While the rest of you enjoyed Bad Bunny's historic Super Bowl halftime show, I was watching Kid Rock's D+ lip-synching to "Bawitdaba" in Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk memorial counterprogramming. Here's what you missed:

"All of these individual systems together are part of a bigger picture of mass surveillance that's at an unprecedented level because of the total control from top to bottom of the infrastructure."

My latest story for @wired.com... An AI math startup solved 4 math mysteries, a sign of the technology’s steadily advancing reasoning capabilities.https://www.wired.com/story/a-new-ai-math-ai-startup-just-cracked-4-previously-unsolved-problems/

Thousands of people identifying as ICE and CPB agents are congregating in an online forum, where they’re going “boohoo” about everything from long hours to incompetent leadership to their agency’s image problem: Killer scoop @telliotter.bsky.social

NEW: Elon Musk's X is awarding Nick Shirley—the creator who boosted the fraud allegations that led to ICE's Minneapolis surge—$100,000 for his "coverage. x.com/XCreators/st...

"These paramilitary tactical units behave not like local police, but instead like special forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, or other far-flung battlefields from the Forever Wars of the past quarter century."

"The hottest club is always the one you can't get into."

It's your lucky day because @wired.com sent photographers to two Melania premiere parties, and asked the superfans in attendance all about their love for the first lady. They had many, um, things to say.

It can be hard to keep up with EVERYTHING that the Trump admins is doing—and planning to do—right now with ICE and Border Patrol around the US So @wired.com created the ICE Tracker newsletter to ensure you know exactly what's happening....and it's FREE Sign up here: www.wired.com/newsletter/I...

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...

Read @stevenlevy.bsky.social on how Big Tech’s leaders are (and more often still aren’t) meeting the moment and speaking out against ICE:

We’re launching a pop-up newsletter to keep tabs on everything going on with ICE - including @wired.com reporting and essential coverage from other outlets, plus analysis to help you make sense of the chaos. Sign up here, first edition next week:

This one-star review of Melania is a five-star piece of writing if you ask me:

If you are a WIRED subscriber, come ask as any question about China you have, and we will answer them in the comment section :)

This week on @wired.com Big Interview: I talked to two tech workers who signed the ICEout.tech open letter about the momentum behind the movement, the pressure on Big Tech execs, and what they'd tell tech employees who haven't signed on yet. "The stakes are too high not to act and not to speak up."

For those who read our piece about crypto scam compound whistleblower Red Bull, I've verified that this is his real Bluesky account below. Thank for your incredible courage and all your work to achieve justice, @mohammadmuzahir02.bsky.social.

I love my country

If you were hoping to catch the Melania premiere via matinee this Friday at the AMC in Vero Beach, Florida — I am so sorry, but that particular showing is one of two that’s sold out among more than 1,300 analyzed by @wired.com

On this episode of “Uncanny Valley,” we dive into the news that's held our attention this week: ICE activity as it's been unfolding in Minnesota. www.wired.com/story/uncann...

I was at Davos when this came out, but the story meant a lot to me so I wanted to take a moment to share it now www.wired.com/story/china-...

NEW: An AI toy company's web portal had basically protections, allowing anyone with a Gmail address to access some 50,000 transcripts of kids' chats with their stuffed animals. @agreenberg.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/an-ai-...

"ICE agents aren’t moving with a tactical focus; they’re doing what they think will look cool and intimidating in photographs."

Earlier this week, Palantir employees pressed leadership for answers on the company’s work with ICE. Now @wired.com can reveal new details on how ICE is using Palantir tech: Since last spring, the agency has relied on an AI-powered Palantir system to sort through tips sent in by the public.

NEW: A ton of additional details about Mobile Fortify, including the company behind the app, which is being used by ICE agents to scan the faces of countless people in the US. The app sends that data to CBP, which uses AI to match the info with existing records.

Truly thrilled that @milesklee.bsky.social is joining the @wired.com Culture team! I've been a fan of Miles' work at Rolling Stone, MEL, and beyond, for many many years. This is a dream come true!

<3

Over the past few days we've heard from ppl at Palantir, Google, and elsewhere who are sharing company leaders' responses to, or lack of response to, ICE actions in MN and around the US (see: @makenakelly.bsky.social @mzeff.bsky.social's excellent reporting). We're curious to hear more. Signal us.

