GoKawiil
Tech News
The Labor Department reported that wholesale prices, measured by the producer price index, rose 6.3% in September compared with a year earlier, accelerating from August's 5.6% annual increase. The report attributed the surge largely to a sharp rise in fuel costs, exceeding economists' expectations.
Organizers of the 'No Kings' movement have scheduled roughly 2,500 rallies, marches and community gatherings nationwide for Saturday, October 17. The events include voter registration drives and local election defense workshops aimed at encouraging early voting ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
According to three sources familiar with internal GOP discussions, Trump White House aides now see almost no path to Republicans retaining the House in the midterms and are concentrating resources on protecting the Senate majority instead. The Congressional Leadership Fund has already pulled ad buys in contested districts in Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska, New Jersey and Iowa, signaling a retreat from races once considered flippable.
The Department of Labor reported that the consumer price index increased 3.7% year-over-year in September, up from 3.4% in August, with monthly costs rising 0.6%, the sharpest increase in five months. Core prices, excluding food and energy, climbed 2.6% annually, up from 2.4% the prior month, driven partly by higher gas, clothing, and airfare costs.
Elon Musk has donated more than $276 million since July to political groups working to preserve Republican majorities in Congress ahead of this year's midterm elections. Of that total, $158 million went to the Senate Leadership Fund, the primary super PAC backing Republican Senate candidates. The donations make him the largest known contributor to the midterm cycle so far.
WIRED reports that opposition to data centers has become a bipartisan midterm issue, with candidates on both sides attacking opponents over industry ties. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown has repeatedly labeled Senator Jon Husted 'the face of data centers' and blamed him for rising energy bills, while Senate Democrats blocked a Husted-sponsored ratepayer protection bill that Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called 'toothless.' The National Republican Senatorial Committee has internally flagged data centers as a potential 'sleeper issue' that could affect election outcomes.
America PAC, associated with Elon Musk, has allocated significant funds toward the most pivotal Senate races in the upcoming midterm elections. The group has spent nearly three times more on attacking Democratic candidates than supporting Republican ones, with notable expenditures in Texas and other battleground states. These efforts aim to influence the balance of power in the Senate amid concerns over a potential Democratic majority.
Federal filings analyzed by WIRED show Elon Musk's America PAC has spent $21 million of its $26.7 million total this cycle on seven competitive US Senate races. The spending as of October 6 skews heavily toward attacking Democratic candidates rather than directly supporting Republicans, with roughly double that ratio overall and triple in Senate contests specifically. This year's total spending is about a third of the $85.9 million America PAC had spent by the same point in 2024, when most money went to the presidential race.
Several U.S. voters are turning to ChatGPT to research political candidates, verify claims, and organize voting information. Experts warn that AI may reinforce existing biases rather than provide impartial guidance. Users like Adam Johnson and Lakshmi Iyer utilize AI tools to inform their voting choices and create resources for others.
A Wall Street Journal survey of 1,500 registered voters conducted in late September found 63 percent support pausing AI development, 57 percent want immediate government regulation of AI, and only 12 percent trust AI companies to regulate themselves. The same poll found broad bipartisan support for populist economic measures, including a 61 percent backing for a federal wealth tax on billionaires, 90 percent support for banning surprise medical bills, and 79 percent favoring a 10 percent cap on credit card interest rates.
The Labor Department reported only 29,000 new jobs in September 2026, far below the 90,000 economists expected, while unemployment edged up to 4.2% from 4.1%. Revisions cut a combined 60,000 jobs from July and August figures, and annual wage growth slowed to 3%, its weakest pace since May 2021.
Prominent election-denial figures, including Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts and online personality Catturd, are dismissing polls showing poor Republican midterm prospects as fabricated efforts to suppress conservative turnout. Trump has reportedly called polls fake 39 times since returning to office, per Media Matters for America, as multiple surveys show his approval at historic lows and Democrats leading Senate races in states he won in 2024. Reuters reported Republicans are now spending money defending races previously considered safe.