Brian Mackey
@brianmackey.com
Host of the @21st.show, the statewide NPR talk show and podcast for Illinois.
"I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning."
Jared Golden: I won’t seek reelection. Here’s why.
"What I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son."
www.bangordailynews.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:09 PM
"I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning."
Reposted by Brian Mackey
Fulton County Courthouse in Lewistown, not far from one of our state’s more famous cemeteries. I had the great honor speaking with @brianmackey.com on @21st.show yesterday about some central Illinois gravesites. Link below!
October 23, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Fulton County Courthouse in Lewistown, not far from one of our state’s more famous cemeteries. I had the great honor speaking with @brianmackey.com on @21st.show yesterday about some central Illinois gravesites. Link below!
Reposted by Brian Mackey
At Broadview ICE facility, federal agents hurl tear gas and pepper spray at protesters blocking vans www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/19/t...
At Broadview ICE facility, federal agents hurl tear gas and pepper spray at protesters blocking vans
Federal agents hurled tear gas and pepper spray into a crowd of about 100 protesters who attempted to block vans from entering and exiting a U.S. Immigration and Customs holding facility in Broadvi…
www.chicagotribune.com
September 19, 2025 at 4:24 PM
At Broadview ICE facility, federal agents hurl tear gas and pepper spray at protesters blocking vans www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/19/t...
Stark dispatch from Washington by my friend @danvock.bsky.social:
Hostile government takeover: D.C. edition
President Donald Trump's police takeover and surge of federal forces is disrupting life in big ways and small for District residents. He wants the same thing for people in other cities too.
substack.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Stark dispatch from Washington by my friend @danvock.bsky.social:
Reposted by Brian Mackey
it does feel like a rubicon being passed today but does anyone remember the arson at the house of the most prominent jewish elected leader in america
like
two months ago
like
two months ago
Gov. Tim Walz says Democratic Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed last night in “a political assassination.”
June 14, 2025 at 4:09 PM
it does feel like a rubicon being passed today but does anyone remember the arson at the house of the most prominent jewish elected leader in america
like
two months ago
like
two months ago
Tuned into the White Sox game in the bottom of the 8th. Score was 2–2, and within a few minutes the Sox were up 7–2.
Last night I tuned into the end of the NBA Finals, and Indiana went up for the first time in the entire game with 0.3 seconds to go.
Any other sports teams I can help out tonight?
Last night I tuned into the end of the NBA Finals, and Indiana went up for the first time in the entire game with 0.3 seconds to go.
Any other sports teams I can help out tonight?
June 7, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Tuned into the White Sox game in the bottom of the 8th. Score was 2–2, and within a few minutes the Sox were up 7–2.
Last night I tuned into the end of the NBA Finals, and Indiana went up for the first time in the entire game with 0.3 seconds to go.
Any other sports teams I can help out tonight?
Last night I tuned into the end of the NBA Finals, and Indiana went up for the first time in the entire game with 0.3 seconds to go.
Any other sports teams I can help out tonight?
Reposted by Brian Mackey
This is shocking.
I directly worked on designing the integration and protections of CityKey. It was designed to provide an ID, be a transit card, library and discount card.
It was to *never* create a digital record while being compatible with state and city laws. Subpoena-proof.
I directly worked on designing the integration and protections of CityKey. It was designed to provide an ID, be a transit card, library and discount card.
It was to *never* create a digital record while being compatible with state and city laws. Subpoena-proof.
ICE subpoenas Chicago for records of applicants in city ID program used by immigrants www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/06/i...
ICE subpoenas Chicago for records of applicants in city ID program used by immigrants
the Chicago Clerk’s Office has kept identifying application materials for more than 2,700 people who used the online CityKey system since December, documents ICE is seeking.
www.chicagotribune.com
June 6, 2025 at 9:28 PM
This is shocking.
I directly worked on designing the integration and protections of CityKey. It was designed to provide an ID, be a transit card, library and discount card.
It was to *never* create a digital record while being compatible with state and city laws. Subpoena-proof.
I directly worked on designing the integration and protections of CityKey. It was designed to provide an ID, be a transit card, library and discount card.
It was to *never* create a digital record while being compatible with state and city laws. Subpoena-proof.
Reposted by Brian Mackey
And finally (for now), SCOTUS will consider Bost v. Illinois whether federal candidates have standing to challenge state laws that count late-arriving ballots postmarked by Election Day. Not the merits (yet), just the standing question. www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
June 2, 2025 at 1:58 PM
And finally (for now), SCOTUS will consider Bost v. Illinois whether federal candidates have standing to challenge state laws that count late-arriving ballots postmarked by Election Day. Not the merits (yet), just the standing question. www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
Reposted by Brian Mackey
This is such a good example of "turn every page" journalism - nothing less fun/glam than clicking through every footnote.
