Drew Harwell
@drewharwell.com
tech & society @washingtonpost.com
stories: drewharwell.com
videos: tiktok.com/@drewharwell
+ instagram.com/drewharwell
stories: drewharwell.com
videos: tiktok.com/@drewharwell
+ instagram.com/drewharwell
Pinned
Drew Harwell
@drewharwell.com
· 13d
ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires
An internal ICE document shared among immigration officials details plans to use influencers and geo-targeted ads to rapidly hire thousands of deportation officers.
wapo.st
New: We got an internal ICE document revealing its $100 million ad plan to bring in 14,000 new hires: deals with "tactical" influencers; ads to gun & military buffs; and geo-targeting phones around NASCAR races and gun shows.
A "wartime recruitment" mode with paramilitary branding: wapo.st/44QrP5j
A "wartime recruitment" mode with paramilitary branding: wapo.st/44QrP5j
Reposted by Drew Harwell
Recommend revisiting last month’s revealing reporting by @drewharwell.com and @joyceshlee.bsky.social on recent #ICE recruitment strategies, which seemingly valorize aggression and violence and risk attracting “untrained recruits eager for all-out combat.”
ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires
An internal ICE document shared among immigration officials details plans to use influencers and geo-targeted ads to rapidly hire thousands of deportation officers.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 10, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Recommend revisiting last month’s revealing reporting by @drewharwell.com and @joyceshlee.bsky.social on recent #ICE recruitment strategies, which seemingly valorize aggression and violence and risk attracting “untrained recruits eager for all-out combat.”
The MAGA influencers attacking journalists as biased for contacting potential sources on LinkedIn are getting paid tens of thousands of dollars to secretly lobby for soda companies, Qatar and Israel www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Washington’s New Lobbyists: Paid Online Influencers With Few Rules
Corporate and foreign interests pour money into getting pro-Trump social-media stars to push their causes.
www.wsj.com
January 12, 2026 at 5:49 PM
The MAGA influencers attacking journalists as biased for contacting potential sources on LinkedIn are getting paid tens of thousands of dollars to secretly lobby for soda companies, Qatar and Israel www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Drew Harwell
In a video on Sunday, Powell defends himself and questions the investigation's motives:
"The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."
"The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."
NEW: Federal prosecutors have opened up a criminal investigation into Fed chair Powell over the central bank’s renovation of its Washington headquarters and whether Powell lied to Congress about the scope of the project
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/u... @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/u... @nytimes.com
Federal Prosecutors Are Said to Have Opened Inquiry Into Fed Chair Powell
www.nytimes.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:32 AM
In a video on Sunday, Powell defends himself and questions the investigation's motives:
"The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."
"The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."
Reposted by Drew Harwell
A woman recording an ICE agent tells him "Shame on you."
The agent responds, "Have you all not learned from the past couple of days?"
"Learned what?" she asks
Then he knocks her phone out of her hand
The agent responds, "Have you all not learned from the past couple of days?"
"Learned what?" she asks
Then he knocks her phone out of her hand
January 10, 2026 at 2:52 PM
A woman recording an ICE agent tells him "Shame on you."
The agent responds, "Have you all not learned from the past couple of days?"
"Learned what?" she asks
Then he knocks her phone out of her hand
The agent responds, "Have you all not learned from the past couple of days?"
"Learned what?" she asks
Then he knocks her phone out of her hand
Reposted by Drew Harwell
January 10, 2026
January 10, 2026
Yesterday, in an apparent attempt to regain control of the national narrative surrounding the deadly shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Vice President J.D.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
January 11, 2026 at 5:30 AM
January 10, 2026
Reposted by Drew Harwell
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings
A WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July.
www.wsj.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:44 PM
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
So ICE and the White House have been scrambling to pump out meme videos of clashes with protesters and "epic takedowns" and then an ICE agent recording video with his phone shoots a woman dead www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
We read thousands of internal ICE chats. They show how officials make raids go viral
Thousands of internal ICE messages show how its public affairs team has coordinated with the White House to satisfy Trump administration demands for viral arrest videos
www.washingtonpost.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:33 PM
So ICE and the White House have been scrambling to pump out meme videos of clashes with protesters and "epic takedowns" and then an ICE agent recording video with his phone shoots a woman dead www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
Reposted by Drew Harwell
ICYMI: WaPo, on why ICE always has phones in their hands: to feed the social media beast.
@drewharwell.com
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
@drewharwell.com
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
January 9, 2026 at 11:53 PM
ICYMI: WaPo, on why ICE always has phones in their hands: to feed the social media beast.
