GoKawiil
Tech News
Several candidates in the current U.S. election cycle are commissioning campaign branding designed to look nonpartisan rather than tied to either major party. One example cited is Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, who had designer Griffin Glaze create a distinct, non-party-aligned visual identity within a 10-day deadline.
Disinformation videos circulating on social media falsely attribute claims to former associates of Democratic Senate candidates Sherrod Brown and James Talarico, researchers say the clips were likely produced using AI and linked to the Russian network Storm-1516. A former Brown intern, Haya Akbik, says a video falsely depicts her making allegations against the senator. X removed the original posts and suspended the accounts, though copies remained online.
Elon Musk donated over $76 million to his America PAC in the first two weeks of October, according to a pre-election FEC filing. The PAC spent nearly $43 million in that period, with $15.2 million going to Texas Senate race ads, including $12.4 million attacking Democrat James Talarico and $2.8 million supporting Republican Ken Paxton. Musk has now given more than $445 million to Republican groups this cycle, with over $165 million to America PAC since July.
James Talarico's Senate campaign released a video Thursday accusing Elon Musk of bankrolling super PACs running attack ads against him in favor of Republican Ken Paxton. The ad came amid a public back-and-forth on X between Talarico and Musk, who has reportedly spent about $366 million across 40 races this midterm cycle, according to CNBC.
Former Republican volunteer Vasant Bhatt publicly backed Democrat James Talarico in the Texas Senate race after describing an increase in anti-Indian comments from conservative figures, including accusations from the Waco Young Republicans' X account that he was disloyal to America. Data cited show about one-third of Indian Americans supported Trump in 2024, with Democratic-leaning identification among the group slipping from 59 percent in 2020 to 55 percent in 2024.
Candidates in Mississippi, Texas and Colorado are sparring over meat consumption as beef prices rise. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom released an ad mocking GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith's suggestion that shoppers pick other proteins, while Texas Democrat James Talarico has been eating barbecue publicly to counter claims he's vegan, and Colorado Republicans are attacking Democratic candidate Manny Rutinel over his past anti-meat activism.
Jimmy Kimmel said he removed an interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico from his broadcast after concerns that the FCC, under Brendan Carr, could threaten ABC affiliate licenses over the segment. The interview was reportedly still available in some other format, but not aired on television as originally planned.
Jimmy Kimmel announced his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, a Democrat, will air only on YouTube rather than broadcast television. Kimmel said the change protects ABC's local affiliate stations, particularly in Texas, from potential FCC license challenges tied to Chairman Brendan Carr's past threats against the network.
Jimmy Kimmel announced his sit-down with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico will stream only on the Jimmy Kimmel Live YouTube channel rather than air on ABC's broadcast affiliates. He said the shift is meant to shield local stations from further FCC scrutiny amid ongoing regulatory pressure tied to Disney and ABC.
An ABC host announced that a scheduled interview with James Talarico would not air on broadcast television, citing threats from the FCC directed at the show, network and its affiliates over editorial guest choices. Instead, the interview will be posted on YouTube to shield local ABC affiliates in Texas from regulatory fallout.