NEW: Since Jan 2023, ICE + CBP together have spent at least $515 million on products from Palantir, Microsoft, Amazon, & Google. But where is the money actually going, & what specifically is it powering? Here, I break down everything we know about both of these things: www.wired.com/story/how-bi...

This story, from @natezuke.bsky.social, is absolutely wild. A trans woman who never changed her gender marker was issued a letter invalidating her license. At the DMV they cut up her license, which had an "M" marker. www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad on bearing witness, the fragile power of social media, and why documenting lived reality matters more than ever. www.wired.com/story/plesti...

I can’t recall another politician ever expressing this direct of a sentiment before. (depressing! it’s so simple!) it’s difficult to explain how it feels to wake up and find your country is bombing the place your family grew up. again

30 years ago, Pokémon entered the world. Years earlier, the project nearly died. Here's the bonkers behind-the-scenes story of the creation of a tiny GameBoy game that would become a rival to Mickey Mouse.

“‘The persecution is the point,’ said Rep. Abi Boatman, a Wichita Democrat and the only transgender member of the Legislature, who received the [Kansas Dept of Revenue] notice on Wednesday.” To underscore that: a Kansas state legislator is among those whose driver’s license will be voided. (🎁 link:)

1. Numerous transgender people in Kansas are reporting that the state has sent them a letter demanding the immediate surrender of drivers licenses. Those driving could be arrested, charged, and see privileges revoked. Subscribe to support our journalism. www.erininthemorning.com/p/kansas-sen...

While the Trump admin works with right-wing creators, a White House staffer moonlighting as an anonymous MAGA influencer makes it nearly impossible to distinguish official government messaging from 'organic' online support. More here: www.wired.com/story/a-whit...

New: this app warns you if someone is wearing smart glasses nearby. Meta plans to add facial recognition to its Ray-Ban smart glasses. A 404 Media reader made this app after we showed men filming people w/o their consent, and DHS officials were wearing the glasses www.404media.co/this-app-war...

I interviewed Roblox's head of parental advocacy for Vulture about safety on the platform 👀

this is fucking evil! the audio (linked in the story) is so much worse when you hear it. if you're a person capable of this, there is something fundamentally broken inside of you. there is not enough shame you could feel in your lifetime that would be enough www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

A very busy week on the prediction market beat: www.wired.com/story/the-po...

because of Everything Going On my tattoo artist won’t come to the states anymore and i have to walk around with a dumb gap in my half-sleeve. like an IDIOT

Grok is doxing a porn performer, after she spent years keeping this information private. Disgusting, abusive, deliberately harmful little product Elon's got there www.404media.co/grok-doxing-...

you need to MOGG (Meditate On Great Genres of literature)

also if you are an academic or someone who thinks about this stuff professionally i'd really like to hear from you: [email protected]

the problem with giving in on things that don't poll well is that as soon as the right wins on the the things that don't poll well, they move on and start lying about more popular things to manipulate public opinion, starting the cycle again.

Alpha School, an "AI-powered" private school that costs as much as $65k a year, is generating faulty lesson plans and stealing content from textbooks for training data www.404media.co/students-are...

if you’re seeing this it was meant to find you today

i have once again fucked up on the most basic new york lesson: do not get on the empty train car

for The Verge, I interviewed Edmund McMillen about Mewgenics' long road to release, unexpected success, and making a game with just about any disorder you can name www.theverge.com/entertainmen...

Particularly when CBP agents have already been caught wearing Meta glasses to immigration raids even without facial recogntion www.404media.co/a-cbp-agent-...

Many reasons to listen to this conversation with Edmund McMillen. We chat about cleft lips, edgelord internet culture & America's modern practice of eugenics. It will be on the main feed Monday, if you'd like to wait! For now, fun news bit: He'd like to make a Mewgenics musical with his music team

a thing I like about video games is how they make you sound completely off your rocker when you describe them. this is good imo.

new @megannicolett.bsky.social just dropped!!

for The Verge, I interviewed Edmund McMillen about Mewgenics' long road to release, unexpected success, and making a game with just about any disorder you can name www.theverge.com/entertainmen...

Inspiring: RFK Jr's nutrition chatbot recommends the best foods to insert into your rectum. “Start — whole peeled carrot, straight shaft, narrow end for insertion, wider crown end as base.” www.404media.co/rfk-jrs-nutr...

my favorite part of this story is about Markiplier's younger fans finding ways to get into the R-rated movie www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/a...

for The New York Times, I wrote about Iron Lung's recent box office success www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/a...

for The New York Times, I wrote about Iron Lung's recent box office success www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/a...

“If I am killed doing this, throw my body at the White House, martyr the shit out of me & raise hell. Do not be sad. Do not think I would do anything differently. I would do it over & over again — this is too important to sit down & shut up and not do anything.” www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

Media coverage of Gaza has plummeted. So today on @thenation.com, we're doing something pretty special: we're only running pieces by people in and from Gaza. We're calling it "A Day for Gaza." You can find links to all of the incredible pieces here. Please read! www.thenation.com/article/worl...

“Look, when I worked for her, our poor scheduler was getting calls at two o’clock in the morning to come bring her bottles of tequila,”a former staffer claimed of incidents they recalled going back to 2021. nymag.com/intelligence...

we deserve another bad bunny calvin klein campaign

NEW: The @wired.com Security desk put together a comprehensive guide to filming ICE—with tips for reducing risk at the forefront. No paywall, but please consider subscribing to help find these kinds of resources. And stay safe out there. www.wired.com/story/how-to... www.wired.com/v2/offers/wi...

feel like this is one of the bigger labor stories of Our Current Regrettable Age variety.com/2026/gaming/...

I call my friends spontaneously all the time and every single time their first question is “is everything ok?”

for over 3 weeks, I've spoken to ICE watchers and organizers across the country: first right after Renee Good's killing — then 2 weeks into my reporting, Alex Pretti was killed. ICE watchers are being detained and harassed — but they're also stopping ICE abductions and inspiring others to join them

turning a big dial that says 'Fascism' on it and constantly looking back at the audience for approval like a contestant on the price is right

One political reporter who texted me today called this the “most anti-free speech administration in our lifetimes and then some,” adding that after the Washington Post raid earlier this month, it is “just one escalation after another, week to week.” www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

NEW we got more details about Mobile Fortify, the facial recognition app that immigration agents have reportedly been using: www.wired.com/story/mobile...

Millions of AI chats left exposed by the app's creators. Stuff like this has happened several times but every time it happens is a mess and a reminder that people are sharing highly sensitive stuff with chatbots & that most of these companies have horrible security www.404media.co/massive-ai-c...

you may be relieved to know that the moderators of r/FuckingFascists, the subreddit that is what it sounds like, have drawn their line in the sand: www.404media.co/fascist-kink...

I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com

thrilled that my first freelance piece landed at NYT! I’ve got more pieces coming elsewhere, but I’m also available to write ~for you~ about internet culture, how everyday people are using AI, video games, dating, and more. I miss writing scene reports SO much send me places

I talked to one of the r/MassiveCock posters who decided to bring anti-ICE conversations to the subreddit. "... Nothing in life should feel ‘normal’ when these sorts of things are happening in our country. Even porn and sex," he said. Gift link (obviously): tinyurl.com/mr3nua5k

for The New York Times, I wrote about the 1,000 Rejections Challenge and why getting comfortable with "no" is more useful than resolutions about becoming the perfect version of yourself www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/a...