Dead Drop: March 22 - 28

MORE THAN ONE WAY TO MEDDLE IN AN ELECTION: A unit of Russia's foreign intelligence service allegedly proposed staging a fake assassination attempt on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of the country's April 2026 parliamentary elections, according to The Washington Post, citing an internal SVR document obtained and authenticated by a European intelligence service. Officers from the SVR reportedly suggested that drastic action might be necessary - a strategy they dubbed "the Gamechanger." The proposal argued that such an incident would shift the campaign away from voter frustration over the economy and toward national security and emotional solidarity. The inspiration cited in the document: the July 2024 Trump campaign shooting, which produced iconic imagery and an immediate polling bump. Orbán may prefer more traditional campaign tactics - like ballot stuffing - rather than relying on other longshot tactics.

IRAN BRAGS OF HIRING A MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL TO GET A HEAD: The Justice Department announced this week it has pulled the plug on four websites that it says were run by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security - sites that, per court documents, offered a $250,000 bounty for killing and beheading two targets. Officials say the website claimed an operational partnership with Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and bragged about stealing data that they described as containing "witchcraft ceremonies." Subtle this was not. U.S. officials say the takedown is part of a broader effort to counter Tehran's cyber-enabled intimidation campaigns, which increasingly blend propaganda, criminal partnerships, and outright incitement.