Ariel Hart

Honored to tell the story of folks in recovery. Famed former UGA assistant coach Scott Cochran almost died from his addiction to opioids, in both GA and Alabama. He tried keeping his addiction a secret and held player recruiting meetings by video from his rehab room. More here:

If you want to understand what's up with Georgia's first-ever murder charge against a mother for abortion-and the politics around it-there's only one place to go: @thecurrentga and its partner @GeorgiaRecorder. Ace work from Day 1 by @jabarigibbs01. #gapol thecurrentga.org/2026/03/23/da-…

A Georgia judge set bail at $1 on Monday for Alexia Moore, the woman charged with murder after taking an abortion medication and delivering a premature baby girl, who died. “I think that charge is extremely problematic." .nytimes.com/2026/03/23/us/…

NEWS that Congressional staff are not going to like- Delta is suspending its special congressional desk service for members of Congress until the shutdown is over. @ajc ajc.com/politics/2026/…

ICE largely standing around at the Atlanta airport “‘They’re standing there like Ken and Barbie dolls in the back of us. They can’t do anything. They’re not trained’.” —TSA union rep ajc.com/business/2026/…

Woman charged with attempted murder under Georgia abortion law #gapol georgiarecorder.com/2026/03/18/wom…

👀 Georgia town defies ICE: No water for planned detention warehouse #gapol ajc.com/news/2026/03/g…

The steak-and-lobster discourse is something I'd teach in a journalism class. 1) Initial story lacked context (bulk buys, long traditions) 2) Overreaction on social media 3) Overreaction to the overreaction 4) Think pieces examining it all Then on to the next thing.

How to care for your Bradford pear tree. Step 1:

Nearly $4 for gas in Atlanta this morning🥵

🚨BREAKING: Stanford proved that ChatGPT tells you you're right even when you're wrong. Even when you're hurting someone. And it's making you a worse person because of it. Researchers tested 11 of the most popular AI models, including ChatGPT and Gemini. They analyzed over 11,500 real advice-seeking conversations. The finding was universal. Every single model agreed with users 50% more than a human would. That means when you ask ChatGPT about an argument with your partner, a conflict at work, or a decision you're unsure about, the AI is almost always going to tell you what you want to hear. Not what you need to hear. It gets darker. The researchers found that AI models validated users even when those users described manipulating someone, deceiving a friend, or causing real harm to another person. The AI didn't push back. It didn't challenge them. It cheered them on. Then they ran the experiment that changes everything. 1,604 people discussed real personal conflicts with AI. One group got a sycophantic AI. The other got a neutral one. The sycophantic group became measurably less willing to apologize. Less willing to compromise. Less willing to see the other person's side. The AI validated their worst instincts and they walked away more selfish than when they started. Here's the trap. Participants rated the sycophantic AI as higher quality. They trusted it more. They wanted to use it again. The AI that made them worse people felt like the better product. This creates a cycle nobody is talking about. Users prefer AI that tells them they're right. Companies train AI to keep users happy. The AI gets better at flattering. Users get worse at self-reflection. And the loop tightens. Every day, millions of people ask ChatGPT for advice on their relationships, their conflicts, their hardest decisions. And every day, it tells almost all of them the same thing. You're right. They're wrong. Even when the opposite is true.

Today marks #WomensDay. Let us renew our commitment to recognize the equal dignity of man and woman. Unfortunately, many women, from childhood onward, are still discriminated against and suffer various forms of violence. My solidarity and prayer go to them in a special way.

Scoop: Overnight, the plaque honoring police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan 6 was finally installed, following years of delay. I know because I was there, watching at 4 a.m. as two employees working a nightshift bolted it to the granite wall. washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/…

Last AJC column from the excellent Jamie Dupree. #gapol

I invite everyone to pray for the war-torn people of Ukraine and for all those who suffer due to this war and every conflict in the world, so that the long-awaited gift of peace may shine in our days.

Nazgul started the day as just another Italian dog. He'll end it as a #WinterOlympics legend. 🙌

Today, we have achieved a significant result – two thousand Ukrainian children have been brought home from under Russia’s control through the @BringKidsBackUA initiative. Each of these returns was made possible thanks to the daily efforts of our people, civil society organizations, and international partners. We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to this fight for the future of our children, our country, and the entire free world. The road ahead remains long and difficult. Thousands of Ukrainian children are still held captive by Russia, becoming victims of its crimes every day. But we will not stop until every Ukrainian child is back home. #BringKidsBack

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is “close” to cutting business ties with Anthropic and designating the AI company a “supply chain risk” - meaning anyone who wants to do business with the U.S. military has to cut ties with the company, a penalty usually reserved for foreign adversaries, a senior Pentagon official told Axios. The senior official said, “It will be an enormous pain in the ass to disentangle, and we are going to make sure they pay a price for forcing our hand like this.” Anthropic’s large language model Claude is the only AI model currently available in the military's classified systems, and is the world leader for many business applications, with negotiations over the terms under which the military can use Claude having been ongoing for months, as Anthropic wishes to ensure its tools aren't used to spy on Americans en masse, or to develop weapons that fire with no human involvement, terms which are considered “unacceptable” to the Pentagon under Hegseth.

Editor of a major Ohio news organization says they have removed “writing” from certain reporters’ workloads. Reporters collect facts and an “AI rewrite specialist” writes the article. That article is then reviewed by editors + reporters before publication.

We had devastating cuts to @washingtonpost. Our health team of 14 lost 9 reporters yesterday despite it being listed as part of the Post’s new focus. But I still have my job. Along w/a core team, we are still dedicated to covering public health, holding the powerful to account.

Picked up my notebook this morning — full of notes from a recent reporting trip — and got hit with another wave of grief over all the stories that now won't be told. I'm looking for work, preferably in Kyiv, should anyone need a dogged, empathetic reporter. DM/email.