Telegram, the Russian-built social media platform, played a critical role in the Kremlin’s ability to make its case about the war in Ukraine. But Anna Varfolomeeva of the Cognitive Security Institute notes changes in the relationship between the Kremlin and Telegram—changes that may be motivated by concerns over Telegram’s potential to be used as a tool of mass mobilization inside Russia during a period of economic, political, and military challenges for Moscow. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also review the latest from the war in Iran and the winnowing of American soft power.

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"His" name is Danny Bones. He's a far-right, AI-generated persona who raps about England, tradition, and the assault on what he values by immigrants, the deep state, and journalists, among others. Effie Webb broke the story for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism about how the anonymous collective behind Danny Bones was hired by a new, far-right British political party and employed their content in a recent by-election. In addition, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson break down the Trump administration's recent directive to U.S. embassies to get into the information fight as well as reporting from Hungary about the role disinformation is playing in that country's up-coming election.

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That last generation of Cold War kids probably heard it in high school: HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, it was said, was created by the U.S. government. Some would go further, claiming it was done to target black Americans or members of the LGBTQ community. We know, now, the claim was the fruit of a massively successful hoax by Soviet intelligence that turned a rumor into a scientific controversy. Hosts Mark Jacobson and Jim Ludes trace the history of "Operation Denver," as it was called, and the continuing use of public health crises by Russian intelligence to exploit divisions in American society.

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