Politics

Satanic Panic
Staunch Trump Supporters Are Now Asking if He’s the Antichrist
The Iran war and a series of social media posts, including one depicting Trump as Jesus Christ, have some conservative commentators and fans suspecting the president may be the antichrist.
Makena Kelly and David Gilbert


The Next Attorney General Will Probably Be an Election Denier
Pam Bondi’s DOJ left election deniers frothing for more. Potential candidates for the attorney general job could give them what they want.
David Gilbert

The New Era of Militia Influencers
The militia movement in the US is undergoing a rebrand that trades counterprotests for expensive weapons, manly sweatshirts, and highly curated Instagram grids.
David Gilbert

That Ex-CIA Agent in All Your Feeds Is After a Pardon From Donald Trump
John Kiriakou went to prison after exposing the CIA's torture program. Now he's going viral as he campaigns to get his name cleared and his pension restored.
Makena Kelly

Confessions of the ICE Agent Whisperer
Federal immigration enforcement agents usually won't talk to the media—but they will talk to independent journalist Karl Loftus.
Vittoria Elliott

Border Patrol Agents Sold Challenge Coins With Charlotte’s Web Characters in Riot Gear
Nonprofits run out of US Border Patrol stations are also selling other “operation”-themed coins that include a phrase popularized by the Proud Boys, potentially in violation of government rules.
Maddy Varner

Unmasking the Paramilitary Agents Behind Trump’s Violent Immigration Crackdown
A WIRED analysis of DHS records identified dozens of specialized federal agents who used force against US civilians during the largest known deployment of its kind in US history.
Ali Winston and Maddy Varner

How Trump’s Plot to Grab Iran's Nuclear Fuel Would Actually Work
Experts say that an American ground operation targeting nuclear sites in Iran would be incredibly complicated, put troops’ lives at great risk—and might still fail.
Caroline Haskins

A Top Democrat Is Urging Colleagues to Support Trump’s Spy Machine
Congressman Jim Himes claims a sweeping surveillance authority should stay intact because he hasn't seen abuses by Kash Patel's FBI, according to internal messaging obtained by WIRED.
Dell Cameron

Fake AI Content About the Iran War Is All Over X
X’s Grok is failing to accurately verify video footage from the Iran conflict and is sharing its own AI-generated images about the war.
David Gilbert

Here’s Why Trump Posted About Iran ‘Stealing’ the 2020 Election Hours After the US Attacked
Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social about Iran echoed a conspiracy theory that has been circulating online for years.
David Gilbert

X Is Drowning in Disinformation Following US and Israeli Attack on Iran
WIRED has reviewed hundreds of posts on X that promote misleading claims about the locations and scale of the attack.
David Gilbert

The Information Networks That Connect Venezuelans in Uncertain Times
The people of Venezuela have spent years learning resilience in the face of censorship, disinformation, and repression. They now rely on those tools more than ever.
Lisseth Boon

Senators Want Extremism Researchers to Surrender Documents Linked to Right-Wing Grudges
The Senate homeland security committee's chair has asked researchers to turn over troves of documents related to the January 6 attack, vaccines, and more, according to a letter reviewed by WIRED.
Ali Winston

An Anarchist’s Conviction Offers a Grim Foreshadowing of Trump’s War on the ‘Left’
As the Trump administration ramps up its targeting of left-leaning people and groups, the prosecution and harsh sentencing of Casey Goonan may provide a glimpse of things to come.
Ali Winston

Elon Musk Has Turned His Eye to the UK
Musk posted nonstop at the beginning of the year about British politics, until his focus was consumed by DOGE. Now he’s back.
David Gilbert

At a Conspiracy Conference in Rural Ireland, Charlie Kirk Was the Star
The increasingly tight links between far-right groups in the US and Europe were on full display at the Rebels Across the Pond conference in Ireland.
David Gilbert

This Is How Trump Is Already Threatening the Midterms
WIRED surveyed the ways the Trump administration is working to manipulate this year’s midterm elections.
David Gilbert

Pro-AI Super PACs Are Already All In on the Midterms
Silicon Valley’s battle against AI regulation is already shaping the next US election cycle.
Maxwell Zeff

The Inside Story of How Gen Z Toppled Nepal’s Leader and Chose a New One on Discord
The revolution started on social media. It ended with protests, violence, and an online poll to pick the new prime minister.
Tulsi Rauniyar

One Republican Now Controls a Huge Chunk of US Election Infrastructure
Former GOP operative Scott Leiendecker just bought Dominion Voting Systems, giving him ownership of voting systems used in 27 states. Election experts don't know what to think.
Kim Zetter

Politicians Are Spending More Money on Security as They Increasingly Become Targets
Political candidates are purchasing more home alarms, bulletproof vests, and other protections amid rising fears of political violence.
Maddy Varner

A Year After DOGE Cuts, GSA Now Plans to Hire Hundreds of Employees
The General Services Administration is hiring “approximately 400 positions,” according to an internal email viewed by WIRED. Last year the agency lost thousands of workers as part of DOGE’s rampage.
Leah Feiger and Zoë Schiffer

In a Big Reversal, Zohran Mamdani Tells NYC Agencies They Can Use TikTok
The city will allow agencies to return to TikTok, but with strict new device and security rules.
Makena Kelly

Opposing ICE Might Save the Country. It Could Also Ruin Your Life
For months, lone vibe coder Rafael Concepcion has obsessively built tools to counter the federal immigration crackdown—pivoting as he’s been outmatched. He’s also lost his job and become a target.
Brendan I. Koerner
Latest

Missed Connections
The FBI Didn’t Answer Texts From Minnesota Investigators for Days After Renee Good’s Killing
Caroline Haskins




