Ariel Wittenberg

E&E News: Trump’s quest to cure cancer with AI is powered by energy that can cause it The president signed an order to expand the use of AI for healing children with cancer. It comes as his administration is weakening a dozen EPA rules that reduce cancer-causing pollution.

“You say you want to fight cancer, but at the same time you’re creating these situations where you are actually elevating the risk of cancer."

My latest for @eenews.bsky.social on how pollution rollbacks in the name of AI will impact health

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

This isn't the first time moms have been blamed for their kids' autism One of the earliest theories of autism is centered on “refrigerator mothers.” Echoes of it can be found in plans to Make America Healthy Again.

ICYMI: @bcrodriguez.bsky.social and I dug deep into the history of blaming moms for their kids’ autism and how some moms see echos of that dark history in MAHA

ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team Documents show ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.

NEW: ICE is planning to hire a team of nearly 30 people to surveil social media 24/7, build dossiers on people, and flag them for arrest and deportation. @dell.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-so...

And yet @politico.com uses AI that sends glaring errors to our subscribers and violates our ethics standards.

Tell POLITICO management to follow it's own rules for accurate, ethical journalism and sign our petition.

actionnetwork.org/petitions/ai...

Nightmare fuel of the day. Incredible reporting.

ProPublica ad: “someone on this train has the next big story. Is it you?” With URL and Signal address

A good ad on the DC Metro

Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability This nationwide cohort study with sibling control analysis examines the association of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with children’s risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability.

The @washingtonpost.com story on Tylenol & autism leaves out a MAJOR 2.5M sibling-controlled study of children in Denmark, which "found no evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy was associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

New PEN America statement: “The firing and suspension of multiple journalists after the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk should alarm anyone who cares about free speech and a free press. Taken together, these measures risk creating a chilling effect that extends beyond those directly targeted..."

Statement from Post Guild Leadership: The Washington Post Guild condemns the unjust firing of columnist Karen Attiah

E&E News: RFK Jr. wants more air pollution research, but EPA shut down its lab “We had this state-of-the-art facility, and they canceled the lease,” said Betsy Southerland, who worked at EPA’s Office of Science and Technology for 30 years.

“We had this state-of-the-art facility, and they canceled the lease."

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

This is not the AI boom creating a new type of work, this is a classic example of managers using automation to deskill old ones. Creative workers who once made a higher wage creating original art and writing are now paid in piecework to edit automated output. Bosses are using AI to cut labor costs.

Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfire Federal agents showed up northeast of Lake Cushman to check identification of crew members fighting Washington's largest active wildfire.

ICE is arresting contract firefighters on active wildfires.

This is especially significant for the fire workforce in the PNW because of the heavy reliance on contract workforce. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

20 years ago, the WHO published a pair of reports estimating the number of annual deaths attributable to climate change. I was fascinated to learn that there have been few attempts since to revisit this fundamental question about the impact of global warming on humanity -- until now. The story:

She is standing in front of a structure built by enslaved people.

Heat warnings wither under Trump Health experts have raced to modernize alert systems as extreme heat kills thousands in the U.S. every year. Those efforts are being canceled.

NEW: @arielwittenberg.bsky.social and I took a deep dive into a burgeoning nationwide movement to improve heat-related warnings and save lives. These efforts have been largely spearheaded by local officials/meteorologists - and Trump's cuts may threaten to stifle them. www.eenews.net/articles/hea...

'Like wearing a snowsuit in summer': Volunteer firefighters face hurdles without wildfire gear | CBC News A pair of volunteer fire chiefs in Newfoundland say smaller departments are not well equipped to battle forest fires, as the province deals with more than double the average number of wildfires this y...

The gear most volunteer fire departments have is not designed for wildfires, but for the calls they usually take. It can keep flames and smoke out during a house fire, but isn't breathable or nimble when trekking through the woods in summer heat. #Newfoundland #wildfires www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Politico’s recent AI experiments shouldn’t be subject to newsroom editorial standards, its editors testify In a July arbitration hearing, Politico faced allegations that two generative AI tools violated its union contract.

this is so depressing (h/t @benjaminharnett.com) www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/poli...

Politico’s recent AI experiments shouldn’t be subject to newsroom editorial standards, its editors testify In a July arbitration hearing, Politico faced allegations that two generative AI tools violated its union contract.

AI is going to transform journalism! (I’m going to create lower editorial standards and claim it’s not actually journalism in order to justify the actual output)

www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/poli...

God, I love local news so much. 🍕

www.app.com/story/money/...

“If it doesn’t align with reality, why are we putting Politico’s name on it?” —Me

Proud of the work we’re doing @pen-guild.bsky.social to stand up for good journalism in the age of AI

A family opened a town’s first bookstore. A bathroom bill is driving them away. The Phelans ran the only bookstore in Vermillion, South Dakota. They sold it and moved after a new law would’ve required their daughter to use a boy’s bathroom.

A story designed to break my heart specifically: "The Phelans ran the only bookstore in Vermillion, South Dakota. They sold it and moved after a new law would have required their daughter to use a boy’s bathroom."

‘Hot Wasps’ Found at Nuclear Facility in South Carolina

Cool

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/s...

Journalists at The Hill overwhelmingly ratify first-ever union contract | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA Journalists at The Hill have voted to ratify their first union contract, securing increases in pay, vacation time and family leave.

🚨NEW: We have a deal at The Hill!

After three years, journalists @thehill.com voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first collective bargaining agreement, securing increases in pay, vacation time, family leave and more.

newsguild.org/journalists-...

The Media's Pivot to AI Is Not Real and Not Going to Work AI is not going to save media companies, and forcing journalists to use AI is not a business model.

There's much more in the piece, with commentary from the great @mattdpearce.com, @arielwittenberg.bsky.social, @mishal-khan.bsky.social, and @jasonkoebler.bsky.social, who touched on this dynamic in the barnburner linked below.

In sum, the fight over AI in journalism is just beginning to erupt.

Legislators in New York have proposed the FAIR act, which would provide a raft of protections against AI abuse in journalism—bosses would be required by law to tell staff about AI products, disclose to consumers when they're using AI, and so on. Given NY's centrality to US media, it could be big.

This work, of safeguarding journalism from bosses who are all-in on AI, and see it as a way to automate and speed up work, dodge accountability, and show investors they're on the cutting edge, will largely fall to journalists themselves, and their unions. It may get some help from New York, too.

This clash reflects a growing struggle over AI in journalism, between executives and managers eager to embrace AI, and journalists on the ground forced to comply with those directives while protecting—and doing—their work.

The very next week, the CEO of Axel Springer, Politico's parent company, declared that it would be mandatory for employees at all of his companies, journalists included, to use AI.

Tell POLITICO Management: AI should work with journalists, not against us! Last year, PEN Guild members ratified a groundbreaking first contract that included some of the strongest provisions in the industry around artificial intelligence. These protections not only gave uni...

Now, Politico journalists are fighting back. In one of the first such cases of the AI era, staffers are taking their bosses to arbitration over AI use that violates their contract and puts journalists' work and reputation at risk.

They issued the following petition asking for support: