The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a homeland threat assessment on Oct. 6 that identified violent white supremacy as “the most persistent and lethal threat in the Homeland” and Russia as the primary spreader of disinformation in the United States in a report released on October 6. The reporthomeland threat assessment—the first of its kind for the DHS—details a variety of threats to the United States, ranging from violent extremism to efforts to undermine the election. The report notes that since 2018, white supremacists have conducted more lethal attacks in the United States than any other domestic violent extremist movement and have “demonstrated longstanding intent” to target racial and religious minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community, among others. It also concludes that Russia “is the likely primary covert influence actor and purveyor of disinformation and misinformation,” warning that Russian influence actors continue to aggravate social and racial tensions and stoke political resentment in the United States in order to weaken the U.S. and undermine trust in domestic institutions.
via lawfareblog: DHS Warns of White Supremacy Threat, Russian Disinformation in New Report