Fraud Talk
Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine Is Helping Out on Viral Fraud Videos Now
Makena Kelly and Vittoria Elliott








Under Pressure
FCC Enforcement Chief Offered to Help Brendan Carr Target Disney, Records Show
Dell Cameron

Data grab
John Solly Is the DOGE Operative Accused of Planning to Take Social Security Data to His New Job
Vittoria Elliott and Makena Kelly

Uncanny Valley
Uncanny Valley: Anthropic’s DOD Lawsuit, War Memes, and AI Coming for VC Jobs
Brian Barrett, Zoë Schiffer, and Leah Feiger





Big Business
A Trumpworld Events Company Is Raking In Millions in Federal Contracts
David Gilbert, Matt Giles, Leah Feiger, and Zoë Schiffer

Uncanny Valley
Uncanny Valley: Iran War in the AI Era, Prediction Market Ethics, and Paramount Beats Netflix
Brian Barrett, Zoë Schiffer, and Leah Feiger








Uncanny Valley
Uncanny Valley: Pentagon vs. ‘Woke’ Anthropic, Agentic vs. Mimetic, and Trump vs. State of the Union
Brian Barrett, Zoë Schiffer, and Leah Feiger



Blockade
Life in Cuba Under Trump's Pressure Campaign: No Electricity, No Oil, and Impossible Choices
Abraham Jiménez Enoa

Crossing a Line
‘Narco-Submarine’ Carrying 4 Tons of Cocaine Captured by Mexico's Navy
Fernanda González

There Can Be Only One
DHS Wants a Single Search Engine to Flag Faces and Fingerprints Across Agencies
Dell Cameron







ICE Online
Inside the Homeland Security Forum Where ICE Agents Talk Shit About Other Agents
Vittoria Elliott

ICE Takes America
Social Security Workers Are Being Told to Hand Over Appointment Details to ICE
Zoë Schiffer, Vittoria Elliott, and Leah Feiger

Uncanny Valley
Uncanny Valley: ICE’s Secret Expansion Plans, Palantir Workers’ Ethical Concerns, and AI Assistants
Brian Barrett, Zoë Schiffer, and Leah Feiger

Eyes on Iran
Elon Musk’s X Appears to Be Violating US Sanctions by Selling Premium Accounts to Iranian Leaders
David Gilbert




ICE Takes America
ICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here’s Where It’s Going Next
Leah Feiger


Demolition Job
RFK Jr.’s Picks for a Key Autism Panel Include Advocates for Bizarre Theories
David Gilbert

ID, Please
ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are
Dell Cameron and Maddy Varner


2026 Winter Olympics
ICE and Qatari Security Forces at the Winter Olympics Put Italians on Edge
Luigi Mastrodonato


The Big Interview
Silicon Valley Tech Workers Are Campaigning to Get ICE Out of US Cities
Katie Drummond


Uncanny Valley
Uncanny Valley: Minneapolis Misinformation, TikTok’s New Owners, and Moltbot Hype
Brian Barrett, Zoë Schiffer, and Tim Marchman

Takeover
Trump Admin's Plans for $500 Million USIP Building May Violate Court Order, Say Former Workers
Vittoria Elliott


Say Cheese
Here’s the Company That Sold DHS ICE’s Notorious Face Recognition App
Maddy Varner and Dell Cameron

Inner Loop
Donald Trump Wants to Force Colorado to Free an Imprisoned Election Denier. It’s Not Working
David Gilbert


Defensive Measures
Palantir Defends Work With ICE to Staff Following Killing of Alex Pretti
Makena Kelly



Uncanny Valley
Uncanny Valley: Donald Trump’s Davos Drama, AI Midterms, and ChatGPT’s Last Resort
Brian Barrett, Zoë Schiffer, and Leah Feiger

Breaking & Entering
US Judge Rules ICE Raids Require Judicial Warrants, Contradicting Secret ICE Memo
Dell Cameron and Matt Giles



Midterms
DHS’s Data Grab Is Getting Citizens Kicked Off Voter Rolls, New Complaint Says
Vittoria Elliott


Occupied
‘I’m Witnessing a Lot of Emptiness’: How ICE Uprooted Normal Life in Minneapolis
Lina Misitzis and Katie Thornton



Trump Playbook
Minnesota Is Just the Beginning. California and New York Are ‘Next’
Makena Kelly and Leah Feiger


Photo Essay
In Photos: One Week Since the Shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis
Leah Feiger and Paloma Shutes


Plan Ahead
What to Do if ICE Invades Your Neighborhood
Lily Hay Newman, Maddy Varner, and Matt Burgess



Background Check
ICE Agent Who Reportedly Shot Renee Good Was a Firearms Trainer, per Testimony
Matt Giles and Tim Marchman


AI detectives
People Are Using AI to Falsely Identify the Federal Agent Who Shot Renee Good
David Gilbert



The Big Interview
Margaret Atwood on Doomscrolling: ‘I Want to Keep Up With the Latest Doom’
Katie Drummond




EXPIRED/TIRED/WIRED
‘We Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’—Trump’s Mass Deportations Will Only Grow From Here
David Gilbert



Dirty Laundry
Here’s What’s in the DOJ’s Epstein Files Release—and What’s Missing
Maddy Varner, Dell Cameron, and Caroline Haskins

Uncanny Valley
WIRED Roundup: The 5 Tech and Politics Trends That Shaped 2025
Zoë Schiffer and Brian Barrett


Nightmare Fuel
Terrifying New Photos Emerge From the Jeffrey Epstein Estate
Maddy Varner and Andrew Couts
