Andrew Couts

@couts.bsky.social

60779 Followers 2993 Following

Security & Investigations Director at @WIRED.com. Send tips and/or dog pics. Signal: couts.01

photo of the sun looking red-orange in the top-left corner, a grayish-brown sky, and some leaves
Screenshot of a WIRED article: "Meta Silently Added Face-Recognition Code for Its Smart Glasses to Millions of Phones"
Tweet announcing the Deadline Club Award, 2026 for Magazine Feature Reporting
bearded bespectacled white guy in a black beanie and sweatshirt with a black cat on his shoulder
A plush coat, black and tan German shepherd lays regally on a deck looking at the camera
bald white man nearly killed by labrador kisses
Yellow lab leans backwards on a couch to give some kisses
cat and man, stupefied
Year to date Staples stock price, which roughly coincides with the publish date of the first viral video by @blvixx on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8xDcc7f/
black kitten sits on the shoulder of a bearded white guy wearing glasses in an orange beanie, gray hoodie, and green shirt
Man puts up a poster on a wall in San Francisco that reads "ELON EMPOWERS PEDOS" with this link at the bottom: https://www.wired.com/story/grok-is-generating-sexual-content-far-more-graphic-than-whats-on-x/
There is no exception to the major questions doctrine for emergency statutes. Nor does the fact that tariffs implicate foreign affairs render the doctrine inapplicable. The Framers gave “Congress alone” the power to impose tariffs during peacetime.
kitten, black, sits on the shoulder of a bearded white guy in glasses, both looking horrified at what they’re looking at, as they should.
Chart showing a staggering jump in habeas petitions in US court in January, far outpacing all other types of cases.
Meme: "We're all conspiracy theorists now"
FAA: "The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal."
Video takeaway: Put a US citizen’s phone number on your dog’s collar in case they’re left alone on the street if ICE operatives take you away.
snow vs no snow curb depths
In the last days, there has been an unprecedented attack targeting investigative journalists trying to seize their Signal accounts. This has gone largely unreported. I have been repeatedly targeted by phishing, and I learned that also colleagues from other outlets were targeted, with the attackers unfortunately managing to compromise at least one colleague’s account. What’s worrying: this doesn’t seem like an isolated case. A broader wave is apparently hitting journalists (and some civil society actors) via Signal. How it works: Attackers message you on Signal pretending to be “Signal Support,” warning about “suspicious activity,” and urging you to “re-verify” your account. Once you accept the chat, you receive a real Signal SMS verification code, because the attacker is actively trying to register your number on a new device. If you share that code, you’re handing them the keys. Signal’s extra protection is the Signal PIN. If an attacker also tricks you into giving up your PIN (or you don’t have strong protections enabled), they can see your contacts and networks, potentially join chats going forward, and lock you out by changing settings. Quick protections worth doing today: - Signal will never contact you via a two-way in-app support chat. Treat those messages as hostile. - Never share SMS codes, Signal PIN, or anything called “registration lock.” - Turn on Registration Lock (Settings → Account → Registration Lock). - If you see a “safety number changed” alert: verify the person via a different channel (call/video), not just Signal text. - Report + block suspicious requests, and review linked devices. If you work with sensitive sources: this isn’t just about losing an account, it’s about exposing networks. Please share this with colleagues who rely on Signal day-to-day.
In response to the Court’s question during the argument held on January 26, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security has advised that there are currently approximately 3,000 officers and agents with ICE and CBP conducting immigration enforcement actions in the greater Minneapolis area.
A German shepherd and yellow lab tug on an orange ball in a snowstorm
Joona, a black lab on the left, reels up like a nutter with a big smile on his face as Saggio, a German shepherd on the right, gives a tongue-filled smile on the left in a snowy field
pissed off rooster at the vet wrapped in a towel
white and black rooster laying in a gray dog carrier.
A yellow lab, Truffle, lays on a beige leather couch and a yellow pillow with her best friend, Libby, a mostly black Pyrenees mix
black and tan german shepherd lays on a blue pillow on a bed with old-timey lady wallpaper in the back
Laying on a couch, a black-and-tan, plush-coat German shepherd takes some face pets in front of a stove.
pic of Hellgate’s 2025 election night coverage
truffle in the foreground looking like a goober with her brother, lucio, in the background
Summer, a long haired tuxedo cat, is skeptical about your pets
black and white dog and yellow lab in a sit on grass, smiling
Several of the people employed there declined to speak with the Globe late last week as they walked from the center to their cars. When a reporter pressed a buzzer on the front door and identified himself, a person on the other end of the line said he would see if anyone was available to talk. About 15 minutes later, an armed private security contractor exited the building and handed the reporter a sticky note with the phone number for ICE’s Washington-based Office of Public Affairs scrawled on it.
Me and other wired people in front of our politics issue cover mural
"The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people."
black and tan german shepherd smells something in the air
Even under the most generous and lenient application of Rule 8, the complaint is decidedly improper and impermissible. The pleader initially alleges an electoral victory by President Trump “in historic fashion” — by “trouncing” the opponent — and alludes to “persistent election interference from the legacy media, led most notoriously by the New York Times.” The pleader alludes to “the halcyon days” of the newspaper but complains that the newspaper has become a “fullthroated mouthpiece of the Democrat party,” which allegedly resulted in the “deranged endorsement” of President Trump’s principal opponent in the most recent presidential election. The reader of the complaint must labor through allegations, such as “a new journalistic low for the hopelessly compromised and tarnished ‘Gray Lady.’” The reader must endure an allegation of “the desperate need to defame with a partisan spear rather than report with an authentic looking glass” and an allegation that “the false narrative about ‘The Apprentice’ was just the tip of Defendants’ melting iceberg of falsehoods.” Similarly, in one of many, often repetitive, and laudatory (toward President Trump) but superfluous allegations, the pleader states, “‘The...
Bandit, a tuxedo cat, lays on an ottoman covered in a green blanket, looking up at the camera
White man in baseball hat, black sunglasses, and a long-sleeve t-shirt with what appears to be the American flag and a bald eagle on it.
“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency”
long-haired tuxedo cat with a crunch face, a toy, and a lot of bravery
Screenshot that reads: SEC. 740. [D.C. Official Code ' 1-207.40] (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, whenever the President of the United States determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist which require the use of the Metropolitan Police force for Federal purposes, he may direct the Mayor to provide him, and the Mayor shall provide, such services of the Metropolitan Police force as the President may deem necessary and appropriate. In no case, however, shall such services made available pursuant to any such direction under this subsection extend for a period in excess of forty-eight hours unless the President has, prior to the expiration of such period, notified the Chairmen and ranking minority members of the Committees on the District of Columbia of the Senate and the House of Representatives, in writing, as to the reason for such direction and the period of time during which the need for such services is likely to continue. (b) Subject to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, such services made available in accordance with subsection (a) of this section shall terminate upon the end of such emergency, the expiration of a period of thirty days following the date on which such services are first made available, or the enactment into law of a joint resolution by the Congress providing for such termination, whichever first occurs. (c) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, in any case in which such services are made available in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section during any period of an adjournment of the Congress sine die, such services shall terminate upon the end of the emergency, the expiration of the thirty-day period following the date on which Congress first convenes following such adjournment, or the enactment into law of a joint resolution by the Congress providing for such termination, whichever first occurs. (d) Except to the extent provided for in subsection (c) o…
yellow lab and black and tan German shepherd look ridiculous while playing in a blue baby pool in a back yard
german shepherd sleeping in a chair
chicken
yellow lab goobs into the camera while a black and tan German shepherd gnaws on a toy behind her in a yard.
Laura Loomer tweet about a WIRED story on the Epstein prison video metadata, calling for the resignation of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Screenshot of the linked article that reads: "“We do live in a sanctuary state, whether we like it or not,” Robnett wrote to Swank in an April email. In a follow-up exchange, Swank said he wanted to get another lawyer’s advice, but Robnett warned that wasn’t allowed and that he’d do so “at your own peril.” Swank fired back: “you are my peril.” He wrote that he’d consulted ChatGPT and the AI search bot results said he had more independence as sheriff than Robnett was admitting. “I have no faith in your counsel,” Swank added, telling Robnett she was “either incompetent” or “trying to sabotage my office.”
Truffle, a yellow lab, acts like a huge weirdo, lightly resting her head on a bald, bespectacled white guy in a gray flannel.
no kings t-shirt featuring a skelebones patriot finishing his tea in hell
yellow lab holds a big orange ball on a deck
yellow lab stands on a couch on a deck with her paws on the railing staring at a camera
A German shepherd and a man in a purple shirt, hat, and gray pants lay in a yard with tall grass in front of a house.
§1385. Use of Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force as posse comitatus Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Air Force, or the Space Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.