Michael Hawthorne
@scribeguy.bsky.social
Midwesterner. Pulitzer finalist. Dig into environment/public health for the Chicago Tribune. Confidential tips welcome via SIGNAL: scribeguy.35
EPL/NBA/MLB obsessive. Victoria Concordia Crescit. https://www.chicagotribune.com/author/michael-hawthorne
EPL/NBA/MLB obsessive. Victoria Concordia Crescit. https://www.chicagotribune.com/author/michael-hawthorne
Pinned
Michael Hawthorne
@scribeguy.bsky.social
· Jan 15
EPA warns of toxic forever chemicals in sewage sludge used on farmland, including thousands of acres near the Chicago area
In northeast Illinois, more than 777,000 tons of sludge from Chicago and Cook County have been spread on farmland — in many cases near residential areas.
www.chicagotribune.com
Update from me: More than 777K tons of PFAS-contaminated sludge from Chicago and Cook Co. have been spread on farmland during the past 8 years — in many cases near residential areas.
Only LA gave more sludge to farmers.
EPA confirms cancer risks for farmers and neighbors. Unclear about gen pop.
Only LA gave more sludge to farmers.
EPA confirms cancer risks for farmers and neighbors. Unclear about gen pop.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Last year, one-term Rep. Anthony D’Esposito lost after adding his mistress to his official payroll.
This year, Republicans made him the inspector general at the Dept of Labor, where he’ll be expected to investigate ethical lapses — despite his own ethical lapses. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
This year, Republicans made him the inspector general at the Dept of Labor, where he’ll be expected to investigate ethical lapses — despite his own ethical lapses. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
Republicans confirm scandal-plagued former congressman to serve as an inspector general
Anthony D’Esposito will be expected to investigate ethical lapses, despite his own alleged ethical lapses.
www.ms.now
December 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Last year, one-term Rep. Anthony D’Esposito lost after adding his mistress to his official payroll.
This year, Republicans made him the inspector general at the Dept of Labor, where he’ll be expected to investigate ethical lapses — despite his own ethical lapses. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
This year, Republicans made him the inspector general at the Dept of Labor, where he’ll be expected to investigate ethical lapses — despite his own ethical lapses. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
ICE whistles work.
The horns and whistles work
What it's like to watch community activists stand up to a Border Patrol raid.
www.motherjones.com
December 19, 2025 at 5:09 PM
ICE whistles work.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
The Cuban Missile Crisis but trying to nuke the files that connect you to the worst child rape ring of the century.
Trump on Venezuela: "Getting land, oil rights, whatever we had -- they took it away because we had a president that maybe wasn't watching. But they're not gonna do that. We want it back. They took our oil rights. We had a lot of oil there. They threw our companies out. And we want it back."
December 17, 2025 at 9:51 PM
The Cuban Missile Crisis but trying to nuke the files that connect you to the worst child rape ring of the century.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Funny (not funny) thing is that Trump first gained power because the GWB administration made a war out of thin air. Criticizing the Iraq war was largely how he separated himself from the other 2016 GOP presidential candidates.
If only he was able to remember this.
If only he was able to remember this.
I still can't believe they're trying to make a war happen out of thin air. Not just their abrogation of Congress's role in formally declaring a war -- that's been a slippery slope for decades -- but their total unwillingness even to go through the motions of drumming up public support.
December 17, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Funny (not funny) thing is that Trump first gained power because the GWB administration made a war out of thin air. Criticizing the Iraq war was largely how he separated himself from the other 2016 GOP presidential candidates.
If only he was able to remember this.
If only he was able to remember this.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
You'll remember that when Biden delivered an address in 2022, networks refused to air it because they said it was "political" www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/0...
As Biden warned about democracy’s collapse, TV networks aired reruns
Broadcasters NBC, CBS and ABC usually air presidential prime-time addresses live. But they found Biden's Philadelphia speech more "political" than newsworthy.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:27 PM
You'll remember that when Biden delivered an address in 2022, networks refused to air it because they said it was "political" www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/0...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Appalling and self-destructive. What will the body count of RFK Jr's tenure end up being?
SCOOP: American Academy of Pediatrics loses HHS funding after criticizing RFK Jr. Research included reducing sudden infant deaths and identifying autism early. Me and @Paigecunningham.Bsky.Social
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
American Academy of Pediatrics loses HHS funding after criticizing RFK Jr.
HHS cuts key AAP grants, citing concerns about “identity-based language” and insufficient focus on agency priorities. The organization said the cuts could harm child health.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Appalling and self-destructive. What will the body count of RFK Jr's tenure end up being?
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
This kind of statement would once be made inside the most rarified councils of state, some ultralimited Special Group, wherein POTUS & his most trusted advisors would commit to never putting anything in writing yet some handwritten archival scrap excavated 50 years later would reveal the truth.
Trump on Venezuela: "Getting land, oil rights, whatever we had -- they took it away because we had a president that maybe wasn't watching. But they're not gonna do that. We want it back. They took our oil rights. We had a lot of oil there. They threw our companies out. And we want it back."
December 17, 2025 at 9:38 PM
This kind of statement would once be made inside the most rarified councils of state, some ultralimited Special Group, wherein POTUS & his most trusted advisors would commit to never putting anything in writing yet some handwritten archival scrap excavated 50 years later would reveal the truth.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Border Patrol called cops on this man and claimed he was trying to ram them. The man denied it to CPD and in a Tribune interview. He was let go. The livestream video doesn’t show the man attempting to ram anyone on LSD
In Chicago, a man on Facebook Live was following the Border Patrol north on Lake Shore Drive. At the end of the drive, a bunch of city cop cars cut off the man who was following and live-streaming Border Patrol.
December 17, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Border Patrol called cops on this man and claimed he was trying to ram them. The man denied it to CPD and in a Tribune interview. He was let go. The livestream video doesn’t show the man attempting to ram anyone on LSD
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
The Vanity Fair photographer from the Susie Wiles story.
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
December 17, 2025 at 8:34 PM
The Vanity Fair photographer from the Susie Wiles story.
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
“.. The US economy is in a hiring recession. Almost no jobs have been added since April.
“Wage gains are slowing.
“710,000 more people are unemployed now versus November 2024.”
@byheatherlong.bsky.social
“Wage gains are slowing.
“710,000 more people are unemployed now versus November 2024.”
@byheatherlong.bsky.social
December 16, 2025 at 2:59 PM
“.. The US economy is in a hiring recession. Almost no jobs have been added since April.
“Wage gains are slowing.
“710,000 more people are unemployed now versus November 2024.”
@byheatherlong.bsky.social
“Wage gains are slowing.
“710,000 more people are unemployed now versus November 2024.”
@byheatherlong.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
“The amount of money Americans are paying for their energy bills has increased since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year, according to a new report. In the U.S., electric bills have increased 13% in 2025, according to Climate Power.”
Energy bills in US have increased 13% since Trump took office, new report finds
The amount of money Americans are paying toward their energy bills has increased since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year, according to a new report.
abcnews.go.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:26 PM
“The amount of money Americans are paying for their energy bills has increased since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year, according to a new report. In the U.S., electric bills have increased 13% in 2025, according to Climate Power.”
"The political and intellectual leaders of today’s Right couldn’t possibly be more open and explicit about their goals. In fact, they have been obsessed with the question of who gets to be a citizen, who gets to define “America,” and who gets to belong."
Trumpism Is at War with the Idea of a Citizenry of Equals
The regime’s latest racist fury is tied to the Right’s much broader attempt to redefine citizenship and national identity in service of an exclusionary white nationalist
steady.page
December 16, 2025 at 5:19 PM
"The political and intellectual leaders of today’s Right couldn’t possibly be more open and explicit about their goals. In fact, they have been obsessed with the question of who gets to be a citizen, who gets to define “America,” and who gets to belong."
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
CNN has suddenly discovered Tennessee's Patriot Front compound that was a subject of an extensive NewsChannel 5 investigation back in March. Here is my report: 1/ www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...
'This isn't your granddad's KKK.' Inside the hate group expanding its presence in Tennessee
They are the largest hate group in America, wrapping themselves in the red-white-and-blue of the flag, marching into the middle of American cities and claiming to be patriots.
www.newschannel5.com
December 16, 2025 at 3:34 PM
CNN has suddenly discovered Tennessee's Patriot Front compound that was a subject of an extensive NewsChannel 5 investigation back in March. Here is my report: 1/ www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Miller says immigrants erode social trust and solidarity. But immigration forges new forms of community/solidarity. It's happening right now across the country.
That Miller has to lie endlessly about the social impact of immigrants shows his view is a marginal one.
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
That Miller has to lie endlessly about the social impact of immigrants shows his view is a marginal one.
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
December 15, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Miller says immigrants erode social trust and solidarity. But immigration forges new forms of community/solidarity. It's happening right now across the country.
That Miller has to lie endlessly about the social impact of immigrants shows his view is a marginal one.
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
That Miller has to lie endlessly about the social impact of immigrants shows his view is a marginal one.
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
"Turns out it was just a chainsaw in the hands of a dork who shouldn’t be trusted with a chainsaw," writes columnist @rexhuppke.bsky.social. bit.ly/3YnoXsL
December 16, 2025 at 1:30 AM
"Turns out it was just a chainsaw in the hands of a dork who shouldn’t be trusted with a chainsaw," writes columnist @rexhuppke.bsky.social. bit.ly/3YnoXsL
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
As we mourn Rob Reiner, don’t skip this: he was, pretty much, personally responsible for overturning California’s Prop 8 banning same sex marriage.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...
