Ashley Braun
@ashleybraun.bsky.social
Science + Environmental Journalist, Sr. Editor @ DeSmog, Fact-checker. Seattle, WA. ashleybraun.com
Reposted by Ashley Braun
Charles Koch built his fortune importing Canadian oil—with Koch Inc importing more than a billion barrels of foreign oil into the US since 2015. Now a Koch-funded law firm is taking Trump's tariffs to the Supreme Court. @sharonkelly reports:
Battle Over Tariff Power Pits Trump Against Koch Network
Charles Koch’s fortunes were fueled by importing Canadian oil. Now a major Koch-funded law firm seeks to limit Trump’s tariff powers.
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Charles Koch built his fortune importing Canadian oil—with Koch Inc importing more than a billion barrels of foreign oil into the US since 2015. Now a Koch-funded law firm is taking Trump's tariffs to the Supreme Court. @sharonkelly reports:
Going down a rabbit hole for a feature I’m writing on Indigenous fire 🔥 and ended up with Kari Marie Norgaard’s book “Salmon and Acorns Feed Our People: Colonialism, Nature & Social Action,” a case study on the Karuk Tribe in NW California. This right here about sums it up:
November 8, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Going down a rabbit hole for a feature I’m writing on Indigenous fire 🔥 and ended up with Kari Marie Norgaard’s book “Salmon and Acorns Feed Our People: Colonialism, Nature & Social Action,” a case study on the Karuk Tribe in NW California. This right here about sums it up:
Well, glad we settled that little privacy issue, Facebook
November 8, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Well, glad we settled that little privacy issue, Facebook
Reposted by Ashley Braun
I'm excited to join @laurenfeldman.bsky.social, @tracybaim.bsky.social, @timafranklin.bsky.social, & @columbiajournalism.bsky.social's Duy Linh Nguyen Tu for a @nationalacademies.org session on strategies for advancing high-quality science journalism. Thurs, 11/13 (1 PM ET). Register: bit.ly/3WJZGYW
November 8, 2025 at 4:47 PM
I'm excited to join @laurenfeldman.bsky.social, @tracybaim.bsky.social, @timafranklin.bsky.social, & @columbiajournalism.bsky.social's Duy Linh Nguyen Tu for a @nationalacademies.org session on strategies for advancing high-quality science journalism. Thurs, 11/13 (1 PM ET). Register: bit.ly/3WJZGYW
Helps explain the Bill Gates climate memo: Gates Foundation gave $3.5M to climate crisis denier Bjorn Lomborg, who collaborated w/ Gates, said climate change "is not the existential threat that some would have us believe," supported fossil fuels as a poverty solution www.desmog.com/2025/11/05/b...
Bill Gates Gave $3.5M to Think Tank Run by Climate Crisis Denier Bjorn Lomborg
Tax records reveal that the billionaire’s foundation has donated for years to Lomborg’s Copenhagen Consensus Center.
www.desmog.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Helps explain the Bill Gates climate memo: Gates Foundation gave $3.5M to climate crisis denier Bjorn Lomborg, who collaborated w/ Gates, said climate change "is not the existential threat that some would have us believe," supported fossil fuels as a poverty solution www.desmog.com/2025/11/05/b...
Reposted by Ashley Braun
I get asked a lot about how climate change denial in USA affected or was exported to the rest of the world. Read this:
www.desmog.com/2025/11/03/a...
www.desmog.com/2025/11/03/a...
‘A Pretty Ugly History’: How Exxon Exported Climate Denial to the Global South
With Brazil about to host COP30, DeSmog has obtained copies of checks Exxon mailed to the right-wing Atlas Network in the 1990s to turn Latin America against climate treaties.
www.desmog.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:51 PM
I get asked a lot about how climate change denial in USA affected or was exported to the rest of the world. Read this:
www.desmog.com/2025/11/03/a...
www.desmog.com/2025/11/03/a...
I've been a freelance fact-checker for @sciencenews.bsky.social for 9 years. They deserve equitable and transparent pay and flexible remote work policy.
Workers of the Science News Media Guild will conduct a 24-hour #strike on Wednesday, 11/5. This comes after our members voted to reject the Society’s latest contract proposal. Our members previously voted by 92% to authorize a strike against the @society4science.bsky.social, if necessary.
November 4, 2025 at 11:02 PM
I've been a freelance fact-checker for @sciencenews.bsky.social for 9 years. They deserve equitable and transparent pay and flexible remote work policy.
