Wired

How a malevolent, remorseless online troll and the shoot-first, ask questions later mode of policing created a real-life tragedy in Wichita Kansas.

In 2017, during an ongoing unofficial war, Russian targeted Ukraine with malware to test its cyberattack skills and possibly punish countries that did with business with Ukraine. In the process, it knocked out shipping and manufacturing throughout the world. By the time it was contained, the White House estimated the total damages at $10 billion dollars. Authorities say worse attacks are yet to come.

A company named Anduril Industries is testing a sophisticated digital wall, called Lattice, to prevent unauthorized crossings along the US-Mexico border. Instead of using a fence and barbed wire, Lattice uses cameras, virtual reality and radar. If the system works, Anduril hopes to become a major player in the defense industry. But are the politcal values of its co-founder, Palmer Luckey, reason for concern?

At Wired, Garrett M. Graff reports on how serving in Vietnam instilled a discipline and relentlessness in Robert S. Mueller that underpins his approach to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

How one little robot bravely went where no human could, to document the extent of the damage at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant so that Japanese scientists can figure out how to clean it up.

Kim Wall went for a ride on a submarine, hoping to write a story about a maker of “extreme machines.” She never did. In a search for answers, May Jeong traveled to Denmark to investigate the tragic and senseless murder of her friend — a young journalist in the prime of her life.

Tactics that erode trust and attention have become the new censorship. They may not be breaking any existing laws, but they are effectively upending many conceptual, legal, and ethical assumptions we have around free speech.

Some of the best communications strategists remain highly influential yet invisible. Here’s how Margit Wennmachers became one of tech’s best.

Climate change is real, but the Paris Climate Agreement’s goals for keeping global tempurature from rising 2°C relies on a dubious greenhouse gas mitigation technology called BECCS.

A new study on the Eastern Band population of Cherokee, North Carolina — a group of people who receive hefty bi-annual payments from the local casino — indicates that yes, a basic guaranteed income can be a very positive thing that has no influence on the number of people who work full time.