Here it is: The @wired.com Politics Issue is now live, with more stories rolling out all week. We're so proud of this one. Behold this cover; truly a work of art. And we're treating it that way: Starting today, you can find it on murals, billboards, and posters across in five U.S. cities.

TOMORROW! Join me and my @wired.com colleagues @stevenlevy.bsky.social and @supson.bsky.social for a discussion about the increasing entanglements between Trump and the tech industry. 11 AM ET! www.wired.com/story/livest...

As we’ve reported before at @rollingstone.com, trump and his gang plotted to use the federal government against his enemies in late night tv even before he was reelected. Now…. www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv...

NEW: Extremists hated #CharlieKirk but now they’re using his death to radicalize others... www.wired.com/story/extrem...

NEW: Right-wing extremists and an anonymously run website are targeting people for allegedly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder - and posting identifying details about people accused online. Some of those targeted are now getting death threats. read @davidgilbert.bsky.social:

NEW: "War is here" With no suspect in custody and no known motive, far-right influencers, right-wing commentators, extremists, militia leaders, conspiracists, and Republican lawmakers all responded to the assassination of #CharlieKirk by blaming the left. www.wired.com/story/far-ri...

"War is coming." Prominent far-right figures and elected officials have called for vengeance following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. read @davidgilbert.bsky.social with more:

Breaking: Charlie Kirk Is Dead After Utah Valley University Shooting

Here's our report on the shooting of Charlie Kirk www.wired.com/story/charli...

In addition to being extremely weird, the spectacle of tech executives kissing the ring at the White House last night showed that the only principle left in Silicon Valley is power www.wired.com/story/tech-c...

"A baker’s dozen or so of Silicon Valley’s most powerful people—cutthroat competitors all—united here to pledge allegiance to Donald Trump." read the inimitable @brbarrett.bsky.social on one of the craziest events I've ever watched on CSPAN:

Scoop: A sudden no-bid ICE contract for specialized sniper training has gone to a decorated former Marine who is also the brother of a GOP lawmaker. Reached by WIRED, he says there was no hookup; 20 years in a reconnaissance unit and even more as an instructor simply left him uniquely qualified.

SCOOP: Inside private anti-vaxxer Facebook groups, members celebrated Florida banning vaccine mandates, quickly calling for other states to implement similar actions “I shouldn’t have to inject my kids with poison because you’ve been brainwashed to live in fear,” www.wired.com/story/anti-v...

Wildest bits for me from Kennedy's explosive hearing today www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/r...

great reporting from @danlamothe.bsky.social - and reminder that a few days ago a federal judge found that the deployment of troops in LA in June was illegal: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/u...

“Amen, stop the application of poison given to our precious children.” “F yah! About time. Let the revolution begin.” “Hopefully more will follow Florida’s lead.” Anti-vaxxers are THRILLED about Florida's plan to end vaccine mandates. Important context from @davidgilbert.bsky.social here:

As experts warn about possible outbreaks of diseases like polio and measles in Florida, anti-vaxxers declare “freedom.” www.wired.com/story/anti-v...

the spiderman meme isn't remotely enough here, there are no memes worthy of this moment

New from me! Emails shared with WIRED reveal that the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service is participating in immigration enforcement, something they've never done before, at least not like this. www.wired.com/story/state-...

NEW: State Department agents are now working with ICE on immigration -- an area solidly outside its usual duties. One source compares it to IRS agents investigating espionage at NASA. read @telliotter.bsky.social:

Six months into Donald Trump’s second term, the “manosphere” — an ecosystem of right-leaning podcasts and YouTube shows that helped elect him — appears to be losing some of its enthusiasm for him. Read more: voxdotcom.visitlink.me/0z8btp

Here's how X and Elon Musk helped to weaponize disinformation about the Minneapolis school shooting www.wired.com/story/disinf...

This week, I sat down with @bencollins.bsky.social. He pulled no punches in his assessment of the news business, confessed to a devastating addiction to Balatro (which I will not be downloading), and told me his employees should "pick up hammers and throw them at my head." Why? Click to find out!

Last week @wired.com launched our newest podcast, The Big Interview. First up ICYMI: I talked to @alexisohanian.bsky.social about relaunching Digg, why he's all-in on investing in women's sports, and his take on the internet melting down after he posted an AI-generated clip of his late mom:

It’s hard to not numb yourself to the news. When every day is norm breaking, none of them are. but this — I’ve never seen anything quite like it. When you think of how devastating fires have been for the US in 2025 alone… I’m at a loss.

