Dec 16, 2018 - World

Senate report shows extent of Russia's 2016 disinformation campaign

Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

A report authored for the Senate Intelligence Committee and obtained by the Washington Post highlights the scale of Russia's disinformation campaign during the 2016 election cycle to aid Donald Trump’s White House bid.

Why it matters: The report — from Oxford University’s Computational Propaganda Project and network analysis firm Graphika — illustrates how Russian agents targeted almost every major social media platform, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to influence online discourse both in support of Trump’s candidacy and "to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members [of Trump's main opposition groups] from voting." Senate Intel plans to release the report with another study later this week, but hasn't yet indicated if it will endorse the report's findings.

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Axios
Updated 23 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

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Shawna Chen
40 mins ago - Health

Fauci: Trump hasn't been to a COVID task force meeting in months

Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Trump has not attended a White House coronavirus task force meeting in “several months,” NIAID director Anthony Fauci told MSNBC on Friday.

Why it matters: At the beginning of the pandemic, the task force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, met every day, but in the "last several weeks," members have held virtual meetings once a week, Fauci said, even as the number of new cases continues to surge in the country.

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Axios
1 hour ago - Health

How to help save 130,000 lives

People wear face masks outside Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images

Nearly 130,000 fewer people will die of COVID-19 this winter if 95% of Americans wear face masks in public, according to research published Friday.

Why it matters: “Increasing mask use is one of the best strategies that we have right now to delay the imposition of social distancing mandates," Dr. Christopher Murray of the University of Washington told the N.Y. Times.

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