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Politics

Elon Musk’s Ties to Texas Republicans Go Much Deeper Than the Midterms
Midterms 2026

Elon Musk’s Ties to Texas Republicans Go Much Deeper Than the Midterms

As Election Day approaches, the billionaire’s longstanding relationships with GOP leaders in Texas are under scrutiny.
Tess Owen
The Iran War’s Impact on Oil Is Hitting Key Senate Races Hard
Gassed Up

The Iran War’s Impact on Oil Is Hitting Key Senate Races Hard

Molly Taft
A Defense Contractor Gave Their Personal AI Agent Access to a Secure Pentagon System
Agent Alert

A Defense Contractor Gave Their Personal AI Agent Access to a Secure Pentagon System

Vittoria Elliott

Inner Loop

This Is What the GOP’s Final Midterms Push Looks Like

This Is What the GOP’s Final Midterms Push Looks Like

Republicans are spending their time and money on Senate races in historically red states—a sign they’re more nervous than ever as Election Day looms.
Hugo Lowell
‘It’s the President’s Fault’: The White House Blame Game Starts Early Ahead of the Midterms

‘It’s the President’s Fault’: The White House Blame Game Starts Early Ahead of the Midterms

As the White House contemplates losing Congress, there has been an unusually early effort to find a Republican scapegoat.
Hugo Lowell
Trump Aides Admit the House Is a Lost Cause

Trump Aides Admit the House Is a Lost Cause

With the midterm elections just a few weeks away, the White House knows it has to go all in on Senate races—while virtually forfeiting the House.
Hugo Lowell
Elon Musk’s America PAC Is Quietly Funding November’s Most Consequential Elections

Elon Musk’s America PAC Is Quietly Funding November’s Most Consequential Elections

America PAC’s approach has been unusual: for every dollar it has spent supporting GOP Senate candidates, it has spent almost three dollars attacking Democrats.
Hugo Lowell

Policy

UK Home Office May Face Investigation Over Use of OpenAI Tech

UK Home Office May Face Investigation Over Use of OpenAI Tech

A government watchdog is considering a probe into the Home Office’s use of ChatGPT technology to process asylum claims amid concerns over the tools’ accuracy and secrecy surrounding their use.
Isabella Ward
She’s 28, Loves God and Her Family, and Might Be the Reason You Can’t Have Kids

She’s 28, Loves God and Her Family, and Might Be the Reason You Can’t Have Kids

No IVF. No surrogacy. No polygenic tests. Emma Waters is leading a national fight against fertility tech—with her hot husband’s permission, of course.
Emi Nietfeld
AI, Tariffs, Rare Minerals: What to Expect From Trump’s Upcoming Summit With Xi Jinping

AI, Tariffs, Rare Minerals: What to Expect From Trump’s Upcoming Summit With Xi Jinping

Washington and Beijing have grown ever more linked in the AI boom, making hardware exports and technological restrictions hefty bargaining chips in negotiations.
Javier Carbajal
The EU Wants to Break Up Kids and Their Chatbots

The EU Wants to Break Up Kids and Their Chatbots

ChatGPT, Character.ai, and Snapchat’s My AI will all be in the crosshairs as the EU Kids Act aims to strip minor-facing chatbots of all the things that make people love them.
Isabella Ward

Disinformation

They Believe 2020 Was Stolen. They Could Be in Charge of Elections in 2028

They Believe 2020 Was Stolen. They Could Be in Charge of Elections in 2028

A host of election-denying candidates are running for attorney general in states across the country.
David Gilbert
Waffle House Teleporter Gregg Phillips Is Still on the Trump Administration’s Payroll

Waffle House Teleporter Gregg Phillips Is Still on the Trump Administration’s Payroll

In June, a FEMA official infamous for claiming to have teleported to a Waffle House was reportedly ousted. He’s still employed by the government, though—and meeting with a Trump fixer.
David Gilbert
A MAGA County’s Top Election Official Wants to Hire Election Denial Superstar Tina Peters

A MAGA County’s Top Election Official Wants to Hire Election Denial Superstar Tina Peters

