John Branch
Verified
As seen in:
The New York Times,
CNN,
Folha de S.Paulo,
MSN,
MSN Canada,
MSN UK,
O Globo,
The Athletic,
The New York Times en Español,
The New York Times International,
UOL
and
New York Times reporter in California. I try to write stories you didn't know you wanted to read. Author of The Last Cowboys; Boy on Ice; Sidecountry
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by John Branch
How California is using AI and cameras to stop wildfires
Perched at the front line of California’s fight against wildfires is a 41-year-old named Colby Nicholson and three other roaming MacGyvers in “Alert California” work shirts. On this warm June morning, they were on a cliff 1,500 feet above the vineyards and small towns of Napa Valley. Several major fires had ripped through this area in the past decade. Nicholson and the others peered past the toes of their boots.
How California is using AI and cameras to stop wildfires
Perched at the front line of California’s fight against wildfires is a 41-year-old named Colby Nicholson and three other roaming MacGyvers in “Alert California” work shirts. On this warm June morning, they were on a cliff 1,500 feet above the vineyards and small towns of Napa Valley. Several major fires had ripped through this area in the past decade. Nicholson and the others peered past the toes of their boots.
How California is using AI and cameras to stop wildfires
By John Branch, New York Times Perched at the front line of California’s fight against wildfires is a 41-year-old named Colby Nicholson and three other roaming MacGyvers in “Alert California” work shirts. On this warm June morning, they were on a cliff 1,500 feet above the vineyards and small towns of Napa Valley. Several major fires had ripped through this area in the past decade. Nicholson and the others peered past the toes of their boots.
California uses AI and cameras to stop wildfires
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... By John Branch Perched at the front line of California’s fight against wildfires is a 41-year-old named Colby Nicholson and three other roaming MacGyvers in “Alert California” work shirts. On this warm June morning, they were on a cliff 1,500 feet above the vineyards and small towns of Napa Valley. Several major fires had ripped through this area in the past decade. Nicholson and the others peered past the toes of their boots.
How California is using AI and cameras to stop wildfires
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... By John Branch, New York Times Perched at the front line of California’s fight against wildfires is a 41-year-old named Colby Nicholson and three other roaming MacGyvers in “Alert California” work shirts. On this warm June morning, they were on a cliff 1,500 feet above the vineyards and small towns of Napa Valley. Several major fires had ripped through this area in the past decade. Nicholson and the others peered past the toes of their boots.
The Crews Harnessing A.I. to Fight Wildfires The Crews Harnessing A.I. to Fight Wildfires
new video loaded: The Crews Harnessing A.I. to Fight Wildfires The Crews Harnessing A.I. to Fight WildfiresThe Crews Harnessing A.I. to Fight Wildfires Our reporter, John Branch, joined a team installing cameras in the Sierra Nevada for detecting wildfires. Artificial intelligence is used to sift through images from the network, helping firefighters identify and respond to early to signs of wildfires. By John Branch, Mimi Dwyer, Yasu Tsuji and Nicholas Kraus October 12, 2026
The Wildfire Hunters Putting Eyes in the Sky
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Perched at the front line of California’s fight against wildfires is a 41-year-old named Colby Nicholson and three other roaming MacGyvers in “Alert California” work shirts. On this warm June morning, they were on a cliff 1,500 feet above the vineyards and small towns of Napa Valley. Several major fires had ripped through this area in the past decade.
Study’s Alarming Finding: At Least 1 in 4 NFL Players Gets Brain Disease
Since the degenerative brain disease known as C.T.E. was first scientifically linked to football about 20 years ago, and as hundreds of former professional football players have been diagnosed with the disease after their deaths, a haunting question has lingered: Just how many N.F.L. players will end up with C.T.E.?
CTE Cases Are Soaring. Why Can’t We Quit Football?
CTE Cases Are Soaring. Why Can’t We Quit Football? Published August 28, 2026 Twenty years into its C.T.E. era, the N.F.L. is more popular and profitable than ever. Revenues rise even as the math becomes clearer for the once immeasurable price paid in brain damage sustained by football players. Fans know too much to plead ignorance. They now know, thanks to a new study, that at least one in four former N.F.L. players had C.T.E. among the nearly 900 who died between 2016 and 2021.
Soa o alarme: pelo menos um em cada quatro jogadores de futebol americano tem uma doença neurodegenerativa
Um estudo que teve em conta antigos jogadores de futebol americano que morreram entre 2016 e 2021 concluiu que 24,5% tiveram CTE, acrónimo em inglês para Encefalopatia Traumática Crónica, uma doença neurodegenerativa provocada por repetidos traumatismos cranianos. Segundo os investigadores, a percentagem real será mais elevada
As C.T.E. Cases Soar, Why Do Football Crowds Still Go Wild?
Twenty years into its C.T.E. era, the N.F.L. is more popular and profitable than ever. Revenues rise even as the math becomes clearer for the once immeasurable price paid in brain damage sustained by football players. We are living in an era of cognitive dissonance, sociologists said. How many C.T.E. cases, they wondered, are too many for fans’ collective consciousness? What would it take to quit watching, or to quit sending children into the scrum?
As C.T.E. Cases Soar, Why Do Football Crowds Still Go Wild?
As C.T.E. Cases Soar, Why Do Football Crowds Still Go Wild? Twenty years into its C.T.E. era, the N.F.L. is more popular and profitable than ever. Revenues rise even as the math becomes clearer for the once immeasurable price paid in brain damage sustained by football players. Fans know too much to plead ignorance. They now know, thanks to a new study, that …
5 Takeaways on the Fallout From an Alarming C.T.E. Study
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. 5 Takeaways on the Fallout From an Alarming C.T.E. Study At least one in four N.F.L. players, and likely a much higher percentage, had the brain disease when they died. Will anything change? Chronic traumatic encephalopathy can be diagnosed only posthumously.Credit...Kristian Thacker for The New York Times Aug.
5 Takeaways on the Fallout From an Alarming C.T.E. Study
5 Takeaways on the Fallout From an Alarming C.T.E. Study At least one in four N.F.L. players, and likely a much higher percentage, had the brain disease when they died. Will anything change? With the N.F.L. regular season just two weeks away, and with thousands of youth, high school and college teams on the practice field, everyone involved in the game …
Study’s alarming finding: At least 1 in 4 NFL players gets brain disease
Since the degenerative brain disease known as CTE was first scientifically linked to football about 20 years ago, and as hundreds of former professional football players have been diagnosed with the disease after their deaths, a haunting question has lingered: Just how many NFL players will end up with CTE?
Tu hijo juega fútbol americano. ¿Cómo puedes minimizar el riesgo de ETC?
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Tu hijo juega fútbol americano. ¿Cómo puedes minimizar el riesgo de ETC? La encefalopatía traumática crónica se puede evitar reduciendo el número total de golpes en la cabeza, dicen los investigadores.
Your Child Plays Football. How Can You Minimize Risk of CTE?
Two things are true: Football has a hold on American culture, and tackle football is not good for brains. Navigating that contradiction can be especially tricky for parents of children who play the game. Twenty years into the era of CTE awareness, parents know enough to be worried but perhaps not enough to avoid the risks entirely.
Many N.F.L. Players Get Brain Disease. Why Hasn’t OSHA Intervened? Original
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. The most notorious form of workplace illness in the United States might be black lung disease. Scientists say that 10 to 20 percent of coal miners who have worked 25 years or more have gotten it. It has long been considered an epidemic.
Your Child Plays Football. How Can You Minimize Risk of C.T.E.?
Your Child Plays Football. How Can You Minimize Risk of C.T.E.? Researchers say it’s all about reducing the total number of blows to the head. Many medical experts encourage children to play flag football rather than the full-contact version. Credit...Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times Aug. 25, 2026, 5:03 a.m. ET Two things are true: Football has a hold on American culture, and tackle football is not good for brains.
Study’s Alarming Finding: At Least 1 in 4 N.F.L. Players Gets Brain Disease
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Since the degenerative brain disease known as C.T.E. was first scientifically linked to football about 20 years ago, and as hundreds of former professional football players have been diagnosed with the disease after their deaths, a haunting question has lingered: Just how many N.F.L. players will end up with C.T.E.?
How Many N.F.L. Players Will Have C.T.E.? How Many N.F.L. Players Will Have C.T.E.?
new video loaded: How Many N.F.L. Players Will Have C.T.E.? How Many N.F.L. Players Will Have C.T.E.?How Many N.F.L. Players Will Have C.T.E.? New research finds that at least one in four N.F.L. players who died in a six-year period had C.T.E., a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated impacts to the head. Our reporter John Branch unpacks the data and its implications for the sport. By John Branch, Christina Shaman, James Surdam, Lauren Pruitt and Christopher Whitworth August 25, 2026
Study’s Alarming Finding: At Least 1 in 4 N.F.L. Players Gets Brain Disease
NFL 1 hour ago At least 25% of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE, study finds NPR - Becky Sullivan • 1h For years, as researchers have established a link between repeated impacts to the head and the degenerative brain disease known as CTE, one major question has loomed: Just how common is it — especially among high-risk groups, like professional football players?
Internal Report on Avalanche That Killed 9 Skiers Assigns No Blame Original
A report commissioned by the guide company that was leading a backcountry ski party near Lake Tahoe in February when an avalanche killed nine skiers attributed no direct blame to the company. The report details the movements of the group of backcountry skiers led by Blackbird Mountain Guides after it left the Frog Lake Huts, near Donner Pass, during a major snowstorm on Feb. 17. It leans on previously reported news media accounts, the GPS tracks of two party members and avalanche and weather data.
3 Latvian climbers die in fall on Mount McKinley
Three members of a Latvian climbing expedition have died in an accident high on Mount McKinley in Alaska’s Denali National Park, according to the Latvian Mountaineering Association. A fourth climber was rescued and is in critical condition, the organization said. Mount McKinley, with a summit of 20,310 feet above sea level, is the highest peak in North America. The accident occurred Wednesday at about 18,000 feet, according to the U.S. National Park Service.
3 Latvian Climbers Die in Fall on Mt. McKinley
3 Latvian Climbers Die in Fall on Mt. McKinley The accident occurred at about 18,000 feet in the area of Denali Pass. The summit of Mount McKinley, in Alaska.Credit...Jim Wilson/The New York Times May 29, 2026, 2:14 p.m. ET Three members of a Latvian climbing expedition have died in an accident high on Mount McKinley in Alaska’s Denali National Park, according the Latvian Mountaineering Association. A fourth climber was rescued and is in critical condition, the organization said.
Jim Whittaker, First American to Reach Everest's Summit, Dies at 97
Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest, whose myriad climbing achievements and longtime leadership at REI, the outdoor-supply retailer, helped establish a global mountaineering craze that continues today, died on Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Washington. He was 97. kAmw:D 562E9 H2D 4@?7:C>65 3J 9:D D@? {6:7]k^Am kAm~?
Jim Whittaker, First American to Reach Everest’s Summit, Dies at 97
Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest, whose myriad climbing achievements and longtime leadership at REI, the outdoor-supply retailer, helped establish a global mountaineering craze that continues today, died on Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Wash. He was 97. His death was confirmed by his son Leif.
Jim Whittaker, First American to Reach Everest's Summit, Dies at 97
Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest, whose myriad climbing achievements and longtime leadership at REI, the outdoor-supply retailer, helped establish a global mountaineering craze that continues today, died on Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Washington. He was 97. kAmw:D 562E9 H2D 4@?7:C>65 3J 9:D D@? {6:7]k^Am kAm~?
Suicides were frequent at the Golden Gate Bridge. Not anymore
SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic span that hangs between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, has been the site of more than 2,000 confirmed suicide leaps since its completion in 1937. The true death toll is certainly higher, since not all jumps are witnessed and not all bodies are recovered. In 2006, at least 34 people jumped to their deaths by crossing the 4-foot rail and plunging more than 200 feet into the strait below.
Suicides were frequent at the Golden Gate Bridge. Not anymore
SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic span that hangs between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, has been the site of more than 2,000 confirmed suicide leaps since its completion in 1937. The true death toll is certainly higher, since not all jumps are witnessed and not all bodies are recovered. In 2006, at least 34 people jumped to their deaths by crossing the 4-foot rail and plunging more than 200 feet into the strait below.
Suicides were frequent at the Golden Gate Bridge. Not anymore
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... By John Branch, New York Times SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic span that hangs between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, has been the site of more than 2,000 confirmed suicide leaps since its completion in 1937. The true death toll is certainly higher, since not all jumps are witnessed and not all bodies are recovered.
Suicides Were Frequent at the Golden Gate Bridge. Not Anymore.
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. A system of stainless steel cables was installed on both sides of the bridge.Credit...Jim Wilson/The New York Times Supported by SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Listen to this article · 7:43 min Learn more Jan.
Suicides were frequent at the Golden Gate Bridge. Not anymore.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic span that hangs between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, has been the site of more than 2,000 confirmed suicide leaps since its completion in 1937. The true death toll is certainly higher, since not all jumps are witnessed and not all bodies are recovered. In 2006, at least 34 people jumped to their deaths by crossing the 4-foot rail and plunging more than 200 feet into the strait below.
Suicides Were Frequent at the Golden Gate Bridge. Not Anymore.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic span that hangs between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, has been the site of more than 2,000 confirmed suicide leaps since its completion in 1937. The true death toll is certainly higher, since not all jumps are witnessed and not all bodies are recovered. kAmx? a__e[ 2E =62DE bc A6@A=6 ;F>A65 E@ E96:C 562E9D 3J 4C@DD:?8 E96 c\7@@E C2:= 2?5 A=F?8:?8 >@C6 E92?
The Dawn Wall 2017 1080p BluRay x264-OFT
ZoomBob: Lone Samurai ZoomBob: Lone Samurai wukillerb2: Home for Christmas S01 NORWEGIAN 1080p NF WEBRip DDP5 1 x264-STRiFE any chance of a re-up? coastflies: Any chance of reup of Echo 3 ? TheRandomOne: 480p ? wukillerb2: Home for Christmas S01 NORWEGIAN 1080p NF WEBRip DDP5 1 x264-STRiFE any chance of a re-up? wxe09104: please add 480p encode wxe09104: please add 4809p encode snickerdoodle: @waanaabeYou're welcome. Clicknupload shows how many times a file has been downloaded. I wait a few...
Es una científica de renombre, fue diagnosticada con Parkinson y se convirtió en su propio experimento
Comienza con un hormigueo, un temblor, una sensación de que algo anda mal. La Dra. Sue Goldie no reconoce los síntomas al principio. Tal vez los ignora, desea que se vayan. Es 2021. Tiene 59 años, en el mejor momento de una larga carrera docente en Harvard. Acaba de sumergirse en el deporte del triatlón. Un entrenador nota algo raro con su cadencia de carrera. Otro se pregunta por qué su brazo izquierdo no se levanta completamente del agua. Un entrenador ve un ligero temblor.
Sue Goldie Has Parkinson’s Disease
Dr. Sue Goldie is an award-winning Harvard professor, a physician and a public health scientist. She is an expert at artfully explaining complicated global problems, like pandemics. When she noticed something that put everything at risk — her health, her career, her identity — she kept it a secret as long as she could. Now she has to explain the most complicated question of all: What is happening to her? By John Branch Photographs by Sophie Park Oct.
‘We know what the solutions are’: Minneapolis mayor responds to JD Vance over ‘thoughts and prayers’ | CNN Politics Original
CNN's Kaitlan Collins talks with Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey about Vice President JD Vance responding to him saying "don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now" after the Minneapolis school shooting. 02:20 - Source: CNN 16 videos
Korean Purdue student and daughter of priest released by ICE after 48 hours | CNN Original
Yeonsoo Go, a South Korean student at Purdue University and the daughter of a beloved Episcopal priest in New York, was arrested and placed in federal detention nearby, before eventually being moved – like so many recent ICE detainees – to a facility in Louisiana. She has been released on her own recognizance. 04:05 - Source: CNN 15 videos
Family of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre wants files released | CNN
03:11 - Source: CNN 17 videos
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Una forma de suicidio recurrente y la última petición del atacante de Manhattan Shane Tamura no es el primer exjugador de fútbol americano que se dispara en el pecho y pide que le examinen el cerebro. Una neuropatóloga estudiará cortes del cerebro de Shane Tamura para determinar si padecía ETC.
The Familiar Suicide and Final Wish of the N.Y.C. Gunman
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. The Familiar Suicide and Final Wish of the N.Y.C. Gunman Shane Tamura is not the first former football player to shoot himself in the chest and request that his brain be examined.
Room for One More on Mount Rushmore? (The President Wants to Know.)
President Donald Trump has made no secret of his fondness for Mount Rushmore and his desire to join its rock-star lineup. During his first term, Trump told Kristi Noem — then a U.S. representative from South Dakota, now the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security — that his “dream” was to be on Mount Rushmore. She later gave Trump a model of Mount Rushmore with his face on it. The idea has resurfaced since Trump returned to office.
Mayhem at the River Inn Crossing: A dark-of-night flood escape
HUNT, Texas — The screams were coming from outside, through the dark and the din of the thunderstorm. People along the overflowing Guadalupe River were desperate, scared for their lives. The rain had been coming down hard, into the grim early hours of July 4, but it was the lightning and thunder that kept people awake. The electric sky lit up the landscape like a strobe light, providing glimpses of what was happening and adding a surreal effect to the night.
A Dark-of-Night Flood Escape at the River Inn in Texas
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. The screams were coming from outside, through the dark and the din of the thunderstorm. People along the overflowing Guadalupe River were desperate, scared for their lives. The rain had been coming down hard, into the grim early hours of July 4, but it was the lightning and thunder that kept people awake.
Officials face questions over preparedness for Texas floods | CNN
Video Ad Feedback Officials face questions over preparedness for Texas floods CNN's Josh Cambell reports on questions over a lack of flood warning signals and lagging investment in river gauges in Kerr County after deadly floods killed over 100 people in Central Texas.
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with John
Contact John, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack