WASHINGTON — US foes targeting November’s election with influence operations are expected to adapt to presidential contest developments, a US intelligence official said on Monday, in an apparent reference to Joseph R. Biden dropping his reelection bid.

The official said unidentified foreign actors were especially focused on “events that occurred this month regarding the presidential race,” without referring directly to President Biden’s decision to withdraw.

The official’s comments indicated that US intelligence agencies expect foreign actors to refocus their influence operations on Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Mr. Biden endorsed as the Democratic Party standard bearer.

“We expect these actors to adjust to these events and incorporate them into their influence narratives, seeking to undermine democratic institutions,” the official said, without identifying the foreign actors.

Mr. Biden, 81, ended his flagging reelection bid on July 21 under growing pressure from fellow Democrats and tapped Ms. Harris as the party’s candidate to face Republican Donald Trump, reshaping the race for the Nov. 5 presidential election.

Briefing reporters, the official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence cited reports from non-government groups that foreign actors had already used the July 13 attempted assassination of Mr. Trump “as part of their narratives.”

A senior intelligence official said that Tehran and Moscow maintain their same presidential preferences as in past cycles, whereas Iranian operatives are attempting to tear down the Republican ticket while Russia has made efforts to smear the Democrats, according to prior intelligence community assessments.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations denied in an email that Iran engages in any “activities intended to influence the US election” and said that many such accusations are “characterized by psychological operations designed to artificially pep up election campaigns.”

The Russian embassy did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

In the past, Russia and Iran have tried employing actual Americans in their operations through false front companies and third-party websites. Doing so provides them with cover and offers a more authentic voice, another official explained.

US foes targeting the US election are also outsourcing influence operations to marketing and communications firms, with Moscow using Russia-based influence-for-hire companies to shape US public opinion.

There are also a variety of similar firms across Latin America and the Middle East, officials said, which may be employed to obfuscate responsibility.

Meanwhile, Chinese government entities are using a China-based technology company to enhance covert influence operations in the United States, the official said. While the Chinese government probably is not planning to influence the U.S. election outcome, it is leveraging social media to sow divisions among Americans, they added.

A Chinese embassy spokesperson said in an email that China does not interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, has “no intention and will not interfere in the US election” and hopes the United State will not make China an election issue. — Reuters

PARIS — Vivianne Robinson was first bitten by the Olympics bug at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Four decades on, the Santa Monica native is soaking up the sporting extravaganza at her seventh Games, in Paris.

Ms. Robinson, 66, worked two jobs to save up the $10,000 she has spent on tickets to the opening ceremony and three dozen sporting events. When she’s not cheering on competitors from the stands, she can be found on the Champs Elysees, decked out in a patchwork Olympics-themed tracksuit.

Wearing a bucket hat with Eiffel Tower figurines and waving flags from different host countries, the Olympics superfan greets volunteers and tourists, some of whom recognize her from her viral TikTok videos.

“You actually meet more people when you’re dressed like this,” Ms. Robinson told Reuters on the boutique-lined avenue as she posed for selfie requests from fans. “I get to meet the world this way.”

For eight years, Ms. Robinson sold rice grain necklaces by day and bagged groceries by night to fund her Olympic habit. After Los Angeles, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, London and Rio de Janeiro, she wasn’t going to miss Paris.

The costliest event she forked out for in Paris? The opening ceremony, for which she paid $1,600 for a premium seat on a bridge over the River Seine to follow the flamboyant show, the first of its kind to be held outside a stadium.

“It started pouring rain, which is okay, I don’t mind the rain, but the problem was that I didn’t get to see anything. They had only a big television screen. So I paid 1,600 dollars to look at a television. Little bit disappointing,” she said.

To bolster her chances of success in the ticket draw, she used the names of her mother and sister. Now she has tickets to more events that she can follow. But Simone Biles was a must-see.

A huge credit card bill awaits Ms. Robinson upon her return home, she said. But it is a price worth paying.

“You just can’t be in a better place in the world, just to be surrounded by athletes and tourists and monuments and just the fun of the Games,” she said. — Reuters