Election News
As Harris Moves To Secure The Democratic Nomination, Misinformation Follows Soon After Online
Within minutes of President Joe Biden endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him on the Democratic Party’s ticket on Sunday, the internet erupted with lies, distorted photographs, and other false allegations about Harris.
Some fans of former President Donald Trump, the Republican contender for the November election, even claimed Biden was the victim of a coup.
Meanwhile, a flurry of slickly crafted pro-Harris videos soon spread on social media as her supporters attempted to capitalize on the situation.
The venom and counter-punches are a likely preview of the remaining three months of the presidential race when a fierce battle to mold and destroy Harris’ image will take place at a time when social media companies have reduced disinformation controls.
“As Kamala Harris becomes more likely to be the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee and gains more public attention, the amount of disinformation and misleading rhetoric will increase exponentially,” Erik Nisbet, a professor at Northwestern University’s School of Communication, told CNN.
Harris | CNN
As Harris Moves To Secure The Democratic Nomination, Misinformation Follows Soon After Online
On X, owner Elon Musk fueled an antisemitic conspiracy theory by responding to a photo of Harris with Alexander Soros, son of billionaire megadonor George Soros, by implying that Harris was a “puppet” of the family. Musk embraced Trump this month, sharing pro-Trump content with almost 190 million followers.
Photoshopped photographs of Harris have also surfaced. One photo of Harris smiling with her husband was altered to make it appear like the vice president was posing with Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier and accused sex trafficker.
In the hours following Biden’s revelation, the hashtag “She’s Indian” trended on X, with some users spreading a false rumor about Harris being “not Black” (Harris’ mother was born in India and her father in Jamaica).
PeakMetrics, a social media analytics firm, examined approximately 175,000 posts on X between 6 and 7 p.m. ET on Sunday that addressed Harris about Biden’s statement and discovered that 8.3% of the postings used “racialized” language, while 4.5% used “sexualized” language.
Biden’s likeness was also utilized following his announcement, which was made via a social media post rather than a broadcast address. A bogus, expletive-laden video purporting to show Biden announcing his decision to withdraw from the race began circulating on X.
PBS News, whose logo appeared in the video, issued a statement labeling it a ” deep fake,” adding, “PBS News did not authorize the use of this video, and we do not condone altering news video or audio in any way that could mislead the audience.”
Pro-Harris videos flooded TikTok, with many citing a coconut joke that has become synonymous with support for her candidacy. (In 2023, Harris delivered a speech on expanding chances for Hispanic Americans that featured a statement attributed to her mother on understanding the context of young people’s lives: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”) One TikTok video, a compilation of Harris memes, had almost 712,000 likes and 73,000 shares.
Harris’ crew has also embraced a popular post by British pop singer Charli XCX, who referred to Harris as a “brat,” a phrase encompassing women’s and LGBTQ+ empowerment.
As Harris Moves To Secure The Democratic Nomination, Misinformation Follows Soon After Online
Russian official media also quickly responded to Biden’s decision to withdraw. Sputnik, one of several pro-Kremlin mouthpieces, wrongly claimed in a tweet that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had been a “curse” to Biden.
“I don’t think Kremlin-aligned accounts will drive conversations related to this news,” said Joseph Bodnar, a researcher who studies pro-Kremlin media for CNN. “But they’re certainly happy to boost divisive domestic narratives.”
“Imagine being a foreign disinfo/information operations actor trying to compete with the actual news this election cycle,” joked Shane Huntley, a cyber threat intelligence expert at Google, on X.
SOURCE | CNN
Election News
Trudeau Determined to Avoid Early Election After NDP Coalition Ended
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasised he does not want an early election and said he will want to work with his former partner just hours after the New Democratic Party (NDP) withdrew from an agreement it had with the current Liberal Party Government.
“I look forward to conversations with Mr. (Jagmeet) Singh about how we’re going to continue to demonstrate that confident countries invest in their citizens, invest in their future, because that’s what we’re doing,” Trudeau said, addressing the media in the town of Rocky Harbour, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. That declaration came shortly after Jagmeet Singh, who has been in power since March 2022, declared his party was leaving the Supply and Confidence Agreement.
As in previous years, Trudeau continued, “I’ll let others focus on politics, but I will point out that I really hope the NDP stays focused on how we can deliver for Canadians, rather than focusing on politics.”
With Trudeau’s party in the minority in the Commons, the opposition Conservative Party is preparing to call for an early election through the possibility of a no-confidence resolution when the House reconvenes on September 18.
The timing of the motion is still unknown, according to reports from Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party, who stated, “At this time, we don’t have a calendar to indicate when we can put forward a motion.”
“After Sellout Singh did this stunt today, he is going to have to vote on whether he keeps Justin Trudeau’s costly Government in power,” he stated, putting further pressure on the NDP.
“I certainly hope that the NDP will stay true to its fundamental values, which is making sure that Canadians get the support they need and keeping away from the austerity, the cuts, and the damage that will be done by Conservatives if they get the chance,” stated Trudeau, expressing optimism that early elections can be avoided.
