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US sanctions Russian group over AI-generated election disinformation

Graphic photo illustration of “I Voted” stickers.
Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images

The US has issued sanctions on organizations in Russia and Iran for attempting to interfere with the 2024 presidential election. The Treasury Department said on Tuesday that the groups tried to “stoke socio-political tensions” and influence voters.

One group, the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise, has ties to Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), and built a server to host its own AI tools “to avoid foreign web-hosting services that would block their activity.” The organization then used these tools to “quickly create disinformation” that it spread across dozens of fake online news outlets, while also providing US-based companies with money to maintain its AI server and operate a network of “at least 100 websites” used in its campaign.

Additionally, the Russian organization manipulated a video to “produce baseless accusations concerning a 2024 vice presidential candidate”. In October, the US accused Russia of creating a video that attempted to smear Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz.

The Treasury Department also sanctioned the Cognitive Design Production Center, a subsidiary of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), for planning to interfere with the election “since at least 2023.” In the weeks leading up to the election, the US Department of Justice indicted Iranian nationals accused of waging a cyberattack against President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign, while OpenAI reported banning ChatGPT accounts linked to an Iranian influence operation.

“The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” Bradley Smith, the Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in the press release.

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Author: Emma Roth

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These Cities Will See a Surge in Housing Prices in 2025

A new study has named the American cities where housing prices are expected to skyrocket in 2025.

Housing prices across the country are expected to rise about 3.7 percent next year, according to the study, conducted by Realtor.com; which is commensurate with the yearly increase since 2012. However, there are more than a dozen American cities which are expected to see exorbitant housing increases over the next 12 months. Many of the cities on the list were major metropolitan hubs in larger states, but several of the included regions may surprise you.

Florida is the state which will see the highest volume of increase, claiming five out of the 16 spots on the list. But Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada are expected to suffer the brunt of the increase with cities in four out of the top five spots.

Phoenix, AZ, is the city expected to see the biggest increase in housing costs in 2025. Arizona’s most populous city is expected to see a price increase of 13.2 percent and a sales growth of 12.2 percent, according to the website. Hot on Phoenix’s heels is Colorado Springs, CO, which is expected to see price growth of 12.7 percent and an astonishing sales growth of 27.1 percent. Now’s the time to buy property in Colorado Springs, as the site predicts that housing costs there will double before 2030.

Tucson, AZ, landed third in the ranking, with an expected price growth of 12.4 percent and a nearly identical sales growth of 12.5 percent. Prices in Tuscon won’t be as bad as they are everywhere else, though, considering housing there is roughly 25 percent cheaper than the national average. Boise City, Idaho, took fourth place with an expected 12.3 percent price gross and a rather measly two percent sales growth. Coming fifth was Las Vegas, NV, where prices are expected to rise by 12.3 percent and sales by 5.5 percent.

Rounding out the top 10 were four cities in Florida, as well as a few other spots. Orlando, FL, came in sixth with a projected price growth of 12.1 percent; Ogden, UT, tied with Tampa, FL, for seventh place with both expected to see an 11.8 percent increase; Daytona Beach, FL, came eighth with 11.5 percent; Memphis, TN, ninth with 10.5 percent; and Sarasota, FL, came tenth with an anticipated 10.4 percent increase.

You can see the top 16 cities below or check out the full survey here.

  1. Phoenix, AZ
  2. Colorado Springs, CO
  3. Tucson, AZ
  4. Boise City, ID
  5. Las Vegas, NV
  6. Orlando, FL
  7. Ogden, UT
  8. Tampa, FL
  9. Deltona/Daytona Beach, FL
  10. Memphis, TN
  11. Sarasota, FL
  12. Lakeland, FL
  13. Atlanta, GA
  14. Austin, TX
  15. Durham, NC
  16. San Antonio, TX

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Author: Declan Gallagher