OUR PICKSAntisemitic Attacks over Hurricane Helene Response | The Threat from Unlawful Private Militias | An Old Clash Heats Up Over Oppenheimer’s Red Ties, and more

Officials Face Antisemitic Attacks over Hurricane Helene Response  (Will Oremus and Maxine Joselow, Washinton Post)
Report finds Elon Musk’s X is fueling conspiracy theories that risk undermining rescue efforts and preparations for Hurricane Milton.
Report finds Elon Musk’s X is fueling conspiracy theories that risk undermining rescue efforts and preparations for Hurricane Milton.

FEMA Administrator Continues Pushback Against False Claims as Helene Death Toll Hits 230  (AP / VOA News)
Misinformation has spread over the past week in communities hit the hardest by Helene, including that the federal government is intentionally withholding aid to people in Republican areas. Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have questioned FEMA’s response and falsely claimed that its funding is going to migrants or foreign wars.

Tampa Bay Braces for What Could Be Strongest Storm in a Century (Lori Rozsa, Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Bryan Pietsch, Washinton Post)
Hurricane Milton’s current track threatens to strike one of the most vulnerable and populated stretches of U.S. coastline

Top 10 Election Litigation Cases in 2024 Implicating the Rule of Law  (Norman L. Eisen, Samara Angel and Clare Boone, Just Security)
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, hundreds of election-related lawsuits brought across the country present a complex litigation landscape well before all ballots are cast and counted.

For U.S. Adversaries, Election Day Won’t Mean End to Efforts to Influence Americans  (AP / VOA News)
Despite all the attention on efforts to spread disinformation in the months before the Nov. 5 election, the hours and days immediately after voting ends could offer foreign adversaries like Russia, Iran and China or domestic extremist groups the best chance to mess with America’s decision.
That’s when Americans will go online to see the latest results or share their opinions as the votes are tabulated. And that’s when a fuzzy photo or AI-generated video of supposed vote tampering could do its most damage, potentially transforming online outrage into real-world action before authorities have time to investigate the facts.
It’s a threat taken seriously by intelligence analysts, elected officials and tech executives.

The Threat from Unlawful Private Militias Has Evolved. The Federal Government’s Response Must Evolve Too.  (Mary B. McCord and Jacob Glick, Just Security)
The investigations and prosecutions arising from the January 6, 2021 insurrection exposed the key role played by paramilitary groups in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. In particular, the leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy and other charges, highlighting the severity of the threat they posed to our democracy in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, when they answered then President Donald Trump’s call to overturn his election loss. Increased scrutiny of these paramilitary groups by the U.S. government, aided by independent online sleuths, has successfully degraded the national extremist networks responsible for assaulting the Capitol.

North Carolina Changes Election Rules to Help Voters Hit by Hurricane Helene(Reuters / VOA News)
The changes approved unanimously by the North Carolina State Board of Elections will give flexibility to local election officials as they try to ensure that residents in the mountainous western part of the state will be able to vote, even as roads and communications networks remain disrupted.

Donald Trump Is Preparing an Assault on America’s Immigration System  (Economist)
The divide between the two candidates on migration is stark, but it has narrowed.