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PODCAST

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

The Pell Center at Salve Regina University

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.

history politics

All Episodes

37:00

Unilateral Disarmament

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2025/02/17

In this week's episode, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson examine Trump Administration decisions to unilaterally disarm the United States of its ability to exert influence around the world, including: the effort to shutter USAID, slash funding for the National Endowment for Democracy, eliminate Justice Department efforts to counter Russian influence, and suspend DHS programs to protect American elections--all while Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth alienate American

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30:57

An Ethno-Nationalist International?

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2025/02/03

On this week's Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the pattern that emerges when you look at the divisive issues being injected into diverse Western media environments--including Canada, Switzerland, and Germany--where a looming election in February is liberal-democracy's next test against a familiar pattern of ethno-nationalist grievance and promises of national renewal. They also discuss the Chinese AI phenom DeepSeek and its penchant for pro-Beijing

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29:50

The "Tech Bro-ligarchy" Challenge to Democracy

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2025/01/27

In this week's episode of the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson reflect on recent reporting on Russian interference in the German and Romanian elections, the threat of AI-enabled individualized information campaigns, and the growing specter of tech billionaires operating in the information space in the same way we typically think of nation-states. Ultimately, the two hosts consider a couple of recent proposals for fighting back--including to approach

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29:44

Is It Time to Move Beyond the Disinformation Framework?

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2025/01/13

This week on the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson reflect on China's use of social media 'influencers' to target Taiwan and the risk of escalation in Russia's hybrid war against Europe before turning to a consideration of Facebook's decision to end third-party fact-checking. Ultimately, the discussion turns to whether the disinformation framework--trying to correct lies and mistruths--is the most effective way to clean-up a polluted information eco-system

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27:37

Hybrid Warfare to the Fore

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2025/01/06

In the premier episode of the second season of the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, Mark Jacobson and Jim Ludes discuss a tremendous amount of end-of-year reporting on Russian hybrid warfare efforts in the West, look ahead to Germany's upcoming elections, discuss the U.S. Treasury Departments new sanctions on Russian and Iranian entities for interfering in American elections, look at new country profiles from the EU Disinfo Lab, and discuss the FBI's warnings to lawmakers about China's efforts to

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31:01

Is That a Drone?

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/12/16

In this week's Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson conclude the year and the first season of the podcast with a discussion of Romanian efforts to protect their presidential election from Russian interference; a look at Congress de-funding the U.S. Global Engagement Center; and then some context for the flurry of drone sightings in the Northeastern United States. They end with a look back at disinformation in 2024 and a look ahead to 2025.Season 2 of the Active

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28:31

Out-Russia Russia

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/12/09

In this episode of the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson review the latest reporting on Chinese cognitive warfare, Russia's multi-pronged efforts to undermine Western support for Ukraine, the limits of fact-checking to counter disinformation, and the unprecedented moment when the President of the United States and his principle funder both own popular social media networks--effective instruments for influence, attacks on enemies, and political mobilization.See

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29:20

Sabotage and Active Measures

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/11/25

In their first episode back since election day 2024, Mark Jacobson and Jim Ludes take stock of the impact of foreign disinformation and generative AI in the U.S. election, turn their attention to various efforts to fight back, including for-profit companies and education, and then dive into the sabotage campaign Russia appears to be running across Europe, most recently taking the form of undersea cable cutting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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35:07

Election Week with Steven Lee Myers

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/11/04

Voting in the 2024 U.S. election concludes this week with a race still too close to call. Steven Lee Myers, correspondent for The New York Times, joins hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson for a discussion of the foreign and domestic disinformation plaguing American politics. Those attacks include a sustained Russian effort to cast doubt on the integrity of American democracy while both Russia and Iran look intent to stoke political dissension, and possibly even violence, in the period after election

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30:03

Democracy in the Crosshairs

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/10/21

On this week's Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss new reporting on disinformation targeting Spanish-language voters in the United States; anti-Semitic disinformation on the Spamouflage network; big trends in disinformation targeting Western Democracies, Russia undermining public health efforts in Africa, and what to make of EU election results and Moldova's referendum.The companion podcast to the Active Measures Newsletter No. 305.See

