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Foreign influence efforts reached a fever pitch during the 2024 elections

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Foreign influence efforts reached a fever pitch during the 2024 elections

Voters line up to cast their ballots on Nov. 5, 2024 in Austell, Georgia. Intelligence officials and researchers say Russia, Iran, and China tried to influence Americans in this year’s election. But there’s no indication so far their efforts swayed results.

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The final stretch of the 2024 election was marked by a series of increasingly brazen attempts to influence voters and disrupt polling places. U.S. intelligence officials and researchers believe Russia and other foreign powers were behind the efforts.

On Election Day itself, hoax bomb threats were sent to polling locations in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and the Navajo Nation in Arizona. The FBI says that many of the bomb threats “appear to originate from Russian email domains,” which NPR confirmed after reviewing an email sent to Georgia locations.

No bombs were found at any of those locations and there’s no indication that the delays they caused in voting swayed the election results.

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But those threats were part of a broader pattern, said Graham Brookie, a senior director at the Atlantic Council’s DFRLab.

“One of the major trends that we saw is the highest volume of online foreign influence efforts directed at the U.S. elections by…three state threat actors…Russia, Iran and China,” says Brookie.

Russia used intermediaries to hire American right-wing influencers to spread Kremlin talking points. It created networks of websites that resembled trusted U.S. news outlets, along with fictitious sites, to spread polarizing content. China sought to sway down-ballot races by posting negative content about congressional candidates it deemed anti-China. Hackers tied to Iran successfully got documents from the campaign of President-elect Donald Trump and tried to leak them to U.S. news outlets. The DOJ also alleged that Iran tried to assassinate Trump.

In the case of the Election Day bomb threats, neither U.S. intelligence officials nor law enforcement have yet to confirm with high confidence whether the Russian government was behind the threats. But “if it is confirmed to be Russia, then that is really, really significant and measurable foreign interference,” Brookie said.

Brookie said if proven, the bomb threats would mark a break from the other kinds of influence operations the Kremlin has run against the U.S. in recent years.

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In the weeks before Election Day, inflammatory videos tied to Russia surfaced on social media. One falsely depicted ballots being destroyed in Bucks County, Pennsylvania; another claimed to depict a whistleblower alleging election fraud in Arizona; a third falsely alleged noncitizens were voting in large numbers in Georgia, an idea Trump and fellow Republicans embraced in the run-up to the election.

The accounts that first posted these videos were tied to a known Russian influence operation Microsoft has dubbed Storm 1516, first identified last fall by researchers at Clemson University. The videos circulated widely on the social media site X and can still be seen there, even as many of the Russian-affiliated accounts that seeded the videos have been taken down.

In one case, CNN reported a registered agent of Russia living in Australia paid an American influencer living in New Jersey to post videos that make false allegations of election fraud.

American intelligence officials issued regular warnings about foreign interference for months in the run-up to the election. But in the final days of voting, they took the unusual step of calling out specific posts and videos they attributed to Russia

The FBI also flagged phony videos and statements that spread election false narratives using the agency’s insignia. The agency did not attribute them to a nation state, but researchers said they were also likely the product of a Russian operation, while also noting that they did not attract much attention.

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“High volume and low impact,” Darren Linvill of Clemson University’s Digital Forensic Lab said, “mostly just ‘seen’ by the marketing bots [Russia has].”

Russia tends to try out many tactics in an effort to “throw the kitchen sink at things and see what works,” said Caroline Orr Bueno, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland.

Studies of past foreign influence campaigns have not found evidence that they sway elections. Orr Bueno said focusing on just the way foreign adversaries target U.S. elections might be too narrow a view of their objectives.

“Influence operations really aren’t targeting a distinct event,” Orr Bueno said. “The elections may be targeted as part of a broader influence operation but these are long-term strategic operations with a very long-term goal.”

Brookie agreed, noting that Russia wants to win its war in Ukraine, China wants to improve its global image, and Iran wants to avenge the first Trump administration’s assassination of one of its top generals.

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The fact that foreign influence efforts go beyond a single campaign or discrete events make it difficult to measure the impact, said Orr Bueno. All three countries tend to exploit wedge issues that already divide American society and seek to amplify Americans rather than creating entirely new narratives.

The ongoing foreign influence campaigns mean that many Americans should exercise more care when interacting with political material online, said Orr Bueno.

She offered questions they might ask themselves: “Why am I following the people I’m following? Am I following them because they’re telling me the truth about the world around me, or am I following them because they’re telling me things that make me feel good?”

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Read the Verdict in the Civil Case Against Amber Guyger

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Read the Verdict in the Civil Case Against Amber Guyger

Case 3:18-cv-02862-M Document 256 Filed 11/20/24
Page 3 of 7 PageID 7099
3. Question 3: Compensatory Damages
What sum of money, if any, would compensate Plaintiffs for injuries they suffered as a result of
Defendant’s conduct?
Claims of Estate of Botham Jean
(a) Mental anguish experienced by Botham Jean
between the time he was shot and his death:
$
2,000,000
(b) Loss of net future earnings by Botham Jean:
$
5,500,000
(c) Loss of Botham Jean’s capacity to enjoy life:
2,750,000
Claims of Allison and Bertrum Jean
(a) The value of the loss of companionship and society
sustained from September 6, 2018, to today
to Allison Jean:
(b) The value of the loss of companionship and society
that, in reasonable probability, will be sustained from
today forward
to Allison Jean:
(c) The value of the mental anguish sustained from
September 6, 2018, to today
500,000
2,000,000
to Allison Jean:
(d) The value of the mental anguish that, in reasonable
probability, will be sustained from today forward
to Allison Jean:
3
$
6,000,000
5,700,000

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Russia fires intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for first time

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Russia fires intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for first time

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Russia has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, following days of escalation in the conflict.

Ukrainian air defence forces said the missile, which did not carry a nuclear warhead, was fired alongside seven Kh-101 cruise missiles at the southern city of Dnipro.

The use of the ICBM comes after Ukraine launched US-made long-range Atacms missiles and British Storm Shadows at Russian territory in recent days.

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Responding to the Atacms strikes, Russia altered its nuclear doctrine to lower its threshold for first use. ICBMs are designed to carry nuclear warheads across continents, by contrast with so-called short- and medium-range missiles.

Their range of thousands of miles is far greater than that of missiles such as Atacms and Storm Shadows, which can travel 250km to 300km.

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Russia has previously used nuclear-capable missiles to hit Ukraine, albeit with shorter ranges. Russian forces have repeatedly fired ground-launched Iskander short-range ballistic missiles and the air-launched hypersonic Kinzhal missile, both of which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Ukraine said it had intercepted six of the Russian missiles. It added that the ICBM had been launched from Russia’s southern Astrakhan region. It did not specify what kind of ICBM had been used.

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Two people were injured in the attack, according to local authorities.

This is a developing story

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Sarah McBride: Republican speaker backs proposal to ban transgender women from women's restrooms in US Congress, Sarah McBride responds | World News – Times of India

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Sarah McBride: Republican speaker backs proposal to ban transgender women from women's restrooms in US Congress, Sarah McBride responds | World News – Times of India

After House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated support for Republic proposal preventing Trans Congresswoman elected from Delaware Sarah McBride from using women’s restrooms in the Capitol , McBride said that she will use the men’s restroom on Capitol Hill. In her statement, she said that she is not here to fight about bathrooms but to fight for Delawareans.
She added, “I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them.”

She further said, “This effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn’t distracted me over the last several days, as I’ve remained hard at work preparing to represent the greatest state in the union come January.”
She stated, “Serving in the 119th Congress will be the honor of a lifetime and I continue to look forward to getting to know my future colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Each of us were sent here because voters saw something in us that they value. I have loved getting to see those qualities in the future colleagues that I’ve met and I look forward to seeing those qualities in every member come January. I hope all of my colleagues will seek to do the same with me.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated support on Tuesday for a Republican proposal to prevent Representative-elect Sarah McBride, the first transgender woman elected to Congress, from using women’s restrooms in the Capitol. This restriction would take effect when McBride assumes office next year.
“We’re not going to have men in women’s bathrooms,” Johnson told The Associated Press. “I’ve been consistent about that with anyone I’ve talked to about this.”
The proposal, introduced by Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina, aims to prohibit lawmakers and House employees from “using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.” Mace confirmed that the bill specifically targets McBride, who recently won the election in Delaware.
Democrats, including McBride, criticized the Republican initiative, labeling it as “bullying” and a “distraction.”
“This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing,” McBride said. “We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars.”
The debate surrounding bathroom access for transgender individuals has gained significant traction nationwide and was a key point in President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign. Currently, at least 11 states have enacted legislation barring transgender girls and women from using female restrooms in public schools and, in certain instances, other government facilities.
Despite potential challenges, Mace expressed her determination to proceed. “If it’s not,” she said. “I’ll be ready to pick up the mantle.”

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