Will There Be Meddling in the Midterms?

Key US foreign-influence defense agencies have been dismantled under Trump's second term just as AI-enabled influence operations accelerate ahead of the midterms.

• Influence vs. interference: Jessica Brandt distinguishes influence campaigns (shaping political attitudes) from interference campaigns (disrupting voting/vote counts); the latter is considered a 'red line' adversaries haven't crossed at scale.
• Trump's July claim examined: Trump's primetime address cited China's 2020 voter-roll purchases (legal under state law) as evidence of interference, but Brandt says it reflected influence targeting, not vote tampering.

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