Russia's influence campaigns aimed at the 2026 U.S. midterms seek, ultimately, to undermine confidence in the vote, not to change votes themselves. In this episode, Darren Linvill, professor of communication and co-director of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University walks through two Russian campaigns: Matryoshka—which makes AI-altered fake news videos for a limited audience—and Storm 1516, a more effective campaign that pays real influencers to spread invented stories of corruption and scandal, mostly about Democratic candidates. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss new evidence about Russia’s role in Brexit and the current reporting about Moscow’s efforts in the 2026 U.S. midterms.

<p>Russia's influence campaigns aimed at the 2026 U.S. midterms seek, ultimately, to undermine confidence in the vote, not to change votes themselves. In this episode, Darren Linvill, professor of communication and co-director of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University walks through two Russian campaigns: Matryoshka&mdash;which makes AI-altered fake news videos for a limited audience&mdash;and Storm 1516, a more effective campaign that pays real influencers to spread invented stories of corruption and scandal, mostly about Democratic candidates. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss new evidence about Russia&rsquo;s role in Brexit and the current reporting about Moscow&rsquo;s efforts in the 2026 U.S. midterms.</p>

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns. 

<p>From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns. </p>

A weekly dive into the headlines in the Active Measures Newsletter from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University.