How Rob Reiner became anti-Prop. 8 kingpin
Rob Reiner reflects on the critical role he played in getting California's gay marriage ban overturned.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
December 15, 2025 at 1:37 PM
As we mourn Rob Reiner, don’t skip this: he was, pretty much, personally responsible for overturning California’s Prop 8 banning same sex marriage.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Rob Reiner: “Silence in the face of authoritarianism is complicity. Speaking out is a patriotic act. Democracy doesn’t defend itself. It requires participation, vigilance, and courage from ordinary people."
December 15, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Rob Reiner: “Silence in the face of authoritarianism is complicity. Speaking out is a patriotic act. Democracy doesn’t defend itself. It requires participation, vigilance, and courage from ordinary people."
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
This has to be one of the greatest runs any director has ever experienced.
December 15, 2025 at 3:34 AM
This has to be one of the greatest runs any director has ever experienced.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Today, in the Sunday print NYT, we published an investigative look at Harold Hamm, the 13th child of Oklahoma sharecroppers who started an oil company named Continental, which turned him into a billionaire, powerbroker and friend of Donald J. Trump. You may never have heard of Hamm. But you should
December 15, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Today, in the Sunday print NYT, we published an investigative look at Harold Hamm, the 13th child of Oklahoma sharecroppers who started an oil company named Continental, which turned him into a billionaire, powerbroker and friend of Donald J. Trump. You may never have heard of Hamm. But you should
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
This is fucking grim. Somebody invented a white guy, an "IT professional" named Edward Crabtree, who stopped the Bondi shooting and spread it all over the internet, which was picked up by AI agents and slop aggregation sites.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
December 14, 2025 at 8:02 PM
This is fucking grim. Somebody invented a white guy, an "IT professional" named Edward Crabtree, who stopped the Bondi shooting and spread it all over the internet, which was picked up by AI agents and slop aggregation sites.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
"At a moment when income inequality, the looming threat of A.I. and the rise of authoritarianism seem to be straining American societal cohesion, a revolt against self-dealing elites may be the only cause compelling enough to bring us together."
"For the first time, a majority of Americans believe billionaires are a threat to democracy. A remarkable 71 percent believe there should be a wealth tax. A majority believe there should be a cap on how much wealth a person can accumulate."
Opinion | The Billionaires Have Gone Full Louis XV
www.nytimes.com
December 15, 2025 at 3:22 AM
"At a moment when income inequality, the looming threat of A.I. and the rise of authoritarianism seem to be straining American societal cohesion, a revolt against self-dealing elites may be the only cause compelling enough to bring us together."
"No family is safe ... as long as we continue to lead the world in manufacturing two things: weapons of mass murder, and the unvarnished rage and alienation that pulls the trigger. Or as long as our so-called leaders pretend there is nothing that can be done ... " @willbunch.bsky.social
Mass shooting at Brown U.: When gun heartbreak comes home | Will Bunch
A mass shooting at my alma mater is a gutting reminder that no one is safe until we tackle America's gun crisis.
www.inquirer.com
December 15, 2025 at 3:22 AM
"No family is safe ... as long as we continue to lead the world in manufacturing two things: weapons of mass murder, and the unvarnished rage and alienation that pulls the trigger. Or as long as our so-called leaders pretend there is nothing that can be done ... " @willbunch.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
A mass shooting at my alma mater Brown University hit hard, proving no community is safe from senseless violence in a land with more guns than people
Trump added insult to injury by claiming there is "nothing you can do." We can do a lot about guns
My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/brow...
Trump added insult to injury by claiming there is "nothing you can do." We can do a lot about guns
My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/brow...
Mass shooting at Brown U.: When gun heartbreak comes home | Will Bunch
A mass shooting at my alma mater is a gutting reminder that no one is safe until we tackle America's gun crisis.
www.inquirer.com
December 14, 2025 at 4:34 PM
A mass shooting at my alma mater Brown University hit hard, proving no community is safe from senseless violence in a land with more guns than people
Trump added insult to injury by claiming there is "nothing you can do." We can do a lot about guns
My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/brow...
Trump added insult to injury by claiming there is "nothing you can do." We can do a lot about guns
My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/brow...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
So we have two immigrant heroes. One in Australia who helped disarm one of the shooters and one in the US who helped track down the Brown U shooter. When a man stabbed several people in the UK, it was also an immigrant who disarmed him.
Weird that the Far Right keeps vilifying immigrants.
Weird that the Far Right keeps vilifying immigrants.
December 15, 2025 at 2:17 AM
So we have two immigrant heroes. One in Australia who helped disarm one of the shooters and one in the US who helped track down the Brown U shooter. When a man stabbed several people in the UK, it was also an immigrant who disarmed him.
Weird that the Far Right keeps vilifying immigrants.
Weird that the Far Right keeps vilifying immigrants.