Drew Harwell
@drewharwell.com
tech & society @washingtonpost.com
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videos: tiktok.com/@drewharwell
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stories: drewharwell.com
videos: tiktok.com/@drewharwell
+ instagram.com/drewharwell
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Trump officials condemned Don Lemon. He’s bigger than ever after arrest.
The administration’s attacks on Lemon and independent journalists have boosted their online attention and revenue.
wapo.st
New: The Trump arrest of @donlemonofficial.bsky.social has backfired, giving biggest boost of his online career. In two weeks, he's gained 300k on Instagram, 140k on YouTube, 73% on Substack and started selling arrest-themed merch. "They elevated me," he said in interview wapo.st/3OfiGxz
Your unemployed friends on a Wednesday
February 19, 2026 at 4:17 AM
Your unemployed friends on a Wednesday
Trump's journalist arrests are backfiring
Full story here, free to read: drewharwell.com/stories/how-...
Full story here, free to read: drewharwell.com/stories/how-...
February 18, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Trump's journalist arrests are backfiring
Full story here, free to read: drewharwell.com/stories/how-...
Full story here, free to read: drewharwell.com/stories/how-...
Reposted by Drew Harwell
BREAKING — WE WON! DC Superior Court Judge Darlene Soltys ordered the DC Metropolitan Police to produce ALL body cam footage of the March 2025 DOGE raid on the US Institute of Peace within 14 days.
Thanks to my @rcfp.org lawyers for their tireless work.
Details on thehandbasket.co later today!
Thanks to my @rcfp.org lawyers for their tireless work.
Details on thehandbasket.co later today!
February 18, 2026 at 3:40 PM
BREAKING — WE WON! DC Superior Court Judge Darlene Soltys ordered the DC Metropolitan Police to produce ALL body cam footage of the March 2025 DOGE raid on the US Institute of Peace within 14 days.
Thanks to my @rcfp.org lawyers for their tireless work.
Details on thehandbasket.co later today!
Thanks to my @rcfp.org lawyers for their tireless work.
Details on thehandbasket.co later today!
. @thomasgermain.bsky.social tricked ChatGPT and Google's AI so now they say I'm a "passionate amateur" at eating hot dogs and known in the industry for my "triple-dog" speed www.bbc.com/future/artic...
February 18, 2026 at 2:29 PM
. @thomasgermain.bsky.social tricked ChatGPT and Google's AI so now they say I'm a "passionate amateur" at eating hot dogs and known in the industry for my "triple-dog" speed www.bbc.com/future/artic...
Reposted by Drew Harwell
The Atlantic’s essay about a child’s measles death was gut-wrenching.
Some readers felt deceived when they learned the family in question wasn’t real, the scenario a hypothetical.
My latest for @washingtonpost.com:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Some readers felt deceived when they learned the family in question wasn’t real, the scenario a hypothetical.
My latest for @washingtonpost.com:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
The Atlantic’s essay about measles was gut-wrenching. Some readers feel deceived.
Some critics and physicians said Elizabeth Bruenig’s account of a mother confronting a child’s death from measles felt misleading once they learned the story was reported fiction.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 18, 2026 at 1:07 PM
The Atlantic’s essay about a child’s measles death was gut-wrenching.
Some readers felt deceived when they learned the family in question wasn’t real, the scenario a hypothetical.
My latest for @washingtonpost.com:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Some readers felt deceived when they learned the family in question wasn’t real, the scenario a hypothetical.
My latest for @washingtonpost.com:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Seen in central Florida.
February 18, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Seen in central Florida.
Imagine you have anger issues and this thing rolls into view
February 18, 2026 at 2:11 AM
Imagine you have anger issues and this thing rolls into view
Reposted by Drew Harwell
Stephen Colbert issued an on-air condemnation of his own network Monday night, claiming that CBS lawyers blocked an interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico over FCC concerns.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Stephen Colbert says CBS blocked interview with Texas Democrat over FCC concerns
In an on-air rebuke, Colbert said lawyers for CBS’s parent company barred airing an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D), a U.S. Senate candidate.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 17, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Stephen Colbert issued an on-air condemnation of his own network Monday night, claiming that CBS lawyers blocked an interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico over FCC concerns.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
. @jamestalarico.bsky.social: "This is the party that ran against cancel culture, and now they're trying to control what we watch, what we say, what we read. And this is the most dangerous kind of cancel culture, the kind that comes from the top" www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiTJ...
Rep. James Talarico On Confronting Christian Nationalism, And Strange Days In The Texas Legislature
YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
www.youtube.com
February 17, 2026 at 3:49 PM
. @jamestalarico.bsky.social: "This is the party that ran against cancel culture, and now they're trying to control what we watch, what we say, what we read. And this is the most dangerous kind of cancel culture, the kind that comes from the top" www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiTJ...
Reposted by Drew Harwell
“All Washington Post staff reporters in the Middle East were laid off last week. Many of them were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize last year, for what the award committee called haunting accountability journalism that documented Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip.” www.npr.org/2026/02/13/n...
These foreign correspondents covered hard to reach places. Then, they were laid off
The Washington Post laid off most of its foreign correspondents, including some of the last American and Western journalists working in authoritarian countries.
www.npr.org
February 17, 2026 at 3:19 PM
“All Washington Post staff reporters in the Middle East were laid off last week. Many of them were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize last year, for what the award committee called haunting accountability journalism that documented Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip.” www.npr.org/2026/02/13/n...
Epstein case relevant again
February 17, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Epstein case relevant again
Our reporting on ICE's "wartime recruitment" strategy was featured on @lastweektonight.com:
youtu.be/5-KDUOHEZFk?...
youtu.be/5-KDUOHEZFk?...
February 17, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Our reporting on ICE's "wartime recruitment" strategy was featured on @lastweektonight.com:
youtu.be/5-KDUOHEZFk?...
youtu.be/5-KDUOHEZFk?...
February 16, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Do feel like AI tool developers should think about the obvious consequences sometimes
February 15, 2026 at 11:23 PM
Do feel like AI tool developers should think about the obvious consequences sometimes
Reposted by Drew Harwell
As the media moved "from deferential stenography and toward fearless investigation, that led to declining trust in the news media. Aggressive, probing and accountability-oriented journalism held up a mirror to American society — and many Americans didn’t like what they saw." @polgreen.bsky.social
Opinion | I Trusted Jeff Bezos. The Joke’s on Me.
www.nytimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 5:48 PM
As the media moved "from deferential stenography and toward fearless investigation, that led to declining trust in the news media. Aggressive, probing and accountability-oriented journalism held up a mirror to American society — and many Americans didn’t like what they saw." @polgreen.bsky.social
Reposted by Drew Harwell
Ofelia Torres, the teenage Chicago Public Schools student whose fight against cancer while her father was detained by ICE came to represent the federal government's overreach during Operation Midway Blitz, has died. Brave young woman. I will never forget her. RIP.
February 15, 2026 at 1:54 AM
Ofelia Torres, the teenage Chicago Public Schools student whose fight against cancer while her father was detained by ICE came to represent the federal government's overreach during Operation Midway Blitz, has died. Brave young woman. I will never forget her. RIP.
Just sent a free-to-read link for my newest story to all my beautiful newsletter subscribers. Please join them! It's totally free, not on Substack, and helps me keep reporting.
drewharwell.com/stories/how-...
drewharwell.com/stories/how-...
How a Trump attack on Don Lemon backfired
The influencer-journalist is now selling arrest-themed merchandise. "They elevated me when they tried to demean me."
drewharwell.com
February 15, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Just sent a free-to-read link for my newest story to all my beautiful newsletter subscribers. Please join them! It's totally free, not on Substack, and helps me keep reporting.
drewharwell.com/stories/how-...
drewharwell.com/stories/how-...
Chaya Raichik is trying to get an elementary-school teacher fired for reposting a single viral video with zero additional commentary
February 15, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Chaya Raichik is trying to get an elementary-school teacher fired for reposting a single viral video with zero additional commentary
Reposted by Drew Harwell
NEW: David Greene was the voice of NPR's "Morning Edition." Is he also secretly the voice of Google's popular AI podcast tool, NotebookLM?
Google says no. Greene thinks they're lying. My story today breaks the news of his lawsuit and compares the two voices. Listen for yourself: wapo.st/3ZHRvho
Google says no. Greene thinks they're lying. My story today breaks the news of his lawsuit and compares the two voices. Listen for yourself: wapo.st/3ZHRvho
He spent decades perfecting his voice. Now he says Google stole it.
