Trump administration defends right to ban content moderation experts from US
Trump administration defends right to ban content moderation experts from US

The Trump administration is fighting for the right to keep some social media moderation advocates out of the US. On Wednesday, US District Court Judge James Boasberg heard arguments in a lawsuit between the nonprofit Coalition for Independent Technology Research (CITR) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other Trump administration officials. The suit concerns […]

The crypto Clarity Act returns to the Senate this week. The banks are already trying to kill it.
The crypto Clarity Act returns to the Senate this week. The banks are already trying to kill it.

Hello and welcome to Regulator, the newsletter for Verge subscribers that goes into tech shenanigans that take place in the backrooms of Washington. Really, it sometimes does feel like the online series The Backrooms: a parallel universe with no internal logic, evil corporations lurking in the background, and mind-rending eldritch horrors around every corner. (Not […]

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.

The border is everywhere
The border is everywhere

No one paid attention to the gunshots that echoed through the convention center. They were real enough, and so were the screams that accompanied them, in the sense that they were recordings of real people who, like guest stars on Law and Order, reenacted scenarios that had clearly been plucked from the headlines: a kidnapping, […]

The Trump phone starts shipping this week, CEO claims
The Trump phone starts shipping this week, CEO claims

The Trump phone may finally be here: Trump Mobile’s CEO told USA Today that the phone will begin shipping to buyers this week. The announcement comes as reports have gone viral this week alleging that preorders for the phone have been canceled. Trump Mobile CEO Pat O’Brien confirmed the release plans to USA Today over […]

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.

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.

DOGE used ChatGPT in a way that was both dumb and illegal, judge rules
DOGE used ChatGPT in a way that was both dumb and illegal, judge rules

The Department of Government Efficiency’s cancellation of over $100 million in grants was unconstitutional, according to a ruling on Thursday. In the 143-page decision, US District Judge Colleen McMahon cites DOGE’s process for eliminating grants, which involved using ChatGPT to determine if something is related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The ruling, which stems […]

ABC and Disney accuse Trump admin of violating First Amendment rights
ABC and Disney accuse Trump admin of violating First Amendment rights

ABC is accusing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of violating its First Amendment rights by making “major shifts in policy and practice” that the network claims will chill free speech. The network is asking the FCC to “affirm its long-standing approach to the bona fide news interview exemption” for daytime talk show The View and […]