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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 15h

A new documentary uses author George Orwell's diaries and archival footage to cast him as a modern-day prophet amid Trump-era free speech and authoritarianism claims www.axios.com/2025/10/10/g...

New documentary "ORWELL: 2+2=5" brings George Orwell's warnings into the modern age

"I'm not going after anybody. I'm just explaining that two plus two equals four," director Raoul Peck says.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 1d

Pope Leo XIV placed the poor at the center of the Catholic Church's mission in his first major document as pontiff, urging bishops worldwide to champion social justice and defend migrants and the vulnerable www.axios.com/2025/10/09/p...

Pope Leo's first encyclical: Faith means defending migrants

Leo XIV puts Vatican at odds with the White House.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 1d

The Trump administration is warning Americans of a looming food crisis brought on by its own crackdown on undocumented farmworkers www.axios.com/2025/10/08/t...

U.S. faces food crisis as Trump's deportation push cuts farm wages

Wage cuts could leave U.S. farms short-staffed during key harvest seasons.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 4d

More than half of Jewish Americans say they've faced antisemitism in the past year — and most now see it as a routine part of Jewish life, according to a new survey marking the anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks www.axios.com/2025/10/06/j...

Most Jewish Americans say antisemitism now part of daily life, new survey finds

The new survey on the Oct. 7 anniversary shows the effects of rising antisemitism

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 5d

A jazz vocalist from Mexico is giving a new romantic and modern spin to the Mexican folklore of La Llorona, a crying female spirit who is said to take children, amid mass deportations in the U.S. www.axios.com/2025/10/05/m...

Mexican-born jazz singer gives new life to "La Llorona"

The song by Lucía is the latest one to tackle themes facing Latinos in the U.S.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 5d

Bad Bunny responded to MAGA critics upset he'll be the 2026 Super Bowl halftime performer during his Saturday Night Live monologue on Saturday by speaking in Spanish — then telling them they have four months to learn what he just said. www.axios.com/2025/10/05/b...

Bad Bunny responds to Super Bowl halftime critics, urges them to learn Spanish

Bad Bunny's SNL monologue signals that he's not backing down

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 5d

A proposed 47% cut to NASA science from the Trump administration has sounded the alarm among scientists and space advocates — and Bill Nye is leading the charge to stop it, @delanomassey.bsky.social reports www.axios.com/2025/10/05/b...

Bill Nye leads charge to save NASA science from deep Trump cuts

"Cutting NASA funding means turning our backs on discoveries that change the world," Bill Nye said ahead of Capitol Hill rally.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 6d

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl pushback from MAGA influencers is the latest chapter in a long history of Latino artists facing heat on America's most significant sports events. Think Jose Feliciano's groundbreaking interpretation of the National Anthem at the 1968 World Series

www.axios.com/2025/10/04/b...

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl backlash part of history for Latino performers at sports events

Musicians Jose Feliciano, at the 1968 World Series, and JLo, at the 2020 Super Bowl, have seen similar reactions.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 8d

The U.S. could see an unprecedented 15,000 churches shut their doors this year, far more than the few thousand expected to open, according to denominational reports and church consultants www.axios.com/2025/10/03/u...

15,000 churches could close this year amid religious shift in U.S.

Megachurches spread influence but fewer Americans going to church

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 9d

Story says many of his fans are also Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans...also American citizens

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 9d

ICE may pop up at the 2026 Super Bowl, an adviser to Homeland Security said, three days after Bad Bunny was named the halftime headliner.

Yes, but: Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in Puerto Rico, is a U.S. citizen since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.

www.axios.com/2025/10/02/i...

Bad Bunny could see ICE at Super Bowl halftime show, Trump official suggests

"There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people in this country illegally," Corey Lewandowski said.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 12d

A growing number of Democratic officials are embracing tough-on-crime strategies in ways not seen since the 1990s, seeking to counter President Trump's focus on high violent crime rates in Democrat-led cities www.axios.com/2025/09/28/t...