And it's roughly 10,000x more newsy than the thumbsucker RFK profiles reported with big travel budgets.
And it's roughly 10,000x more newsy than the thumbsucker RFK profiles reported with big travel budgets.
The New York Times has found at least two more fake citations in the MAHA report.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/w...
White House Health Report Included Fake Citations
www.nytimes.com
May 29, 2025 at 9:52 PM
This is such a good example of "turn every page" journalism - nothing less fun/glam than clicking through every footnote.
And it's roughly 10,000x more newsy than the thumbsucker RFK profiles reported with big travel budgets.
And it's roughly 10,000x more newsy than the thumbsucker RFK profiles reported with big travel budgets.
Reposted by Brian Mackey
Update: Journalism has been purchased by a hedge fund which announced multiple amputations
May 18, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Update: Journalism has been purchased by a hedge fund which announced multiple amputations
Reposted by Brian Mackey
Pope Leo spotted on the 2005 World Series broadcast
May 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Pope Leo spotted on the 2005 World Series broadcast
Great short essay on Pope Leo, the White Sox, and the Beatitudes, by @soxmachine.com:
"While I'd known at some level that every pope is a person [...] it didn't resonate like seeing a picture of the person who is now pope wearing a White Sox jersey in the stands of U.S. Cellular Field."
"While I'd known at some level that every pope is a person [...] it didn't resonate like seeing a picture of the person who is now pope wearing a White Sox jersey in the stands of U.S. Cellular Field."
So the pope is a White Sox fan - Sox Machine
In his autobiography, Bill Veeck wrote, “If there is any justice in this world, to be a White Sox fan frees a man from any form of penance.” Now that a White Sox fan is literally the pope, I guess we’...
soxmachine.com
May 9, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Great short essay on Pope Leo, the White Sox, and the Beatitudes, by @soxmachine.com:
"While I'd known at some level that every pope is a person [...] it didn't resonate like seeing a picture of the person who is now pope wearing a White Sox jersey in the stands of U.S. Cellular Field."
"While I'd known at some level that every pope is a person [...] it didn't resonate like seeing a picture of the person who is now pope wearing a White Sox jersey in the stands of U.S. Cellular Field."
Reposted by Brian Mackey
Wrote about the pope being a White Sox fan. It's pretty crazy! soxmachine.com/2025/05/so-t...
So the pope is a White Sox fan - Sox Machine
In his autobiography, Bill Veeck wrote, “If there is any justice in this world, to be a White Sox fan frees a man from any form of penance.” Now that a White Sox fan is literally the pope, I guess we’...
soxmachine.com
May 9, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Wrote about the pope being a White Sox fan. It's pretty crazy! soxmachine.com/2025/05/so-t...
Reposted by Brian Mackey
Cardinal Robert Prevost (center, blue shirt) visited the flagship @AureliosPizza location in Homewood in August with friends and family. Who could've imagined what would happen less than a year later! wgntv.com/news/robert-...
May 9, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Cardinal Robert Prevost (center, blue shirt) visited the flagship @AureliosPizza location in Homewood in August with friends and family. Who could've imagined what would happen less than a year later! wgntv.com/news/robert-...
Reposted by Brian Mackey
"This is Hawk Harrelson with Ed Farmer and the Pope at US Cellular and this is the 2005 World Series..."
May 9, 2025 at 2:59 AM
"This is Hawk Harrelson with Ed Farmer and the Pope at US Cellular and this is the 2005 World Series..."
Reposted by Brian Mackey
Please have your first draft of history here, via half the Tribune and captained by @stacystclair.bsky.social
That was a fun day at work. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/08/r...
That was a fun day at work. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/08/r...
The White Sox, Aurelio's Pizza and St. Mary's Mass: A South Sider becomes pope
Robert Prevost’s Catholic roots were planted in Chicago’s south suburbs, where he lived in Dolton and attended St. Mary’s parish before becoming Pope Leo XIV.
www.chicagotribune.com
May 9, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Please have your first draft of history here, via half the Tribune and captained by @stacystclair.bsky.social
That was a fun day at work. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/08/r...
That was a fun day at work. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/08/r...
And here I thought Chicago media reached peak “area man” stories in the Obama era.
May 8, 2025 at 10:18 PM
And here I thought Chicago media reached peak “area man” stories in the Obama era.
"It is now up to us to take the keys to freedom into our own hands."