Reposted by Ashley Braun
notes on gatesnotes, in a thread
"A new way to look at the problem" - er, no, he's been running this line for DECADES
On the headline: you can absolutely guarantee anyone presenting themselves as telling tough, hard truths is about to deliver some self-aggrandising nonsense
"A new way to look at the problem" - er, no, he's been running this line for DECADES
On the headline: you can absolutely guarantee anyone presenting themselves as telling tough, hard truths is about to deliver some self-aggrandising nonsense
October 29, 2025 at 7:34 PM
notes on gatesnotes, in a thread
"A new way to look at the problem" - er, no, he's been running this line for DECADES
On the headline: you can absolutely guarantee anyone presenting themselves as telling tough, hard truths is about to deliver some self-aggrandising nonsense
"A new way to look at the problem" - er, no, he's been running this line for DECADES
On the headline: you can absolutely guarantee anyone presenting themselves as telling tough, hard truths is about to deliver some self-aggrandising nonsense
When you literally have the receipts
We obtained hundreds of documents revealing how Exxon funded the rightwing Atlas Network to spread climate denial in Latin America and all across the Global South.
Read @geoffdembicki.bsky.social's exclusive story.
www.desmog.com/2025/11/03/a...
Read @geoffdembicki.bsky.social's exclusive story.
www.desmog.com/2025/11/03/a...
‘A Pretty Ugly History’: How Exxon Exported Climate Denial to the Global South
With Brazil about to host COP30, DeSmog has obtained copies of checks Exxon mailed to the right-wing Atlas Network in the 1990s to turn Latin America against climate treaties.
www.desmog.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:24 PM
When you literally have the receipts
Important caveat is "for now." They can't keep this up forever if the seas and the climate keeps keep warming, pointed out researchers. But these fish showed surprising resilience (and so did the next generation) in the face of repeated ocean heatwaves > read more in my @biographic.bsky.social story
We hear a lot that climate change will bring "winners and losers". But who will win, and who will lose? And why? And, how?
Well, for these fish, winning seems more likely than not. The "how" is still up in the air.
Well, for these fish, winning seems more likely than not. The "how" is still up in the air.
Ocean heatwaves are getting hotter, longer and more frequent. But what if some marine life could pass on resilience to multiple heatwaves to future generations? A paperclip-sized fish holds clues. My latest for @biographic.bsky.social www.biographic.com/these-fish-c...
October 31, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Important caveat is "for now." They can't keep this up forever if the seas and the climate keeps keep warming, pointed out researchers. But these fish showed surprising resilience (and so did the next generation) in the face of repeated ocean heatwaves > read more in my @biographic.bsky.social story
Marine heatwaves are getting worse but some fish have the potential to cope—for now and pass it on to their young. My latest story
Read more about the unexpected fortitude of fish in the face of ever-increasing heatwaves in
These Fish Can Adjust to Heatwaves—And Pass the Resilience on to Their Offspring
by @ashleybraun.bsky.social
www.biographic.com/these-fish-c...
These Fish Can Adjust to Heatwaves—And Pass the Resilience on to Their Offspring
by @ashleybraun.bsky.social
www.biographic.com/these-fish-c...
These Fish Can Adjust to Heatwaves—And Pass the Resilience on to Their Offspring - bioGraphic
We think of them as pets, but the vast majority of the world’s dogs live free-range in the environment. Understanding them could be key to helping urban wildlife thrive.
www.biographic.com
October 20, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Marine heatwaves are getting worse but some fish have the potential to cope—for now and pass it on to their young. My latest story
"It’s important not to look away." A global die-off of coral reefs from ocean heating indicates we've passed the first climate tipping point, according to a new report. www.sciencenews.org/article/cora...
Coral collapse signals Earth's first climate tipping point
The global die-off of coral reefs signals a critical shift in Earth’s climate system with global environmental consequences along with economic ones.
www.sciencenews.org
October 16, 2025 at 9:34 PM
"It’s important not to look away." A global die-off of coral reefs from ocean heating indicates we've passed the first climate tipping point, according to a new report. www.sciencenews.org/article/cora...
And by Thurs, Oct. 15, I mean Thurs, Oct. 16 🤦♀️.
Thursday, Oct. 15 is the Great #WAShakeout, a day of earthquake drills and prep for the disasters that are inevitably coming (sorry, but it's true). www.shakeout.org/washington/i...
