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
"Just as the pet-eating story was apocryphal, Trump’s portrayal of the Haitian community’s role in society is way off." Learn just how off it is:
Why Trump’s Attack on Refugees Could Hurt Grandma
It’s immigrants from ‘shithole’ countries who care for our elderly, and nobody’s lining up to take their place.
lnk.thebulwark.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:01 PM
"Just as the pet-eating story was apocryphal, Trump’s portrayal of the Haitian community’s role in society is way off." Learn just how off it is:
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Crockett: "The US is falling apart, partially bc he's allowing for killings in the street, but also bc we have a 34 count convicted felon being shielded from any type of accountability as it relates to a child sex trafficking ring. I don't understand why we're pretending any of this is normal."
February 9, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Crockett: "The US is falling apart, partially bc he's allowing for killings in the street, but also bc we have a 34 count convicted felon being shielded from any type of accountability as it relates to a child sex trafficking ring. I don't understand why we're pretending any of this is normal."
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ICE to begin detaining immigrants inside Social Circle warehouse in April
Homeland Security plans to build warehouse detention facilities in other cities being met with opposition.
www.ajc.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:56 PM
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
This is really what separates Trump from Stephen Miller. He'll make it 11/14ths of the way through the 14 words and then stop to complain about Mike Tirico.
it's so funny that he wedged in a complaint about the new kickoff rule at the end there lmao
Trump crashes out over Bad Bunny’s halftime show
February 9, 2026 at 2:26 AM
This is really what separates Trump from Stephen Miller. He'll make it 11/14ths of the way through the 14 words and then stop to complain about Mike Tirico.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
As an aside, it's crazy that journos working outside the U.S. aren't covered by the newsroom's union. I know that's true at AP as well. Everyone's doing the same work (reporting and editing for the news outlet) but doesn't have the same protections
To my understanding this isn't bc of the unions!
To my understanding this isn't bc of the unions!
When you count the non-Guild represented people the Post laid off last week, it's close to half the newsroom,
@farhip.bsky.social writes:
@farhip.bsky.social writes:
Actually, the Washington Post Layoffs Were a Bigger Bloodbath Than You Thought - Washingtonian
The layoffs announced last week at the Washington Post were disfiguring to the esteemed news organization, with whole sections and departments—sports, books, staff photography—wiped away, and devastat...
washingtonian.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:42 PM
As an aside, it's crazy that journos working outside the U.S. aren't covered by the newsroom's union. I know that's true at AP as well. Everyone's doing the same work (reporting and editing for the news outlet) but doesn't have the same protections
To my understanding this isn't bc of the unions!
To my understanding this isn't bc of the unions!
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Paris closing ceremony had Phoenix, a band that sings in English
The Champions League final in Germany last year opened with Linkin Park
February 9, 2026 at 4:44 AM
Paris closing ceremony had Phoenix, a band that sings in English
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
This woman is in charge of the US Agency for Global Media, which is supposed to serve and represent the best American values
February 9, 2026 at 3:10 AM
This woman is in charge of the US Agency for Global Media, which is supposed to serve and represent the best American values
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Chicago taxpayers should pay $16.6 million to a man who spent 13 years in prison after he was framed by disgraced former Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara for a 1991 murder, city lawyers recommended. (via @heathercherone.bsky.social)
City Lawyers Recommend Paying $16.6M Man Who Spent 13 Years in Prison After Being Framed by Disgraced Ex-Detective
Chicago taxpayers paid an additional $2 million to defend the other Chicago police officers named in Johnson's lawsuit, which was filed in 2020, according to records obtained by WTTW News through a Fr...
news.wttw.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Chicago taxpayers should pay $16.6 million to a man who spent 13 years in prison after he was framed by disgraced former Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara for a 1991 murder, city lawyers recommended. (via @heathercherone.bsky.social)
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Journalism Jobs: The @startribune.com is hiring an investigative reporter at their headquarters in Minneapolis MN, a state increasingly at the center of national news conversations including policing, immigration, public safety, business, politics and fraud.
recruiting2.ultipro.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Journalism Jobs: The @startribune.com is hiring an investigative reporter at their headquarters in Minneapolis MN, a state increasingly at the center of national news conversations including policing, immigration, public safety, business, politics and fraud.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
China leads the world with new EV technology. How the U.S. can tap its market: "All signs suggest that within the next decade the overwhelming majority of the vehicles sold worldwide will be electric" themoneytrail.substack.com/p/on-the-mon...