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35:05

Spamouflage with Jack Stubbs

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/10/07

Graphika Chief Intelligence Officer Jack Stubbs joins Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson for a discussion of the Spamouflage campaign and Graphika's most recent report "The #Americans." Stubbs explains Graphika's most recent reporting, the evolution in the network's tactics, and the fine-line between informing the public and needlessly doing the work of adversarial information warriors. In addition, Ludes and Jacobson unpack Thomas Rid's review of internal Russian documents, exposing the lies Russian

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33:15

"Stories Are Weapons" with Annalee Newitz

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/09/30

Best-selling author Annalee Newitz joins hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson for a discussion of Newitz's new book, Stories are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind. The discussion races from early cold warrior Paul Linebarger and his other life as a science-fiction author, to similarities between psyops and advertising, and the transfer of these technologies between military and civilian entities, culminating in a lengthy discussion of whether or not disarmament of munitions of the

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35:34

Synchronized Shifts

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/09/23

In this week's Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the recent report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center documenting "synchronized shifts" in three consecutive U.S. presidential elections in which Russian assets sought to denigrate Democratic candidates within 90 days of election day. They then discuss a Tech Policy Press report on how the U.S. government struggles to counter these threats, before welcoming Paul Fagan, Director of Democracy Programs at

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32:28

Cats and Dogs

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/09/16

This week on the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson unpack the viral, dangerous misinformation about immigrants and family pets in Springfield, Ohio; take a look at the disinformation targeting Latino voters in Michigan; and discuss new reporting about the leader of RT, on the one hand, and, on the other, the effort by former U.S. Senator Gordon Humprhey to build a social media channel that speaks directly to the Russian people. All that and more as we celebrate

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33:58

A Five Alarm Fire

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/09/09

This week, New York Times reporter Julian E. Barnes joins Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson for an in-depth conversation of the multiple indictments announced late last week by the U.S. Department of Justice exposing the scheme by Russian state-media to funnel $10 million to American right-wing influencers peddling divisive and anti-Ukrainian messages to American audiences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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29:59

Unilateral Disarmament

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/08/26

This week, Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the investigation of American citizens working for Russian state media; the potential of 'Green Cicada,' a newly identified AI-enabled network on X, to achieve strategic surprise in the information-space; legal and financial consequences for those using synthetic media in campaigns; Russia's likely use of "gendered disinformation" in the 2024 U.S. campaign; and the surrender of social media companies who were expected to police disinformation on their

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31:35

Sour Grapes

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/08/12

Special guest David Klepper, the intelligence reporter on the national security team for the Associate Press, joins Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson to discuss his recent reporting. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently briefed reporters on the actions of Russia, China, and Iran in the run up to the 2024 elections. Each has an interest--but each is approaching the election in their own way. In Russia's case, that includes the use of unwitting Americans to spread divisive

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30:16

The Usual Suspects

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/08/05

This week in the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson unpack why democratic elections continue to be the playground of autocratic malign influence; highlight the ODNI's recent assessment of threats to U.S. election security; examine Russia's hand in Venezuela's contested election, the far-right riots in the UK, and Israeli politics; and they take one last look (for now, at least) at how China sought to capitalize on the attempted assassination of former President Donald

en-US

31:52

"The Untouchables" Strategy

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/07/29

On this week's Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, Mark Jacobson and Jim Ludes discuss a strategy--seemingly inspired by the film "The Untouchables"--to counter Russia's hybrid attacks on the West. They then move on to the dynamic environment around the Olympics; the latest in efforts to counter the Doppelganger campaign; Russia's efforts to target Moldova's upcoming election; and efforts in Canada and across NATO to fight back more effectively. Companion podcast to the Active Measures Newsletter

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28:15

Everything Old

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast ·

2024/07/22

In this week's Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss two weeks of heavy news: leaked plans documenting Russia's propaganda campaign against the West; the way Russian sources depicted the 75th Anniversary NATO summit; a U.S. Department of Justice take down of nearly 1,000 sock-puppet accounts on social media; and the way the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was spun, both internationally and domestically.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

en-US

70 results

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