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Technology
Inside the White House shitposting machine
Last week was a grim reminder that no matter what sort of horror is being perpetrated or how many people end up dead, the Trump administration’s knee-jerk response is to shitpost through it. The White House’s response on X to abducting the head of a sovereign nation? “FAFO”. The response to an ICE agent shooting a woman in broad daylight? A Buzzfeed-style listicle of “57 Times Sick, Unhinged Democrats Declared War on Law Enforcement.” ICE agents arresting protesters? “Welcome to the Find Out stage.”
To the vast majority of people following current events, the Trump administration’s meme-ing is blunt and cruel. But the jaded political insider will also view Trump’s meme fusillade as an element of a media strategy known as “rapid response”: the full-time work of quickly shaping the political narrative of a breaking news event, sometimes within minutes, before the news media and your opponents can shape it for you.
“Every political office, every political campaign, has a dedicated operation that helps them respond strategically to events in the news that are out of their control.” Lis Smith, a high-profile Democratic communications strategist based in New York City, told me. It’s a profession that dates back to the beginning of the 24-hour news cycle, when cable shows could quickly assemble a panel of pundits to discuss current events, and the workload has grown exponentially in the age of social media. “You cannot control all the narratives that are going to be out there, so you need to be able to manage the chaos that’s coming into your world.”
Smith served as the director of rapid response for Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign, which was one of the first to fully take advantage of social media, and worked in the comms shop for several New York City mayors and Democratic candidates. She’s widely credited for single-handedly elevating Pete Buttigieg’s profile, turning him from an obscure mayor to a serious presidential candidate as his director of communications. She views social networks through the lens of their messaging utility: X, formerly known as Twitter, is still the best for getting “text-based rapid response communications like written statements” in front of a wide range of “elites and opinion-shapers.” A Bluesky-based messaging strategy might engage a friendly left-leaning audience, but will never “penetrate” the world outside, nor will a Rumble-based campaign ever make it out of the right-wing bubble.
More importantly: memes may be a fast way to convey a political message to a specific audience who gets the inside joke, but the humor is rarely understood by anyone outside of that group — especially people who might have been sympathetic to the concept of stopping illegal immigration, but are horrified by how the Trump administration is going about it. The memes themselves are simply a reflection of that mindset. “The administration’s use of memes really flattens the political debate,” said Smith. “It takes the humanity, the seriousness, and the nuance that’s needed out of it and replaces it just with cruelty.”
Before we get to my conversation with Smith, here’s The Verge’s latest on the political tech dystopia:
- “Snatching Maduro was all about the spectacle”, Elizabeth Lopatto and Sarah Jeong: Real people are dead because Donald Trump wanted a spectacle.
- “America’s new era of energy imperialism is about more than oil”, Justine Calma: Trump wants Venezuela’s oil, Greenland’s minerals, and above all — control.
- “The MAGA-approved video of an ICE killing”, Mia Sato: After a federal agent shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, the Trump administration found its preferred angle of the incident.
- “Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards”, Elizabeth Lopatto: X’s deepfake porn feature clearly violates app store guidelines. Why won’t Apple and Google pull it?
- “Trump’s fundraisers asked Microsoft for its White House ballroom donation”, Emma Roth: Amazon also admitted that it was in touch with fundraisers months before the White House released its list of donors in October.
- “New York wants to regulate Roblox”, Lauren Feiner: Gov. Kathy Hochul made new requirements meant to protect kids online a centerpiece of her plan for state policy.
- “Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams accused of $2.5 million crypto ‘rug pull’ as his NYC Token crashes”, Emma Roth: The NYC token’s value peaked at about $580 million, before dropping to $130 million.
- “I can’t find the Trump phone at America’s largest tech show”, Dominic Preston: I’ve looked and looked, but Trump Mobile is nowhere to be found at CES this year
“A meme that is funny or cruel will probably spread faster than anything with nuance”
This interview has been edited for clarity.
You came up during an era where Twitter, before it was X, was really the only internet media environment for politics. How has the practice of rapid response changed in an environment where there is so much narrative to control over so many types of media?
It’s gotten a lot harder. In the ’90s, the big change was the 24-hour news cycle with cable news. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the big development was social media, Twitter, and being able to respond in real time online to news developments. But now, there’s no question that it’s harder to get your message out, with how fractured these different social media channels are. Not everyone is on X today the same way they were 10 years ago. But also, your message is less likely to penetrate as effectively on a platform like X than it was 10 years ago, because of how verification, etc., have changed.
So you really need to have an “all of the above” communication strategy, where you’re hitting traditional media with press releases, calls to reporters and news networks, and you’re also hitting social media in real time. That means not just hitting X, but also hitting Threads, hitting Bluesky, TikTok, Instagram, all those apps, because there has never been a time where people’s media consumption habits have been more fractured than right now.
Do candidates view specific platforms for certain political purposes, or political leanings?
X is still pretty dominant in American politics for getting out rapid response communications, especially text-based rapid response communications like written statements, because it’s still where you’re going to find the most political insiders, political pundits, and reporters. Everything [messaging-wise] trickles out from there. Where you see more fracturing is in terms of where people do short form video: you do see some campaigns using TikTok, others using Instagram more; you do see some favoring of different platforms across partisan lines. But Bluesky on the left is just never going to be as effective of a way of reaching elites and opinion-makers as X is — just as Truth Social or Discord on the right is never going to be the way that you reach elites or opinion-makers.
Let’s go into the content of said messaging. I know that Kamala Harris and Biden tried to lean into memes during their 2024 campaigns, but clearly not as effectively as Trump, and the meme format seems to be really dominant in the Trump administration. Is there a specific way an operative views the meme format as a political messaging tool?
The meme format is more likely to spread quickly. It’s something that a specific audience is going to understand immediately, and it really simplifies a political argument. The problem with that, though, is, one, it’s very audience specific. Not everyone is going to understand a Family Guy meme, not everyone is going to understand a Patriots meme, or whatever the meme du jour is.
Another problem with the meme format is that you lose a lot of context and you lose a lot of humanity in it. So when you see the administration posting sort-of-funny memes about deportations or ICE, you lose a lot of the empathy and compassion that most people have when it comes to the immigration debate. Most people think that illegal immigration is bad and that we should do something about it. But most people also understand that there are real people who are involved in all of these situations and don’t think it’s funny to make light of, say, school pickups getting raided, or families getting separated, or parents crying as they’re being dragged away from their kids.
I was listening to Joe Rogan interviewing Shane Gillis, and they actually touched on this. I would say both Rogan and Shane Gillis are people who were favorable to Trump in the election — Rogan more so than Shane Gillis — but Gillis said, I want our government to take the issue of illegal immigration seriously. I don’t want it to be funny to them. And I think that’s something that really taps into how most people feel about these issues.
If you reduce these very serious issues to cruel, funny memes, you’re going to alienate a lot of people who might be there with you on an issue if you’d approached it with a little bit more maturity and humanity. But the administration is saying, cut out the humanity, cut out the maturity. Those things don’t matter. Because a viral meme — a meme that is funny or cruel — will probably spread faster than anything with nuance. They’re prioritizing speed and virality over nuance and seriousness.
I think you just refined what we’ve been thinking about at The Verge: the way that my coworkers saw Trump’s abduction of Maduro and their response to the ICE shooting was that this government’s policy is a meme mentality — their speed, virality and the need to get their spin out first before anyone feels any sort of way about it.
There’s a short window when people — everyone from reporters to voters to anyone online — are trying to figure out what the hell’s going on and what they think about breaking news. Rapid response is about stepping into that void and shaping it, but there are real problems with how the Trump administration is doing it. Ultimately, yes, they may win some sort of short-term viral meme war. But in the long term, the way that they’re communicating about these issues — whether it’s the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, or deportations in general — they’re gonna lose the political debate. People want action on these issues, but they don’t want wanton cruelty.
Also, if you [the administration[ step in very quickly and put out bad facts, what you do is just compound mistrust in government and mistrust in the administration. And it’s possible that the Trump administration benefits from that because the less people trust official sources, the more it’s good for them. But I think overall, it’s pretty bad that they’re putting out false information that goes mega-viral the way they do it, because ultimately, no one’s going to take anything they say at face value anymore. It’s especially damaging for their relationships with the news media and elites who, in the past, would have clearly taken what any presidential administration said at face value.