On the Money: Like Canada, the U.S. Should Allow Some Chinese EV Imports
For the U.S. auto industry to remain competitive, it has no choice but go electric. Chinese imports would force it to act.
themoneytrail.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:36 PM
China leads the world with new EV technology. How the U.S. can tap its market: "All signs suggest that within the next decade the overwhelming majority of the vehicles sold worldwide will be electric" themoneytrail.substack.com/p/on-the-mon...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Rep. Raskin: “I think that the DOJ has been in a cover-up mode for many months and has been trying to sweep the entire thing under the rug…There's no way you run a billion-dollar international child sex trafficking ring with just two people committing crimes.”
February 9, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Rep. Raskin: “I think that the DOJ has been in a cover-up mode for many months and has been trying to sweep the entire thing under the rug…There's no way you run a billion-dollar international child sex trafficking ring with just two people committing crimes.”
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
The Champions League final in Germany last year opened with Linkin Park
February 9, 2026 at 2:31 AM
The Champions League final in Germany last year opened with Linkin Park
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
The Sermon on the Mount, by Beryl Lewis, before 1965, 📸 by @ScottStrazzante
February 9, 2026 at 2:16 AM
The Sermon on the Mount, by Beryl Lewis, before 1965, 📸 by @ScottStrazzante
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
People cheer while watching Bad Bunny perform during Super Bowl 60 at a Benito bowl watch party at La Bruquena in the Humboldt Park neighborhood Sunday evening in Chicago.
February 9, 2026 at 2:46 AM
People cheer while watching Bad Bunny perform during Super Bowl 60 at a Benito bowl watch party at La Bruquena in the Humboldt Park neighborhood Sunday evening in Chicago.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
The ending to Bad Bunny's halftime show:
"The only thing more powerful than hate is love"
"Together, we are America"
"The only thing more powerful than hate is love"
"Together, we are America"
February 9, 2026 at 1:58 AM
The ending to Bad Bunny's halftime show:
"The only thing more powerful than hate is love"
"Together, we are America"
"The only thing more powerful than hate is love"
"Together, we are America"
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
If you didn’t catch the significance of the exploding transformers in Bad Bunny’s halftime show, I gotcha. Here’s one of a bunch of pieces I wrote from/on Puerto Rico about the crisis—and Trump’s role in it. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Washington’s Corruption Has Created Another Humanitarian Crisis in Puerto Rico
The island’s earthquakes are its latest man-made disaster.
slate.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:59 AM
If you didn’t catch the significance of the exploding transformers in Bad Bunny’s halftime show, I gotcha. Here’s one of a bunch of pieces I wrote from/on Puerto Rico about the crisis—and Trump’s role in it. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Just a few weeks ago, the administration cancelled all remaining department of energy grid resilience projects in Puerto Rico. All of them. www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-end...
The end of DOE’s grid work in Puerto Rico
The Trump administration has canceled all eight of the remaining awards devoted to distributed energy on the island.
www.latitudemedia.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Just a few weeks ago, the administration cancelled all remaining department of energy grid resilience projects in Puerto Rico. All of them. www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-end...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
R.E.M. Live at Circle Pavilion - University of Illinois at Chicago 1987-11-04 https://archive.org/details/ajc02667_rem1987-11-04.aud
R.E.M. Live at Circle Pavilion - University of Illinois at Chicago 1987-11-04 : R.E.M. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
R.E.M.November 4, 1987Circle PavilionUniversity of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL, USARecording generously loaned from the Aadam Jacobs Audio Archive.Taper:...
archive.org
February 8, 2026 at 10:37 PM
R.E.M. Live at Circle Pavilion - University of Illinois at Chicago 1987-11-04 https://archive.org/details/ajc02667_rem1987-11-04.aud
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Trump/MAGA have long regarded pro football as "their" part of the culture. They used to post video of stadium crowds cheering Trump. He tried to shame black players kneeling for BLM out of the sport.
