Khari Johnson

Gavin Newsom hesitated on AI. Labor says he must regulate it if he wants the presidency The governor will need workers and unions in 2028. They are trying to push him to the left on AI — even as business interest push the other way.

"The pressure campaign on the governor underlines not only how important such protections are to unions but also how much Newsom is expected to resist them." @khari.bsky.social calmatters.org/economy/tech...

Why do reports of ALPR abuse keep coming out of Kansas?

NEW whistleblower disclosure has revealed that ICE Director Todd Lyons gave agents permission to forcibly enter homes—in violation of the Fourth Amendment—in a secret memo distributed in May 2025. trib.al/23sZU1m

I'm looking for witnesses/victims of DHS retaliating against people who were recording their agents (ICE, Border Patrol, FPS, etc.) in Southern California.

This is for LA Press Club v. Noem case, but victim does NOT need to be press/journalist. Everyone has right to record. We're fighting for all.

CONTRIBUTORS Edited by: MC I'm a generative AI writer for The Media Copilot. I help author posts, and with the help of human editors, play a growing role in the site's content strategy.

you skim the article about AI summaries killing traffic to news sites and get to the end and see who the editor is mediacopilot.ai/publishers-s...

Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says A fellow detainee says he witnessed Geraldo Lunas Campos being choked to death by guards at the ICE detention center in Texas on Jan. 3.

SCOOP from Douglas Macmillan

Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says

www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency’s activit...

New: meet ELITE, the Palantir app ICE is using to find neighborhoods to raid. Map interface; officers search for immigrants; click person to bring up individual dossier. This is clearest link between what Palantir is building and ICE's activities on the ground yet www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...

xAI is now suing Ashley St. Clair in federal court, alleging over $75,000 in damages, saying she violated their terms of service with her lawsuit against them earlier today.

California investigates Elon Musk’s AI company after ‘avalanche’ of complaints about sexual content Attorney General Rob Bonta will investigate into whether deepfakes from Elon Musk's new AI tool Grok violate California law.

@calmatters.org reporter @khari.bsky.social details California AG Rob Bonta’s inquiry into Elon Musk’s Grok over alleged AI-generated non-consensual explicit imagery and spoke with Psst.org about why laws should add whistleblower protections for employees who work on these systems.

OpenAI, childrens' advocates join forces on initiative to protect kids from chatbots ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Common Sense Media had rival ballot initiatives to protect kids from chatbots. Today they merged their efforts.

Common Sense Media and OpenAI, two groups usually at odds with tech regulations, are working together to put an initiative on the California ballot that would help protect kids from AI companion chatbots. @khari.bsky.social got an advance look at the language calmatters.org/economy/tech...

SPJ strongly condemns the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at the home of Hannah Natanson, a reporter for The Washington Post

Congress passed the Privacy Protection Act of 1980 to prevent this.

Press freedom isn’t a courtesy — it’s the law.

🔗Read more: bit.ly/4by2IIo

When in doubt redact i guess?

President Donald Trump issued an executive order cracking down on state AI regulations. The order would likely hit California hardest of all states. Trump speaks on election night in West Palm Beach, Fla. in November 2024 Photo by Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Since 2016, California enacted more AI regulations than any other state. The president's new order against such laws worries state officials. bit.ly/44Xkrox

📝 @khari.bsky.social
📸 Chip Somodevilla, Getty

Trump’s new order against AI regulation hits California especially hard Since 2016, California enacted more AI regulations than any other state. The president's new order against such laws worries state officials.

How might the Trump AI EO affect California? @calmatters.org tech reporter @khari.bsky.social on the possible impact:

I’m at the San Francisco Public Library tomorrow for a conversation about the environmental impact of artificial intelligence with @tamigraph.bsky.social n Iris Stewart-Frey sfpl.org/events/2025/... Feel free to DM or drop question ideas here 🙋🏾‍♂️💥🚀

Tech workers are trying to make change inside tech companies. How do those efforts clash with trends like generative AI adoption and data center expansion? Join us to discuss!

dhsgov Deliver justice to criminal illegal aliens. Become a deportation judge. Save your country.

DOJ's newest recruitment ad features Judge Dredd, the comic satire about the dangers of lawless policing and authoritarian power

This Harper’s pullout on media consolidation caught my attention from across the concourse. As I wrote last month, this might be in my top ten list of things to make sense of.

Hold up

Britney Spears in an old interview saying “everyone has been doing emails”

Tesla faces widening federal probe into door handle safety issues Elon Musk's automaker faces a widening probe concerning alleged safety defects with the company's flush-mounted, electronic door handles.

Tesla faces widening federal probe into door handle safety issues - www.cnbc.com/2025/11/03/t...

OpenAI restructured to a for-profit company in a moved tied to an agreement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Company CEO Sam Altman participates in a discussion in San Francisco on Nov. 16, 2023. Photo by Eric Risberg, AP Photo. Hed: OpenAI just cut a deal with California. Critics say it’s full of holes

The company behind ChatGPT is converting to a for-profit company and settling an investigation by California’s attorney general. Experts and advocates say the company could still exploit its charitable roots. bit.ly/4oJqKnd

📝 @levisu.bsky.social& @khari.bsky.social
📸 Eric Risberg, AP

Hot event alert!! this Thursday at Oakland Public Library

Trapped Inside: Tesla’s Dangerous Doors When Teslas lose power, crashes can turn into deadly races against time.

🎁 link to the investigation on Tesla's doors:

www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

Oct. 15, 2025 PENTAGON PRESS ASSOCIATION STATEMENT Today, the Defense Department confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organization in America. It did this because reporters would not sign onto a new media policy over its implicit threat of criminalizing national security reporting and exposing those who sign it to potential prosecution. The Pentagon Press Association's members are still committed to reporting on the U.S. military. But make no mistake, today, Oct. 15, 2025 is a dark day for press freedom that raises concerns about a weakening U.S. commitment to transparency in governance, to public accountability at the Pentagon and to free speech for all. PPA

“The Defense Department has confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organization in America,” the Pentagon Press Association said

If I genuinely believed I was 18 months away from superintelligence that could solve cancer, I would probably not be pivoting to horny chatbots, but that's just me (a person with priorities)

Thank you to the remarkable audience of people who showed up for the documentary and asked me and Terry insightful questions. I was fortunate to share space with you to talk about the unique and lasting legacy of Black journalists in America

I get to discuss AI and the environment at the San Francisco Public Library in December, more details to come.

Dear librarians: Invite me to talk about AI at your book church and I will show up 📚 🤓

How AI can mess with our minds a discussion with Washington Post tech culture reporter Nitasha Tiku October 23 6:30-7:30 pm at Oakland Main Library

To all my friends in The Town: Join the incomparable @nitasha.bsky.social for a talk about AI and your 🧠 at the library downtown next week

16th annual Silicon Valley African film festival http://www.svaff.off

Late notice but join me tomorrow at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival to discuss the National Association of Black Journalists and how member support played a pivotal role in me becoming a tech journalist