WIRED

Congress Sure Made a Lot of Noise About Kids’ Privacy in 2023—and Not Much Else

Members of the US Congress touted improvements to children’s privacy protections as an urgent priority. So why didn’t they do anything about it?

WIRED

The CDC's Gun Violence Research Is in Danger

In a year pocked with fights over US government funding, Republicans are quietly trying to strip the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of its ability to research gun violence.

WIRED

US House Republicans Had Their Phones Confiscated to Stop Leaks

In an attempt to wrest control from raucous far-right hardliners amid the fight for a new House speaker, Republican Party leaders are instituting phone bans to keep backroom deals secret.

WIRED

Risk of a US Government Shutdown Is Fueled by Very Online Republicans

Egged on by a far-reaching conservative media ecosystem, right-wing hardliners are forcing Washington to bend to their reality as the federal government careens toward a possible shutdown.

WIRED

The US Congress Has Trust Issues. Generative AI Is Making It Worse

Senators are meeting with Silicon Valley's elite to learn how to deal with AI. But can Congress tackle the rapidly emerging tech before working on itself?

WIRED

The Senate’s AI Future Is Haunted by the Ghost of Privacy Past

The US Congress is trying to tame the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. But senators’ failure to tackle privacy reform is making the task a nightmare.

WIRED

The US Senate Wants to Rein In AI. Good Luck With That

With a poor track record on tech regulation, do lawmakers stand a chance?

WIRED

UFO Whistleblower, Meet a Conspiracy-Loving Congress

Fresh claims from a former US intelligence officer about an “intact” alien craft may get traction on Capitol Hill, where some lawmakers want to believe.

WIRED

The High-Stakes Scramble to Stop Classified Leaks

AI tools? A porn filter, but for Top Secret documents? Just classifying less stuff? US lawmakers are full of ideas but lack a silver bullet.

WIRED

A US Bill Would Ban Kids Under 13 From Joining Social Media

The legislation would insert the government into online platforms’ age-verification efforts—a move that makes some US lawmakers queasy.

WIRED

TikTok Paid for Influencers to Attend the Pro-TikTok Rally in DC

The embattled social media company brought out the checkbook to ensure at least 30 of its biggest assets—creators—were in DC to help fend off critics.

WIRED

The TikTok CEO’s Face-Off With Congress Is Doomed

On Thursday, Shou Zi Chew will meet a rare united front in the US Congress against the Chinese-owned social media app that has lawmakers in a tizzy.

WIRED

The Push to Ban TikTok in the US Isn’t About Privacy

Lawmakers are increasingly hellbent on punishing the popular social network while efforts to pass a broader privacy law have dwindled.

WIRED

The Political Theater Behind the State of the Union Data Privacy Push

Biden’s speech calling for better data protections got a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle. So, where’s a federal privacy law?

WIRED

Congress Has a Lo-Fi Plan to Fix the Classified Documents Mess

As unsecured docs pile up, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is itching to overhaul the nation’s secret secret-sharing operation.

WIRED

The Quiet Insurrection the January 6 Committee Missed

A former congressman who helped the House select committee investigate the Capitol attack says the US is losing sight of the big picture.

WIRED

The Shaky Future of a Post-Roe Federal Privacy Law

The American Data Privacy and Protection Act could protect people across the country. But first, it has to get past Nancy Pelosi.

WIRED

The Twitter Whistleblower’s Testimony Has Senators Out for Blood

Peiter “Mudge” Zatko’s allegations about the social media platform renewed a sense of urgency for lawmakers to rein in Big Tech.

WIRED

Don’t Call the New Federal Gun Law a Gun Law

Democratic senators lacked actionable gun data for their negotiations—so they passed mental health reform instead.