Is it too early to think about meme warfare in the midterm election — changing people’s opinions who could be swayed to vote one way or another, getting that messaging to them as quickly as possible, driving them out to the polls?
I don’t think that the meme strategy from this administration is gonna help Republicans in the midterms. And I think if you talk to a lot of Republicans who are up in swing areas or swing states or certain districts, and you presented them with the memes this administration is putting out, I don’t think they would agree with them, and I don’t think that they would say that this is good political strategy. Because to the point I made earlier: the administration’s use of memes really flattens the political debate. It takes the humanity, the seriousness, the nuance that’s needed out of it, and replaces it just with cruelty. The voters who are going to turn out in 2026 — yeah, some of them are going to be part of that MAGA base that it embraces the cruelty, but the people that you need to win over are going to be people who have nuanced views on issues like illegal immigration and people who say, Yeah, we need secure borders; yes, we need more enforcement of our immigration laws; but maybe we don’t need to be putting out memes about, you know, a father being taken off in handcuffs.
That’s where I think the administration’s focus on speed and virality comes at a political cost. Someone’s’s going to have to pay for the tone that they’re taking online, and it’s likely going to be the Republicans who are up in 2026, unless, I don’t know, Democrats somehow overplay their hand on immigration issues.
And a lot of the voters who will determine the midterm elections are older voters. They’re not going to consume the memes firsthand, nor are they going to understand the memes. That’s something being lost in this debate too: even though more people than ever are getting their news through social media, a lot of the people who decide elections, and a lot of the people that Republicans need to win, are not meme consumers. It’s questionable whether it will pay off electorally for them.
Speaking of memes distilling political arguments:
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Booking a train ticket is usually something most people don’t think twice about. Now it could come with real privacy risks after a reported data exposure tied to Amtrak.
A newly surfaced dataset linked to the company has appeared on Have I Been Pwned, a widely used site that tracks and verifies data breaches, suggesting customer information may now be circulating online. The company has not confirmed the full scope, but the situation is already drawing attention from security researchers.
For travelers, the bigger issue isn’t just what was taken. It is how that data can be used next.
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149 MILLION PASSWORDS EXPOSED IN MASSIVE CREDENTIAL LEAK
An alleged Amtrak data exposure may have affected millions of accounts, with researchers warning the leaked records could fuel convincing phishing attacks. (Pixelfit/Getty Images)
What we know about the Amtrak data breach
The breach was added to Have I Been Pwned on April 17, 2026, after a dataset attributed to Amtrak appeared online. According to that listing, the dataset includes more than 2.1 million unique accounts.
The exposed information listed by Have I Been Pwned includes email addresses, names, physical addresses and customer support records.
Separate reports suggest the total number of records could be significantly higher, with some estimates reaching up to 9.4 million, though that figure has not been confirmed by Amtrak.
Support interactions can reveal travel habits, preferences and past issues. That gives attackers more context to work with.
How the Amtrak data breach likely happened
The group linked to the attack, ShinyHunters, has a pattern. They often target cloud-based customer systems, especially platforms like Salesforce.
These systems store huge amounts of customer data in one place. That makes them efficient for businesses and valuable for attackers.
Attacks like this often involve exploiting access to cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) environments rather than breaching internal networks directly.
In many cases, the breach does not require breaking into a company’s internal network. Instead, attackers exploit weak access controls, misconfigured settings or compromised credentials tied to cloud services.
Once inside, they can extract large datasets quickly and demand payment before releasing the data publicly.
Why the Amtrak data breach is different
Not all data breaches carry the same level of risk. This one stands out because of the type of information involved.
Basic contact details can already be used for spam. Add customer service history, and the situation changes. Attackers can reference real interactions to make their messages feel legitimate.
You might get an email that mentions a past trip, a refund request or a delayed train. It looks familiar. That is what makes it dangerous.
These tailored phishing attempts are far more convincing than generic scams.
HOW SCAMMERS BUILD A PROFILE ON YOU USING DATA BROKERS
Travelers are being urged to stay alert after a reported Amtrak data exposure linked to millions of accounts surfaced online. (martin-dm/Getty Images)
What the Amtrak data breach means for you
If your data is part of this breach, the immediate risk isn’t someone logging into your account. The bigger concern is impersonation.
