Lauren Kirchner

Artificial Intelligence: Generative AI Use and Management at Federal Agencies Generative AI—which can create text, images, audio, video, and other content—could dramatically increase productivity and transform the federal...

The GAO has found that from 2023 to 2024, federal agencies' use cases for generative AI increased NINEFOLD. Officials told GAO that the explosion in AI usage is outpacing the agencies' ability to establish policies & best practices for it. (You think?) www.gao.gov/products/gao...

About me, my latest stories for CR, etc:

how many penis-themed items did you purchase mattio

"My friend, digging for penis straws, says maybe it’s good to see. We have to confront this stuff. This is the cost of our collective Amazon addiction."
Such a funny & thoughtful read on @defector.com

The number of people who write to me telling me they have made an incredible discovery using ChatGPT, or proved that it is conscious, is now roughly one per day. I wish there were a resource I could send these folks to gently try to steer them away from the brink

This is Franklin Ave. Shuttle erasure, @mta.info

They don't have to measure satisfaction gains because everyone on the Franklin shuttle is always satisfied because it is the best and cutest train and has no room for improvement because it is perfect

Adopt A Station - Rescue Public Media Help preserve independent journalism and community programming across America by adopting a public media station. Congress has voted to rescind public media's funding.

This is such a good idea: the public media station near you may not be the one that needs your help the most. Check out "Adopt a Station," a project by ex-NPR staffer Alex Curley adoptastation.org

As a product safety reporter I feel compelled to say....no. Just no

Just got a free chatgpt license from work. The only trouble is I can't decide whether to use it as a therapist, or a boyfriend, or just as the most efficient way to dry up the colorado river?

One more misunderstanding: the story isn't quite over, yet. SCOTUS simply rejected the admin's emergency appeal to keep the commissioners out of office while their legal case was being decided in the lower courts. But that lower court fight is ongoing.

Product Safety Agency in Jeopardy After White House Abruptly Fires Its Democratic Leaders - Consumer Reports Over 50 lawmakers and 150 consumer advocates rally to preserve the Consumer Product Safety Commission as an independent, bipartisan agency.

In addition to attempting to proceed as normal with their business of rule-making, the commissioners also objected to staff cuts (that part is right). The last straw for them (they say) was when they objected to DOGE staff coming in to enact even more cuts. www.consumerreports.org/product-safe...

Lawmakers and Advocates Denounce a Plan to Eliminate Critical Product Safety Agency - Consumer Reports A leaked budget proposal would eliminate the Consumer Product Safety Commission as an independent agency. Safety advocates are raising the alarm.

More about the drama that ensued here, if you are curious: www.consumerreports.org/product-safe...

...they were fired because they held a rule-making vote/hearing about anything *at all*, after Trump had put out an executive order freezing all independent rule-making.

There's been lots of coverage of @SCOTUS green-lighting Trump's firing of the Democratic commissioners at @USCPSC, and I feel like I gotta correct one misunderstanding, esp by @nytimes.com. They weren't fired bc of their votes on a lithium-ion battery rule - the substance of the vote was irrelevant.

some personal news: it's my first day as a senior investigative reporter @consumerreports.org !!

i'm joining CR's kick-ass Special Projects team, which has a storied history of producing powerful investigations that change laws and save lives (literally!)

i'm so excited to get started!

US safety commissioners blast Trump appointee’s delay of ruling on water beads | CNN Business Water beads have long been criticized for being dangerous, even fatal, for kids. Now two members of a government watchdog are tearing into a decision by the acting chair of the body to delay a final r...

US safety commissioners blast Trump appointee’s delay of ruling on water beads - CNN www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/b...

New lithium batteries have built-in fire extinguishers A prototype aims to prevent not just the flames, but the fumes that cause them.

A new lithium ion battery with a built-in fire extinguisher that isn't made of toxic #PFAS? Yes please www.popsci.com/technology/l...

Launch Coyote Media Collective A new alt-weekly-style publication is hitting the Bay Area

A new journalist-owned, altweekly-style media collective is launching soon in the Bay area! @coyotemedia.org Thank god - givebutter.com/coyotemedia

Who needs doctors when ur bed has "cardiovascular and respiratory monitoring to surface health abnormalities"

"The wifi is down so my bed isn't working" is unfortunately extremely funny... as is the fact that this $3,000+ mattress pad charges a monthly subscription fee of up to $33/month

Mayor Adams says he’s banning Daily News reporter from pressers for ‘calling out’ questions The apparent ban came as Chris Sommerfeldt, The News’ senior City Hall reporter, sought to ask a clarifying question despite his not having been called on by Adams’ team during the mayo…

“You’re calling out a lot, Chris, stop calling out!” the mayor said in a sing-song tone. “You must have done that in school.”

Adams then turned to his staff.

“Listen, if he does that again, he’s not to come into our conferences.”

Product Safety Agency in Jeopardy After White House Abruptly Fires Its Democratic Leaders - Consumer Reports Over 50 lawmakers and 150 consumer advocates rally to preserve the Consumer Product Safety Commission as an independent, bipartisan agency.

Context! My story from last month for @consumerreports, when the firings went down: www.consumerreports.org/product-safe...

News! A federal judge ruled today in favor of the three previously-fired CPSC commissioners, saying they should be reinstated.

CPSC Warns Consumers to Immediately Stop Using Sizhinai LED Tutu Skirts Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Ingestion Hazard; Violations of Federal Standard for Consumer Products with Coin Bat...

The @cpsc.gov‬ is warning customers to immediately stop using this LED light-up child's tutu available on Amazon because its tiny batteries pose a dangerous risk:

We at the Daily News have been working without a contract for three years. Haven't had raises in more than five. We have no newsroom. No parental leave. We were issued laptops that can't hold a charge. All this while our owners at Alden Global Capital continue to turn a profit.

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to keep DOGE records secret The appeal to the high court comes in a FOIA lawsuit filed by a watchdog group.

This will be an interesting case to watch. Is DOGE subject to FOIA? And if not, why not? www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

Deadly Furniture, Unsafe Infant Sleepers, Toxic Toys, and More Reasons to Save the Consumer Product Safety Commission - Consumer Reports From deadly furniture to toxic toys, you may not know all the ways the CPSC is keeping you safe, but advocates say you’ll miss it if it’s gone.

And some more background reading - specifically, an answer to the question, What has the CPSC done for me lately anyway? www.consumerreports.org/product-safe...

Product Safety Agency in Jeopardy After White House Abruptly Fires Its Democratic Leaders - Consumer Reports Over 50 lawmakers and 150 consumer advocates rally to preserve the Consumer Product Safety Commission as an independent, bipartisan agency.

Some context from me at @consumerreports.org at the time of the firings: www.consumerreports.org/product-safe...

Trump Firing Consumer Product Safety Commissioners Was Unlawful - Public Citizen WASHINGTON, D.C. – A lawsuit filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland challenges President Donald…

The three commissioners who were removed from the Consumer Product Safety Commission have filed a lawsuit against Trump et al, calling the firings illegal and demanding to be reinstated: www.citizen.org/news/trump-f...