Politics

The Politics Issue

Have Mercenary

ICE Offers Up to $280 Million to Immigrant-Tracking ‘Bounty Hunter’ Firms

Immigration and Customs Enforcement lifted a $180 million cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program while guaranteeing multimillion-dollar payouts for private surveillance firms.

Extra Postage

Trump Is Boosting MAGA X Accounts Operating Overseas

Return to Sender

Pranksters Re-Created a Working Version of Jeffrey Epstein’s Gmail Inbox

Policy

Zohran Mamdani Just Inherited the NYPD Surveillance State

In addition to affordability, New York City’s mayor-elect will be forced to reckon with the NYPD’s sweeping mass surveillance operations.

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.

ICE Wants to Build a Shadow Deportation Network in Texas

A new ICE proposal outlines a 24/7 transport operation run by armed contractors—turning Texas into the logistical backbone of an industrialized deportation machine.

CBP Searched a Record Number of Phones at the US Border Over the Past Year

The total number of US Customs and Border Protection device searches jumped by 17 percent over the 2024 fiscal year, but more invasive forensic searches remain relatively rare.

Disinformation

How Disinformation About the Minnesota Shooting Spread Like Wildfire on X

Under Elon Musk’s leadership, X has become the perfect platform to supercharge the spread of dangerous disinformation during breaking news events.

Conspiracy Theories About the Texas Floods Lead to Death Threats

Disinformation around a “weather weapon” and cloud seeding is being widely promoted by everyone from anti-government extremists to GOP influencers—leading to real-world consequences.

AI Chatbots Are Making LA Protest Disinformation Worse

Amid fast-moving events in Los Angeles, users are turning to chatbots like Grok and ChatGPT to find out what’s real and what’s not—and getting inaccurate information.

No, 150-Year-Olds Aren’t Collecting Social Security Benefits

Elon Musk claims to have found rampant fraud in the Social Security Administration. There’s a much simpler explanation.

Extremism

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.

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.

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.

The Real Stakes, and Real Story, of Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Obsession

Thirty years ago, a peace-loving Austrian theologian spoke to Peter Thiel about the apocalyptic theories of Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt. They’ve been a road map for the billionaire ever since.

Global Elections

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.

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.

Top US Election Security Watchdog Forced to Stop Election Security Work

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has frozen efforts to aid states in securing elections, according to an internal memo viewed by WIRED.

Secret Phone Surveillance Tech Was Likely Deployed at 2024 DNC

Data WIRED collected during the 2024 Democratic National Convention strongly suggests the use of a cell-site simulator, a controversial spy device that intercepts sensitive data from every phone in its range.

Politics News

How Donald Trump Lost Control of the Epstein Spin Cycle

Donald Trump has spent years benefiting from QAnon’s Jeffrey Epstein obsession. That’s all changing.

WIRED Roundup: Fandom in Politics, Zuckerberg’s Illegal School, and Nepal’s Discord Revolution

In this episode of Uncanny Valley, we run through the top stories of the week and examine how some of the victories in the US November elections show the power of online fandom.

The EPA Is in Chaos

“We learn who is furloughed when we send an email to someone and get the out-of-office message,” one employee tells WIRED.

The Government Shutdown Is a Ticking Cybersecurity Time Bomb

Many critical systems are still being maintained, and the cloud provides some security cover. But experts say that any lapses in protections like patching and monitoring could expose government systems.