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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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There Is No Evidence the Trump Assassination Attempts Were Staged. People Still Believe They Were
Elements of the right and the left are united in the baseless belief that two attempts on Donald Trump's life were staged.
Trump’s Team Wants Him to Accept an Iran Deal He’s Already Rejected
As chaotic negotiations over the end of the Iran war continue, US negotiators think they have the framework for a deal in place. Now they just have to sell the president on it.
A Federal Worker Was Fired for Filming DOGE. Now She’s Running for Congress
Alexis Goldstein, a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee, was fired this year for recording DOGE’s incursion into the agency.
The Chinese Government Just Got the World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference Canceled
Access Now, the group that organizes RightsCon, says Zambian officials asked it to exclude Taiwanese participants if it wanted the event to proceed as planned.
Hantavirus Conspiracy Theories Are Already Spreading Online
From claims of an Israeli false flag to efforts to sell ivermectin, influencers and grifters are using lessons learned from Covid-19 to push their baseless conspiracy theories.
There’s an Unhinged New Video Game About Trump and the Iran War
The game, developed by the group of anonymous artists known as Secret Handshake, is available online and in person in Washington, DC.
There’s a Long-Shot Proposal to Protect California Workers From AI
California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer is proposing a new jobs guarantee for workers displaced by artificial intelligence.
One of DOGE’s Young Engineers Is Now Running a Defense Tech Startup
In an email viewed by WIRED, Ethan Shaotran describes Blitz Industries as “a defense company backed by big names.”
A Woman Was in the US Legally. She Was Deported Anyway
María de Jesús Estrada Juárez was applying for her green card and thought she was doing everything right. Instead, she was arrested and deported to Mexico.
Trump’s Tech Posse in China, Who’s Winning in Musk v. Altman, and Hantavirus Conspiracy Theories
Today on Uncanny Valley, we discuss how Donald Trump’s visit to China could influence conversations between world leaders at a moment when the economic and foreign policy stakes couldn’t be higher.
Trump's Inner Circle Is Already Scrambling Over the 2028 Presidential Ticket
Republicans still have the midterms to get through, but administration officials have already set their sights on the next election.
A Conspiracy Theory About QR Codes Has Led to Chaos Ahead of Georgia’s Midterms
The state of Georgia banned the use of QR codes for elections, based in part on the assertions of a man who’s boosted false claims about Israel and 9/11. Now no one knows how ballots will be counted.
It’s Officially Election Season in Trumpworld
With Trump nemesis Thomas Massie vanquished, Republican strategists are now eyeing races in Texas, California, and Maine.
Election Officials Are Getting Ready for ICE to Show Up at the Polls
The Trump administration keeps threatening to send federal agents to oversee elections. State and local officials are preparing, and even gaming out what happens if they're arrested.
Tom Steyer Wants to Save California From Billionaires. But Also Doesn’t Want Them to Leave
The hedge fund billionaire turned gubernatorial candidate wants to tax California’s ultrawealthy, regulate AI, and keep Silicon Valley happy at the same time. Good luck with that.
An ICE Firearms Trainer Was Involved in At Least 4 Deadly Shootings
David Norman, a former Phoenix police officer who’s described himself as “a fucking savage,” now runs a company that provided training to Homeland Security’s Special Response Teams.
Palantir Held Another ‘Hack Week.’ This Time, the Focus Was ICE
The hackathon, held to build user-auditing tools for Palantir customers, comes as the company struggles to address employee concerns over its relationship with ICE.
The Department of Labor’s Faith Leader Is Now Also in Charge of Its Civil Rights Enforcement
Kenneth Wolfe organized the Department of Labor’s controversial prayer services before he was quietly appointed to lead a major agency office.
The EU Is Going Through a Trump-Fueled Breakup With Big Tech
France is already moving on from Zoom and Microsoft Teams in favor of homegrown alternatives. Other countries are quickly following suit.
Sweden’s PM puts IVF at centre of re-election bid amid record low birthrate
Ulf Kristersson aims to expand state-funded IVF as Sweden grapples with lowest fertility rate since records beganSweden’s prime minister has promised to put IVF at the heart of his re-election campaign as he tries to win over female voters amid the country’s record low birthrate.Ulf Kristersson’s government recently increased the number of state-funded IVF attempts granted to aspiring first-time parents from three to six. Continue reading...
‘Massive’ child abuse scandal in France as school staff investigated for violence and sexual assault
Paris police looking into more than 100 allegations of mistreatment by ‘monitors’ after parents’ groups said they had fought for years to be taken seriouslyFrance is facing a child abuse scandal as ‘monitors’ at dozens of state nursery and primary schools are investigated for violence, sexual assault and rape.Paris police are examining more than 100 allegations of mistreatment, physical violence and rape of children as young as three by school monitors during lunch breaks, nap times and after-school activities, prosecutors have confirmed. Continue reading...
Half of UK adults say they spend less than three hours a week outside in nature
Most people have joyful memories of playing outside as children – and now wildlife charities are urging people to ‘rewild their inner child’Climbing trees, squelching in mud, paddling in ponds or making dens in the woods – people’s memories of playing outside as children are often vivid and, a new poll has found, overwhelmingly positive, even those who remember falling in cowpats.Almost 90% of UK adults had rosy memories of the excitement and the feeling of freedom that outdoor play had brought them, the survey found. However, almost half of adults now spend less than three hours a week in natural settings such as gardens, parks, fields or woods, according to the survey. For one in 10 it is less than one hour. Continue reading...
The week around the world in 20 pictures
The Ebola outbreak, Israeli strikes in Gaza, Putin in Beijing and Arsenal win the Premier League – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Continue reading...
Trump says he does not make bad deals, but even Republican hawks doubt that now
The US has apparently had to agree to unfreeze billions of Iranian assets for a regime more hardline than before the warOn 24 May each year, Iranians celebrate a historic victory in the war with Iraq: the liberation of Khorramshahr in 1982.This year, some were hoping a peace deal looking likely to be signed with the US might mark a similar turning point in their country’s history. Continue reading...