@drewharwell.com
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
@drewharwell.com
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
So X hasn't solved the problem, they've just monetized it
January 9, 2026 at 1:25 PM
So X hasn't solved the problem, they've just monetized it
Reposted by Drew Harwell
Tense scene earlier this afternoon as protesters follow Border Control Commander Greg Bovino and his caravan around in Minneapolis. At one point, Commander Bovino tussled with a protester, both slipping in the snow.
January 8, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Tense scene earlier this afternoon as protesters follow Border Control Commander Greg Bovino and his caravan around in Minneapolis. At one point, Commander Bovino tussled with a protester, both slipping in the snow.
Reposted by Drew Harwell
Star Tribune identifies ICE agent who fatally shot woman in Minneapolis
www.startribune.com/ice-agent-wh...
www.startribune.com/ice-agent-wh...
January 8, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Star Tribune identifies ICE agent who fatally shot woman in Minneapolis
www.startribune.com/ice-agent-wh...
www.startribune.com/ice-agent-wh...
I'm already seeing people on here use AI face tools to try to identify the masked ICE agent in Minneapolis. It's a truly terrible idea and here's why
January 7, 2026 at 10:15 PM
I'm already seeing people on here use AI face tools to try to identify the masked ICE agent in Minneapolis. It's a truly terrible idea and here's why
This is the ICE agent President Trump says was "violently, willfully, and viciously ran over ... hard to believe he is alive."
January 7, 2026 at 9:19 PM
This is the ICE agent President Trump says was "violently, willfully, and viciously ran over ... hard to believe he is alive."
Last week, we published a story detailing ICE's strategy for recruiting new officers, including targeting "gun rights" supporters and geo-fencing ads around gun shows.
Ex-ICE director told me: “That mentality you’re fostering tends to inculcate in people a certain aggressiveness"
wapo.st/3Ngmo9C
Ex-ICE director told me: “That mentality you’re fostering tends to inculcate in people a certain aggressiveness"
wapo.st/3Ngmo9C
January 7, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Last week, we published a story detailing ICE's strategy for recruiting new officers, including targeting "gun rights" supporters and geo-fencing ads around gun shows.
Ex-ICE director told me: “That mentality you’re fostering tends to inculcate in people a certain aggressiveness"
wapo.st/3Ngmo9C
Ex-ICE director told me: “That mentality you’re fostering tends to inculcate in people a certain aggressiveness"
wapo.st/3Ngmo9C
Reposted by Drew Harwell
Calling immigration enforcement a “wartime” mission isn’t about safety. It’s about fear.
When we militarize policy, real people pay the price: families, kids, entire communities.
We should be investing in solutions that keep communities safe. Not campaigns that treat our neighbors like enemies.
When we militarize policy, real people pay the price: families, kids, entire communities.
We should be investing in solutions that keep communities safe. Not campaigns that treat our neighbors like enemies.
ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires
An internal ICE document shared among immigration officials details plans to use influencers and geo-targeted ads to rapidly hire thousands of deportation officers.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Calling immigration enforcement a “wartime” mission isn’t about safety. It’s about fear.
When we militarize policy, real people pay the price: families, kids, entire communities.
We should be investing in solutions that keep communities safe. Not campaigns that treat our neighbors like enemies.
When we militarize policy, real people pay the price: families, kids, entire communities.
We should be investing in solutions that keep communities safe. Not campaigns that treat our neighbors like enemies.
Reposted by Drew Harwell
Minnesota Public Radio has live updates about ICE shooting and killing a woman in Minneapolis:
Frey disputes that ICE killed woman in self-defense www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Frey disputes that ICE killed woman in self-defense www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Live updates: Frey disputes that ICE killed woman in self-defense
ICE officials say the woman was shot and killed Wednesday morning in south Minneapolis after attempting to run over agents with her car. Mayor Jacob Frey called the ICE version of what happened “garba...
www.mprnews.org
January 7, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Minnesota Public Radio has live updates about ICE shooting and killing a woman in Minneapolis:
Frey disputes that ICE killed woman in self-defense www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Frey disputes that ICE killed woman in self-defense www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Clearest angle yet of the ICE officer fatally shooting a woman in Minneapolis. DHS said a "violent [rioter] weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them." Is that what this shows?
NEW: Second video shows ICE shooting in Minneapolis. A woman, a U.S. citizen, was killed
January 7, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Clearest angle yet of the ICE officer fatally shooting a woman in Minneapolis. DHS said a "violent [rioter] weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them." Is that what this shows?
"In this media environment, the government doesn’t even have to produce its own propaganda; it simply needs to direct the public to someone who is already doing the job for them"
wrote about Nick Shirley, Michael Moore, local TV news investigations and the future of both propaganda and investigative journalism. www.newyorker.com/news/fault-l...