NPR’s David Greene says he was “completely freaked out” when he heard an AI voice that sounded just like his own, and he’s suing over it.
wapo.st
February 15, 2026 at 4:23 PM
NEW: David Greene was the voice of NPR's "Morning Edition." Is he also secretly the voice of Google's popular AI podcast tool, NotebookLM?
Google says no. Greene thinks they're lying. My story today breaks the news of his lawsuit and compares the two voices. Listen for yourself: wapo.st/3ZHRvho
Google says no. Greene thinks they're lying. My story today breaks the news of his lawsuit and compares the two voices. Listen for yourself: wapo.st/3ZHRvho
From today's @washingtonpost.com front page:
"Abruptly terminated": harsh, contentious, negative
"Sunset": natural, pleasant, the circle of life
h/t @alecmac.bsky.social
"Abruptly terminated": harsh, contentious, negative
"Sunset": natural, pleasant, the circle of life
h/t @alecmac.bsky.social
February 15, 2026 at 4:11 PM
From today's @washingtonpost.com front page:
"Abruptly terminated": harsh, contentious, negative
"Sunset": natural, pleasant, the circle of life
h/t @alecmac.bsky.social
"Abruptly terminated": harsh, contentious, negative
"Sunset": natural, pleasant, the circle of life
h/t @alecmac.bsky.social
Reposted by Drew Harwell
Broken bones, burning eyes: How Trump's DHS deploys 'less lethal' weapons on protesters www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Broken bones, burning eyes: How Trump's DHS deploys 'less lethal' weapons on protesters
Federal immigration officers have repeatedly used force in ways that appear to violate their own policies or general policing guidelines, NBC News found.
www.nbcnews.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Broken bones, burning eyes: How Trump's DHS deploys 'less lethal' weapons on protesters www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Of course aliens are real. There are 100 billion planets in our galaxy and 2 trillion galaxies in the universe. How could it be possible we live on the only habitable rock
I asked @barackobama.bsky.social if aliens are real.
February 15, 2026 at 3:29 PM
Of course aliens are real. There are 100 billion planets in our galaxy and 2 trillion galaxies in the universe. How could it be possible we live on the only habitable rock
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) on ABC this morning said, "This is the Epstein administration," and that President Trump is "still in with the Epstein class."
On whether he has confidence in Pam Bondi as attorney general: "I don’t think Pam Bondi has confidence in Pam Bondi."
On whether he has confidence in Pam Bondi as attorney general: "I don’t think Pam Bondi has confidence in Pam Bondi."
February 15, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) on ABC this morning said, "This is the Epstein administration," and that President Trump is "still in with the Epstein class."
On whether he has confidence in Pam Bondi as attorney general: "I don’t think Pam Bondi has confidence in Pam Bondi."
On whether he has confidence in Pam Bondi as attorney general: "I don’t think Pam Bondi has confidence in Pam Bondi."
Reposted by Drew Harwell
The @washingtonpost.com layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, per data from the @postguild.bsky.social.
50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members, 45% of Black members, and 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members, 45% of Black members, and 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
Washington Post layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, preliminary Guild data shows
"We cannot ignore what this means for equity, representation, and the future of this organization."
www.niemanlab.org
February 13, 2026 at 10:48 PM
The @washingtonpost.com layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, per data from the @postguild.bsky.social.
50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members, 45% of Black members, and 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members, 45% of Black members, and 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
New: The Trump arrest of @donlemonofficial.bsky.social has backfired, giving biggest boost of his online career. In two weeks, he's gained 300k on Instagram, 140k on YouTube, 73% on Substack and started selling arrest-themed merch. "They elevated me," he said in interview wapo.st/3OfiGxz
Trump officials condemned Don Lemon. He’s bigger than ever after arrest.
The administration’s attacks on Lemon and independent journalists have boosted their online attention and revenue.
wapo.st
February 14, 2026 at 12:48 PM
New: The Trump arrest of @donlemonofficial.bsky.social has backfired, giving biggest boost of his online career. In two weeks, he's gained 300k on Instagram, 140k on YouTube, 73% on Substack and started selling arrest-themed merch. "They elevated me," he said in interview wapo.st/3OfiGxz