Attackers can use your information to build trust quickly. They may pose as Amtrak support, a travel partner or even a financial institution tied to a booking.
That increases the chance you click a link, share more details or approve a transaction without realizing what is happening.
Even if you have never had an issue before, this kind of exposure changes your risk profile.
We reached out to Amtrak for comment, but did not hear back before our deadline.
Why do companies keep facing this problem?
This breach highlights a larger issue with how companies manage data today. Many rely heavily on cloud platforms to store and organize customer information. These tools are efficient, but they also concentrate risk in one place.
A single misconfiguration or compromised login can open the door to millions of records.
As more businesses move to software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms, attackers are following. The pattern is becoming more common, not less.
How to check if your passwords were stolen
To see if your email was affected, visit Have I Been Pwned at haveibeenpwned.com. It is the first and official source for this newly added dataset.
- Enter your email address to find out if your information appears in the leak.
- When done, come back here for Step 1 below.
INSURANCE DATA BREACH EXPOSES SENSITIVE INFO OF 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE
Customer data linked to Amtrak has reportedly surfaced online, exposing contact details and support records that could be used in fraud schemes. (iStock)
Ways to stay safe after a data breach
If your data may be part of this breach, a few smart moves now can lower your risk and help you stay ahead of scams that often follow.
1) Use strong, unique passwords for every account
If you reuse passwords, this is the moment to change that. A single leaked password can unlock multiple accounts. Use a password manager to generate and store complex passwords so you are not relying on memory or repeating the same login. Start with your email account first, since it can be used to reset passwords across many of your other accounts. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at CyberGuy.com.
2) Turn on two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a second layer of protection. Even if someone gets your password, they still need a code from your phone or app. Focus on email, banking and travel accounts first since those are common targets after breaches.
3) Watch for highly targeted phishing attempts
Be extra cautious with emails or messages that reference past trips or support requests. That level of detail can make scams feel real. Avoid clicking links or downloading attachments unless you are certain of the source. When in doubt, go directly to the company’s official website.
4) Monitor your financial and account activity
Check your bank accounts and credit cards regularly for unusual charges. Look for login alerts or password reset notifications you did not request. The faster you catch something, the easier it is to contain.
5) Use strong antivirus software on your devices
Strong antivirus software does more than scan for viruses. It can block malicious links, detect suspicious downloads and stop phishing attempts before they reach you. Keeping your devices protected adds an important layer between you and attackers trying to exploit stolen data. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
6) Remove your personal data from broker sites
Data brokers collect and sell your personal information, which increases your exposure after a breach. A data removal service can help reduce how much of your information is circulating online and make it harder for scammers to build detailed profiles about you. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: CyberGuy.com/FreeScan
7) Use identity monitoring for early alerts
An identity monitoring service can track your personal information across databases and alert you to suspicious activity. That includes new accounts opened in your name or signs that your data is being misused. See my tips and best picks on Best Identity Theft Protection at CyberGuy.com
8) Freeze your credit for added protection
A credit freeze prevents anyone from opening new accounts in your name without your approval. It is one of the most effective ways to stop identity theft after a breach. You can place a freeze for free with the major credit bureaus and lift it anytime when needed.
Kurt’s key takeaways
The Amtrak breach is still unfolding, and key details remain unclear. What is clear is the direction these attacks are heading. They are becoming more targeted, more personal and harder to spot. For consumers, that means staying alert even when something looks familiar. For companies, it means tightening controls around the systems that hold the most sensitive data. You do not need to panic, but you do need to pay attention.
With breaches like this happening again and again, are companies doing enough to protect your personal information? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Amazon’s annual Gaming Week is bringing discounts on video games, accessories, and PC components through May 4th. This event is smaller than Amazon’s other sales, but there are some genuinely good deals. This year, we’ve found deals on popular titles like Elden Ring Nightreign, plus rare discounts on the Nex Playground console and on top-notch Nintendo Switch 2 controllers like the EasySMX S10. We’ve also found discounts on an assortment of laptops, monitors, and other gaming gear, some of which are happening at Amazon and other retailers, too.
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You know that moment. You are driving along, and everything feels smooth. Then all of a sudden, your car hits a pothole you never saw coming.
