A MAGA County’s Top Election Official Wants to Hire Election Denial Superstar Tina Peters

Tina Peters was convicted of seven counts related to election interference in 2024. Now, she’s fielding an offer from a county that’s become a hotbed of voting-related conspiracy theories.

Elon Musk Is Expected to Point His Money Machine at Texas Politics

Sources tell WIRED that Elon Musk is expected to spend up to $200 million in the midterms. It could be a big boost for GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton, who’s struggled to raise cash.

Meta Ran Ads for an App That Promised to Nudify Female Politicians

One advertisement featured a pornographic video with a deepfake closely resembling a prominent US politician. Apple removed the app from the App Store after an inquiry from WIRED.

Election Officials Are Preparing for Prediction Markets to Sow Chaos in the Midterms

From threats to the safety of poll workers to voters who can’t distinguish between odds and results, prediction markets are already scrambling the political process.

FTC Strikes Deals to Ignore Unlawful Credit Discrimination

The agency signed agreements to not enforce parts of three federal court orders against auto dealers accused of discrimination—and didn’t notify judges or at least one of its coplaintiffs.

The White House Is Going to Expand Its AI Policy

Open models may soon be added to an updated AI framework, sources tell WIRED, as the White House continues to grapple with how to regulate a technology it has tried not to regulate.

Census Proposal Would Stop Counting Undocumented Immigrants—and Ignore Race and Sexual Orientation

A draft rule reviewed by WIRED would prevent the census from counting undocumented immigrants. To protect against “distortions,” it would also bar questions about race and sexual orientation.

ICE’s DNA Collection Increases, SpaceX’s Rocket Crashes Into the Moon, and the AI Backlash Grows

In today’s episode of Uncanny Valley, we discuss how ICE has been collecting DNA samples of people with no criminal convictions, including children, which end up in an FBI database indefinitely.

The National Design Studio Became a DOGE Landing Pad. Now ‘Big Balls’ Is Recruiting

WIRED spoke with an engineer who was interviewed by Edward “Big Balls” Coristine for a government engineering role at the NDS, the White House agency staffed by other DOGE veterans.

It Looks Like Nothing Can Dent MAGA’s Support for ICE

Despite weeks of renewed press coverage and controversy around ICE, Donald Trump’s supporters appear to be standing by the agency no matter what.