NEW: Chicago taxpayers paid $295M between 2019 & 2024 to resolve lawsuits naming 272 officers whose alleged misconduct led more than once to payouts, according to an analysis of city data, I report with @jaredrutecki.bsky.social for @wttw.bsky.social

today is the last day to apply to be a 2026 Periplus Fellow! application closes at 11:59pm EST

outside the detention/“processing” facility in broadview, illinois: a crowd of protesters, some of whom showed up before 5 am, is heckling ice agents arriving to work. a few minutes ago, special response team agents came out to push protesters away from the driveway. pepper balls already flying.

Don’t miss this event, it’s important if you drink water in Chicago (p.s. even if your pipes aren’t lead, your neighbor or relatives could be!)

Gonna be talking about data centers, billionaire rhetoric, and outer space on Here and Now at 1:52pm eastern time grist.org/climate-ener...

As I wrote about for @motherjones.com, people are already crossing state lines to get the Covid vaccine—which may become more common if the CDC vaccine advisory committee recommends limiting them this week. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

A source who knew Silverio said he was, ”a person who looks out for his children, takes care of them.” “For him to be shot, how he was shot – I don’t think it’s justice.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Almost immediately after Charlie Kirk was shot on Wednesday, right-wing social media accounts began speculating that his killer was transgender. Politicians and news outlets fueled the rumors. The problem? There is no evidence to back up the claim.

@djbyrnes1.bsky.social & @mulchy.bsky.social are still OTG at Broadview. Update on what's going on ~25 min away in Cicero, where ICE agents just snatched someone outside this Home Depot not too long ago. Street vendors also tell us they saw them gathered down at 45th & Cicero shortly before then.

Follow Shawn’s thread to keep up with what is happening in Broadview, IL

New from me: A rightwing influencer did ride along with Ice as they detained four people on Sunday in Chicago www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

“When we don't regulate these big companies and we let them pollute our air and pollute our water and pollute our land, and take away power from the locals [and Indigenous communities]— we [face] worse outcomes.” ⤵️

If history is any guide, the country that dominates energy usually dominates economics and politics. And China is dominating green energy.

Who owns your building? Chances are, it's an LLC. We looked at ~26m property records in Chicago and found LLC ownership of large rental properties went up nearly 4x in the past two decades. New story + data out from me and @estheryjkang.bsky.social www.wbez.org/housing/2025...

please help us spread the word about this mentorship opportunity for writers of color & share it with anyone you think might be interested!

just something to have on hand in these times

Keep their voices alive.

Urgently Please We need to evacuate safely, chuffed.org/project/mona...

NEW: Last week, oil literally rained down on a Black town in rural Louisiana where 60% of folks live in poverty. The company isn’t taking responsibility & the federal + state governments are saying residents have to clean it up themselves. capitalbnews.org/louisiana-oi...

“At this point it's become impossible for me to maintain a relationship with Reuters given its role in justifying and enabling the systematic assassination of 245 journalists in Gaza. I owe my colleagues in Palestine at least this much, and so much more.” - Valerie Zink

“With Gaza closed to international journalists, this new campaign has created a pretext to eliminate the remaining journalists with the platform to bear witness and terrify anyone brave enough to attempt to take the place of the fallen.”

BREAKING: Eric Adams Advisor Winnie Greco Handed a CITY Reporter Cash Stuffed in a Bag of Potato Chips www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/20/w...

"Anas spent so much of his life making sure other people’s stories were heard. When I got the news, however, my voice didn’t produce any words. All I could do was scream." theintercept.com/2025/08/12/a...

www.newyorker.com/best-books-2... The Best Books of the Year So Far

New from @mdoukmas.bsky.social @injusticewatch.org: A Chicago forensic toxicology lab used discredited scientific methods and faulty machinery to test people’s blood and urine in DUI-cannabis cases. Illinois has no way to prevent it from happening again. www.injusticewatch.org/project/fore...

Read Shade by Sam Bloch

“What They Did There Was Torture Us” @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social and @nlanard.bsky.social spoke with the men sent to CECOT, including Neri Alvarado—the young man DHS claimed was in a gang because of his autism awareness tattoo www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

NEW: For Valentina Galvis and her seven-month-old son, the Sonesta hotel near Chicago O’Hare Airport wasn’t a vacation spot — it was a jail. They were detained for five days after being apprehended by ICE agents, our investigation with @theintercept.com found. buff.ly/9R4MEwo

I've spent the past several years covering two federal civil rights complaints in Chicago. Both affect vulnerable people and communities. Yesterday, Trump upended both of them, saying they aren't "real concerns." chicago.suntimes.com/environment/...

By me: Israel’s destruction of Gaza has left starving Palestinians with access to only 1.5% of cropland that is accessible & suitable for cultivation, according to @fao.org. Before the genocide, Gaza was a thriving agricultural hub www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

I wish as many people wanted to actually click on Teen Vogue stories as like a post about our work being good and important, because this post is almost at 20k likes and that would be pretty good traffic!

By me: First-of-a-kind class-action lawsuit would force EPA to reinstate $3bn in climate and environmental justice program that was abruptly cut by Lee Zeldin, leaving 350 communities in the lurch. In court now, as the Trump admin moves to dismiss the case www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

"The Tea app is yet another example of surveillance tech enabling us to turn one another into content fodder for the tech industry." Read Politics editor @leximcmenamin.com's latest op-ed ⤵️

Brace yourself. This one is sobering, difficult to watch and read, but absolutely critical. I tried reading and watching earlier today with my kid, age 8, and had to stop. It’s heavy. Bravo @nicolefoy.bsky.social @mckenziefunk.com projects.propublica.org/trump-ice-sm...

Wind and Solar Energy Are Cheaper Than Electricity from Fossil-Fuel Plants Even without subsidies, renewable energy is staying competitive with power from gas and coal www.scientificamerican.com/article/wind...

We now live in the Pyrocene, a proposed new geologic epoch of fire activity brought about by human-caused climate change. Living in the Pyrocene means a new reality: knowing what the latest wildfire smoke forecasts are, in order to plan your outdoor activities. I review the best tools to do so:

I'm a @motherjones.com reporter looking to speak with federal workers (past and present) at SAMHSA, particularly those whose portfolios included substance use disorder/fentanyl/opioids. My signal is abbyvesoulis.09. As always, you can remain anonymous. 🙏

Day 460 of negotiations with the @society4science.bsky.social. Since then, the ISS has orbited Earth ~7,360 times. At least the ISS knows how to complete a mission. Help support ours: sign the petition below! #faircontractnow #UnionStrong

the heat waves hurt us all, but they most hurt the incarcerated—many of whom have no ready access to A/C or clean, cool water

NEW: i spoke to nine (!) scientists across several disciplines whose work was cited in the new Department of Energy report that downplays the severity of climate change. all of them say their work was misrepresented, cherry picked, and/or lacked context —

New policies—from a "green" government—have slowed the adoption of a widely popular green technology. What gives? My latest dives into "cost shift," Gavin Newsom's shenanigans, and how utilities are responding to renewables.

Filled with disabled rage that pre-existing health conditions are seemed as a reason to somewhat diminish malnutrition.

Look how tired Mona is. Please help her feed her children 🌸 chuffed.org/project/mona...

If you think I've forgotten about the hurricane satellites, think again. The Navy is permanently unplugging them this week, on the brink of the busiest stretch of the season. There's so much more to this story, and I have the latest scoop. ⬇️

www.thecut.com/article/how-... Gazans Are Starving to Death. Here’s How to Help.

"I’m barely eating. There’s not enough food for me, so how can I have enough milk for her?” Today in @thenation.com: Mothers in Gaza are trying to keep their kids from starving to death. But they're starving too. Please, please listen to them. www.thenation.com/article/worl...