Federal records show CBP is moving from testing small drones to making them standard surveillance tools, expanding a network that can follow activity in real time and extend well beyond the border. US Customs and Border Protection is quietly doubling down on a surveillance strategy built around human-portable drones, according to federal contracting records reviewed by WIRED. The shift is pushing border enforcement toward a distributed system that can track activity in real time and, critics warn, may extend well beyond the border. New market research conducted this month shows that, rather than relying on larger, centralized drone platforms, CBP is concentrating on lightweight uncrewed aircraft that can be launched quickly by small teams, remain operational under environmental stress, and relay surveillance data directly to frontline units. The documents emphasize portability, fast setup, and integration with equipment already used by border patrol.

W hen the billionaire chief executive of AI chipmaker Nvidia threw a party in central London for Donald Trump's state visit in September, the power imbalance between Silicon Valley and British politicians was vividly exposed. Jensen Huang hastened to the stage after meetings at Chequers and rallied his hundreds of guests to cheer on the power of AI. In front of a huge Nvidia logo, he urged the venture capitalists before him to herald "a new industrial revolution", announced billions of pounds in AI investments and, like Willy Wonka handing out golden tickets, singled out some lucky recipients in the room. "If you want to get rich, this is where you want to be," he declared. But his biggest party trick was a surprise guest waiting in the wings.

The best-known manufacturer of autonomous vacuums declared bankruptcy this week, and no one should be surprised. The home-vacuum robot began, like most things, with war. In August 1990, the same month and year Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, three MIT roboticists incorporated the company that would eventually become iRobot, the maker of the Roomba. In its first decade, iRobot began to assemble a small-droid A-team for the theater of combat. The Ariel defused mines; the PackBot handled bomb disposal.

Donald Trump, center, signs a an executive order on artificial intelligence in the Oval Office on December 11. He is joined by, from left, AI advisor Sriram Krishnan, Senator Ted Cruz, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and AI and crypto czar David Sacks. Donald Trump, center, signs a an executive order on artificial intelligence in the Oval Office on December 11. He is joined by, from left, AI advisor Sriram Krishnan, Senator Ted Cruz, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and AI and crypto czar David Sacks. Last week, President Donald Trump signaled his allegiance to the AI industry yet again by signing an executive order that aims to block states from regulating AI.

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New research shows that social media creators have enormous influence over their audiences' politics--especially those who don't normally share political content. Donald Trump's appearances on the podcasts of Joe Rogan and Theo Von, among others, were seen by many as a key part of securing his second term in office. But while Trump was speculating about alien life on Mars with Rogan, he had a team of acolytes appearing on dozens, if not hundreds, of much smaller niche podcasts hosted by right-wing content creators who typically don't talk about politics. This is how, just six days before the election, Kash Patel, the man now struggling to run the FBI, ended up appearing on the livestream, a fringe, QAnon-infused show hosted on a platform called Pilled. "The Deep State exists," Patel told the audience.

From its role in kissing to mythological healing powers, mistletoe's roots run deep. This novella was the earliest and most popular of Dickens' Christmas stories. The kissing under mistletoe (left) and evergreen decoration hanging from the ceiling are vestiges of pre-Christian winter rites. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It's hard to imagine a holiday season without Bing Crosby's Christmas standard Originally written from the perspective of a soldier stationed overseas during World War II, his longing for the simple comforts of home and reconnecting with his loved ones at Christmas is almost palpable: " Mistletoe just inexplicably feels familiar. Every December, the evergreen sprig s that spent the offseason hidden in our subconscious are suddenly all around us. Mistletoe is the long-lost acquaintance that we instantly recognize and embrace, yet whose backstory has been lost to us. "When I talk to people about parasitic plants, I know mistletoe is the one that they'll immediately recognize even if they don't really know it's a parasite," Virginia Tech plant biologist Jim Westwood tells . Author Washington Irving, best known for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and is often credited with helping popularize the parasitic evergreen shrub in the United States. He wrote about the plant in an 1820 collection of short stories, but the roots of mistletoe go much deeper elsewhere in the world. Dating back to Ancient Greece and Rome, leafy mistletoe has long excited the imagination. Mistletoe served as a centerpiece of Celtic Rituals and Norse myths, where it bestowed life and fertility and served as an aphrodisiac, a plant of parley, an antidote for poisons, and a means of safe passage to and from Hades. According to The Living Lore, since the plant can thrive in the high branches of its host without soil, "many cultures saw mistletoe as a sacred plant, existing in liminal spaces between life and death, earth and sky, and human and divine." In Old Norse mythology, Baldr, the son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, was slain with a mistletoe spear. Some interpretations suggest that, "kissing under the mistletoe symbolizes forgiveness, echoing Frigg's grief and eventual reconciliation with the plant." Many early physicians and scientists saw mistletoe as a cure-all for the woes of the world. It was used to treat various diseases and conditions including epilepsy, infertility, and ulcers. In Pliny's, the writer and physician describes the Celtic ritual of oak and mistletoe. High priests dressed in white harvested mistletoe with golden sickles from the branches of sacred oak trees to make an elixir that could counteract any poison and render any barren animal fertile. "It's easy to imagine how people become fixated on mistletoe plants," says Westwood. "It stays green all winter growing in its host tree.

Tech companies may have lost their moral standing, but at least they added shareholder value. Elon Musk holds up a chainsaw onstage during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 20, 2025. Sure, we've seen millions poured into lobbying and other means of influence during every presidency, but the last two years set a whole new bar. Business leaders, including those from almost every Big Tech company, stepped over themselves to prove fealty to Donald Trump's second administration. It's easy to see why: Their kowtowing was meant to secure regulatory favors, gain tax and tariff advantages and avoid Trump's ire.

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Purdue University introduces new AI working competency requirement for all undergraduate students at West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses.