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Politics

ICE Is Using Data Broker Tools to ‘Identify Unaccompanied Minors’ and ‘Fraud’
Nanny State

ICE Is Using Data Broker Tools to ‘Identify Unaccompanied Minors’ and ‘Fraud’

A newly renewed, $25 million-per-year contract with a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters further expands the power of ICE under the Trump administration.
Caroline Haskins and Vittoria Elliott
Conspiracy Theorists Think Trump’s Speech Paves the Path to the Insurrection Act
Midterms

Conspiracy Theorists Think Trump’s Speech Paves the Path to the Insurrection Act

David Gilbert
The Group Behind 2000 Mules Is Back With Another Election Conspiracy Film
Election Denial

The Group Behind 2000 Mules Is Back With Another Election Conspiracy Film

David Gilbert

Inner Loop

Intel Officials Predict the Pentagon’s Bill for the Iran War Will Exceed $100 Billion

Intel Officials Predict the Pentagon’s Bill for the Iran War Will Exceed $100 Billion

The Trump administration has not disclosed its cost estimates for the Iran war.
Hugo Lowell
Republicans Gleefully Celebrate Midterms Chaos in Maine

Republicans Gleefully Celebrate Midterms Chaos in Maine

Political operatives in Trumpworld hope that US Senate candidate Graham Platner stays in the race as long as possible.
Hugo Lowell
Anthropic Added a New Security Measure to Get Back Into the Trump Administration’s Good Graces

Anthropic Added a New Security Measure to Get Back Into the Trump Administration’s Good Graces

The government has removed restrictions on Anthropic’s Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models—but there were strings attached.
Hugo Lowell
The Trump White House Is Over Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei

The Trump White House Is Over Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei

At high-stakes meetings with the White House, Anthropic's cofounder—a "weirdo," per one official—has been replaced by cofounder Tom Brown.
Hugo Lowell

Policy

The $28 Million Mistake That Inspired Estonia’s AI ‘Fuckup Finder’

The $28 Million Mistake That Inspired Estonia’s AI ‘Fuckup Finder’

A single wording mistake cost the government millions. Now Estonia is using AI to spot legal errors before they become law—and to automate more of the state.
Chris Stokel-Walker
YouTube Appears to Be Making Money Off of Sanctioned Iranians’ Accounts

YouTube Appears to Be Making Money Off of Sanctioned Iranians’ Accounts

New research suggests that dozens of monetized YouTube channels are run by people and organizations that the US government has sanctioned for their ties to Tehran.
David Gilbert
The Manhattan Institute Helped Kill DEI. Now It’s Coming for Protests

The Manhattan Institute Helped Kill DEI. Now It’s Coming for Protests

The right-wing think tank is actively pushing “civil terrorism”—increasing penalties for minor crimes committed while people engage in constitutionally protected free speech.
Ali Winston
The EU Is Going Through a Trump-Fueled Breakup With Big Tech

The EU Is Going Through a Trump-Fueled Breakup With Big Tech

France is already moving on from Zoom and Microsoft Teams in favor of homegrown alternatives. Other countries are quickly following suit.
Matt Burgess and Vittoria Elliott

Disinformation

China Didn’t Make Americans Hate Data Centers

China Didn’t Make Americans Hate Data Centers

GOP lawmakers, tech investors, and even OpenAI have tied the anti-data-center movement in the US to Chinese interference. Experts say it’s much more complicated than that.
Molly Taft

How the Internet Broke Everyone’s Bullshit Detectors

From AI-generated images to restricted satellite data, the systems used to verify what’s real online are struggling to keep up.
Gia Chaudry
Fake AI Content About the Iran War Is All Over X

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

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

Extremism

A White Supremacist Youth Group Helped Orchestrate the Belfast Riots

A White Supremacist Youth Group Helped Orchestrate the Belfast Riots

After Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson stoked anger over a horrific knife attack in Belfast, a youth group linked to a global neo-Nazi movement quietly orchestrated anti-immigrant riots.
David Gilbert
US Law Enforcement Warns of ‘Anti-Tech Extremism’ as AI Hatred Grows

US Law Enforcement Warns of ‘Anti-Tech Extremism’ as AI Hatred Grows

As Americans stew over the looming risk of job-stealing AI and data centers in their back yards, the feds are raising the alarm about a new category of threat, documents obtained by WIRED show.
Daniel Boguslaw
Senators Want Extremism Researchers to Surrender Documents Linked to Right-Wing Grudges

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’

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

Global Elections

This Is How Trump Is Already Threatening the Midterms

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

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 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

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

Politics News

Maine’s Senate Race Implodes, Meta’s Threads Rivals Musk’s X, and the Trump Phone Arrives

Maine’s Senate Race Implodes, Meta’s Threads Rivals Musk’s X, and the Trump Phone Arrives

Today on Uncanny Valley, we unpack the political debacle unfolding in Maine surrounding the campaign of Democratic candidate Graham Platner.
Zoë Schiffer and Leah Feiger
The Trump Administration Is Lifting Its Export Controls on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable AI Models

The Trump Administration Is Lifting Its Export Controls on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable AI Models

The White House is easing restrictions on Anthropic’s most advanced AI models weeks after ordering the company to suspend access for foreign nationals.
Hugo Lowell
How Hunter Biden Won the Internet

How Hunter Biden Won the Internet

WIRED spent months talking to America’s favorite failson as he plotted his return to public life. Now he’s feeding the trolls—and everyone else.
Alana Hope Levinson and Makena Kelly
Ivanka and Jared’s Island Resort Could Bring Down Albania’s Prime Minister

Ivanka and Jared’s Island Resort Could Bring Down Albania’s Prime Minister

What began as a “flamingo revolution” to protest the $1.4 billion development on Sazan Island has spiraled into mass protests against a ruling party that thousands now want out.
Arbjona Çibuku

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