The hottest Foreign influence Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top World Politics Topics

The Foreign Money Behind America’s Anti-War Protests

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 746 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. Leftist activists quickly mobilized large anti-war protests after U.S. strikes on Iran, using the same slogans and tactics seen in recent anti‑ICE and anti‑Israel rallies.
  2. The ANSWER Coalition functions as an umbrella for far‑left groups, coordinating a demonstration‑industrial ecosystem where organizations share infrastructure, messaging, and reach to produce disruptive rallies.
  3. Many of these organizations are tied to hostile foreign actors, including Chinese‑backed networks, which raises concerns about outside funding, coordination, and possible legal or ethical problems.

How Politicians Smear The World, Vol. 1: The Contract

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 5125 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign influence
  1. A party-linked think tank hired APCO to run an offensive campaign against reporters, using human intelligence, forensic accounting, media packaging, and “stakeholder outreach” to target their work and networks.
  2. The operation fed outlets and intelligence channels misleading claims and used legal and cyber scare tactics that caused papers to kill stories and left reporters facing lost work and investigations.
  3. Those methods mirror long-standing smear and reputation-management playbooks tied to Russia-scare tactics, revealing industry hypocrisy and prompting a government inquiry and calls for resignations.

Brits Spied on Me, According to Memo Marked “STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL”

The DisInformation Chronicle • 625 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign influence
  1. Labour Party operatives hired a PR firm to investigate several journalists, sparking a political scandal that led to a resignation and a formal government inquiry.
  2. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) was a small UK-based group tied to Labour Together and British political operatives, yet it gained outsized influence in U.S. media and government through opaque relationships and funding.
  3. Investigative reporting and leaked internal documents, aided by a whistleblower, triggered official actions including deportation proceedings and raised fresh concerns about cross-border influence and attempts to shape or censor public discourse.

Zionist Billionaires Openly Acknowledge Manipulating The US Government

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2496 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. Two wealthy pro-Israel donors openly suggested they use large donations and undisclosed tactics to influence U.S. politicians, while refusing to explain the details.
  2. They framed political contributions as a way to buy access and shape policy, making clear that those who give more get more influence over decisions affecting Israel.
  3. The situation is presented as an example of how powerful moneyed interests can undermine democratic control, leaving ordinary voters with little real influence over government actions.

The US was always the Weakest Western Country

Erik Examines • 1702 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. Having the best weapons doesn’t make a country strong if its government, institutions, and media are corrupt or weak.
  2. A capitalist system that lets money buy politics and media makes the country vulnerable to foreign influence and exploitation.
  3. Propaganda and social media can seize a nation without firing a shot, so rebuilding strength requires removing money from politics, enforcing transparency, and supporting public or non-profit media.
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Israel expanded propaganda contract with Trump's former campaign manager

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 1139 implied HN points • 07 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. Brad Parscale’s firm Clock Tower X expanded a U.S. propaganda contract for the Israeli government to $9 million and is working through intermediaries like HAVAS.
  2. The operation runs at least nine branded websites and channels to push pro‑Israel messaging across culture, economics, technology, and 'fact‑checking,' and it even targets AI/GPT framing.
  3. Some brands carry aggressive information‑warfare tactics—targeting Christian audiences, trying to influence Wikipedia, and amplifying content on platforms like YouTube—while disclosing distribution by Clock Tower X for the State of Israel.

It's 2024: Are We Going To Make It?

Emerald Robinson’s The Right Way • 6130 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. America is seen as a post-constitutional nation by some, with the federal government having no clear limitations.
  2. There are concerns about the infiltration of communism in American society, with examples like rigged elections and foreign interference.
  3. The urgency for unity and support for independent journalism is emphasized as a means to combat perceived threats and challenges.

