So whether you are vaccinated or unvaccinated, now is the time to bring out your masks, wash and dry them if needed, and perhaps update your stash altogether. Here are our WIRED recommendations: wired.trib.al/TpyWryo 1/
No matter how effective a mask is, it's not going to work if you don't want to wear it. Lululemon’s Double Strap Mask has signature soft fabric, so it's stretchy and silky against your face allowing you to wear it comfortably, all day. 📸: Lululemon fave.co/3D2Pgc6 2/
Kitsbow's Wake Protech Reusable Face Mask is another great option for double maskers. It offers six sizes to fit a whole slew of faces. It's on the heavier side of masks, but it comes with options for removable inserts and merino wool. 📸: Kitsbow fave.co/2W79zEt 3/
Protect your little ones, even on the go. Happy Masks Pro Series are the perfect masks for all little adventurers. They have a nanofiber filter and are stiffer, with more structure than other masks, so it's easier for kids to run & play 📸: Happy Masks fave.co/3xYohL0 4/
Need an affordable alternative? The Con.Struct cotton face masks are shockingly durable and well made, considering the price. These breathable one-size masks come with adjustable ear loops, a moldable nose wire, & an adjustable filter 📸: Con.Struct amzn.to/3k35x89 5/
Why fit in when you can stand out? Vistaprint's fabric face masks are popular, stretchy, extremely comfortable, and machine washable—but the best part is that they come in a plethora of chic designs to help you express yourself. 📸: Vistaprint fave.co/2WaKxEg 6/
Wearing your mask for an extended period of time? Timbuk2’s Face Mask 3-Pack are made from jersey cotton and tie around the head, making them harder to pop on and off but more comfortable for extended wear 📸: Timbuk2 fave.co/3AY2t41 7/
Exceptional breathability and durability—Sign me up. The Graf Lantz organic cotton masks have strategic darts that allow them to sit well off your face, and they have a filter pocket for additional protection. 📸: Graf Lantz fave.co/3y0yxT0 8/
Pro tip: The best way to make your mask more effective is to make it easier and more comfortable to wear. Here are a few of our favorite mask accessories: 📸: Amazon wired.trib.al/TpyWryo 9/
Subscribe to WIRED for less than $1 per month and get unlimited access to our longform features, buying guides, and tech news wired.trib.al/BMxcvqp
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SCOOP: Edward Coristine (“Big Balls”), Luke Farritor, and Ethan Shaotran were part of the original DOGE crew. They were brought in under short-term “special government employee” status. Supposed to be temporary. Spoiler: it’s not. wired.com/story/big-ball…
As of May 31 (Coristine & Farritor) and April 10 (Shaotran), the trio officially became full-time federal employees. Their roles at the General Services Administration (GSA) are now permanent.
According to documentation viewed by WIRED, they each maintain their “senior advisor” titles.
Their pay? GS-15 for Coristine & Farritor, one of the highest government salary grades. Shaotran’s at GS-14—just one step below. wired.com/story/big-ball…
In fact, federal workers from at least six agencies tell WIRED that DOGE-style work is escalating in their departments, and Trump himself said in a press conference today that “Elon's really not leaving.” wired.com/story/doge-elo…
Members of Musk’s early DOGE team, including Luke Farritor and Gavin Kliger, have met with a number of departments and agencies in recent days, seemingly continuing business as usual, WIRED has learned.
Over the last week, federal workers have been asked to urgently review contracts across the government, and sources say the pressure to slash contracts has drastically increased in recent weeks. wired.com/story/doge-elo…
NEW: Tulsi Gabbard, now the US director of national intelligence, used the same easily cracked password for different online accounts including a personal Gmail account and Dropbox over a period of years, leaked records reviewed by WIRED reveal. wired.com/story/tulsi-ga…
The password associated includes the word “shraddha,” which appears to have personal significance to Gabbard: This year, WSJ reported that she had been initiated into the Science of Identity Foundation, which ex-members have accused of being a cult. wired.com/story/tulsi-ga…
Security experts advise people to never use the same password on different accounts precisely because people often do so. As director of national intelligence, Gabbard oversees the 18 organizations comprising the US intelligence community.
DOGE is knitting together data from the Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, and IRS that could create a surveillance tool of unprecedented scope. wired.com/story/doge-col…
The scale at which DOGE is seeking to interconnect data, including sensitive biometric data, has never been done before, raising alarms with experts who fear it may lead to disastrous privacy violations. wired.com/story/doge-col…
“They are trying to amass a huge amount of data,” a senior DHS official tells WIRED. “It has nothing to do with finding fraud or wasteful spending … They are already cross-referencing immigration with SSA and IRS as well as voter data.” wired.com/story/doge-col…
American police are spending hundreds of thousands on Massive Blue’s unproven and secretive technology that uses AI-generated online personas designed to interact with and collect intelligence on “college protesters,” “radicalized” political activists, and suspected traffickers.
Massive Blue calls its product Overwatch, which it markets as an “AI-powered force multiplier for public safety” that “deploys lifelike virtual agents, which infiltrate and engage criminal networks across various channels.”
404 Media obtained a presentation showing some of these AI characters. These include a “radicalized AI” “protest persona,” which poses as a 36-year-old divorced woman who is lonely, has no children, is interested in baking, activism, and “body positivity.”
The audit covers DOGE’s handling of data at several Cabinet-level agencies, including:
–the Departments of Labor, Education, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services
–the Treasury
–the Social Security Administration
–the US DOGE Service (USDS) itself wired.com/story/gao-audi…
It's being carried out after congressional leaders’ requests and is centered on DOGE’s adherence to privacy and data protection laws and regulations.
A Congressional aide said the requests followed media reports on DOGE’s incursions into federal systems. wired.com/story/gao-audi…