iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I’m trying to do some video introductions to my stories. Please check out my latest piece for the @washingtonpost.com : www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I’m trying to do some video introductions to my stories. Please check out my latest piece for the @washingtonpost.com : www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

I talked with five of the top six ice dance teams at the #Olympics about the free dance programs, which will be performed tonight, the meaning of life and the meaning of death in their performance. Thankful skaters allowed me to go deep with them #figureskating : wapo.st/3OzFSXk

wapo.st

The hottest trend in Olympic ice dance: Pretending to die

Re-creating “The Godfather” and imitating a matador and bull are just two examples of a growing trend for metaphorical murder.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

Surya Bonaly is actually interviewed in my piece about the history of the backflip. Why it was banned, why it came back, and its connection to race and politics in a political sport: wapo.st/4tnBhrr #suryabonaly #figureskating #olympics2026 #iliamalinin

wapo.st

Analysis | The history of figure skating’s most controversial trick

This is the first Olympics to feature backflips in over 25 years.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Ice dance in learning to be less stuffy and embrace gay culture. I spoken to Paul Poirier in this preview of the upcoming ice dance competition at the Olympics: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olymp...

washingtonpost.com

Analysis | Ice dance will incorporate queer culture unlike in any other Olympics

Officials asked teams to open their millennial playlists and skate their first program to music from the ’90s.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Kaori Sakamoto skated a performance for the ages. Check out my piece on the most popular skater in the Olympics might not be named Ilia Malinin (yes, I am a Washington Post reporter at the Olympics): wapo.st/4rGFoND

wapo.st

Analysis | The most popular skater at the Olympics might not be Ilia Malinin

Japanese star Kaori Sakamoto delivered deliver one of skating’s most moving programs of all time in the team event.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

In light of Trump’s racist video, I am reposting a piece about what it’s like to be compared to a primate. “The third time I was called a monkey, I was reporting on anti-Trump protesters at a Trump campaign rally in Louisville.": www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-na...

washingtonpost.com

Perspective | How it feels to be called a monkey

Canceling "Roseanne" doesn't rid America of this racist trope.

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Reposted by Robert Samuels

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 05/02/2026

Ilia Malinin is the world’s best figure skater and the only person to land a quadruple axel in competition. He says one of the biggest keys to landing the jump is committing to it fully on approach.

washingtonpost.com

How Ilia Malinin makes figure skating’s most risky jump look routine

Just a handful of skaters have attempted a quadruple axel in competition. Malinin, a gold medal favorite at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, is the only skater who has landed one.

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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

"Out came the story about what it feels like to lose everything." Take some time to read this incredibly moving story about overcoming grief and turning it into art, by @newsbysamuels.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...

washingtonpost.com

How Maxim Naumov learned to embrace his grief to earn a spot at the Olympics

After his parents died in a plane crash, the activity he feared most ended up being the one that healed him.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Reporters get nervous. Whenever I’d get the chance to interview Maxim Naumov, I’d get unusually scared that I would say too much or ask the wrong thing in a delicate situation. But each time, he reflected on the past year with candor and intimacy. I’ve learned so much from him: wapo.st/3NNFFQ5

wapo.st

How Maxim Naumov learned to embrace his grief to earn a spot at the Olympics

After his parents died in a plane crash, the activity he feared most ended up being the one that healed him.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

For those watching figure skating, this is the simplest explanation of a triple axel I could come up with:

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

If you're tuned in to #prevagenuschamps #usfigure, here is a round up of skaters competing for the #Olympics2026 , with one-on-one interviews from Andrew Torgashev, Maxim Naumov, Tomoki Hiwatashi, Jacob Sanchez and Jimmy Ma: wapo.st/4jBKtUG

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Reposted by Robert Samuels

Max Hailperin @maxhailperin.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

Ten years have elapsed since @newsbysamuels.bsky.social included this remarkable paragraph in a story still well worth reading. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/tru...

Bjerke said he was upset that there were no statistics to show whether refugees had been responsible for an increase in robberies and burglaries. With so many refugee students learning English in school, he wondered whether native speakers were losing valuable time from their teachers. Most upsetting, he said, was that the Somalis were not adopting “American customs,” such as playing hockey or eating hot dogs.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Alysa Liu makes you cry on Saturday and smile on Sunday. What a satisfying evening of skating so far. #gpfigure #skateamerica

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

So many ice dancers are pretending to die at the end of their programs, and, as a serious journalist, I need to figure out what the heck is going on. #gpfigure #skateamerica

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

How Alysa Liu has mastered holding the hearts of everyone in an audience is stunning. The crisp running edges, the increase in technical difficulty and the propulsive surge feels different than before. It is the same program, but feels like we are in a different era for her. #gpfigure #skateamerica

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Feather light jumping on Lara Naki Gutman, excellent run out on those jumps. #gpfigure #skateamerica

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

The temperature just turned up in the arena after an uninhibited Starr Andrews leads the first group, then Rink coming out of the gate with a whirl of a triple axel. #gpfigure #skateamerica

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Brown/Brown really captured the spirit of the 90s dance in their exuberant interpretation to jump around - much like those in the 90s, though, probably got ahead of themselves with a range of minor and serious bobbles. But encouraging progress. #gpfigure #skateamerica

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Nikolaj Memola, for the record, is taller than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. #gpfigure #skateamerica

