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Shannon Bond Shannon Bond is a correspondent at NPR, covering how misleading narratives and false claims circulate online and offline, and their impact on society and democracy.
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Shannon Bond

Friday

A 2016 file photo of Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth. Hegseth has served in the National Guard and is now a Fox News host. If confirmed, he would be the least experienced defense secretary in American history.

A 2016 file photo of Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth. Hegseth has served in the National Guard and is now a Fox News host. If confirmed, he would be the least experienced defense secretary in American history. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

National Security

What's behind defense secretary pick Hegseth's war on 'woke'

The selection of Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Trump Defense Department has renewed scrutiny of his political and religious views and his aggressive criticism of the military he'd be leading.

Wednesday

Donald Trump won. What does that mean for his election conspiracy movement?

Pro Trump supporters rally outside the State Capitol, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Phoenix. President-elect Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump on Saturday to become the 46th president of the United States. Matt York/AP hide caption

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Matt York/AP

The NPR Politics Podcast

Donald Trump won. What does that mean for his election conspiracy movement?

Donald Trump's election win took the wind from the sails of his election fraud conspiracy movement. Following Vice President Harris' concession, the early stages of post-election administration went smoothly and largely without controversy, a stark contrast to the aftermath of the 2020 election. But are election lies going away?

Donald Trump won. What does that mean for his election conspiracy movement?

Listen · 14:43
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Saturday

Philadelphia county board of elections staff processing ballots on Election Day at the ballot counting elections warehouse on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Nov. 5, 2024.

Philadelphia County board of elections staff processes ballots on Election Day at the ballot counting elections warehouse on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pa. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

2020's debunked election fraud claims are coming back due to Trump's 2024 victory

Election deniers have spent the past four years focused on false claims that 2020 was rigged. This year, it raised similar alarms about fraud — only for those claims to evaporate as returns came in.

VOTE TOTAL FRAUD CLAIMS

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Tuesday

Friday

Voters cast their ballots on the last day of early voting for the 2024 election on November 1, 2024 in Atlanta.

Voters cast their ballots on the last day of early voting for the 2024 election on Friday in Atlanta. Megan Varner/Getty Images hide caption

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Megan Varner/Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

Fake videos from Russian propagandists aim to raise tensions ahead of Election Day

Intelligence officials say the video, which purported to show a Haitian immigrant claiming he had voted multiple times in Georgia, is the product of a Russian propaganda operation.

Foreign election interference

Listen · 3:41
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Wednesday

A man votes at a public library turned into an early voting polling station in Black Mountain, N.C., on Oct. 29.

A man votes at a public library turned into an early voting polling station in Black Mountain, N.C., on Oct. 29. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

Voting officials face an 'uphill battle' to fight election lies

The deck is stacked against election officials online, maybe even more so than in 2020. Conspiracy theories can quickly get millions of views while debunks gather a fraction of the attention.

State of election misinfo fight

Listen · 5:25
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Friday

Director of the Board of Elections Tyler Burns holds a test ballot during a mail-in ballot processing demonstration at the Board of Elections office on September 30, 2024 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. A fake video purporting to show ballots being destroyed in Bucks County, Pa., showed different envelopes and ballots than the county actually uses.

Director of the Board of Elections Tyler Burns holds a test ballot during a mail-in ballot processing demonstration on Sept. 30 in Doylestown, Pa. A fake video purporting to show ballots being destroyed in Bucks County, Pa., showed different envelopes and ballots than the county actually uses. Hannah Beier/Getty Images hide caption

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Hannah Beier/Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

Russia is behind fake video of ballots being destroyed, U.S. officials say

Federal intelligence officials and the FBI say Russia is behind the video, which has spread widely on social media, including Elon Musk’s X.

Elon Musk jumps straight up with both arms outstretched on a stage in front of a giant American flag.

Elon Musk jumps onstage at a town hall event hosted by America PAC in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Oaks, Pa., on Oct. 18. Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

2 years in, Trump surrogate Elon Musk has remade X as a conservative megaphone

It's been nearly two years since Elon Musk bought Twitter and turned it into X. He has turned the platform into a megaphone for himself and, increasingly, for former President Donald Trump.

Musk politics

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Thursday

Elon Musk is a Donald Trump Mega-Donor

Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Folsom, Pa., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption

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Matt Rourke/AP

The NPR Politics Podcast

Elon Musk is a Donald Trump Mega-Donor

Elon Musk has gone all in on Trump and put $75 million into a super PAC he created to support the candidate. He's also assisting with get-out-the-vote operations, including offering multiple giveaways of a million dollars to registered voters in key states who sign a petition. This may or may not be legal.

Elon Musk is a Donald Trump Mega-Donor

Listen · 11:53
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Tuesday

A general view to the Kremlin towers and Ivan the Great cathedral in May 2024. U.S. intelligence officials say Russia was behind an attempt to spread baseless claims about Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

A general view to the Kremlin towers and Ivan the Great cathedral in May 2024. U.S. intelligence officials say Russia was behind an attempt to spread baseless claims about Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

U.S. intel officials say Russia is behind attempts to smear Tim Walz

A video making lurid and false claims about the Democratic vice presidential candidate was spread by pro-Trump accounts. Intelligence officials say Russia was behind the video.

Thursday

World

A look at the foreign influences trying to interfere with the U.S. election

The U.S. government has disrupted Russian influence operations targeting U.S. voters. And it says Iran is behind attempts to hack the campaigns of both presidential candidates.

A look at the foreign influences trying to interfere with the U.S. election

Listen · 5:15
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A file photo from June 8, 2018 shows a control room at RT's Moscow studios. The state media organization has been accused by the Justice Department of covertly paying pro-Trump influencers in the U.S.

A file photo from June 8, 2018 shows a control room at RT's Moscow studios. The state media organization has been accused by the Justice Department of covertly paying pro-Trump influencers in the U.S. YURI KADOBNOV/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption

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YURI KADOBNOV/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

Untangling Disinformation

Why Russia's broadcaster RT turned to covertly funding American pro-Trump influencers

RT was long known to be a source of Russian propaganda. But a recent indictment of two employees for covertly funneling $10 million to pro-Trump influencers shines a light on its covert activities.

RT's role in influence operations

Listen · 4:39
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Monday

A woman walks in front of the Kremlin on September 23, 2024. U.S. intelligence officials say Russia has embraced artificial intelligence tools to try to sway American voters ahead of the November election.

A woman walks in front of the Kremlin on September 23, 2024. U.S. intelligence officials say Russia has embraced artificial intelligence tools to try to sway American voters ahead of the November election. Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images/AFP/Getty hide caption

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Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images/AFP/Getty

Untangling Disinformation

U.S. officials say Russia is embracing AI for its election influence efforts

The cutting-edge technology makes it easier for Russia as well as Iran to quickly and more convincingly tailor polarizing content aimed at swaying American voters, intelligence officials said.