When Government Decides What You Can Read (Part 1)

Who is Robert Malone • 12 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. The White House ran a sustained, well-documented campaign pressuring major tech platforms to remove or downrank COVID‑related content, and that campaign was executed day-to-day by political digital operatives who targeted scientists and conservative commentators.
  2. A British nonprofit, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, provided target lists used by the administration, meaning a foreign partisan organization helped shape which American voices were flagged for suppression.
  3. Lower courts found likely government coercion, but the Supreme Court dismissed the case on standing, leaving the central First Amendment question unresolved and showing how procedural rulings can prevent accountability for executive actions.

"Beautiful USA", operated from Romania

Conspirador Norteño • 28 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. Many US-themed Facebook pages are run from outside the United States, with administrators in various countries and only a minority based in the U.S.
  2. They mainly publish AI-generated patriotic images and plagiarized photos, often duplicating content across pages and stuffing posts with hashtags to boost engagement.
  3. Several pages intermittently share right-leaning political content, which suggests the network may be trying to promote conservative views rather than just distribute image spam.

X Just Accidentally Exposed A Vast Covert Influence Network Targeting Americans

Weaponized • 395 implied HN points • 24 Nov 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. A new feature on X showed that many accounts pretending to be American supporters are actually from other countries. This raises alarms about foreign influence on U.S. politics.
  2. Some of these foreign accounts were promoting pro-Trump messages while pretending to be local Americans. This tactic is similar to what Russia did in the 2016 election.
  3. The discovery is a wake-up call about ongoing foreign influence in U.S. political discussions. It makes people more cautious about believing everything they see online.

Exclusive: Republicans Accuse Climate Groups of Doing China’s ‘Dirty Work’ in the U.S.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 227 implied HN points • 16 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. Twenty-six Republican state attorneys general asked the Justice Department to investigate whether two climate-focused nonprofits failed to disclose lobbying or acting on behalf of China.
  2. The complaint cites evidence that the Energy Foundation China and the Center for Climate Integrity may have acted as unregistered agents, pointing to EFC’s Beijing office and staff who previously worked for Chinese government climate agencies.
  3. Those groups present themselves as U.S. tax-exempt organizations working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but Republicans say their ties to China raise concerns about foreign influence on U.S. energy policy.

How New York Became a Hotbed of Chinese Meddling

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 222 implied HN points • 12 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. Rep. Elise Stefanik says Governor Kathy Hochul has allowed the Chinese Communist Party to gain widespread political influence in New York, and she escalated the claim by co-writing a formal letter with Rep. Jim Jordan.
  2. Lawmakers allege New York has become a national epicenter for CCP election interference, political intimidation, and systematic violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and other federal laws.
  3. They argue growing evidence means state and federal authorities must take aggressive, coordinated action, and the dispute has intensified as officials prepare for the upcoming governor’s race.

February 16, 2026

Letters from an American • 28 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. He is actively trying to put his name on public places and products to profit, from trademarking airport names and merch to pushing renamings and even seeking a Mount Rushmore legacy.
  2. His family and businesses have been heavily enriched during his presidency—experts estimate billions in gains and big deals like the UAE crypto investment that raise clear conflicts of interest.
  3. Norms and checks on presidential power have weakened as partisan loyalty to him has grown, enabling withholding or redirection of government funds and other favors that echo warnings about concentrating power.

How China Highjacked America’s Climate Fears

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 700 implied HN points • 04 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. China is reportedly funding climate advocacy groups in the U.S. to weaken American energy production. This funding is seen as a strategy to hurt the U.S. economy from within.
  2. Some lawmakers believe that this financial support leads to numerous lawsuits against energy companies, which aim to drain their resources and disrupt operations.
  3. The debate over these actions often gets politicized, with some claiming it's a conspiracy while others highlight real concerns about foreign influence in American affairs.

