美国国家公共电台 NPR Tracking Shows Russian Meddling Efforts Evolving Ahead Of 2018 Midterms

Tracking Shows Russian Meddling¹ Efforts Evolving Ahead Of 2018 Midterms

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

With the midterm elections approaching, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned on Fox News this week that Russia is trying to meddle² again.

(SOUNDBITE OF FOX NEWS BROADCAST)

REX TILLERSON: I think it's important we just continue to say to Russia, look, if you think we don't see what you're doing, we do see it, and you need to stop.

INSKEEP: Tillerson's boss, President Trump³, has downplayed Russian interference in the 2016 election and said that Russia's president, quote, "means it" when he denies meddling. Other officials say Russia did interfere⁴ and that its methods have evolved. NPR's Tim Mak went behind the scenes with a group tracking the latest tactics.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "HANNITY")

SEAN HANNITY: This makes Watergate like stealing a Snickers bar from a drugstore.

SARA CARTER: Absolutely, and...

TIM MAK, BYLINE⁵: That's Sean Hannity, host of a popular Fox News show, talking about the Nunes memo⁶. It's a document prepared by GOP members of the House intelligence committee that President Trump says vindicates⁷ him in ongoing⁸ investigations⁹. As the debate over whether to release the memo seized Congress, an initiative monitoring Russian influence operations noticed a sharp uptick in the number of automated¹⁰ Twitter bots pushing the #ReleaseTheMemo hashtag.

BRET SCHAFER: ...At a level we have not seen with any other topic.

MAK: That's Bret Schafer, an analyst¹¹ for Hamilton 68, a bipartisan project backed by the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Schafer says #ReleaseTheMemo was an instance of Russian-linked networks trying to erode¹² faith in American institutions. Hamilton 68 is led by an unlikely pair - Laura Rosenberger...

LAURA ROSENBERGER: I was Hillary Clinton's foreign policy adviser¹³ during her 2016 presidential campaign, and before that I worked...

MAK: ...And Jamie Fly.

JAMIE FLY: I was Marco Rubio's foreign policy adviser in the Senate and worked with him as his adviser during his presidential campaign.

MAK: Starting six months ago, the project identified and monitored 600 Twitter accounts linked to Russian influence operations. Here's Fly discussing the primary purpose of these networks.

FLY: These are not networks that are necessarily pushing always traditional propaganda. A lot of it is actually just trying to rip apart Americans, to sow chaos¹⁴ within our political system, to pit Americans of both parties against each other.

MAK: The Hamilton 68 project saw a lot of Kremlin-linked activity on recent controversies¹⁵ like NFL players kneeling during the national anthem¹⁶, the Charlottesville protests and the immigration debate swirling¹⁷ around DACA. Here's Rosenberger.

ROSENBERGER: We have now realized that an adversary¹⁸ has discovered significant vulnerabilities that can be exploited, and we need to really wrestle¹⁹ with taking steps to make sure that those vulnerabilities can't be exploited and that the real potential of, you know, social media platforms can be sort of maximized.

MAK: But the Russian influence networks are now doing more than just creating chaos. They are pushing Russian propaganda to Americans using intriguing²⁰ techniques.

SCHAFER: Oftentimes we see topics that really have no importance to Moscow or any of their interests. They're just shared and - as a way of gaining an audience.

MAK: Schafer said he noticed the trend when he saw a number of Russian-linked accounts start tweeting about #MondayMotivation and #WednesdayWisdom popular hashtags used by actual Americans on Twitter. They were mixed in with content about Syria and Ukraine, two countries where Russia is involved with military interventions²¹. It is, in essence, a Russian social media marketing²² technique using trending topics to get eyeballs on their core message.

SCHAFER: If they just started shouting about Syria or Ukraine, less people would see it and would be less effective.

MAK: Senator Mark Warner is the top Democrat²³ on the Senate intelligence committee. Addressing the fact that there are still no serious efforts to combat these influence networks, he is pessimistic.

MARK WARNER: This is really an ongoing national security issue, and I don't think we've come up with a legislative²⁴ or policy solution yet that fully²⁵ gets it right.

MAK: Talking to Fox News this week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged that Russia's methods are evolving.

(SOUNDBITE OF FOX NEWS BROADCAST)

TILLERSON: The point is, if it's their intention to interfere, they're going find ways to do that, and...

MAK: And, he added, it's going to be difficult to stop. Tim Mak, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF LOSCIL'S "BLEEDING INK")

1 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

2 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

7 vindicates   

n.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的名词复数 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的第三人称单数 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护

参考例句：

• The success of the operation completely vindicates my faith in the doctor. 手术的成功完全证明我对这大夫的信任是正确的。 来自辞典例句
• In one sense the verdict vindicates the Bush administration. 在某种意义上，有罪宣判证明了布什当局是正确的。 来自互联网

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

10 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

11 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

12 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

13 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

14 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

15 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

16 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

17 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

18 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

19 wrestle   

vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付

参考例句：

• He taught his little brother how to wrestle.他教他小弟弟如何摔跤。
• We have to wrestle with difficulties.我们必须同困难作斗争。

20 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网

22 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

23 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

24 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

25 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。