I talked w/ uniformed health workers about their deployments to prisons where ICE holds immigrants. ICE's operation is especially secretive at Guantanamo -- the place where America flouted its own rules to torture detainees post 9/11. @wired.com and @kffhealthnews.org (no paywall)

While reporting this, I had something happen that's never happened. A comms rep for one of the co's disputed my reporting and said what I was telling them was untrue because it was not in Grok, xAI's chatbot. I was looking directly at the files. And this person was using AI to challenge the truth.

One thing to keep in mind: We don't know how many hospitalizations and cases of encephalitis there are because South Carolina doesn't require those to be reported, only measles cases. The state *knows* about 19 hospitalizations (out of 876 total cases) but that could be higher.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has issued an epidemiological alert about measles outbreaks, including ours. PAHO is “calling on countries to intensify epidemiological surveillance, vaccination, and rapid outbreak response…to interrupt transmission and protect vulnerable populations”.

NEW: South Carolina's measles outbreak has reached 876 cases, and for the first time, the state has confirmed encephalitis—brain swelling—in some children who have gotten measles. Encephalitis can cause long-term neurological damage, including intellectual disability. www.wired.com/story/measle...

NEW: HHS is working on an AI tool to find patterns in VAERS—the national vaccine injury claims system that allows anyone to submit a report—and generate hypotheses. RFK Jr. has repeatedly made calls to reform VAERS, including in his book. My latest for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/hhs-is...

As Trump’s mass deportation program unfolds, immigration policy and enforcement is shifting fast. That’s why we’re launching Tracker, a limited-series newsletter navigating what’s happening and what’s next. Sign up for free: www.wired.com/newsletter/I...

SCOOP: Palantir's AI has been deployed at HHS since last March to audit grants, grant applications, & job descriptions for anything related to "DEI" or "gender ideology" The goal was to ensure compliance with 2 of Trump's executive orders: www.wired.com/story/hhs-is...

In 16 weeks, the South Carolina measles outbreak has surpassed the total number of cases reached in the West Texas outbreak over the course of seven months.

NEW: China's brain-computer interface industry is growing fast. For @wired.com, I got the scoop on the country's latest startup: www.wired.com/story/this-c...

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

The South Carolina measles outbreak is now up to 700 confirmed cases since October. Another 485 people are in quarantine: dph.sc.gov/news/friday-...

2026 is likely to be another bad year for measles. South Carolina has already reported 400+ new cases in January, stemming from an outbreak that began in October. For comparison, the US logged 32 cases of measles in January 2025. My latest for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/the-us...

Nobody asked for this. www.theinformation.com/articles/app...

NEW: ICE documents reviewed by @wired.com show plans to open a detention center in Appleton, MN, to detain people from five states. @dell.bsky.social reports: www.wired.com/story/ice-de...

In 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui shocked the world when he revealed that he had made the first gene-edited babies by altering their DNA at the embryo level. Now, He wants to do more human embryo experiments. I interviewed him for @wired.com's new China issue: www.wired.com/story/china-...

Sam Altman's Merge Labs has launched with $252 million in funding. Merge will use ultrasound to interpret brain signals—without sticking implants in the brain tissue. My story for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/openai...

SAME. Please apply!!

Journalism job alert: @wired.com is hiring a US-based science editor. Come work with me and the wonderful @mollytaft.com: condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CondeCareers...

big tech companies are taking note of the backlash to data centers — and they, w/ the help of the Trump administration, are promising to be good neighbors first up is Microsoft, which announced a series of commitments this morning - some of Microsoft’s projects have faced serious pushback

Last February, a sick infant named KJ received a bespoke gene-editing treatment made in just 6 months that likely saved his life. Now, CRISPR pioneer and Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna has launched a startup to scale these types of treatments to more patients. www.wired.com/story/crispr...

For the eighth year in a row, the world’s oceans absorbed a record-breaking amount of heat in 2025. It was equivalent to the energy it would take to boil 2 billion Olympic swimming pools. www.wired.com/story/the-oc...

Completely crazy-making to watch the Trump admin and their MAGA sycophants rewrite history in realtime - and reach millions with it - despite crystal clear video evidence that directly contradicts their narrative:

Introducing WIRED's new tagline: For Future Reference. Our stories don't just reflect the moment—they help create it.

