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Dr Emma Louise Backe

@emmalouisebacke.bsky.social
1.9K followers 498 following 45 posts

Anthropologist working on the politics of care for survivors of gender-based violence / Managing Editor of The Geek Anthropologist / feminist killjoy

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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
A total of 10 bodies of women have now been found since July in the municipality of Ekurhuleni, south of Johannesburg. www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/ano...
sabcnews.com
Another woman’s body found in Ekurhuleni - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.
Police say a woman’s body has been discovered at the Mooifontein Cemetery in Thembisa South.
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Dr Emma Louise Backe @emmalouisebacke.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
It’s still truly so wild to me how much of my PhD was dedicated to me telling my Department how to improve, what students actually needed and then creating groups that would address those needs. All because I didn’t want others to have to deal with the ravages of a neglectful university.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Johnnie Jae @johnniejae.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
If you love Gothic horror and have Shudder, do yourself a favor and watch Mārama. This is one of the most visually stunning, heartbreaking and empowering films.
The title cover for the Gothic Horror movie, Mārama
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 12/09/2026
DRC detected the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo virus in mid-May; nearly 3,400 people have since died.
aljazeera.com
DR Congo's worst Ebola epidemic ever passes 7,000 cases
DRC detected the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo virus in mid-May; nearly 3,400 people have since died.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
ProPublica @propublica.org · 09/09/2026
NEW: Our analysis found that from 2020 to 2025, the rate of deaths involving ectopic pregnancies nearly doubled compared with the previous six-year period. The uptick was steeper in states with abortion bans.
propublica.org
Ectopic Pregnancy Deaths Have Nearly Doubled. It’s Worse in States With Abortion Bans.
With prompt and appropriate medical care, experts say, people shouldn’t die from an ectopic pregnancy. Women in Texas and Oklahoma have sued over delays in care, which, coupled with our new analysis, ...
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Dr Emma Louise Backe @emmalouisebacke.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The Geek Anthropologist doesn’t have a Bluesky yet but sharing this interview I did with Andrew Alan Johnson about working as an anthropologist in the gaming industry and “weird anthropology” thegeekanthropologist.com/2026/09/09/c...
thegeekanthropologist.com
Civilization and Gaming Anthropology: An Interview with Andrew Alan Johnson
TGA Managing Editor Emma Backe interviewed Andrew Alan Johnson, an anthropologist who also serves as the Senior Historian for Sid Meier’s Civilization VII. They talk about working in the gami…
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Truthout @truthout.org · 04/09/2026
After dozens of violent raids and untimely deaths in squalid jails, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters on Tuesday that he “can’t guarantee” ICE agents won’t be present at the polls when voters arrive to cast ballots in upcoming elections.
truthout.org
Voting Rights Groups Are Preparing to Confront ICE at the Polls
Trusted figures such as firefighters and clergy will protect Black, Latino, and Asian precincts that could be targets.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 03/09/2026
I also can't tell the full story yet, but when Gloria Steinem was a co-chair of the Women's March, language supporting sex workers vanished from the march platform—but it was put back. Between the lines: sex workers won that fight, over Gloria's objections. The story as I could report it:
psmag.com
The Women’s March Is Pro-Choice and Pro-Sex Workers’ Rights — and Should Be Proud of It
(Photo: djc/Flickr) This Saturday in Washington, thousands of women — tens of thousands, maybe — will march, defining what women’s rights look…
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 03/09/2026
I wrote about the garbage “study” HHS just released, attempting to link support for trans people and left-wing political violence, a kind of remixed Stephen Miller screed with some additional citations:
newrepublic.com
Trump’s Vile Campaign to Link Trans People and Political Violence
A bogus new HHS report argues that support for transgender rights pushes people toward political violence. It’s just the latest chilling installment in a larger project of bigoted propaganda.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
TarZangief @tarzangief.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
"Neutral in the culture war"
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Dr Emma Louise Backe @emmalouisebacke.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
There are very few shows or movies that handle GBV sensitively and effectively. Furious is undeniably a tough watch but it’s truly one of the best shows I have seen all year and the writers clearly did their homework. Cannot recommend highly enough.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Stephanie Flynn @stephanieflynn.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
What a nightmare PBS broadcaster loses access to 50TB of data comprising 70 years of TV history after contracted cloud storage vendor goes defunct — public TV channel sues Iron Mountain data center, which hosts archival materials, to ensure preservation | Tom's Hardware share.google/ExvNkuiN1bIl...
share.google
PBS broadcaster loses access to 50TB of data comprising 70 years of TV history after contracted cloud storage vendor goes defunct — public TV channel sues Iron Mountain data center, which hosts archiv...
