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Published 5 June 2023

·  These Activists Distrust Voting Machines. Just Don’t Call Them Election Deniers.
As election activists rally against new voting machines, they are drifting into territory now dominated by conspiracy theorists

·  Trump-Funded Studies Disputing Election Fraud Are Focus in Two Probes
The then-president’s campaign hired two firms to prove voter fraud, but none was ever found

·  AI Is Being Used to ‘Turbocharge’ Scams
Criminals using artificial intelligence tools to “turbocharge” fraud and scams

·  The End of the Silicon Valley Dream
How the home of big tech lost its way

·  What Will Stop AI from Flooding the Internet with Fake Images?
Google, Adobe, Microsoft, and other tech companies are trying new ways to label content made by AI

·  If the Government Has UFO Crash Materials, It’s Time to Reveal Them
The benefits to humanity outweigh the fear of discovering we’re not alone in the universe

·  Chinese Citizens at the Southern Border, Explained
Thousands of Chinese nationals are trekking through Latin America to seek asylum in the U.S.

·  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Tests the Conspiratorial Appetite of Democrats
One of the most famous living descendants of the most famous American political dynasty shows early strength against Biden in polls

These Activists Distrust Voting Machines. Just Don’t Call Them Election Deniers.  (Stuart A. Thompson, New York Times)
Election integrity advocates now find themselves in an uncomfortable position, pushing for election security while sometimes amplifying claims made most vocally by conspiracy theorists, including those involved in the so-called Stop the Steal movement.
Some election activists warn that election machines could be hacked or compromised, for example, while some conspiracy theorists say, without evidence, that those hacks have already taken place. Election officials say no hacks have taken place.
Misinformation watchdogs say that the somewhat overlapping arguments illustrate another consequence of Mr. Trump’s false and exaggerated voter fraud claims, which have led to doubts about election integrity among a wide swath of the American public. Election integrity advocate fear that their work may become too closely tied to conspiracy theorists and Mr. Trump’s cause, making potential allies, like progressives, wary of joining the fight.
Misinformation watchdogs say that the two movements could erode trust in American elections even further, intentionally or not, because conspiracy theorists tend to exaggerate legitimate criticisms to rile up supporters and raise questions about the entire electoral system.

Trump-Funded Studies Disputing Election Fraud Are Focus in Two Probes  (Josh Dawsey and Amy Gardner, Washington Post)
The decision by then-President Donald Trump’s campaign to spend more than $1 million for two firms to study whether electoral fraud occurred in the 2020 election has become an increasing focus of federal and state investigators in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.
In recent days, the district attorney in Georgia’s Fulton County has asked both firms to provide research and data as investigators intensify their probe into Trump’s attempt to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
In addition, on the federal level, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith is questioning witnesses about the companies’ work and has obtained hundreds of pages of emails and research, two people familiar with the matter said.
What prosecutors have sought to show, according to people who have been questioned, is that Trump and aides willfully ignored evidence in their push to raise money and overturn the election, and that a panoply of advisers had access to the data. The evidence is compelling to prosecutors because it is not neutral or third-party groups saying that Trump lost, but instead analysts whose work Trump’s own team commissioned and funded.