SCOOP: We have new details on @wired.com about Sam Altman's brain-computer interface startup, Merge Labs. Merge is being spun out of an LA nonprofit, Forest Neurotech, which has been working on a minimally invasive ultrasound device to read from and modulate the brain. www.wired.com/story/sam-al...

“Having him on the panel charged with monitoring efforts to improve cancer treatment is a disaster for cancer patients, as he will inject conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, and false claims about cancer into the panel’s reports,” @gorskon.bsky.social told me www.wired.com/story/risch-...

SCOOP: HHS is considering launching a national men’s health initiative. My latest for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...

Democratic-led states are standing up to RFK Jr.'s ACIP and say they will continue recommending the universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. My latest for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/many-s...

Some cool science stories trending at @wired.com right now (though I may be biased). Go ahead and give 'em a read: www.wired.com

At ACIP meeting just now, a representative from the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society asked why change hep B vaccine schedule now when it's been working? ACIP member Vicky Pebsworth admits there has been "pressure coming from stakeholder groups wanting the policy to be revisited."

ACIP chaos continues. The language of the votes the committee is tasked with considering keeps changing. Joseph Hibbeln says, "We really need to know what we're voting on." They just took a break for "audio/visual harmonization."

Narcan saves lives. But what if there was a way to prevent fentanyl overdose deaths that didn't require a bystander being present? One biotech startup thinks it has a solution — a fentanyl vaccine that would provide year-long protection. My latest for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/a-fent...

NEW from me: i talked to the founders of a geothermal startup that is working on a simple (but surprisingly difficult) solution to find more geothermal energy: seek out systems deep underground that we can use for power. it's harder than you think!

NEW: A first-of-its-kind vaccine for fentanyl overdose is about to be tested in people. My latest for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/a-fent...

As chair of ACIP, Kulldorff was the tiebreaker vote on a proposal that would have required prescriptions for Covid-19 vaccines. Coincidence? apnews.com/article/cdc-...

Scientists at the CDC have been told to phase out all of their monkey research. www.science.org/content/arti...

Brain implant developer Paradromics has gotten FDA approval to test its device in a human trial. The Austin-based company is aiming to give a digital voice to people who have lost the ability to speak due to severe motor impairment. >> Story at @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/paradr...

CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”

Yesterday, the NIH abruptly placed @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social, who has been a vocal critic of the administration’s changes to the NIH, on leave “It is intended as a threat,” she told me yesterday www.statnews.com/2025/11/14/n...

GLP-1s are being studied for a wide range of conditions. Now, scientists will test whether their anti-inflammatory properties can help alleviate symptoms of #LongCovid. @wired.com @emilymullin.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/weight...

It's been nearly two years since the first gene-editing therapy, Casgevy, was approved for sickle cell disease. Just 39 patients worldwide have received it in that time. This is from a Nov. 10 update from manufacturer Vertex:

Three German universities offering post-docs for researchers "who cannot conduct or continue their work in the USA appropriately because of actual political pressure. " www.uni-konstanz.de/zukunftskoll...

The Wall Street Journal has more details on Preventive, the latest human embryo editing company. Sam Altman of OpenAI and and his husband are among its backers: www.wsj.com/tech/biotech...

Oh, to be a fly on the wall. www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/m...

Super excited that we're hiring a senior writer to join @wired.com's culture team! If you're obsessed with internet culture and like our vibe, apply! condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/CondeC...

Incredible reporting from @carolinehaskins.bsky.social about a school Mark Zuckerberg opened on his Palo Alto compound and operated for years with no permits, permissions, anything at all

Over on the other site, gene-editing scientist Lucas Harrington announced a new company to explore "preventive gene editing." In case you're counting, this is the third startup openly pursuing plans to edit human embryos. More on the company here: www.preventive.bio/blog/announc...

Seven years after the first gene-edited babies were revealed, a new biotech startup called Manhattan Genomics is reviving the idea of editing human embryos. My latest for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/startu...

Remember when RFK Jr. was against fracking? Kennedy once said he'd ban fracking, which is known to contaminate groundwater and surface water and has been linked to certain cancers. Yet now he's taking the administration's stance against wind energy: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...