This wouldn't have been an issue if the organization bought a $1,000 NAS and populated it with a few hard drives.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 08/08/2026
"In prison, the health conditions that typically define someone as “elderly” begin at 55... a full decade before most outside of prison begin to meet this definition" Mass incarceration is a public health crisis.
thenation.com
America’s Crisis of “Death by Incarceration”
The US prison population is aging rapidly, and incarcerated seniors are not getting the care they need.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Co-production and participatory research are increasingly recognised as a way of building equitable outcomes in research projects. But sex workers continue to be excluded from academic research on sex work, writes Carolina Are @bloggeronpole.bsky.social on @lseimpactblog.bsky.social
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Academia’s “whorephobia” undermines research on sex work - LSE Impact
Sex workers are excluded from academic research on sex work, yet there could be much to gain from integrating their expertise into academic research.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Jezebel @jezebeldotcom.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
“This unlawful seven-figure payout to an anti-abortion extremist is all the proof the Senate should need that the so-called anti-weaponization slush fund is far from dead,” Katie O’Connor at the National Women’s Law Center told Jezebel in a statement www.jezebel.com/slush-fund-n...
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Johnnie Jae @johnniejae.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
I want people to understand the full impact of the devastation that First Nations in Canada are facing. It's NOT just that people and wildlife are losing their homes...it's the history that is being lost for generations to come.
A photo of the wildfires in canada. Fire rages through forest area with vright orange flame and dark gray smoke.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Extremely telling detail from this WSJ piece about Platner's demise: "Women on the campaign told Platner he was being managed by advisers who treated them unfairly and didn’t value their ideas," with one telling him point-blank "Hey, you have a very sexist, misogynistic staff."
wsj.com
The Red Flag That Led to Graham Platner’s Implosion Was Hiding in Plain Sight
Maine’s populist Senate candidate made a costly miscalculation when he doubled down on his troubled background.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Working Class History @workingclasshistory.com · 23/06/2026
With #WorldCup2026 underway, learn about the rich history of football and radical politics! From books about opposition to the corruption of the modern game, to merch commemorating mutinies and an iconic moment of anti-fascism. Check it all out here: shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/...
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
ProPublica @propublica.org · 17/06/2026
NEW: Across Africa, the State Department has demanded access to health data for millions of people as a condition of giving countries billions of dollars in aid needed to address HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other illnesses.
propublica.org
“Digital Colonialism”: U.S. Demands to Access Africans’ Data Raise Privacy, Sovereignty Concerns
The United States is requiring access to health data as part of lifesaving aid deals with African countries. The U.S. says the data will be aggregated and anonymized, but privacy experts fear the info...
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
The American Anthropological Association has put out a very clear statement in response to a new report claiming the humanities and social sciences are ruining themselves with left-wing bias. Would be good to see more such robust responses to these familiar yet deeply unhelpful accusations
The report also characterizes anthropology’s attention to positionality and reflexivity as evidence of a broader rejection of objectivity. This is wholly incorrect. Reflexivity is not, as the report asserts a claim that facts don’t exist, that they are irrelevant, or that all interpretations are equally valid. It is a methodological commitment to examining how knowledge is produced and to making visible the assumptions, relationships, and contexts that shape research. Far from weakening scholarly rigor, many anthropologists see reflexivity as one of the ways rigor is strengthened.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 11/06/2026
Okay, catching up on a few things to share before bed... a trans woman in Philly could use some help. www.gofundme.com/f/help-phila...
gofundme.com
Donate to Help Philadelphia trans woman escape domestic violence!, organized by Robin Cave
I'm fundraising for a trans woman who wishes to remain anonymous wh… Robin Cave needs your support for Help Philadelphia trans woman escape domestic violence!
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Dr Emma Louise Backe @emmalouisebacke.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Academic toxicity: you will have an entire conversation about burnout, self-care, protecting your time and chronic illness and a colleague will look you dead in the eyes and say, “you should publish on that.”
