*By Carlo Versano*
A sophisticated hacking network with ties to Russian intelligence created fake versions of websites for several conservative think tank and U.S. government-affiliated groups in a spear-phishing scheme to gain control of visitors' computers, according to Microsoft's Digital Crime Unit, which announced it had uncovered and disabled the sites in a [blog post](https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2018/08/20/we-are-taking-new-steps-against-broadening-threats-to-democracy/) Tuesday.
There is no evidence that any successful attacks were executed using this method, Microsoft said in the post.
Among the targets by the group ー known as APT28 or Fancy Bear ー were the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington and the State Dept-affiliated non-profit International Republican Institute (IRI). Microsoft also detected a site designed to look like one of its own pages. The other fake sites were built to appear affiliated with the U.S. Senate, Microsoft said.
The report from Microsoft appears to confirm two things: contrary to President Trump's comments in Helsinki in July, the Russian government remains actively involved in attempting to influence American politics as the midterm elections approach; and the tech industry is more committed to identifying and disabling foreign influence campaigns.
Daniel Twining, the president of IRI, [said](https://twitter.com/DCTwining/status/1031884350919458816) his group had been the target of a, "sophisticated Kremlin cyberattack. Another example of how Putin's Russia weaponizes its assault on democratic actors & institutions in the West."
Kenneth Weinstein, the president of the Hudson Institute, [tweeted](https://twitter.com/KenWeinstein/status/1031862589251379202) on Tuesday that he was "deeply proud" of the work that "got us targeted by the GRU," Russia's spy organization.
Microsoft president Brad Smith told the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/us/politics/russia-cyber-hack.html) that, based on the groups being targeted, the hacking seems to be an extension of Putin's effort to subvert Western democracy. Both the Hudson Institute and IRI have ties to establishment Republicans who have been openly critical of Trump.
Following the surprising big beat on estimates for the January jobs report, William M. Rodgers III, vice president and director of the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, joined Cheddar News to break down the data. “We ended 2021 with a strong crescendo to a recovery that had taken hold, and we started 2022 in good fashion." He also discussed the dueling pressures of wage growth and inflation.
Jessica Mason Pieklo, senior vice president and executive editor of the Rewired News Group and co-host of the podcast. "Boom! Lawyered," joins Cheddar Politics to discuss Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement, legacy and potential replacement on the Supreme Court.
The Biden administration delivered a temporary win for student loan borrowers this year by extending the moratorium on federal payments for a few more months. That moratorium is coming to an end on May 1st and borrowers will again have their monthly loan payment plopped in their lap.
Stephanie Vanderslice, a creative writing professor paying off debt through the Parent Plus program, and Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, join Cheddar Politics to discuss.
2022 was already going to be a big year for the Supreme Court. We have decisions on major issues like abortion and gun rights on the way. Then, Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement and that set up a major confirmation fight for later this year. Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss.
The Labor Department released a better-than-expected report of 467,000 jobs added in January. Heather Boushey, Council of Economic Advisers Member for President Biden, joined Cheddar to tout the administration's handling of the economy amid the pandemic and the upward revisions for the previous month. "It also shows that, because of the revisions, the economy was stronger over the past couple of months," she said. "I don't think that this can be said enough, but economic forecasting during an historic pandemic is extremely difficult." Boushey also addressed issues involving wage growth versus the rapid rise of inflation.
The Labor Department's January jobs report showed 467,000 jobs were added, compared to the 150,000 that were projected, a sign that employment is continuign to return to pre-pandemic levels. Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at investment bank Stifel, joined Cheddar to break down the report, noting the big gains but adding a note of caution. "Remember, even with this morning's stellar report, we're still millions below that level that we had reached prior to the onset of COVID-19," she said." Yes, we are recapturing jobs. We still have further ground that needs to be made before we can talk about reaching that previous peak." Piegza also discussed the role of the Federal Reserve going forward as the employment figures turn more positive.
As President Biden's poll numbers fall with Black voters, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass. 7th District) joined Cheddar to discuss what she feels could help the embattled administration: deliver on policies. Pressley pointed to stalled legislation such as new voting rights laws and Build Back Betters and canceling student loan debt, which would go a long way to improving his standing with Black constituents. "President Biden has the authority and the power to alleviate this burden, which would also help in closing the racial wealth gap, and he can do it by executive action with the stroke of a pen," she said. "And it doesn't require one vote from Congress. So, the Biden administration just needs to deliver to Black America in a tangible and impactful way."
