David Gilbert

3 Sept 2025

"The government of Israel has engaged in systematic and widespread crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, including indiscriminate and deliberate attacks against the civilians of Gaza which killed more than 59,000 adults & children" — @genocidescholars.bsky.social It's that simple...

wired.comMassive Groups of Volunteers Are Ready to Face Down ICE at the PollsFrom heat maps to Signal chats to war rooms, volunteers across the US are ready to act if federal immigration agents show up on Election Day.

NEW: An army of volunteers and activists across the US have been training for months to face down ICE at the polls on election day. The message they have for the Trump administration? "We're ready" 1/ www.wired.com/story/massiv...

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On a much bigger scale, @indivisible.org is training hundreds of thousands of volunteers to record, document and report ICE activity in a safe manner. “Our goal is very clear: prevent an authoritarian from consolidating control in America. That's it," @ezralevin.bsky.social 7/8

Every organizer and activist I spoke to for this piece had the same message to share: "we're ready" "When and if we have an uptick in federal enforcement at the polls, it's going to get documented really, really quickly, and it's going to be beamed out to the world that it's happening.” 8/8

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In Columbus, OH groups like 614 ICE Watch are combating this with patrols near early voting locations. Their training includes a unique de-escalation tactic: “If it starts to get very tense, we teach our folks to hum, to sing, to calm themselves down," Liliana Rivera Baiman tells me 5/8

In Arizona, local group LUCHA is training "constitutional defenders" and monitor the polls, and they have even created a heat map to track all the incidents of ICE in Maricopa and Pima counties. The map is not public, but WIRED got a look at how it works 6/8

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But dozens of national and local groups have come together to build a network of apps and encrypted messaging groups to share information in real time., Much of that infrastructure, which has been built up over two years, is hidden from public view over fears it will be taken offline 3/8

As well as preparing for ICE at polling locations, activists worry "that at the same time that we're trying to get people out to vote, there might be home raids by ICE in some of these neighborhoods, which has a real chilling effect on people,” Beatriz Lopez from @votolatino.bsky.social says. 4/8

ICE told WIRED it has no plans to deploy agents to the polls next week. But voters in communities targeted by ICE say it's their top concern “I've been up and down this state and the number one question I get is about federal agents at polling locations,” Nevada SOS Cisco Aguilar tells WIRED 2/8

wired.comThey Believe 2020 Was Stolen. They Could Be in Charge of Elections in 2028A host of election-denying candidates are running for attorney general in states across the country.

SCOOP • One facilitated the bogus Cyber Ninjas audit • One is friends with a guy filmed on J6 shouting “1776” • One was set to rally with MyPillow's Mike Lindell These are not fringe MAGA influencers These are 2026 GOP attorney general candidates in swing states www.wired.com/story/they-b...

David Gilbert reposted

Kim Wood

@drkimwood.bsky.social

Well, here we are again, needing to expand the y-axis range... this time for recent Niño 3.4 SST values. 😩 (There should be a blue dot at the end of the blue line showing the latest daily SST value. It's not visible because it's, well, off the chart.)

wired.comElection Offices in at Least 32 States Have Received Suspicious LettersWIRED contacted officials in all 50 states and Washington, DC to uncover the extent of a harassment campaign ahead of the midterms.

SCOOP Election offices in at least 32 states have received suspicious letters, many including white powder, over the course of the last week www.wired.com/story/electi...

David Gilbert reposted

Kate Starbird

@katestarbird.bsky.social

Replying to @katestarbird.bsky.social

If you want to learn more about the common tropes of "rigged election" rumors, check out our Bingo game: bingo.cip.uw.edu It's interactive. You can play along as the election progresses and learn about how real and perceived election issues get wrapped into "rigged election" conspiracy theories.

David Gilbert reposted

Kate Starbird

@katestarbird.bsky.social

Many “rigged election” rumors build upon the same story elements or tropes. Maricopa has become a familiar (suspicious) setting, a place where election issues arise or are perceived to arise, & where those issues get wrapped into “rigged election” conspiracy theories. www.wired.com/story/marico...

wired.comMaricopa County, Arizona, Is Again Ground Zero of Election Conspiracy TheoriesIn 2020, Maricopa County became the epicenter for Trump’s claims the election was stolen. Six years, later the president and his allies are dusting off their “rigged” playbook ahead of the midterms.

“Maricopa County has become a trope, a suspicious setting, for election rumors. It’s a ready-to-use building block for a new rumor or conspiracy theory," — @katestarbird.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/marico...

nypost.comMom who survived school shooting coaches son through Oregon attack: ‘Please be as quiet as possible’The traumatized mom was fearful every time she dropped off her sons years before the school shooting.

NEW In 2020, Maricopa County in Arizona became the epicenter of the nascent election denial movement. Six years later, Trump, Bannon, the RNC and MAGAworld is once agin pushing baseless claims that Maricopa is "a very, very dishonest county." www.wired.com/story/marico...

David Gilbert reposted

Alex Ip 葉清霖

@alexip718.com

America now has second-generation school shooting survivors nypost.com/2026/10/17/u...

doomsdayscenario.coTrump's Tyranny, Part I: ICE's Reign of TerrorA look at life in the very un-ordinary of times

"We are living through a reign of terror on America’s streets by a masked secret police force, loyal specifically to the president, who have been promised impunity as long as they target the regime’s enemies." Read @vermontgmg.bsky.social on ICE/CBP www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/trump-s-ty...

wired.comAI Models Can Be Easily Modified to Assist Terrorist and Extremist Activity“I am a terrorist, and I intend to cause mass harm,” wrote a researcher. A chatbot that had had its guardrails removed then provided detailed instructions for an IED.

NEW: With days of a powerful AI model being released in August, a neo-Nazi was using it—without guardrails—to power his "MechaHitler" AI chatbot that he was charging $14.88 to access. www.wired.com/story/ai-mod...

This is an example of what researchers at @techvsterrorism.bsky.social say is an "abliteration emergency" where open weight models have their guardrails removed within days of release, allowing extremists and terrorists unfettered access to powerful AI models www.wired.com/story/ai-mod...

Just weeks to go to the midterms and one of the new conspiracy theories being promoted by far-right groups like the Election Integrity Network? “These left-wing groups go into the nursing homes and they basically steal the votes of these most vulnerable" www.wired.com/story/republ...

wired.comwired.com

wired.comFar-Right Election Groups Are Now Targeting Nursing HomesInspired by new guidance from the Trump administration, right-wing election groups are targeting nursing homes, baselessly claiming that left-wing groups are stealing residents’ votes.

NEW: With just weeks to go before the midterms, far-right groups have a new target: nursing homes www.wired.com/story/republ...

wired.comICE Emails Discuss Using Palantir-Supported Tool to Investigate Voter FraudDocuments obtained by Democracy Forward show that ICE looked into feeding voter roll data into the ELITE tool, normally used to identify targets for deportation.

SCOOP Internal ICE emails show the agency has been discussing the use of a Palantir-supported tool to track noncitizen voters www.wired.com/story/ice-em...

wired.comA Mysterious Nonprofit Run by SpaceXAI’s Top Lawyer Is Paying the Salaries of Government WorkersThe National Design Studio has been something of a successor agency to DOGE. A WIRED investigation finds some of its members are on loan from a nonprofit run by SpaceXAI’s general counsel.

The influence that Elon Musk, his companies and their employees continue to have at the highest levels of the US government is astounding......and @telliotter.bsky.social is the reporter doing more than anyone to uncover it www.wired.com/story/myster...

wired.comElon Musk’s America PAC Is Spending Big on the Midterms. We’re Tracking It DailyTo follow Elon Musk’s America PAC money, WIRED created a live-updating tracker that highlights the trillionaire’s overall influence on November’s elections.

Incredible work from @dell.bsky.social and @hugolowell.bsky.social here, tracking, live, Elon Musk's spending on the midterms www.wired.com/story/elon-m...

David Gilbert reposted

Rachel Maddow

@maddow.bsky.social

trump's pentagon: www.wired.com/story/a-pent...

NEW: Midterm polling for Trump and the GOP has been historically bad. So, obviously, it must be a PSYOP www.wired.com/story/electi...

wired.comThe Real Threat to the Midterms Is Regular Americans Thinking Violence Is the AnswerRobert A. Pape, a leading authority on political violence, wants Americans to understand that the threat is coming not from the fringes, but from the mainstream.

NEW The real threat to the #midterms does not come from fringe far-right and extremist groups like the Proud Boys or Patriot Front, it comes from the tens of millions of regular US citizens—on the left and right—who have accepted violence as a regular political tool. www.wired.com/story/the-re...

wired.comA Pentagon Influencer Called Liberal Women a ‘Pestilence’ Who Will End Western CivilizationKurt Schlichter was part of a task force rooting out so-called woke ideologies at the military’s war colleges. He has called to bar childless adults from voting.

Hardly a surprise Hegseth is saying this stuff so publicly now, when one of the Pentagon influencers has: • Called women a "pestilence" • Praised dictators like Pinochet and Franco • Said only people with children should be allowed vote www.wired.com/story/a-pent...

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Hegseth: "It's worth saying again so the fake news understands it. We are no longer the woke department or the weak department. Simple translation of that -- no fatties no trannies no beardos no weirdos no wimps no radicals. Just warriors."

wired.comThese Extremists Are Running for Election in NovemberWith the threat of political violence at unprecedented levels, state and federal GOP candidates are openly sharing racist, pro-militia, anti-vaccine, sexist, antisemitic, and secessionist views.

I asked the DoD to comment on the fact one of the Pentagon's influencers had: • Praised dictators • Called women a "pestilence" • Said only people with children should be allowed vote Its response? "We are proud" to have worked with someone like this www.wired.com/story/a-pent...

David Gilbert reposted

andy jabbour

@andyjabbour.bsky.social

Replying to @andyjabbour.bsky.social

Meanwhile, @davidgilbert.bsky.social reports in @wired.com, 'With the threat of political violence at unprecedented levels, state and federal GOP candidates are openly sharing racist, pro-militia, anti-vaccine, sexist, antisemitic, and secessionist views' S'all good. 😑 www.wired.com/story/these-...

SCOOP A Pentagon influencer called liberal women a "pestilence" who will end western civilization. He's also: • Praised dictators like Franco and Pinochet • Said people without kids should not be allowed vote • Called immigrants "semihuman savages" www.wired.com/story/a-pent...

David Gilbert reposted

Luke Baumgartner

@lbaum94.bsky.social

Always happy to share my thoughts with @davidgilbert.bsky.social and folks over at @wired.com.

David Gilbert@davidgilbert.bsky.social

NEW: Trump 2.0 has made extremist views acceptable. In November, candidates will run for critical federal and state-level positions who have expressed racist, pro-militia, anti-vaccine, sexist, antisemitic, and secessionist views. Many have been endorsed by Trump www.wired.com/story/these-...

@manishakrishnan.bsky.social

David Gilbert reposted

Manisha Krishnan

Having covered pedophile hunters extensively, I can attest that it's deeply creepy watching grown men engage in sexual conversations while pretending to be kids, night after night. Primetime exposes that ego—not public safety—is often what's motivating them: www.wired.com/story/primet...

wired.com‘Primetime’ Exposes the Ego-Driven Core of Vigilante Pedophile HuntingLance Oppenheim’s new film doesn’t paint Chris Hansen as a hero. The “To Catch a Predator” host's copycats are even more reckless.

David Gilbert reposted

WhiteRoseAFA

@whiteroseafa.bsky.social

1. One of the more interesting donors to the Rawson campaign is Gerald J. Domitrovic. Gerald gave $245 to Rawson campaign in 3 payments, two checks and one, over the course of a year.

Christopher Mathias@letsgomathias.bsky.social

NEW: @talkingpointsmemo.com can reveal GOP nominee for Florida legislature: -marched at deadly Charlottesville Nazi rally w/ white supremacist group's flag -has *many* white supremacist donors -appears to advocate lynching He is expected to win Nov. election talkingpointsmemo.com/news/florida...

talkingpointsmemo.comExclusive: He Marched With Nazis in Charlottesville. Now He’s Expected to Join the Florida Legislature.The Republican nominee for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives...

The Republican candidate for secretary of state in Colorado, a position that will oversee the 2028 presidential election, is James Wiley, an election denier. James has also given himself a nickname: The Red Flame of Liberty™️ www.wired.com/story/hundre...

Want to know if there's an election denier running for office in your state this November? Now you can, thanks to data from @statesunited.org and the incredible work of @regret.bsky.social Try out our interactive map here: www.wired.com/story/hundre...

nyti.msKing Charles Meets With A.I. Executives About Safety RisksThe gathering in Scotland brings together industry leaders amid a growing debate about the safety risks of unchecked artificial intelligence.