What a Viral YouTube Video Says About the Future of Journalism
A streamer’s investigation of fraud in Minnesota garnered millions of views. His content was questionable, but his methods will likely inspire scores of imitators.
www.newyorker.com
January 7, 2026 at 6:16 PM
"In this media environment, the government doesn’t even have to produce its own propaganda; it simply needs to direct the public to someone who is already doing the job for them"
Reposted by Drew Harwell
"the chatbot generated about 6,700 [images] every hour that were identified as sexually suggestive or nudifying, according to Genevieve Oh, a social media and deepfake researcher....Oh calculated that 85% of Grok’s images, overall, are sexualized."
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Musk’s Grok AI Generated Thousands of Undressed Images Per Hour on X
Elon Musk’s X has become a top site for images of people that have been non-consensually undressed by AI, according to a third-party analysis, with thousands of instances each hour over a day earlier ...
www.bloomberg.com
January 7, 2026 at 1:33 PM
"the chatbot generated about 6,700 [images] every hour that were identified as sexually suggestive or nudifying, according to Genevieve Oh, a social media and deepfake researcher....Oh calculated that 85% of Grok’s images, overall, are sexualized."
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Drew Harwell
"At Turning Point, she works for the 'Frontlines' division—which, she said, is dedicated to 'neutral,' fact-based reporting, providing the ostensible newsroom of an enterprise otherwise focused vociferously on opinions."
www.cjr.org/feature/sava...
www.cjr.org/feature/sava...
Turning Point USA’s Savanah Hernandez on her journalistic position.
Turning Point USA’s Savanah Hernandez on her journalistic position.
www.cjr.org
January 7, 2026 at 2:38 PM
"At Turning Point, she works for the 'Frontlines' division—which, she said, is dedicated to 'neutral,' fact-based reporting, providing the ostensible newsroom of an enterprise otherwise focused vociferously on opinions."
www.cjr.org/feature/sava...
www.cjr.org/feature/sava...
Reposted by Drew Harwell
I think we can all agree that @daniellecitron.bsky.social and @maryannefranks.bsky.social have been right on this topic for a very long time.
Eight years ago this stuff was the domain of creeps and losers, too toxic for any company to support. Now the world's richest man is being rewarded for it. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Fake-porn videos are being weaponized to harass and humiliate women: ‘Everybody is a potential target’
"Deepfake" creators target both celebrities and everyday women with photos taken from the Web. Even Scarlett Johansson says she's powerless to fight them.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 7, 2026 at 12:56 PM
I think we can all agree that @daniellecitron.bsky.social and @maryannefranks.bsky.social have been right on this topic for a very long time.
Reposted by Drew Harwell
I've been tracking the spread of nonconsensual deepfakes on X for more than two years. Here's a timeline of how Musk's leadership allowed the practice to flourish from a once-underground market to a viral trend, with little recourse for victims or legal enforcement.
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...
How Grok's sexual abuse hit a tipping point
Nonconsensual deepfakes on X are nothing new, but now it's built into the platform.
spitfirenews.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:47 PM
I've been tracking the spread of nonconsensual deepfakes on X for more than two years. Here's a timeline of how Musk's leadership allowed the practice to flourish from a once-underground market to a viral trend, with little recourse for victims or legal enforcement.
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...
. @maryannefranks.bsky.social to @tatumhunter.bsky.social: “All law, in order to be effective, has actually got to mean something to the person who is potentially going to violate it, right? They have to be scared that they’re going to be punished in some way" www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
X users tell Grok to undress women and girls in photos. It’s saying yes.
The site is filling with AI-generated nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children. Owner Elon Musk responded with laughing emojis.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:13 PM
. @maryannefranks.bsky.social to @tatumhunter.bsky.social: “All law, in order to be effective, has actually got to mean something to the person who is potentially going to violate it, right? They have to be scared that they’re going to be punished in some way" www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
The National Weather Service used AI to create a forecast for Idaho. Low chances of wind for the nonexistent towns of Cocrerrireod, Orangeotild and Whata Bod www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...
January 7, 2026 at 2:32 PM
The National Weather Service used AI to create a forecast for Idaho. Low chances of wind for the nonexistent towns of Cocrerrireod, Orangeotild and Whata Bod www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...
X basically industrialized the creation of fake porn of women who don't consent. Others did it first, but Grok made it normalized and centralized: publicly visible, instantly creatable by anyone, regardless of who's being targeted and dehumanized. Only question now is will X suffer any consequences
January 7, 2026 at 12:45 PM
X basically industrialized the creation of fake porn of women who don't consent. Others did it first, but Grok made it normalized and centralized: publicly visible, instantly creatable by anyone, regardless of who's being targeted and dehumanized. Only question now is will X suffer any consequences