The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 27, 2023
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
In October, the U.S. State Department circulated a report to countries around the world, warning of ongoing Russian election interference. Analysts are now drawing a picture of what Russian interference might look like in the 2024 U.S. election.
The online news outlet The Diplomat suggests that Donald Trump’s boast in May he’d end the Ukraine war in one day, and declining support for Ukraine by Republican legislators in Congress, will be amplified by Russia via social media and influencers. Vladimir Putin is widely seen as wanting to weaken NATO, and its member nations’ support for Ukraine’s pending membership.
Reports from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center and Meta underscore those fears. Meta recently removed a cluster of accounts tied to Russian state media, and noted Russian-backed accounts are building followers before the election. Microsoft reports that Russia continues to use cyberattacks, hack-and-leak operations, state sponsored media outlets, and covert social media personas to erode support for democracy and Ukraine. It also expects Russia to exploit generative AI for disinformation.
Authoritarian regimes appear to see a second Trump presidency in their best interests. Beyond Ukraine, China hopes to weaken U.S. resolve on Taiwan, and both Russian and Iranian disinformation are amplifying the Hamas-Israeli war as proof of declining U.S. influence.
We’ll have more on preparations to fight this election influence in our next report. See our resources at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
Voice of America – US Sounds Alarm on Russian Election Efforts
The Guardian – Russia working to undermine trust in elections globally, US intelligence says
The Diplomat – China and Russia Are Trying to Stack the Deck in 2024 Elections
The Record – Russian and Chinese interference networks are ‘building audiences’ ahead of 2024, warns Meta
Microsoft Threat Analysis Center – Protecting Election 2024 from foreign malign influence:
lessons learned help us anticipate the future
Meta – THIRD QUARTER Adversarial Threat Report
Cybersecurity Infrastructure & Security Agency – Foreign Influence Operations and Disinformation
US Election Assistance Commission – Election Security
National Democratic Institute – DISINFORMATION, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND ELECTORAL INTEGRITY
Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause, Protect Democracy
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!
Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org
Want ADM sent to your email? Sign up here!
#Democracy #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections