunion was the 144th. 

How Richard Nixon Alienated Allies after Watergate (and Lessons for Trump)

"Along the way, when it mattered most, Nixon and his crew found that people who might have been political allies in the past were not especially sympathetic to his case."

An Email From a Stranger Sent Me on a Quest for Family and Self

For a Canadian-raised child of Hungarian Jewish refugees, an email sparked a research project that unlocked mysteries about his family. 

What Explains Fascism's Durable Roots in Italy?

The success of a party with historical connections to fascists who survived the Second World War raises important questions about why Italians justify voting for the hard right. 

The 100-Year Old Miscalculation that Drained the Colorado River

The Colorado River Compact is based in an egregious exaggeration of how much water flows through the river—and how much downstream farms and cities have been entitled to use. 

Los Angeles Project Aims to Name Every Interned Japanese American

The government's rosters of interned Japanese Americans are incomplete and error-ridden. A new project seeks a complete documentation of the missing names. 

TikTok Spurs Frenzy over Fake Photos of Nanjing Atrocities

A Minnesota antiques dealer's mistake in identifying historical photos in a donated album intersected with the virality of social media and the still-raw international resentments over Japanese atrocities during its conquest and occupation of China to create a fake history furor. 

The Long Shadow of Pinochet Over Chile's Constitutional Referendum

A protest movement against inequality and oligarchy convinced almost 80 percent of Chileans to vote for a constitutional convention, and led to the election of a young leftist president. Why did more than 60 percent of voters then reject the new charter? 

The Lost Art of Maintenance

The struggles of the New York transit system to preserve the useful life of its train cars, and to prevent problems before they occur, reflects deep and troubling changes in society's relationship to infrastructure and labor power. 

Documentary on the Last Slave Ship to Arrive in the United States Takes on Questions of Memorializing Racist Violence

Margaret Brown's "Descendant" looks at the effort to preserve and promote Africatown, the Alabama coast community founded by people brought on the last slave ship to dock in the United States.