This is why Bad Bunny doing Super Bowl cuts so deep for Trump. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
This is why Bad Bunny doing Super Bowl cuts so deep for Trump. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
February 8, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Trump/MAGA have long regarded pro football as "their" part of the culture. They used to post video of stadium crowds cheering Trump. He tried to shame black players kneeling for BLM out of the sport.
This is why Bad Bunny doing Super Bowl cuts so deep for Trump. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
This is why Bad Bunny doing Super Bowl cuts so deep for Trump. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Edu Gaspar has done it again.
It's the summer of 2020 and Arsenal are looking to sign an attacking midfielder. Edu's proposal? Willian.
The recruitment department's? Dominik Szoboszlai.
One of the many qualities they highlighted? His ability from set pieces.
The recruitment department's? Dominik Szoboszlai.
One of the many qualities they highlighted? His ability from set pieces.
How Arsenal could have signed 19-year-old Szoboszlai
As Arsenal host Liverpool, the role of the Hungarian midfielder keeps growing for the visitors
www.cbssports.com
February 8, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Edu Gaspar has done it again.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
Headlines like this make me proud as hell to be New Mexican. The Epstein 'truth commission' would investigate crimes committed on Epstein’s NM ranch, exposing perpetrators and accomplices whose names have been redacted.
www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legisla...
www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legisla...
'This state ... is not playing': Epstein 'truth commission' heads to House floor
Lawmakers advanced a resolution for a truth commission into Jeffrey Epstein's alleged crimes in New Mexico to the House floor.
www.santafenewmexican.com
February 8, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Headlines like this make me proud as hell to be New Mexican. The Epstein 'truth commission' would investigate crimes committed on Epstein’s NM ranch, exposing perpetrators and accomplices whose names have been redacted.
www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legisla...
www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legisla...
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
🚨 Epstein survivors release this powerful PSA in advance of the Super Bowl demanding answers from the Justice Department. This is the Super Bowl ad every American should see. Spread it everywhere.
February 8, 2026 at 5:32 PM
🚨 Epstein survivors release this powerful PSA in advance of the Super Bowl demanding answers from the Justice Department. This is the Super Bowl ad every American should see. Spread it everywhere.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
I've written about the overarching post story, causes, underlying pattern. But the failure of Lewis or Bezos to even show up, literally or figuratively, on a day of devastating cuts epitomizes the profound lack of character and accountability that is so common place today within the American elite.
February 8, 2026 at 6:15 AM
I've written about the overarching post story, causes, underlying pattern. But the failure of Lewis or Bezos to even show up, literally or figuratively, on a day of devastating cuts epitomizes the profound lack of character and accountability that is so common place today within the American elite.
Reposted by Michael Hawthorne
If the White House's official explanation is that a staffer was responsible for that racist Obama post, then that staffer should be identified and fired. I won't forget the people whose careers were ruined and lives threatened bc of Charlie Kirk posts. www.foxcarolina.com/2025/09/11/u...
Upstate teacher no longer employed after lawmakers demand answers about Charlie Kirk post
Multiple lawmakers reposted images on X of a Facebook post attributed to Wynne Boliek, which appears to reference the death of Charlie Kirk.
www.foxcarolina.com
February 8, 2026 at 6:24 PM
If the White House's official explanation is that a staffer was responsible for that racist Obama post, then that staffer should be identified and fired. I won't forget the people whose careers were ruined and lives threatened bc of Charlie Kirk posts. www.foxcarolina.com/2025/09/11/u...