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

We are at the Club Kabuki Tomono and there's no place I'd rather be on a Friday night. Love those stalking deep edges and a gorgeous triple axel. #skateamerica #gpfigure

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

A standing ovation for Jason Brown, which feels like an appreciation for all that he has given to the sport over the years. This particular program felt a little self-conscious, hesitant going into the axel and a stumble on his combination. Lots of room for growth, even now. #gpfigure #skateamerica

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

The crowd at Skate America is gearing up for some riverdance! I, for one, think the step sequence is worth being a TikTok trend. #skateamerica #gpfigure

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Luc Economides' short program mixing Lion King and Kanye West is my guilty pleasure. I love this program so much. #skateamerica #gpfigure

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Reposted by Robert Samuels

ZYZZYVA @zyzzyvamag.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Join us next week for our special @litquake.org installment of Movie Night at Roxie Theater with @ingridrojasc.bsky.social + @newsbysamuels.bsky.social Tickets: tinyurl.com/mry3xe93

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Reposted by Robert Samuels

Page One Media @pageonem.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

🧵 (3/3) Dayton Literary Peace Prize hosts a special event with DLPP honorees @vluck89.bsky.social‬, @newsbysamuels.bsky.social, @gilbertking.bsky.social. @corinnabarrettlain.bsky.social speaks in Montgomery, AL. William & Phillip Taubman launch McNamara at War with a virtual talk at 92NY.

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Reposted by Robert Samuels

Meghan Hoyer @meghanhoyer.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Last school year, 30% of D.C. middle-schoolers — or five times more than a decade ago — were truant. See how empty desks — and the city's failed attempts to curb the problem — fueled the district's youth crime wave. By @jdharden.bsky.social, @newsbysamuels.bsky.social & Lauren Lumpkin:

washingtonpost.com

How D.C.'s failure to curb truancy fueled a surge in youth crime

District leaders linked school attendance to crime, but failure to reduce absenteeism in middle schools yielded the biggest youth crime surge in a generation.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Amidst platitudes about how the District needed more afterschool programs, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declared that every student needs an afterschool program. Then she cut the afterschool budget by $1 million. One of the jaw dropping parts of this story done by me and my colleagues: wapo.st/4432CV3

wapo.st

How D.C.'s failure to curb truancy fueled a surge in youth crime

District leaders linked school attendance to crime, but failure to reduce absenteeism in middle schools yielded the biggest youth crime surge in a generation.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Pessimism is the ultimate American privilege. It is the feeling held most easily by those whose lives would still be functional, and maybe even satisfactory, if nothing changed. #georgefloyd #memorialday

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Earthwitch8 @earthwitch8.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

@newsbysamuels.bsky.social I am watching your talk at Westminster Forum on May 15 in Minneapolis😢 So moving is your story from your book “His Name is George Floyd” We all have grief in our hearts from losing loved ones like George Floyd. He is resurrected by your story. Bless You.

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Reposted by Robert Samuels

sonya ewan @sonyaewan.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Next week is 5 years since George Floyd was murdered. On Tuesday, I listened to @newsbysamuels.bsky.social talk about the process of writing his (co-authored) Pulitzer Prize-winning book, His Name Is George Floyd. What a truly meaningful experience to learn of Floyd's *life.* What a story. #floyd

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

That she did it with joy and exuberance was such a good look for the sport. Her interaction with Sakamoto at the end was such a departure from what we saw at the 2022 Olympics, when the pressure, the cheating and the vitriol of the Russian figure skating program clouded the sport’s innate radiance.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

I WILL BE GETTING NO SLEEP #worldfigure THIS IS AMAZING

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

I’m on paternity leave so I couldn’t make it to Boston for #worldfigure #WorldFigure2025 but, my goodness, this competition is so riveting ! Edge of my seat going into this last skate.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

Me, as he came out: That’s not really Ilia Kulik, right? Me, after he takes four strides on the ice: That is definitely Ilia Kulik! Nearly four decades after winning his gold medal, Kulik is still skating with great speed and that youthful bounce. #legacyonice

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

This afternoon, figure skaters will honor the 67 victims who died in the American Eagle flight 5342 plane crash at #legacyonice. I am resharing this piece I wrote about what that crash taught people about the nature of life and the nature of their sport:

wapo.st

Circles of life

When a week of jubilation turned tragic, generations of figure skaters discovered something new about the nature of their sport.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

Every American gold medalist in figure skating is on a group text together. When I called to make sure it was true because Tenley Albright is 89, I was told she is one of the most active members! This was a bright tidbit in this story about the AA crash. Which I hope you’ll read: wapo.st/4gy6hNI

wapo.st

Circles of life

When a week of jubilation turned tragic, generations of figure skaters discovered something new about the nature of their sport.

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Reposted by Robert Samuels

Barry Yeoman @barryyeoman.com · 08/02/2025

When the plane crashed in DC, I thought of journalist @newsbysamuels.bsky.social. Robert covers big political issues—he wrote the book about George Floyd—but also loves and writes about figure skating. This story, about the crash that killed 11 skaters, is rich and sensitive. wapo.st/3CDHH03.

wapo.st

Circles of life

When a week of jubilation turned tragic, generations of figure skaters discovered something new about the nature of their sport.

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Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

For generations, their community has passed along this adage: Figure skating teaches its athletes how to handle the nature of life. Fortunes change in a fraction of a second. A slip of the blade can yield a thud so hard that it shakes an entire rink. In a flash, dreams are lost. That is the sport.

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