Laurel Ridge Treatment Center Set to Lose Medicare, Medicaid Contracts Over Violations - Public Health Watch Three patients died and others were injured as inspectors cite the San Antonio psychiatric facility for ongoing problems.

EXCLUSIVE: A San Antonio psychiatric center, Laurel Ridge, is set to lose Medicare and Medicaid funding over safety violations. Three patients died there last year. #sanantonio #mentalhealth

Visionary NPR leader Kevin Klose, who led network to new heights, has died Klose led NPR for a decade starting in 1998, a period of incredible growth for the public media network.

NEWS: Former NPR CEO Kevin Klose, a buoyant champion of journalism and transformative leader of the public broadcasting giant, has died.

My tribute for NPR:

www.npr.org/2026/04/15/n...

Visionary NPR leader Kevin Klose, who presided over a golden era, has died Klose led NPR for a decade starting in 1998, a period of incredible growth for the public media network.

Klose led NPR for a decade starting in 1998, a period of incredible growth for the public media network. n.pr/4tQAGhf

California May Ban Artificial-Stone Countertops

A state board is considering the drastic move, which could come as soon as May, after an outbreak of the lung disease silicosis among countertop fabricators

Federal regulators indefinitely delay rule to protect coal miners in WV, beyond from black lung

Implementation of a previously approved federal rule meant to help prevent black lung in the nation’s coal miners has been delayed indefinitely, according to an update posted this week in the Federal Register, reports @caitycoyne.bsky.social.

Democrats keep doing better in elections since Trump returned to office With elections in Georgia and Wisconsin Tuesday, Democrats continued to overperform, which the party started in 2025 when it regularly improved on its margins compared to the presidential race in 2024.

Went on @NPR.org Morning Edition today and chatted with @steveinskeep.bsky.social about what “overperfomance” means and looks like for Democrats since losing big in 2024.

(Hint: the margins say a lot about what could come in November)

ProPublica journalists go on strike partly over use of AI Newsrooms around the country have struggled to set rules for AI. At ProPublica, which specializes in investigative journalism, the issue is especially fraught.

After more than two years of stalled contract negotiations, ProPublica journalists went on strike Wednesday.

At the heart of the dispute: How much of ProPublica’s work can be off-loaded to AI.

I love working at @propublica.org. I'm on strike for the day because I want it to be a better place to work, for everyone. Please support our fight for a fair contract.

One of the highlights of my career was working with a brilliant team @propublica.org on a major investigative project. But now, ProPublica management is behaving like the corporate overlords PP has investigated and exposed. I stand with the @propublicaguild.org guild as it seeks a fair contract.

We're on strike! Don't visit propublica.org on April 8

We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today.

Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

Dear Robin Sparkman and ProPublica board of directors: Our world needs more investigative journalism in the public interest. Continuing ProPublica’s mission will require a strong, fair collective bargaining agreement that uplifts journalistic integrity. And that means ProPublica needs to have contractual language prohibiting any potential for artificial intelligence to replace journalists and other workers who make ProPublica the important publication it is today. As the rare union leader with a background in journalism and computer programming, I fully support the need to leverage technology to improve our ability to tell stories. And there are many recent examples of how AI can be helpful in reporting, when used ethically. For example, ProPublica journalists published the “Deleting DEI” story, which chronicled how nonprofit organizations have removed language connected to diversity, equity and inclusion. Reporters used AI to help find DEI related scrubs from nonprofit statements. In “Gutted: How Deeply Trump Has Cut Federal Health Agencies,” reporters used AI to help categorize job types into groups. And then reporters manually checked them all. ProPublica journalists, represented by the Guild, have shown how AI can be used ethically, and they deserve newsroom leadership who agrees with its ethical use. Unfortunately, your leadership team is refusing common sense provisions at the bargaining table that would protect both jobs as well as the integrity of the journalism they produce. And now, 92% of ProPublica’s workers have voted to walk off the job in part due to the company’s stance on AI, in addition to its position on job security, layoff protections and wages. ProPublica management should follow the example set by nonprofit news organizations such as Grist, the Associated Press and others. For example, CalMatters has agreed to: • protect jobs from being eliminated because of AI • protect the salaries of employees from being reduced because of AI

• listen to workers’ input when evaluating the use of AI and get the consent of employees before handing off material to a third-party company for training AI systems • a strong editorial integrity clause, ensuring that AI is clearly labeled and is not published unless several requirements are met • obtain the consent of employees before impersonating someone using AI CalMatters agreed to these protections more than a year ago. Why would ProPublica management refuse similar protections? Time is quickly running out for your leadership team to make a decision that will determine whether the public can trust ProPublica on this important issue. I sincerely hope you decide to stand with the journalists and other workers who make ProPublica the investigative powerhouse that it has become. Jon Schleuss he/him President The NewsGuild - Communications Workers of America (TNG-CWA) cc: Paul Sagan Claire Bernard Tomiko Brown-Nagin Mark Colodny Steve Daetz Angela Filo Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Anu Khosla Jonathan Klein Carrie Lozano Claire Hoffman Katie McGrath Bobby Monks James M. Stone Charles Whitaker Paul Steiger

1/ Management at @propublica.org is refusing to agree to fair contract language around artificial intelligence usage, so @newsguild.org President Jon Schleuss wrote to them today to urge them to get on the right side of history.
www.propublicaguild.org/updates/news...

Reports Detail Slow Mine Blast Response Nearly one year after the nation's worst mine disaster in four decades, records reveal a slow and tepid initial response to the dire emergency at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine.

16 yrs ago today. 29 coal miners killed. A massive explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine in WV. I spent a year investigating. One finding: the rescue effort was delayed and hampered by Massey’s own response:

www.npr.org/2011/04/01/1...

