On the eve of an election, the social media platform X quietly suspended about two dozen accounts linked to a Russian propaganda syndicate known as Storm-1516. On the surface, that sounds like good news—a last-minute crackdown, a win for the defenders of democracy. But the closer you look, the more complicated it becomes. The suspensions did not happen in a vacuum. They came as a wave of fabricated stories was washing through the feeds of voters in three states, targeting Democratic candidates in competitive Senate races. James Talarico in Texas and Sherrod Brown in Ohio were both hit with false…

In the dust and ruin of Gaza, Shrouq Aila is trying to hold on to the memory of the man she loved, a man whose name is now being dragged through a political battle thousands of miles away. Roshdi Sarraj was a Palestinian journalist who had worked with Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC, since 2018. He was killed by an Israeli strike in October 2023, leaving behind an 11-month-old daughter and a widow who is herself an award-winning journalist. But instead of being allowed to grieve in peace, Shrouq has had to confront a new attack: a senior Australian opposition…