Democrats turning back to tough-on-crime policies

Homicides have declined nationally, but several high-profile crimes — and Trump's focus on the issue — have inspired moderate Democrats to embrace stepped-up anti-crime plans.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 14d

Dem Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his staff are closely coordinating their government shutdown strategy with outside liberal groups, @axios.com has learned www.axios.com/2025/09/26/s...

Scoop: Schumer's private war room on government shutdown

The same liberal organizations slammed Schumer earlier this year for caving on funding.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 14d

U.S. Army soldiers who took part in the 1890 slaughter of Lakota men, women and children at Wounded Knee will keep their medals posthumously, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on social media www.axios.com/2025/09/26/p...

Hegseth says soldiers in Wounded Knee Massacre of Lakota will keep their medals

Oglala Sioux have long disputesd the U.S. government's account

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 14d

President Trump made historic gains for the GOP among Latino voters last year, but polls and other indicators suggest their support for him is falling amid growing anger over his handling of the economy and immigration www.axios.com/2025/09/26/l...

Latinos sour on Trump over tariffs, economy, immigration raids

Their rising discontent could mean trouble for the GOP heading into the 2026 midterms.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 16d

Congratulations, brother. Astros just quit and choked! Seattle deserved it. Go get it

Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 17d

A North Carolina tribe, whose legitimacy has been questioned by other tribal nations, is seeking to obtain federal recognition through the latest annual defense authorization bill www.axios.com/2025/09/23/l... #native

Lumbee eyes recognition via NDAA as other tribes question their Indigenous past

Tribes say the Lumbee need traditional routes for recognition.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 17d

Violent crime is falling in some majority-Black U.S. communities even as mayors warn that President Trump's cuts to prevention programs and threats of National Guard deployments could reverse the trend www.axios.com/2025/09/23/b...

These Black cities cut crime. Mayors fear Trump's moves could undo the progress.

Crime is down in majority-Black cities, but mayors say Trump's cuts and Guard threats risk it.

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 19d

Can't wait for this

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · 24d

Awesome. Would love to get a review copy when done!

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Reposted by Russell Contreras

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 26d

We often worry about the wrong things.

People killed annually by
Sharks 10
Elephants 100
Hippos 500
Snails 10,000
Dogs 25,000
Snakes 50,000
People 475,000
Mosquitoes 725,000
🧪

This graphic, created for Bill Gates' website, shows that diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are responsible for vastly more human deaths than other animals. While sharks inspire fear in many, they kill few people.

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Reposted by Russell Contreras

Axios @axios.com · 28d

NEW: President Trump said today he's sending National Guard troops to Memphis to address the city's persistently high crime problems.

Trump to deploy National Guard to Memphis over high crime rate

Memphis has the nation's highest violent crime rate of any American city

www.axios.com

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Reposted by Russell Contreras

Columbia University Press @columbiaup.bsky.social · Sep 10

Now available in paperback! In ESSAYS OF ART AND SCIENCE, Eric R. Kandel presents a wide array of essays that focus on the interaction of art and science. buff.ly/qFoFii9 #ArtAndScience #EricRKandel #Essays #PaperbackRelease #Interdisciplinary #CultureAndScience

Now in paperback. Features the cover of Essays on Art and Science by Eric R. Kandel. I had a blurb by Mental Health affairs and features a 20% discount with code CUP20SM at cup.columbia.edu

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · Sep 6

An organization founded by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is hosting a series of college "unity" dinners between Black and Jewish students www.axios.com/2025/09/06/r...

Exclusive: Robert Kraft's org holding Black, Jewish student "unity" dinners in 14 cities

The effort comes amid rising antisemitism and anti-Black hate on campues

www.axios.com

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Russell Contreras @russcontreras.bsky.social · Sep 6

Kehinde Andrews has crafted one of the most engaging examinations of Malcolm X this decade by showing how el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz remained rooted in Black nationalism and liberation until his death www.axios.com/2025/09/06/b... #MalcolmX

Book examines myths and political life of Malcolm X

Malcolm X has been the subject of many books in recent years

www.axios.com