Shortfilm Wim Wenders: The Keys to Freedom
YouTube video by AuswaertigesAmtDE
www.youtube.com
May 6, 2025 at 7:09 PM
"It is now up to us to take the keys to freedom into our own hands."
Implement a 100% tariff and ruin a movie.
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, Her Lover, Their Accountant, His Shipping Agent, Our Trade Representative, & an Unemployed Longshoreman (1989)
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, Her Lover, Their Accountant, His Shipping Agent, Our Trade Representative, & an Unemployed Longshoreman (1989)
Implement a 100% tariff and ruin a movie.
QUADRUPLE INDEMNITY (1944)
QUADRUPLE INDEMNITY (1944)
Implement a 100% tariff and ruin a movie.
Half Full Metal Jacket
Half Full Metal Jacket
May 5, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Implement a 100% tariff and ruin a movie.
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, Her Lover, Their Accountant, His Shipping Agent, Our Trade Representative, & an Unemployed Longshoreman (1989)
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, Her Lover, Their Accountant, His Shipping Agent, Our Trade Representative, & an Unemployed Longshoreman (1989)
One heck of a fact-check story by @katierosman.bsky.social. Somehow manages to be heartwarming, heartbreaking, affirming and dispiriting — often in adjoining paragraphs. Be prepared for a rollercoaster.
‘I Have Cancer,’ the TikTok Star Said. Then Came the Torrent of Hate.
Sydney Towle’s videos have drawn an enormous audience on TikTok, where her followers praise and support her. On Reddit, an army of skeptics was determined to paint her as a fraud.
www.nytimes.com
May 1, 2025 at 9:22 PM
One heck of a fact-check story by @katierosman.bsky.social. Somehow manages to be heartwarming, heartbreaking, affirming and dispiriting — often in adjoining paragraphs. Be prepared for a rollercoaster.
Update from the Illinois State Police, 5:16 a.m.:
“The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was uninjured and transported to an area hospital for evaluation. Toxicology reports are pending. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but this does not appear to be a targeted attack.“
“The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was uninjured and transported to an area hospital for evaluation. Toxicology reports are pending. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but this does not appear to be a targeted attack.“
“CHATHAM, Ill. (AP) — A car smashed through a building Monday afternoon, killing four young people and injuring several others during an after-school program in a small city outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said.”
Vehicle smashes through Illinois building, killing 4 young people and injuring others
Illinois State Police say a car smashed through a building during an after-school program just outside Springfield, Illinois. The four people killed were between the ages of 4 and 18, Illinois State P...
apnews.com
April 29, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Update from the Illinois State Police, 5:16 a.m.:
“The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was uninjured and transported to an area hospital for evaluation. Toxicology reports are pending. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but this does not appear to be a targeted attack.“
“The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was uninjured and transported to an area hospital for evaluation. Toxicology reports are pending. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but this does not appear to be a targeted attack.“
“CHATHAM, Ill. (AP) — A car smashed through a building Monday afternoon, killing four young people and injuring several others during an after-school program in a small city outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said.”
Vehicle smashes through Illinois building, killing 4 young people and injuring others
Illinois State Police say a car smashed through a building during an after-school program just outside Springfield, Illinois. The four people killed were between the ages of 4 and 18, Illinois State P...
apnews.com
April 29, 2025 at 3:51 AM
“CHATHAM, Ill. (AP) — A car smashed through a building Monday afternoon, killing four young people and injuring several others during an after-school program in a small city outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said.”
Reposted by Brian Mackey
Pritzker calls for mass protests and disruption - “Republicans cannot know a moment of peace,” he says, swaying their portraits will one day be put in museums “reserved for tyrants and traitors”
April 28, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Pritzker calls for mass protests and disruption - “Republicans cannot know a moment of peace,” he says, swaying their portraits will one day be put in museums “reserved for tyrants and traitors”
“I think what we’ll find in the end is there were multiple things that, had any one of them changed, it could have well changed the outcome of that evening.”
The Missteps That Led to a Fatal Plane Crash at Reagan National Airport
New details revealed by The Times show that the failures on Jan. 29 before an Army helicopter crashed into a jet near Reagan National Airport were far more complex than previously known.
www.nytimes.com
April 27, 2025 at 4:36 PM
“I think what we’ll find in the end is there were multiple things that, had any one of them changed, it could have well changed the outcome of that evening.”
Reposted by Brian Mackey
The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy. I truly love the job of being a United States Senator.
But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch.
So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.
But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch.
So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.
April 23, 2025 at 3:17 PM
The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy. I truly love the job of being a United States Senator.
But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch.
So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.
But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch.
So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.