Shredding the Putin playbook; Bush 43: Russia meddled; Russian hackers wish list, and more

Shredding the Putin playbook (Laura Rosenberger and Jamie Fly, Democracy)
Using social media, tech platforms and cyber weapons, the Russian government is running a sophisticated campaign to undermine faith in America’s democratic institutions, assist extremists on both the left and right, polarize Americans, and poison policy debates. Six crucial steps we must take on cyber-security—before it’s too late.

Russia: meddling while Europe votes (Simon Kuper, Financial Times)
Putin has found disinformation a cheaper and arguably more effective route to influence than tanks or foreign investments. And Putin’s hacking and disinformation campaign is working – just look at the United States. For Europeans, America is offering a cautionary lesson: how to let Russian interference succeed by turning it into a partisan issue. Most Republicans are acting as if the problem isn’t Russian meddling in the 2016 election but the FBI’s handling of it.

Bush 43 says Russia meddled in 2016 U.S. election (Associated Press)
“There’s pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled,” Bush said at a talk in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. “Whether they affected the outcome is another question.” Bush also said that “it’s problematic that a foreign nation is involved in our election system. Our democracy is only as good as people trust the results.”

Fake news and bots target author of Democratic memo (Bethania Palma, Snopes)
California Democrat Adam Schiff is the latest target of the disinformation campaign. The decision by Republican lawmakers, including President Trump, to release the Republican memo authored by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) was precipitated by a relentless social media campaign utilizing the hashtag #ReleaseTheMemo. The campaign was heavily promoted by the same proponents of disinformation now targeting Schiff.