NEW: SSA chief data officer and whistleblower Charles Borges resigned today—but his resignation email quickly disappeared from recipients' inboxes, sources tell @wired.com. @makenakelly.bsky.social and @davidgilbert.bsky.social report: www.wired.com/story/charle...

Filed under this *really* happened: Following a week of strife at the disaster relief agency, Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem told FEMA employees to "be vocal" about their positive experiences with the Trump administration. @mollytaft.com on the chaos at FEMA:

HAPPENING NOW: Hello from the media room in DC district court, where Judge Jia Cobb is set to hear argument on Lisa Cook's motion for a temporary restraining order to block her removal from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. I'm here for @lawfaremedia.org. Follow along ⬇️🧵

We obtained emails that appear to show the White House ordered government officials to put Grok back on the list of approved vendors “ASAP” www.wired.com/story/white-...

this is just such quality content

NEW: A partnership between Elon Musk's xAI and the US government fell apart earlier this summer after Grok praised Hitler. Then the White House apparently got involved, and Grok is back. read @zoeschiffer.bsky.social:

SCOOP: Some operatives from DOGE are joining Airbnb cofounder and DOGE member Joe Gebbia’s National Design Studio, a new government initiative that...appeared just rebrand work that was already taking place. read @makenakelly.bsky.social:

SCOOP: DOGE ops join Airbnb cofounder + DOGE member Joe Gebbia’s new National Design Studio. Gebbia was possibly going to join USDS, but now he has his own office and is bringing DOGE folks from the General Services Administration along with him. www.wired.com/story/doge-o...

The CDC is in chaos. If you’re a current employee and would like to share information anonymously, please reach out via Signal: emullin.06 www.wired.com/story/center...

gonna just keep reposting this from @ryanbort.bsky.social @andrewperez.bsky.social and me www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

SCOOP I spoke to the leader of the 764-linked swatting group that is behind the recent spare of hoax active shooter calls at university campuses across the US. He claims to have earned $100,000 in the space of just six days www.wired.com/story/purgat...

SCOOP: A Dark Money Group Is Secretly Funding High-Profile Democratic Influencers, raising questions about ethics in the independent media space

NEW: A dark money group Is secretly funding high-profile Democratic influencers, offering influencers up to $8,000 a month to push the party line. All they have to do is keep it secret—and agree to restrictions on their content. a truly wild story from @taylorlorenz.bsky.social for @wired.com:

An initiative aimed at boosting Democrats online offers influencers up to $8,000 a month to push the party line. All they have to do is keep it secret—and agree to restrictions on their content. www.wired.com/story/dark-m...

In a conversation with Status, WIRED’s @katie-drummond.bsky.social argues that Silicon Valley is no longer just innovating new technology—it’s actively shaping American democracy. Read the Q&A: www.status.news/p/wired-kati...

NEW: DOGE affiliate Chris Sweet has developed an AI tool that is being used to rapidly slash government regulations, according to details of a meeting reviewed by @wired.com. Scoop by me: www.wired.com/story/sweetr...

The US government announced a series of major AI partnerships in recent weeks with firms like OpenAI and Anthropic. One company that was supposed to be part of the mix? Elon Musk's xAI. Here's what happened. With @makenakelly.bsky.social: www.wired.com/story/xai-gr...

NEW: Elon Musk's xAI was about to land a major government contract -- then Grok praised Hitler on X. It's been a massive, messy scramble to onboard OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI providers to the federal government. @zoeschiffer.bsky.social and @makenakelly.bsky.social have the inside details:

“It's basically turning ideology into influencer culture,” said @anthropaulicy.bsky.social of @ttp-updates.bsky.social. “Instagram is the best platform for that. It’s one of the platforms that influencers have broadly flocked to because they can monetize it easily."

NEW: There's a new guard of paramilitary activists, whose youthful membership, edgy aesthetics, and overt nods to religion points to a new brand of anti-government Christian nationalist militias -- and they're using Instagram to recruit. always read @tessowen.bsky.social:

A senior administration official, as well as other officials, told Rolling Stone that it is a priority of Trump that these kinds of military deployments -- in times of relative calm -- become normalized in American political culture. More: rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

"All the threats against duly elected law-abiding state legislators have been alarming—it should be alarming to all of us." read @jakelahut.writes.news on Texas state rep James Talarico fleeing the state to stop gerrymandering -- and what comes next:

New Inner Loop, with a James Talarico Q&A on being on the lam + a scoop on the lack of tech enforcement from the Trump admin w/ new data www.wired.com/story/james-...

For @wired.com I wrote about the Trump admin's latest propaganda strategy: incorporating the casual nihilism and cruelty of the highly online far-right into memes about deportation www.wired.com/story/trump-...