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Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

Writer

Washington DC

Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

Featured

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How ‘killing’ Pluto redefined the solar system

“Pluto is dead.” Mike Brown, California Institute of Technology astronomer and self-proclaimed Pluto killer, uttered these words exactly nine years ago today after the International Astronomers Union (IAU) officially revoked Pluto’s planetary status.
PBS Newshour Link to Story
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Conservative Group Led By EPA Chief Pruitt Received Dark Money To Battle Environmental Regulations

An organization once led by the nation’s top environmental regulator raised more than $750,000 from conservative dark money groups to battle federal regulators, including officials at the agency he now leads, a MapLight investigation has found.
Fast Company Link to Story
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Can We Really Put an End To Plastic Waste?

Around the world, measures are being introduced to reduce the amount of plastic we manufacture and discard.
BirdLife International Link to Story
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Social media platforms must protect democracy, even from the president

It began with a simple blue label: “Get the facts about mail-in ballots.”. Last month, President Donald Trump tweeted allegations — shown time and again to be unfounded — that voting by mail leads to fraud. When Twitter, in accordance with its policies on civic integrity and coronavirus misinformation, fact-checked and labeled the false claims, Trump threatened to shut social media companies down.
TechCrunch Link to Story
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A Lingering Flavor: On Cuisine and Culture

I begin to understand that food was never just something to eat, but an element that grounded me traditionally, geographically, and culturally.
Gastronomica Magazine Link to Story
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The Color of Loss: On the Passing of Sir Terry Pratchett

On March 12, a tweet from his official Twitter account announced that Sir Terry Pratchett, a fantasy author whose books have sold more than 75 million copies in over 37 languages, had passed away. Since he was diagnosed with posterior cortical atrophy, a rare form of Alzheimer’s in 2007, fans knew that Pratchett’s days were numbered.
The Millions Link to Story
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A region-by-region guide to the Middle East’s migrant crisis

The world is currently facing the worst migration crisis since World War II: millions are displaced and thousands have died this year alone. A substantial number of those fleeing their home countries are from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, collectively making up more than half of all asylum-seekers around the world in 2015, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
PBS Link to Story
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Dark Money Group Received Massive Donation In Fight Against Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee

A dark money organization that spent $7 million to block former President Obama’s Supreme Court pick received just three donations between 2015 and 2016, but one transaction really counted: A single $17.9 million contribution from a mystery donor. The Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), a Washington, D.C.
The Huffington Post Link to Story
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Photos give powerful visibility to chronic illness

Erica Lupinacci and Allie Cashel both have chronic illnesses. But unless they tell you, there’s almost no way to know that — they don’t “look sick” or “act sick” most of the time. And this, they both say, can be difficult. “I think a lot of people, when you say you’re sick and when you tell someone your diagnosis, it can go two ways,” Lupinacci said.
PBS Newshour Link to Story
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Farmers Face Uphill Battle Over Right to Repair Equipment

Once capable of fixing their tractors in a barn or under the shade of a tree, many of the nation’s farmers now have to visit manufacturers.
MapLight Link to Story
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White House Relied Upon Dark Money Lobbyist To “Quarterback” Gorsuch’s Confirmation

A lobbyist with extensive ties to secretive nonprofit organizations served as the “quarterback” for the successful nomination of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, according to records reviewed by MapLight. Rob Collins, a Washington lobbyist and Republican strategist, claims on his professional biography at the S-3 Group that he worked with more than a half-dozen White House offices, the Department of Justice, the U.S.
Fast Company Link to Story
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Secretive Group Backs GOP Health Care Bill, Corporate Tax Cuts

A secretive nonprofit closely linked to House Speaker Paul Ryan has been playing a pivotal role in supporting Republican policies and candidates since the November 2016 election, a MapLight analysis has found. The American Action Network (AAN) has donated more than $6.5 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) — a super PAC that has been the top-spending outside organization this year, pouring almost $10 million into GOP special election victories in Georgia and Montana.
The International Business Times Link to Story

About

Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

I am a writer, journalist and radio personality who has worked for many organizations including the BBC World Service and the PBS NewsHour. My work has appeared in The Huffington Post, Fast Company, and the International Business Times among other outlets. I have an abiding passion for the Oxford comma, but am willing to compromise for the sake of an organization's editorial style.

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Skills

  • Sound editing
  • Writing
  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • IsiXhosa
  • Chitumbuka
  • Indesign
  • Microsoft Office
  • Basic HTML