Remember how much Zuckerberg and other tech CEOs had an utter meltdown over Biden administration asking them to surpress Covid disinfo? Well... www.wired.com/story/meta-i...

At least 37 attorneys general for US states and territories are taking action against xAI after Grok generated a flood of nonconsensual sexual images of women and minors.

Last year, a human trafficking victim trapped in a crypto scam compound in the Golden Triangle region of Laos contacted me. He then proceeded to leak to me a huge collection of the compound's internal materials. Then he had to get out alive. This is his story. 🧵👇 www.wired.com/story/he-lea...

"I think it's no surprise that a company run by a man who sat behind Trump at his inauguration, and donated to the destruction of the White House, has taken a stance that helps ICE agents retain anonymity." Scoop from @davidgilbert.bsky.social

Google DeepMind staffers are pressing leadership on their plans to safeguard the 3,000-person unit from ICE agents. "As we have seen, government agency tactics can change and escalate quite rapidly. With offices in many metro areas across the US, are we prepared?" Scoop from @mzeff.bsky.social

Pornhub will block new UK users starting next week, describing the Online Safety Act as a "flawed system."

Last year, Andy Greenberg was contacted by a source going by "Red Bull" who claimed to be trapped in a Southeast Asian scam compound. The source shared videos, documents, and intel from the inside. Then he tried to escape. A must-read from @agreenberg.bsky.social who devoted so much to this saga:

If you work for Palantir and have concerns about its role in US federal immigration enforcement, please reach out. You can remain anonymous. Signal: makenakelly.32

TikTok's ownership transition isn't off to a great start, but it has more to do with a data center outage and widespread mistrust than any deliberate censorship (so far):

Palantir employees are pressing company leadership over its work for ICE in internal company Slacks obtained by @wired.com "In my opinion ICE are the bad guys. I am not proud that the company I enjoy so much working for is part of this." Scoop from @makenakelly.bsky.social

Go off, Reddit users:

Are you a tech worker or tech company leader who sees what's happening in Minnesota—and across the US—as the tipping point for no longer being silent about your personal politics? My DMs are open; Signal handle is in my bio.

If you, like me, have been wondering why Minnesota leaders can't seem to do more than beg Trump to leave... @vermontgmg.bsky.social lays out the stakes www.wired.com/story/why-mi...

Minnesota lawmakers have pleaded with the Trump administration to withdraw ICE agents from the state. But why can’t they do more? The answer is deeply unsatisfying, troubling, and well worth understanding at this critical moment for our country’s future:

I just starting crying on BART bsky.app/profile/badi...

Within minutes of the shooting, the Trump administration and right-wing influencers began disparaging the man shot by a federal immigration officer on Saturday in Minneapolis. wrd.cm/3LTvzfN

NEW: Within minutes of Alex Pretti being shot and killed, the Trump administration began rewriting the narrative, labelling the victim as a "lunatic" and a "terrorist" contradicting all available evidence www.wired.com/story/the-in...

NEW: Amid it all, ICE is seeking information from companies about ad-tech and big data tools—potentially gaining access to information in ways that constitutional experts say circumvents the Fourth Amendment. @carolinehaskins.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-as...

NEW: Know that ICE memo about not needing a warrant signed by a judge to enter people's homes? A US judge in Minnesota ruled exactly the opposite just days ago. @dell.bsky.social reports: www.wired.com/story/us-jud...

The @wired.com Uncanny Valley podcast is back! With new hosts @leahfeiger.bsky.social @brbarrett.bsky.social and @zoeschiffer.bsky.social talking Davos, ICE, and the looming threats facing the U.S. midterms. The news isn’t good, but the company is. Have a listen:

Combine every tech buzzword into one headline but add fentanyl:

NEW: A database left accessible to anyone online contained tens of millions of login credentials from Gmail, Facebook, Apple, OnlyFans, crypto accounts, and more. @lhn.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/149-mi...

Here’s a 2-min vertical video explaining the gist of the story and our findings about Chinese lithium battery manufacturing. If you want to see more videos like this, please subscribe to WIRED and our Made in China newsletter!