Wisdom Howell

Honored to have another story published by @UPI Check out the latest from @medillonthehill HUD secretary under bipartisan fire for proposed housing program cuts - UPI.com upi.com/Top_News/US/20…

The hearing has gone on a brief recess to allow Senators to vote on judicial nominations.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., on the “culture of complacency” at the FAA and the agency’s claimed progress in safety improvements over recent years. “[FAA] calls it progress, I call it bullsh*t” @medillonthehill

Bryan Bedford, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, is testifying before a Senate subcommittee today on the agency’s safety progress in the wake of the 2025 Potomac River crash. An American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army helicopter collided, killing 67 @medillonthehill

BREAKING: The GUARD Act heads to the Senate floor for a full vote after the Senate Judiciary Committee votes 22-0 to advance the bill The Act seeks to hold AI companies liable for chatbot companions victimizing minors and limit minors’ access to chatbots. @medillonthehill

Votes are underway on the GUARD Act to send bill to Senate floor @medillonthehill

Sen. Hawley responds to Sen. Cruz’s comments and claims the GUARD Act only bans chatbots from disseminating sexually explicit material and engaging harmful behavior towards children. “It’s really a modest bill. It’s a very narrowly tailored bill.” @medillonthehill

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) vows to vote yes on GUARD ACT but called for revisions of the bill’s total ban on child chatbot access. “That is not an application that does not make sense.” He said schools in his home state have achieved educational gains using chatbots. @medillonthehill

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said Congress needs to do “much more” in the tech regulation space. She ended by advocating for the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act…. A topic that this platform does not have enough characters for me to explain @medillonthehill

The GUARD Act, if passed, would impose both civil and criminal penalties on companies for violating the Act’s sprawling provisions. @medillonthehill

Several children, and their families, victimized by malicious AI chatbot companions are in attendance. @medillonthehill

Reporting live from the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Markups to the GUARD Act — a bill that would ban force AI companies to verify chatbots users are above the age of 18 — passed unanimously. The bill has bipartisan support amongst committee members. @medillonthehill

@joellthayer @A1Policy Hi Joel, my name’s Wisdom Howell. I’m a reporter for Medill News Service at Northwestern University. I am working on a piece regarding the GUARD Act and would love the opportunity to chat about the bill given your expertise. Please DM me if you’re interested. Thanks!

Just put out my first expert insight for @A1Policy on applying the First Amendment to AI chatbot regulations! Here are the findings: 1️⃣ Tech companies argue that the First Amendment shields AI chatbots from regulation, but recent Supreme Court precedents—including Paxton, Moody, and TikTok v. Garland—significantly weaken that claim, especially for child safety measures. 2️⃣ Unlike social media, chatbots are not “modern public squares.” They function more like interactive services that respond to individual users, giving them far weaker First Amendment protections and opening the door to commonsense regulations like account creation, age verification, parental oversight, and transparency requirements. 3️⃣ Legislatures have a strong constitutional basis to require user accounts, age verification, custodial controls, and transparency disclosures for generative AI platforms without running afoul of the First Amendment.

@amtoxicology Hello, I’m a journalist in DC who attended oral arguments for yesterday’s Supreme Court case Monsanto v. Durnell. Would you be open to a 5-10 minute interview today? If so please DM me. Thank you!

I hope his kids aren’t waking on the patio after they spray it because Roundup penetrates through the skin. Whether it’s the new formulation with 4 new toxic chemicals or the legacy version with glyphosate - dermal absorption is a significant pathway of exposure that can result in cancer.

“People Against Poison” rally held outside of the U.S. Supreme Court today ahead of oral arguments in the case Monsanto v. Durnell. Activists say that the case has the potential to insulate pesticide manufacturers from liability by stripping states of their rights to regulate

Congress wants to modify boxing law, but will it pack a sucker punch? I covered a U.S. Senate committee hearing this week where a heavyweight bout for the future of boxing was up for grabs. Read my latest piece for ⁦⁦@UPI⁩ upi.com/Sports_News/20…

Oscar De La Hoya, 11-time world champion and CEO of Golden Boy promotions, told Medill News Service he is “open” to contributing to Senate’s upcoming boxing reform bill. “Im open to any suggestions especially on medicals. The safety of the fighters is the most important part.”

BREAKING: Sen. Ted Cruz says Senate version of Ali Revival Act will be different than House version and asks witnesses to contribute to the drafting of the legislation.

De La Hoya criticizing TKOs business structure: “Why are UFC fighters are complaining about pay? Why are shareholders making most of the profits and fighters have to get second job to make a living?”

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) asks for witnesses to work together and come to Congress to work together on a bill.