East Texas Hit Hard by Gun-Related Suicides Scarcity of mental health resources, prevalence of guns, and stigma attached to seeking help contribute to high suicide rates.

East Texas Hit Hard by Gun-Related Suicides

Scarcity of mental health resources, prevalence of guns, and stigma attached to seeking help contribute to high suicide rates.

This image is a poster for the "IRE Ring of Honor," featuring a person named Diana R. Fuentes. The poster celebrates contributions to investigative journalism. Below the portrait photo of Diana R. Fuentes, there's information about making contributions or submitting nominations, with a QR code for donations.

IRE has nominated Diana R. Fuentes for the Ring of Honor.

Organizers are raising money to support Diana’s nomination, and all additional money raised will go toward a future IRE training fund, to be established in her name. Donate: https://bit.ly/47pU102

IRE mourns the loss of Executive Director Diana R. Fuentes March 20, 2026 ? A message from IRE Board President Josh Hinkle: Dear IRE members and the broader journalism community, I?m reaching out on behalf of IRE?s Board and staff with a heavy heart. I?m so sorry to share the news that our executive director, ...

Dear IRE members and the broader journalism community,

I’m reaching out on behalf of IRE’s Board and staff with a heavy heart.

Full statement:
www.ire.org/2026/03/21/ire-mourns-th...

Donate to Support ProPublica Workers in Our Fight for a Fair Contract, organized by Eli Oberman We are the unionized workers at ProPublica, and we’re ready to… Eli Oberman needs your support for Support ProPublica Workers in Our Fight for a Fair Contract

Yesterday, 92% of us voted YES (w/ 99% participation) to authorize a strike if @propublica.org management refuses to compromise on core issues.

We need a fair contract that will protect the in-depth investigative reporting that our readers expect.

Support us: www.gofundme.com/f/support-pr...

Ogden activists want to use a city permit as an unlikely tactic against ICE ICE sometimes holds people overnight at its temporary detention facility in Ogden, in violation of conditions set by the city planning commission in 2000. Could the city do anything about it?

The predecessor to ICE got permission for a temporary holding facility in Ogden in 2000.

It looks to be violating its conditional use permit, but could the city do anything about it?

www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

Honored to speak about the Challenger launch decision 40 years later with former Morton Thiokol engineer Brian Russell. He and four colleagues tried to stop the fatal 1986 launch. He brought along a section of a booster rocket o-ring. Thanks to the Utah Westerners for hosting us.

As Lung Disease Threatens Workers, Lawmakers Seek Protections for Countertop Manufacturers - KFF Health News Crystalline silica, which is released into the air when workers cut and polish engineered stone, can scar human lungs beyond repair. Kitchen countertops made with this stone have triggered an increase...

Silicosis cases from artificial engineered quartz countertops are sickening and killing workers all over the country. But instead of moving to safer substitutes, countertop manufacturers want Congress to exempt them from lawsuits. kffhealthnews-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/kffhealt...

Journalists: What’s a session you wish existed?

Better yet…pitch it for the #IRE26 Conference: https://bit.ly/40omEHa

We want sessions that:
- teach investigative skills
- share data reporting tools
- tackle real newsroom challenges
- amplify diverse voices

Deadline Extension: Sunday, March 22.

OK, as the actual journalist who has been unwittingly caught up in the Claude rumor this morning (who also covers AI disinformation) let me clear this one up for the record.

To recap: Claude kind of implicated itself in the Iran school bombing citing (in part) my reporting...

Hey look, a podcast made by a local public radio station is at the top of Apple Podcasts.

Obey Apple and listen to "Adults in the Room" by @kuow.org.

Hey this is tonight!

Engineered stone workers get lung transplants as industry pushes Congress for legal shield Silicosis is a public health problem unfolding for engineered stone fabricators across America, and questions are mounting about who is ultimately responsible if workers get sick

Hundreds of workers who fabricate kitchen countertops from artificial stone slabs have developed silicosis. Dozens have died.

The industry's response: ask congress for complete immunity from lawsuits filed by sick workers.

Check out this powerful news report by Anna Werner for @investigatetv.com

Me and @sylviaruthg.lpm.org spent a couple weeks on this one, tracking down how illegal child marriages are still happening in Kentucky 👇 #kyga26

NASA announces major overhaul of Artemis moon program amid safety concerns, delays: "We've got to get back to basics" NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced significant changes to the agency's Artemis program, which aims to land on the moon in 2028.

After just reporting about “lessons learned”from the Challenger/Columbia disasters, it’s disappointing to see that NASA & its partners have not apparently learned enough. NASA’s new director deemed the Artemis mission unsafe. Actually, saying stop is a lesson learned

www.cbsnews.com/news/nasa-ar...

BONUS | The Challenger Legacy: Q&A - ABC listen What's the point of space exploration? Would you fly on a space shuttle? How did they fix the joints after the Challenger disaster?  For this special bonus episode of The Challenger Legacy, hosts Dr ...

Bonus epsiode of the @abcaustralia.bsky.social podcast The Challenger Legacy features thoughtful Q&A about the Challenger & Columbia disasters & the American space program. More comprehensive than anything produced in the states. Great work from Fiona Pepper & team
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump An NPR investigation finds the public database of Epstein files is missing dozens of pages related to sexual abuse accusations against President Trump.

EXCLUSIVE: An @npr.org investigation finds the public database of Epstein files is missing dozens of pages related to sexual abuse accusations against President Trump.

Other documents that mention Trump have been taken down (and some restored).

More:

Two New Top Officers Elected to Public Health Watch Board

Retired NPR correspondent Howard Berkes and political strategist Cliff Walker become board chair and vice chair, respectively.