It is frustrating. It can also be expensive and dangerous. Repairs add up fast, and unexpected road damage can lead to crashes.
Now, Waymo and Waze are trying to tackle that problem in a new way. Instead of waiting for people to report potholes after the fact, they want to detect them as they happen and help cities respond faster.
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RESEARCHERS CREATE REVOLUTIONARY AI FABRIC THAT PREDICTS ROAD DAMAGE BEFORE IT HAPPENS
Waymo and Waze are using self-driving car data to spot potholes in real time and alert drivers before they hit road hazards. (Waymo)
How Waymo detects potholes behind the scenes
Waymo’s robotaxis already spend hours on the road each day. While they drive, they constantly scan their surroundings using cameras, sensors and onboard software. That same technology is now being used to identify potholes.
When a Waymo vehicle detects a road issue, that information is shared through Waze’s “Waze for Cities” platform. Cities and transportation departments can access the data at no cost. At the same time, the information shows up in the Waze app so drivers can see alerts as they approach a problem area.
There is also a human layer built in. Waze users can confirm or flag potholes, which helps improve accuracy over time. That combination of machine detection and real-world feedback creates a more reliable picture of road conditions.
Why this is a big shift in how cities fix potholes
Most cities still rely on residents to report potholes through 311 systems or online forms. Crews then investigate and decide what to fix first. That process takes time and often leaves gaps. Some potholes go unreported. Others are reported too late. In many cases, cities end up reacting instead of getting ahead of the problem.
This new approach changes that. By using real-time data from vehicles already on the road, cities can see where issues are forming and respond more quickly. It also helps them spot patterns, which can improve how they plan repairs and allocate resources.
Where the Waymo and Waze pilot program is running
The partnership is still in its early phase, but it is already active in several major metro areas. The rollout includes the San Francisco Bay Area along with Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta. These are places where Waymo already operates, which makes it easier to collect consistent data.
Even at this early stage, the system has already identified around 500 potholes across those cities. That gives you a sense of how much road damage can go unnoticed without constant monitoring.
Over time, the companies plan to expand into more regions, including areas where weather conditions make potholes more common.
PRIVATE AUTONOMOUS PODS COULD REDEFINE RIDE-SHARING
A Waymo robotaxi drives along California Street in San Francisco on Dec. 8, 2025. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Why potholes are a bigger problem than they seem
Potholes may feel like a minor annoyance, but they have real consequences. They can damage tires, affect alignment and lead to costly repairs. In some cases, they contribute to accidents, especially when drivers swerve to avoid them or hit them at high speeds.
There is also a fairness issue. Areas that rely on resident reports may see uneven maintenance. Some neighborhoods get quicker fixes while others wait longer simply because fewer reports come in.
By combining automated detection with user input, this system aims to close those gaps and give cities a more complete view of road conditions.
What this means to you
You may not think much about the technology behind road maintenance, but it directly affects your daily drive. If this approach expands, it could lead to fewer surprise potholes and quicker repairs on roads you use every day. It may also mean better alerts in navigation apps, which gives you more time to react and avoid damage.
There is also a long-term benefit. Better data can help cities maintain roads more efficiently, which can reduce wear and tear on your car and lower the risk of unexpected repairs. At a broader level, it shows how data collected for one purpose can improve something completely different. In this case, the same systems that guide self-driving cars could make everyday driving safer for everyone.
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AIR TAXIS CUT HOUR-LONG COMMUTES TO MINUTES, RIDERS MAY BE SHOCKED BY THE PRICE
A Waymo driverless taxi stops on a street in San Francisco on Feb. 15, 2023. (Terry Chea/AP)
Kurt’s key takeaways
This might sound like a small idea at first. But it points to something much bigger. For years, cities have been playing catch-up when it comes to road maintenance. They rely on slow reports and limited data, which means problems often get fixed late or missed entirely. Now, that could start to change. With Waymo cars constantly scanning the roads, cities can tap into a steady stream of real-world data without having to build a whole new system from scratch. If this pilot works, it could change how cities stay on top of road repairs. And it is another example of how private tech is starting to shape public infrastructure in ways most people never see. That can be a good thing. But it also raises a bigger question about where that line should be drawn.
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Have potholes ever cost you money or damage, and do you think tech like this could actually make a difference? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
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