The Great Washington ShakeOut
Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills help people in homes, schools, and organizations worldwide improve preparedness and practice how to be safe during earthquakes. Register to participate in your state o...
www.shakeout.org
October 16, 2025 at 12:10 AM
And by Thurs, Oct. 15, I mean Thurs, Oct. 16 🤦♀️.
Thursday, Oct. 15 is the Great #WAShakeout, a day of earthquake drills and prep for the disasters that are inevitably coming (sorry, but it's true). www.shakeout.org/washington/i...
The Great Washington ShakeOut
Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills help people in homes, schools, and organizations worldwide improve preparedness and practice how to be safe during earthquakes. Register to participate in your state o...
www.shakeout.org
October 16, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Thursday, Oct. 15 is the Great #WAShakeout, a day of earthquake drills and prep for the disasters that are inevitably coming (sorry, but it's true). www.shakeout.org/washington/i...
Ocean heatwaves are getting hotter, longer and more frequent. But what if some marine life could pass on resilience to multiple heatwaves to future generations? A paperclip-sized fish holds clues. My latest for @biographic.bsky.social www.biographic.com/these-fish-c...
These Fish Can Adjust to Heatwaves—And Pass the Resilience on to Their Offspring - bioGraphic
We think of them as pets, but the vast majority of the world’s dogs live free-range in the environment. Understanding them could be key to helping urban wildlife thrive.
www.biographic.com
October 15, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Ocean heatwaves are getting hotter, longer and more frequent. But what if some marine life could pass on resilience to multiple heatwaves to future generations? A paperclip-sized fish holds clues. My latest for @biographic.bsky.social www.biographic.com/these-fish-c...
@adambecker.bsky.social hey, it's been a minute! congrats on the new book! @desmog.com is covering a ton at the intersection of climate + AI/tech these days. e.g., see www.desmog.com/2025/10/13/o... One of our reporters would love to chat with you. DM me.
OpenAI’s New Energy Chief Is a Trump Administration Natural Gas Evangelist
The ChatGPT creator hired John McCarrick, a gas-loving former Trump energy official, to guide how the company will source huge quantities of power for its colossal supercomputers.
www.desmog.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:56 PM
@adambecker.bsky.social hey, it's been a minute! congrats on the new book! @desmog.com is covering a ton at the intersection of climate + AI/tech these days. e.g., see www.desmog.com/2025/10/13/o... One of our reporters would love to chat with you. DM me.
NYPD's "building vast, hidden repositories of data it collects on everyone in the city, with no clear boundaries on how it can be used" w/ surveillance on "a scale that it has begun to erode a large number of people’s basic civil rights" says Elizabeth Daniel Vasquez www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Opinion | The N.Y.P.D. Is Teaching America How to Track Everyone Every Day Forever (Gift Article)
New tools allow law enforcement agencies to track us at an unimaginable scale.
www.nytimes.com
September 30, 2025 at 11:16 PM
NYPD's "building vast, hidden repositories of data it collects on everyone in the city, with no clear boundaries on how it can be used" w/ surveillance on "a scale that it has begun to erode a large number of people’s basic civil rights" says Elizabeth Daniel Vasquez www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Truly. I had the pleasure of writing for them when they went by Crosscut. It has turned out some excellent reporters. A grim day.
Devastating news for local journalism.
Seattle's Cascade PBS announces layoffs, end of online long-form journalism
The move, attributed to the loss of federal funding for public media, marks the layoffs of 17 staffers and the creation of three new positions, station President and CEO Rob Dunlop told KUOW.
www.kuow.org
September 22, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Truly. I had the pleasure of writing for them when they went by Crosscut. It has turned out some excellent reporters. A grim day.
In a first-in-the-nation move, Colorado now requires health warning labels on gas stoves that point to the evidence of health harms. Manufacturers are suing. This is what the labels say: “Understand the air quality implications of having an indoor gas stove.” www.canarymedia.com/articles/fos...
Colorado now requires health warning labels on gas stoves
The state is the first to put labels on the appliances pointing consumers to evidence about the harms of cooking with gas. Appliance manufacturers are…
www.canarymedia.com
August 21, 2025 at 10:26 PM
In a first-in-the-nation move, Colorado now requires health warning labels on gas stoves that point to the evidence of health harms. Manufacturers are suing. This is what the labels say: “Understand the air quality implications of having an indoor gas stove.” www.canarymedia.com/articles/fos...
