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Politics

There’s an Unhinged New Video Game About Trump and the Iran War
End Game

There’s an Unhinged New Video Game About Trump and the Iran War

The game, developed by the group of anonymous artists known as Secret Handshake, is available online and in person in Washington, DC.
Makena Kelly
There’s a Long-Shot Proposal to Protect California Workers From AI
Jobs Jobs Jobs

There’s a Long-Shot Proposal to Protect California Workers From AI

Makena Kelly
One of DOGE’s Young Engineers Is Now Running a Defense Tech Startup
DOGE Spread

One of DOGE’s Young Engineers Is Now Running a Defense Tech Startup

Vittoria Elliott

Inner Loop

Trump’s Team Wants Him to Accept an Iran Deal He’s Already Rejected

Trump’s Team Wants Him to Accept an Iran Deal He’s Already Rejected

As chaotic negotiations over the end of the Iran war continue, US negotiators think they have the framework for a deal in place. Now they just have to sell the president on it.
Hugo Lowell
How Trump Weaponized the DOJ Division That Kept Elections Fair

How Trump Weaponized the DOJ Division That Kept Elections Fair

The Trump administration has effectively forced out more than two dozen experienced lawyers from the DOJ’s Voting Section, the part of the agency responsible for upholding the Voting Rights Act.
David Gilbert
USAID Whistleblower Says It Was Even Worse Than People Knew

USAID Whistleblower Says It Was Even Worse Than People Knew

Political appointees wanted a quiet drawdown, the whistleblower says. DOGE wanted an execution.
Vittoria Elliott
MAGA Is Starting to Look Beyond Trump

MAGA Is Starting to Look Beyond Trump

A seemingly endless torrent of criticism directed toward Trump from former MAGA allies suggests the president is losing support from his base.
David Gilbert

Policy

The Latest Push to Extend Key US Spy Powers Is Still a Mess

The Latest Push to Extend Key US Spy Powers Is Still a Mess

A US surveillance program that lets the FBI view Americans’ communications without a warrant is up for renewal. A new bill aims to address mounting lawmaker concerns—with smoke and mirrors.
Dell Cameron
The FTC Is Ramping Up to Target Transgender Rights

The FTC Is Ramping Up to Target Transgender Rights

A series of new hires and investigations at the agency appear to focus on penalizing gender-affirming care for minors—and those who speak in favor of it.
Vittoria Elliott
Republican Mutiny Sinks Trump's Push to Extend Warrantless Surveillance

Republican Mutiny Sinks Trump's Push to Extend Warrantless Surveillance

A post-midnight revolt in the House sank the White House's efforts to extend Section 702—a spy program the FBI has used to look into members of Congress, protesters, and political donors.
Dell Cameron
The FCC Has a Fast Lane for Complaints About Trump’s Media Critics

The FCC Has a Fast Lane for Complaints About Trump’s Media Critics

Internal emails obtained by WIRED reveal how a conservative legal group with a direct line into FCC chairman Brendan Carr’s office built the case against Jimmy Kimmel and his employees.
Dell Cameron

Disinformation

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
X Is Drowning in Disinformation Following US and Israeli Attack on Iran

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

Extremism

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
Elon Musk Has Turned His Eye to the UK

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

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

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

A Federal Worker Was Fired for Filming DOGE. Now She’s Running for Congress

A Federal Worker Was Fired for Filming DOGE. Now She’s Running for Congress

Alexis Goldstein, a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee, was fired this year for recording DOGE’s incursion into the agency.
Makena Kelly
The Chinese Government Just Got the World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference Canceled

The Chinese Government Just Got the World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference Canceled

Access Now, the group that organizes RightsCon, says Zambian officials asked it to exclude Taiwanese participants if it wanted the event to proceed as planned.
Vittoria Elliott and Zeyi Yang
‘The Damage Is Massive’: How the Justice Department Dismantled Its Voting Rights Section

‘The Damage Is Massive’: How the Justice Department Dismantled Its Voting Rights Section

There were around 30 attorneys in the DOJ’s Voting Section on the day of Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Three months later, all but two were gone. Now the election deniers are in control.
David Gilbert
A DOGE Affiliate Is Now in Charge of the US Government’s ID Platform

A DOGE Affiliate Is Now in Charge of the US Government’s ID Platform

Greg Hogan will oversee Login.gov as the government seeks to integrate driver’s license and passport information into the service, making what one insider calls “a national ID.”
Vittoria Elliott

Latest

How to Film ICE
For the Record

How to Film ICE

Matt Burgess, Lily Hay Newman, Maddy Varner, and Andy Greenberg
Silicon Valley Tech Workers Are Campaigning to Get ICE Out of US Cities
The Big Interview

Silicon Valley Tech Workers Are Campaigning to Get ICE Out of US Cities

Katie Drummond
We Found Two Theaters With Sold-Out Melania Opening Day Screenings
Blockbusters

We Found Two Theaters With Sold-Out Melania Opening Day Screenings

Maddy Varner
Uncanny Valley: Minneapolis Misinformation, TikTok’s New Owners, and Moltbot Hype
Uncanny Valley

Uncanny Valley: Minneapolis Misinformation, TikTok’s New Owners, and Moltbot Hype

Brian Barrett, Zoë Schiffer, and Tim Marchman