Extra, Extra

Feeding, and Speeding, the Trolls: “Once hundreds of those A.I. agents were let loose, they autonomously opened networks of fake accounts on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok, the officials and security researchers said. The agents then rapidly seeded the fake accounts with false posts about politics and current events to sway opinions and inflame issues.” The strategy isn’t new. But the scale and speed of the deployments are increasing. Iran and China Create First-of-Their-Kind Autonomous A.I. Influence Campaigns.

+ Fuel’s Errand: Gas prices approach highest level this year with just weeks to go before midterms. As I mentioned earlier this week, the core issue of the midterms will be affordability. Fuel’s Errand.

+ Carte Banche: AP: Attorney General Blanche blurs Justice Department boundaries by appearing at political events. (I’m mostly linking to this because of the absurd use of the word blurs. The line has been chewed up and shat out.)

+ Deals with the Devil: “A strike on a train that imperiled former European leaders and CIA officers is among a spate of attacks that risked a dangerous escalation with the West.” WaPo (Gift Article): String of daring Russian plots is testing Washington’s restraint. Meanwhile… Trump Wants Putin to End the War. He May Offer Russia Business Deals First.

+ Duncan Sheik: “Duncan Sheik, an introspective singer-songwriter whose alt-pop hit ‘Barely Breathing’ became a Generation X touchstone, but who squirmed under the label of MTV heartthrob and eventually decamped to Broadway, winning two Tonys for composing the smash musical ‘Spring Awakening,’ died on Thursday in Manhattan. He was 56.”

+ He’s Killing It: Kennedy tells anti-vaccine activists they have a friend in Trump’s White House. “Let me be clear: You have a strong and steadfast friend in the White House. We’ve accomplished in 19 months things that would have seemed unthinkable two years ago.” (Given the spread of measles, etc, they’re even more unthinkable today…)