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
The Nation Magazine @thenation.com · 28/05/2026
Survivors of domestic violence—who have access to visas under VAWA—are getting caught up in the Trump administration’s crusade against immigrants. bit.ly/4fMLjhh
bit.ly
The Trump Administration Is Refusing to Follow the Laws Protecting Domestic Violence Survivors
The administration has repeatedly failed to disburse funds for services for domestic violence survivors and blocked the enforcement of their rights.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Lisa Haushofer @haushoferl.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
🚨Job! 🚨 Lecturer in Global History of Science at UCL! In London! Permanent, full-time! #histstm #histsci www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
mspwhistles.bsky.social @mspwhistles.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Memphis deserves all the national attention and outpouring of love we experienced here in Minnesota.
motherjones.com
Memphis is “under full-blown occupation” by ICE. Here’s why you may not know that.
Community members face retaliation for trying to spread the word out, a lawsuit alleges.
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Dr Emma Louise Backe @emmalouisebacke.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
My first undergrad English class looked at the history of kink and sex in Victorian literature (Venus in furs, etc). This year I get to supervise an MA student analyzing dubious consent and rape myths in dark romance novels. I always find new ways to appreciate my undergrad English degree.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Ben Hart @pavlovforgoths.com · 16/05/2026
you cannot support his work in any way anymore
vulture.com
Neil Gaiman Seeks $500,000 From Accuser Caroline Wallner
The author says Wallner broke her NDA by sharing her story with the media, including with New York Magazine.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
NPR @npr.org · 17/05/2026
Health officials are working to contain a new Ebola outbreak in the DRC of a virus strain with no known vaccine. n.pr/4nEIwc8
n.pr
World Health Organization declares Ebola outbreak in Congo a global health emergency
Health officials are working to contain a new Ebola outbreak in the DRC of a virus strain with no known vaccine.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
The 51st @51st.news · 03/05/2026
We asked our readers about the proposed 2027 D.C. budget cuts. A few of the programs we heard about have hearings coming up this week: • Access to Justice Commission: May 6 • D.C. Food Policy Council: May 6 • Charter school operating expenses: May 7 • Pay Equity Fund: May 7 Here's how to testify:
51st.news
How to testify on the 2027 DC budget
Some D.C. services are facing substantial cuts. Here's how you can testify on the 2027 budget.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 30/04/2026
Reporters Without Borders warns that 'journalism is increasingly criminalised worldwide'.
aljazeera.com
Press freedom worldwide falls to its lowest level in 25 years
Reporters Without Borders warns that 'journalism is increasingly criminalised worldwide'.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Bea Westrate @grammabea.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
politico.com
Trump Is Going After Birth Control. Here’s Why.
Contraception was politically untouchable — until now.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Indrapramit Das @indrapramitdas.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Please help Hammam's family survive Israel's genocide, which has left them sick, starving & homeless. They've been displaced without a tent again, & desperately need help. His disabled brother Abood has a broken leg & urgently needs surgery:
chuffed.org
Help Abood, nurse Hammam and their family in Gaza
Hello !! My name is Sonia. I'm starting this fundraiser to ask for your help for my friend Hammam and his family, who currently live in Gaza 🇵🇸.
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Dr. Divya (🔔 logged out) @divyampersaud.com · 23/04/2026
Today we highlight H, his wife, & their toddlers: anonymous per their request for the little girls, fierce in their insistence on life, on their land, in their country. We need to match their clarity. Give so they can eat. Make it weekly. But then act for their lives. chuffed.org/project/hope...
A graphic featuring a black ink illustration of a falcon with his wings partly open. Title: “Keep Hope Alive: a Gaza giving circle". Text: Six families are completely starting over—amidst their grief and pain, they have lost their homes, livelihoods, and communities, and must still seek food and shelter. Help them start over and continue to survive this life-and-death situation. https://tinyurl.com/HopeGivingCircle.”
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 12/04/2026
"Orbán's Hungary drove a top university campus into exile. JD Vance said it should be a model for the U.S." www.nbcnews.com/world/europe...
nbcnews.com
Orbán's Hungary drove a top university campus into exile. JD Vance said it should be a model for the U.S.
“The closest conservatives have ever gotten to successfully dealing with the left-wing domination of universities is Viktor Orbán’s approach in Hungary,” Vance said in 2024.
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
The Epstein files document what many women researchers have long experienced but rarely seen laid bare so starkly: exclusion operating behind closed doors, shaping who gets funded, invited, mentored, and taken seriously. How many of these networks, norms, and gatekeepers remain in place?
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dr. thrasher, an american writer in ex(archia)(xile) @thrasherxy.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Gonna tell the grandkids these two were the stars of Heated Rivalry
Ryan Gosling and Rocky in Project Hail Mary
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Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
After 15 whole minutes of discussion, the Endangered Species Committee (100% Trump appointees) decided that oil & gas companies in the Gulf of Mexico don't need to exert any caution anymore to protect endangered whales, turtles, or other wildlife. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
washingtonpost.com
U.S. panel votes to exempt Gulf of Mexico drilling from Endangered Species Act
In its first meeting in three decades, the Endangered Species Committee voted to revoke protections for the endangered Rice’s whales and sea turtles.
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Ahhhhh @nerdjpg.com · 04/04/2026
Maryland
RALLY AND PACK THE COURT
April 15, a judge will hear the Maryland Attorney General's landmark lawsuit to stop ICE's conversion of a 825,000 ft
Williamsport warehouse into a concentration camp.
Join us and stop this camp!
9AM: Rally outside Courthouse
10AM: Attend the court hearing or the interfaith vigil outside
Location: Garmatz Federal Courthouse,
101 West Lombard St. Baltimore
Sign up here: bit.ly/Aprill5Hearing
STOP
MARYLAND'S ICE CAMP
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
ICE has kept a disabled double amputee prisoner for over 14 months. Rodney Taylor has been denied access to his prosthetic legs. Forced to crawl across dirty floors to access food. Placed in solitary. Denied medical accommodations. They’re killing him & he needs the community to make noise!
theguardian.com
Her husband is a double amputee in ICE prison. She confronted Kristi Noem over its cruel conditions: ‘I have a fire inside’
Mildred Danis-Taylor dropped everything to advocate for the release of her husband, Rodney Taylor. A brutal year of legal and health challenges led her to Capitol Hill
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Jessica Valenti @jessicavalenti.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
I started covering this last year, and I can't overstate how important this is: the Trump administration officially labeled some of the most commonly-used forms of birth control as 'abortion' jessica.substack.com/i/173447780/...
jessica.substack.com
The Trump Administration Says IUDs and the Pill Are Abortions
9.12.25
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
The US-Israel war on Iran has emitted 5 million tonnes of CO₂ₑ in its first 14 days. The world currently has 0.6 million tonnes of novel and permanent CO₂ removal (CDR) capacity annually.
theguardian.com
5m tonnes of CO2 emitted in just 14 days of US war on Iran, analysis finds
Exclusive: War in the Middle East is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combined
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Wow. Just announced-- Bari Weiss and co. are shutting down CBS News Radio. deadline.com/2026/03/cbs-...
deadline.com
The closure ends nearly 100 years of radio programming from CBS.
The closure ends nearly 100 years of radio programming from CBS.
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Dr Emma Louise Backe @emmalouisebacke.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Full circle moment today. In 2012 I came to Cape Town as a study abroad student and discovered medical anthropology. Today I get to teach the next generation of study abroad students and lecture in UCT’s Anthropology Department.
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Dr Emma Louise Backe @emmalouisebacke.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
One thing about me as a lecturer: if I see an opportunity to dunk on Elon Musk, you better believe I’m going to take it.
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dr. thrasher, an american writer in ex(archia)(xile) @thrasherxy.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
In Uganda, I met people who went from earning $200 a month doing HIV prevention to just $60 because USAID went away—and who are still doing the work for a fraction of the pay. I met ppl who lost their jobs entirely and stiil do HIV work for free for food. Meanwhile theintercept.com/2026/02/09/t...
theintercept.com
By Slashing Foreign Aid, Trump Is Fueling the Spread of HIV in Uganda
Reporting from Uganda, The Intercept saw how Trump’s effort to slash foreign aid is encouraging the transmission of HIV.
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 09/02/2026
“Researchers from Johns Hopkins, Georgetown and Yale universities recently found that 60 FDA-authorized medical devices using AI were linked to 182 product recalls, according to a research letter published in the JAMA Health Forum in August.”
reuters.com
As AI enters the operating room, reports arise of botched surgeries and misidentified body parts
Medical device makers have been rushing to add AI to their products. While proponents say the new technology will revolutionize medicine, regulators are receiving a rising number of claims of patient ...
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Reposted by Dr Emma Louise Backe
Angus Johnston @angus.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Bad Bunny's historical advisor is an assistant professor at UW-Madison. Hell of a flex for your tenure file.
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Ken Klippenstein @kenklippenstein.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
🚨 I've obtained a list of secret watchlists the Department of Homeland Security uses to keep tabs on American citizens www.kenklippenstein.com/p/ices-secre...
kenklippenstein.com
Exclusive: ICE's Secret Watchlists of Americans
Sparta, Reaper and Grapevine track protesters, their friends (+ others)
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