October 2025 will see Canadian federal elections, but Trudeau’s Liberals only have 154 members of the 338-member House. It had made it through until Wednesday morning thanks to the backing of the 25-member NDP caucus.
Posting a video message on Wednesday, Singh claimed to have “ripped up” the accord and stated that “Canadians are fighting a battle.” A struggle for the middle class’s future. Justin Trudeau has often demonstrated his willingness to give up to corporate greed. People feel let down by the Liberals. From Canadians, they don’t deserve another opportunity.
The news coincided with the Trudeau Government’s severe unpopularity, which has negatively impacted the NDP. The non-profit public polling organisation Angus Reid Institute, or ARI, released a survey indicating that the Conservatives have 43% of the vote, a significant 22% lead over the ruling party.
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Justin Trudeau Hellbent on Destroying Canada
Election News
Kamala Harris Challenges Donald Trump to Transparent Debate with Live Microphones
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for the US presidential election in November, called on her Republican opponent Donald Trump to debate her with their microphones turned on during the event.
Kamala Harris and the former president have agreed to debate on September 10th, which will be hosted by ABC News.
“Donald Trump is giving in to his aides, who refuse to allow him to debate with a live microphone. “If his own team doesn’t believe in him, the American people certainly won’t,” Kamala Harris wrote on X.
“We’re running for President of the United States. Let’s have a transparent debate, with microphones on the whole time.”
Trump has stated that he prefers to keep his microphone on and did not like it muted at the last debate against then-candidate Joe Biden.
So-called “hot mics” can help or hinder political campaigns by recording off-hand comments that were not intended for the public. Muted microphones also restrict debaters from interrupting their opponents.
A spokeswoman from ABC did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The discussion would be the first between Harris and Trump since Biden stepped out of the presidential race following a dismal performance at a CNN debate in June that prompted concerns about his mental acuity.
Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, and JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, have agreed to a CBS News debate on October 1.
ORIGINAL STORY: Why Kamala Harris Campaign is fighting for Unmuted Debate Mics
Some experts believe the Trump campaign’s eagerness to maintain the muting rule for the Kamala Harris debate on September 10 is because to the great reception he received in June for a more controlled performance than many had anticipated versus Mr Biden. In practice, it rendered interruptions impossible.
The former president, on the other hand, appears unconcerned with the regulation, and has even contradicted his own team’s statements advocating for its continuation. “[It] does not matter to me. I’d prefer to have [the microphones] turned on,” he stated on Monday.
“But we agreed that it would be the same as the last time. “In that case, it was muted,” he explained.
Trump announced on social media Tuesday afternoon that he had “reached an agreement” with ABC for the September 10 debate. He did not mention mics in the post, but did say that the “rules will be the same as the last CNN debate,” which included muted mics.
In the article, he also accused the network of being “unfair,” but added that his team had been guaranteed that the debate would be “fair and equitable.”
With only two weeks until the debate, the Kamala Harris team wants to change the agreed-upon regulations so that both candidates’ microphones are unmuted during the event. What do they believe they will benefit from this change?
More broadly, they feel it has the potential to show viewers an unfiltered, even irritable, Trump, who will be audible throughout Kamala Harris’s speech.
“Our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own,” said Kamala Harris’s spokeswoman.
Election News
Why Kamala Harris Campaign is fighting for Unmuted Debate Mics
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are scheduled to face battle in their first presidential debate next month, but the campaigns are still fighting about logistics, specifically microphones.
Trump’s campaign is advocating for microphones to be muted when it is the other person’s turn to speak. Joe Biden originally requested this regulation as the Democratic candidate.
Trump’s team eventually consented to the request, which was clearly an attempt by Biden’s campaign to limit disruptions. (The pair’s turbulent first 2020 debate was marked by numerous interruptions, with Mr. Biden finally shouting at his rival: “Will you shut up, man?”)
Kamala Harris Campaign Advocates for Unmuted Mics: Potential Advantages
Some experts believe the Trump campaign’s eagerness to maintain the muting rule for the Kamala Harris debate on September 10 is because to the great reception he received in June for a more controlled performance than many had anticipated versus Mr Biden. In practice, it rendered interruptions impossible.
The former president, on the other hand, appears unconcerned with the regulation, and has even contradicted his own team’s statements advocating for its continuation. “[It] does not matter to me. I’d prefer to have [the microphones] turned on,” he stated on Monday.
“But we agreed that it would be the same as the last time. “In that case, it was muted,” he explained.
Trump announced on social media Tuesday afternoon that he had “reached an agreement” with ABC for the September 10 debate. He did not mention mics in the post, but did say that the “rules will be the same as the last CNN debate,” which included muted mics.
In the article, he also accused the network of being “unfair,” but added that his team had been guaranteed that the debate would be “fair and equitable.”
With only two weeks until the debate, the Harris team wants to change the agreed-upon regulations so that both candidates’ microphones are unmuted during the event. What do they believe they will benefit from this change?
More broadly, they feel it has the potential to show viewers an unfiltered, even irritable, Trump, who will be audible throughout Kamala Harris’s speech.
“Our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own,” said Kamala Harris’s spokeswoman.
Source: BBC
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