So, the president of Google called the Trump admin's climate denialism "fantastic." Read the latest from @geoffdembicki.bsky.social at @desmog.com + @thelever.bsky.social www.desmog.com/2025/08/19/g...
Google President Praised MAGA Speech Slamming ‘Climate Extremist Agenda’
Interior Sec. Doug Burgum told an AI conference that data centers should be powered by coal, gas, and nuclear. Ruth Porat called his comments "fantastic.”
www.desmog.com
August 19, 2025 at 4:55 PM
So, the president of Google called the Trump admin's climate denialism "fantastic." Read the latest from @geoffdembicki.bsky.social at @desmog.com + @thelever.bsky.social www.desmog.com/2025/08/19/g...
Sometimes it's hard to grasp the scale of data center projects and the amount of power they might use. Here's one attempt to explain that for a proposed project in a rural community 40 miles southwest of Atlanta. There's a public hearing on it Tuesday www.desmog.com/2025/08/18/a...
August 19, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Sometimes it's hard to grasp the scale of data center projects and the amount of power they might use. Here's one attempt to explain that for a proposed project in a rural community 40 miles southwest of Atlanta. There's a public hearing on it Tuesday www.desmog.com/2025/08/18/a...
Reposted by Ashley Braun
🚨 NEW 🚨 County commissioners in Georgia may pave the way for a $17 billion “hyperscale” data center on Tuesday by adopting new planning laws shaped by industry lobbyists. buff.ly/ev66QkH
Data Center Lobbyists Clear the Way for Mega-Projects in Rural Georgia
Public records reviewed by DeSmog show developers worked to dilute draft planning rule in Coweta County.
www.desmog.com
August 19, 2025 at 2:18 AM
🚨 NEW 🚨 County commissioners in Georgia may pave the way for a $17 billion “hyperscale” data center on Tuesday by adopting new planning laws shaped by industry lobbyists. buff.ly/ev66QkH
“What they’re offering people is not health insurance or economic security,” Stanley says. “They’re offering them delight in the torture of others.”
The White House's memes about imprisonment, deportation, and death by alligator are designed to radicalize and desensitize.
“What you have is this desire to get people to buy into the fun of sadism,” says Jason Stanley, an author who’s leaving the US because of “concerns over fascism.”
“What you have is this desire to get people to buy into the fun of sadism,” says Jason Stanley, an author who’s leaving the US because of “concerns over fascism.”
The official voice of the US government Is cruel, gross, and weird. What is that doing to us?
Joking memes about imprisonment, deportation, and death by alligator are designed to radicalize and desensitize.
www.motherjones.com
August 16, 2025 at 2:54 AM
“What they’re offering people is not health insurance or economic security,” Stanley says. “They’re offering them delight in the torture of others.”
Heads up for users of Otter AI, especially if you connect it to any other apps, like Zoom or Teams: Lawsuit claims AI service Otter secretly records private chats
www.npr.org/2025/08/15/g...
www.npr.org/2025/08/15/g...
Class-action suit claims Otter AI secretly records private work conversations
The suit claims the popular service may be recording and processing millions of users' private conversations without consent.
www.npr.org
August 16, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Heads up for users of Otter AI, especially if you connect it to any other apps, like Zoom or Teams: Lawsuit claims AI service Otter secretly records private chats
www.npr.org/2025/08/15/g...
www.npr.org/2025/08/15/g...
The Karuk Tribe has been helping bring down barriers to beneficial burning in California, paving the way for rebalancing the land’s relationship with fire. More great 🔥 reporting from @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social
There is much to worry about in wildfire today. But one of the most hopeful things happening is a revolution of sorts in Karuk territory, where the tribe is insisting on being able to burn as their ancestors did for millennia. The ideas are spreading. www.boisestatepublicradio.org/environment/...
With reforms in place, California’s Karuk Tribe works to reestablish cultural burning as 'common practice'
For millennia, Indigenous peoples have intentionally set fires to care for the land. Colonization and fire exclusion largely put an end to those practices, though the tradition endured. Now, Californi...
www.boisestatepublicradio.org
August 2, 2025 at 4:56 PM
The Karuk Tribe has been helping bring down barriers to beneficial burning in California, paving the way for rebalancing the land’s relationship with fire. More great 🔥 reporting from @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social