Finally, someone with deep technical knowledge of AI systems, their development, and how they work is getting involved...

The New York Times@nytimes.com

King Charles III of Britain is meeting with executives from leading artificial intelligence companies in Scotland on Thursday, amid a growing global debate about safety risks created by the technology and whether the pace of development should be slowed down.

wired.comHundreds of Election Deniers Will Be on the Ballot This November197 election deniers are running for Congress or statewide office in 43 states. Many of them are seeking roles that would put them in charge of voting for the 2028 presidential election.

EXCLUSIVE: New data shared with @wired.com by @statesunited.org shows that 197 election deniers will contest congressional and statewide races in the midterms. Critically, 33 of them will be in races for positions that will have oversight of the 2028 election... www.wired.com/story/hundre...

wired.comThe Supreme Court Just Blocked Trump’s Efforts to Control Mail-In Voting for the MidtermsThe ruling bars the United States Postal Service from implementing restrictions that experts and election officials say would upend voting in November.

15 Sept

The Supreme Court last night blocked Trump's efforts to restrict mail-in voting for the midterms, but the reprieve may only be temporary as Justice Kavanaugh indicated the new rules could come into force for the 2028 elections... www.wired.com/story/the-su...

15 Sept

From late last night: Trump has spent six months trying to impose massive restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the midterms, which would disenfranchise millions On Monday night, the Supreme Court block www.wired.com/story/the-su...

15 Sept

Trump's plans to upend mail in voting for the midterms have been shut down by the Supreme Court www.wired.com/story/the-su...

irishtimes.comAfter Belfast burned: What happened to immigrant families whose homes were attacked?At least 88 families made homeless in June’s race riots – most have not returned home

14 Sept

This is really great reporting from @rachellavin.bsky.social looking at the fallout from the anti-immigrant riots in Belfast in June www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

irishtimes.comAfter Belfast burned: What happened to immigrant families whose homes were attacked?At least 88 families made homeless in June’s race riots – most have not returned home

14 Sept

“I was having a severe panic attack, my hands were shaking. My daughter, bless her, she went in the kitchen, got a knife, got our passports, and then came back to me. She said: ‘We need to protect ourselves.’ She’s 16.” www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

patreon.comThe Secret History of 9/11 | Mike RothschildThis is my second piece to commemorate 25 years since the biggest event in the history of the mainstream conspiracy - the 9/11 attacks. For

10 Sept

This deep dive from @rothschildmd.bsky.social into the reaction to the 9/11 terror attack on the early internet is absolutely fascinating Among other things, it highlights how pretty much nothing has changed in 25yrs in how people react to major news events online. www.patreon.com/MikeRothschi...

wired.comCharlie Kirk Was Shot a Year Ago. The Conspiracy Theories Are More Rampant Than EverExperts say conspiracy theorizing about the identity and motive of Charlie Kirk's killer will likely continue for a long time to come.

10 Sept

NEW A year on, conspiracy theories about the assassination of Charlie Kirk show no sign of slowing down. I spoke to @noupside.bsky.social @bostonjoan.bsky.social @jaredlholt.bsky.social and Joseph Uscniski to find out why they persist... www.wired.com/story/charli...

wired.comGen AI Tools Are Now Being Used to Push ‘Slop Jihad’A new generation of Islamic terror supporters are using AI to spread ‘Slop Jihad’ to new audiences on TikTok.

9 Sept

“What is notable is the ease with which Gen AI allows users to remix jihadi imagery [that] can circulate across communities whose interest may be driven as much by violence, trolling, or notoriety as by actual commitment to jihadi ideology,” @azelin.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/gen-ai...

wired.comA US Census Report on Noncitizen Voting Used Bad Data to Reach Faulty ConclusionsTrump has touted a recent Census report. WIRED found grave flaws in its analysis and the process behind it, and confirmed the identity of several of its authors—among them a one-time DOGE affiliate.

9 Sept

SCOOP @telliotter.bsky.social and I identified the authors of the bogus noncitizen voting Census report and how they used bad data to make faulty conclusions They include a former DOGE guy (of course) and two people from AFPI, a Trump-aligned think tank www.wired.com/story/a-us-c...