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.

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.

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. 

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.

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

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

Russia, China, and the 2026 U.S.  Elections with Darren Linvill

Washington keeps misreading the politics of foreign aid, and that misunderstanding is reshaping U.S. power. Rachel A. George of Stanford University breaks down why Americans are far less hostile to aid than politicians claim, what the Trump-era USAID shutdown actually changed, and why the real fight is over accountability, transparency, and strategy - not whether aid should exist at all.George explains how the collapse of USAID sent shockwaves through the global aid system, why the damage extended well beyond Washington, and how European donors responded by pulling back too. Co-hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss Russian efforts to intervene in the mid-terms as well as Russian efforts to weaponize history itself.

Washington keeps misreading the politics of foreign aid, and that misunderstanding is reshaping U.S. power. Rachel A. George of Stanford University breaks down why Americans are far less hostile to aid than politicians claim, what the Trump-era USAID shutdown actually changed, and why the real fight is over accountability, transparency, and strategy - not whether aid should exist at all.George explains how the collapse of USAID sent shockwaves through the global aid system, why the damage extended well beyond Washington, and how European donors responded by pulling back too. Co-hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss Russian efforts to intervene in the mid-terms as well as Russian efforts to weaponize history itself.

Washington keeps misreading the politics of foreign aid, and that misunderstanding is reshaping U.S. power. Rachel A. George of Stanford University breaks down why Americans are far less hostile to aid than politicians claim, what the Trump-era USAID shutdown actually changed, and why the real fight is over accountability, transparency, and strategy - not whether aid should exist at all.George explains how the collapse of USAID sent shockwaves through the global aid system, why the damage extended well beyond Washington, and how European donors responded by pulling back too. She also untangles what counts as "foreign aid" in the first place, from humanitarian assistance and global health programs to economic development, military aid, and concessional finance.

Don't be Fooled by the Domestic Politics of Foreign Assistance with Rachel A. George

The gap between imagined and actual threats to elections is vast.  Where the public is focused on hacking electronic voting machines, the actual threat, says Votebeat Editorial Director Jessica Huseman, is unlikely to change actual votes. Still, there are real threats, from the 100 suspicious letters sent to election offices this week to the everyday cybersecurity challenges facing local officials. To complicate things further, the second Trump administration has unwound the tremendous work done in the first Trump administration to create a federal capacity to protect elections. What remains are patriotic, local election workers committed to serving their communities and ensuring democracy works. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the viral claims about Ukrainian strikes on Russian data centers and the British Prime Minister’s recent remarks about Brexit.

The gap between imagined and actual threats to elections is vast.&nbsp; Where the public is focused on hacking electronic voting machines, the actual threat, says Votebeat Editorial Director Jessica Huseman, is unlikely to change actual votes. Still, there are real threats, from the 100 suspicious letters sent to election offices this week to the everyday cybersecurity challenges facing local officials. To complicate things further, the second Trump administration has unwound the tremendous work done in the first Trump administration to create a federal capacity to protect elections. What remains are patriotic, local election workers committed to serving their communities and ensuring democracy works. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the viral claims about Ukrainian strikes on Russian data centers and the British Prime Minister&rsquo;s recent remarks about Brexit.

The gap between imagined and actual threats to elections is vast.  Where the public is focused on hacking electronic voting machines, the actual threat, says Votebeat Editorial Director Jessica Huseman, is unlikely to change actual votes.  Still, the challenges and threats are real, from the 100 suspicious letters sent to election offices this week to the everyday cybersecurity challenges facing local officials. To complicate things further, the second Trump administration has unwound the tremendous work done in the first Trump administration to create a federal capacity to protect elections.  What remains are patriotic, local election workers committed to serving their communities and ensuring democracy works.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the viral claims about Ukrainian strikes on Russian data centers and the British Prime Minister’s recent remarks about Brexit.

Russia vs. 'Pam' with Jessica Huseman

Election interference doesn’t have to change votes to be effective.  The long history of Russian efforts to target specific communities in the United States mirrors domestic efforts to suppress votes.  These measures don’t require AI, social media, or bot-farms—they simply require a decent understanding of one candidate’s voters.  With that, anyone can generate an effective campaign to confuse voters or suppress turn-out with the ultimate goal of undermining confidence in democratic processes and institutions.  Russia has a long history of this tactic, and Mark Jacobson reviews the last decade of Russian campaigns targeting voters in successive American elections.

Election interference doesn&rsquo;t have to change votes to be effective.&nbsp; The long history of Russian efforts to target specific communities in the United States mirrors domestic efforts to suppress votes.&nbsp; These measures don&rsquo;t require AI, social media, or bot-farms&mdash;they simply require a decent understanding of one candidate&rsquo;s voters.&nbsp; With that, anyone can generate an effective campaign to confuse voters or suppress turn-out with the ultimate goal of undermining confidence in democratic processes and institutions.&nbsp; Russia has a long history of this tactic, and Mark Jacobson reviews the last decade of Russian campaigns targeting voters in successive American elections.

This short solo episode from Mark Jacobson looks at how foreign influence operations have repeatedly targeted Black American voters, from robocalls in Maryland to Russian IRA social media accounts and AI-generated imagery in 2024. The core argument is that the goal is often not persuasion, but suppression, distrust, and disengagement from democratic participation. Jacobson connects those tactics to a broader warning for the 2026 midterms: even when the technology changes, the strategy stays the same. The real objective is to widen existing divisions and convince people that institutions and elections are not worth trusting.

Russia, China, and the 2026 U.S. Elections with Darren Linvill

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