January 31, 2026

Letters from an American • 39 implied HN points • 01 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. Some current leaders are arguing that immigrants and working people should be treated as a permanent foreign labor class without full political rights, an idea that echoes the 19th-century “mud-sill” caste theory.
  2. Powerful elites and officials are showing signs of acting with impunity—through secret financial deals, connections to abuse networks, and heavy-handed federal force—while also trying to recast victims or protesters as the real threat.
  3. There is active resistance to that hierarchical vision: legal rulings, public protests, and unexpected election results show many Americans pushing back in defense of equal political rights and the free-labor ideal.

Election Exclusive: British Advisors to Kamala Harris Hope to "Kill Musk's Twitter"

The DisInformation Chronicle • 2465 implied HN points • 22 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. A group of British advisors is working with Kamala Harris to undermine Elon Musk's Twitter. They plan to do this by attacking its advertising revenue and promoting censorship.
  2. The Center for Countering Digital Hate, linked to these advisors, has been active in U.S. politics, attempting to influence legislation and public perception about misinformation online.
  3. There are concerns about the legality of the CCDH's actions, especially since they may violate rules for tax-exempt organizations by engaging in substantial lobbying efforts.

A Dying Françafrique?

An Africanist Perspective • 949 implied HN points • 22 Feb 23
🌍 World Politics Foreign influence
  1. France's influence in its former African colonies is declining significantly, with protests against the CFA currency and reminders of colonial history weakening French ties.
  2. France is no longer the dominant power in francophone Africa, as China has become the largest trade partner and countries like Central African Republic and Mali are forging closer security ties with Russia.
  3. The erosion of economic dependency, the rise of new major power competitors, and the decline in voting similarity between France and its African colonies are key factors in the declining French influence in the region.

House Report on EU Censorship and Election Interference

Who is Robert Malone • 12 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. European regulators built a decade-long censorship apparatus—using forums, voluntary codes, and the Digital Services Act—to pressure major tech platforms to change their global content-moderation rules.
  2. Those platform-wide rule changes led to the suppression of lawful political speech, including American content, and regulators actively pushed companies to act ahead of elections, shaping what people could see and say online.
  3. U.S. lawmakers view this extraterritorial pressure as a threat to American free speech and are pursuing legislative steps to protect online speech and national sovereignty.

Free Press Investigations Get Results

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2735 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Foreign influence
  1. DEI initiatives are being scaled back and in some cases shut down in various states, leading to significant reform efforts in higher education
  2. An imam in Gaza who was kidnapped by Hamas was successfully released due to public pressure and challenges to Hamas' legitimacy
  3. A New York City school apologized for removing Israel from a map, sparking discussions on bias, hate, antisemitism, and foreign influence in education

Our philanthropists and their oligarchs

Wrong Side of History • 389 implied HN points • 25 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. Elon Musk is being criticized for influencing European politics, especially in Britain and Germany. Some politicians worry that his social media power can spread misinformation and support extreme causes.
  2. There are calls for stricter rules on political donations to prevent foreign billionaires like Musk from affecting elections. Groups like Best for Britain say we need to protect our democratic system from outside influence.
  3. Some think tanks want to limit how much one person can donate to political parties. They believe this will help stop British politics from becoming too much like American politics.

The Bonfire of the Sanities

The Cosmopolitan Globalist • 20 implied HN points • 12 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. Social media and the attention economy reward outrage and quick hits, which has polarized people, eroded a shared sense of reality, and weakened slow, careful thinking.
  2. Foreign influence operations exploited those divisions, with outside actors amplifying discord and helping elect leaders who undermined democratic norms and America's role in the world.
  3. Trust in institutions and expertise has collapsed while mass delusion and craving for certainty grew, allowing populist leaders and propaganda to replace reasoned public debate and threaten civic stability.

The Biden Money Laundering Operation

The Reactionary • 212 implied HN points • 10 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign influence
  1. The House Oversight Committee discovered a complex money laundering scheme involving the Biden family and foreign companies.
  2. Payments over $10 million were made to Biden family members, with funds structured to conceal their origins.
  3. The investigation also revealed significant financial involvement with foreign entities, particularly from China, and highlighted the need for further scrutiny.