Tina Peters was convicted of seven counts related to election interference in 2024. Now, she’s fielding an offer from a county that’s become a hotbed of voting-related conspiracy theories.
David Gilbert
The Group Behind 2000 Mules Is Back With Another Election Conspiracy Film

The Group Behind 2000 Mules Is Back With Another Election Conspiracy Film

True the Vote is working with a Detroit pastor to produce a new documentary called Trapped, based on claims that have already been thrown out in court.
David Gilbert

Extremism

The Real Threat to the Midterms Is Regular Americans Thinking Violence Is the Answer

The Real Threat to the Midterms Is Regular Americans Thinking Violence Is the Answer

Robert A. Pape, a leading authority on political violence, wants Americans to understand that the threat is coming not from the fringes, but from the mainstream.
David Gilbert
A Pentagon Influencer Called Liberal Women a ‘Pestilence’ Who Will End Western Civilization

A Pentagon Influencer Called Liberal Women a ‘Pestilence’ Who Will End Western Civilization

Kurt Schlichter was part of a task force rooting out so-called woke ideologies at the military’s war colleges. He has called to bar childless adults from voting.
David Gilbert
These Extremists Are Running for Election in November

These Extremists Are Running for Election in November

With the threat of political violence at unprecedented levels, state and federal GOP candidates are openly sharing racist, pro-militia, anti-vaccine, sexist, antisemitic, and secessionist views.
David Gilbert
Gen AI Tools Are Now Being Used to Push ‘Slop Jihad’

Gen AI Tools Are Now Being Used to Push ‘Slop Jihad’

A new generation of Islamic terror supporters are using AI to spread ‘Slop Jihad’ to new audiences on TikTok.
David Gilbert

Global Elections

Over $600 Million in Polymarket Election Trades Took Place After Races Ended

Over $600 Million in Polymarket Election Trades Took Place After Races Ended

Contracts tied to elections in Ethiopia and Romania saw massive trading volumes after the outcomes were decided. “It’s obviously some form of volume manipulation,” one expert says.
Kate Knibbs
Elon Musk’s America PAC Is Spending Big on the Midterms. We’re Tracking It Daily

Elon Musk’s America PAC Is Spending Big on the Midterms. We’re Tracking It Daily

To follow Elon Musk’s America PAC money, WIRED created a live-updating tracker that highlights the trillionaire’s overall influence on November’s elections.
Dell Cameron and Hugo Lowell
The Supreme Court’s Mail-In Ballot Ruling Is a Step Toward Chaos in the Midterms

The Supreme Court’s Mail-In Ballot Ruling Is a Step Toward Chaos in the Midterms

The Supreme Court has removed one roadblock from the Trump administration’s attempts to impose severe restrictions on voting.
David Gilbert
Election Officials Are Preparing for Prediction Markets to Sow Chaos in the Midterms

Election Officials Are Preparing for Prediction Markets to Sow Chaos in the Midterms

From threats to the safety of poll workers to voters who can’t distinguish between odds and results, prediction markets are already scrambling the political process.
David Gilbert and Kate Knibbs

Politics News

A 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working There

A 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working There

Despite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.
Molly Knight Raskin
These Midterm Races Will Decide Data Centers’ Political Fate

These Midterm Races Will Decide Data Centers’ Political Fate

From the Senate to governors’ mansions, candidates are trying to outcompete each other to be the most anti–data center in races across the US.
Molly Taft
ICE Emails Discuss Using Palantir-Supported Tool to Investigate Voter Fraud

ICE Emails Discuss Using Palantir-Supported Tool to Investigate Voter Fraud

Documents obtained by Democracy Forward show that ICE looked into feeding voter roll data into the ELITE tool, normally used to identify targets for deportation.
David Gilbert
Inside Elon Musk’s Midterm Spending Spree

Inside Elon Musk’s Midterm Spending Spree

This week on Uncanny Valley, we discuss where Elon Musk’s PAC is spending millions, the latest ideology Trump claims is dangerous, and the backlash against the designer behind Muse’s logo.
Zoë Schiffer and Leah Feiger

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