GoKawiil
Tech News
Reports ahead of the November 3 midterm elections indicate that AI data centers have become a major campaign topic in several states, with candidates debating regulation and proposed moratoriums on new facilities. Voter turnout for the midterms is reportedly reaching record levels.
OpenAI is preparing a public relations campaign to launch after Tuesday's midterm elections, according to Axios. Chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane outlined plans including AI 'speed limits,' efforts to frame AI as empowering for everyday people, pushing U.S. leadership on global AI standards, and rebranding unpopular data centers as 'AI compute campuses.'
Despite favorable macroeconomic indicators, polling ahead of the November 3 U.S. midterm elections shows widespread public pessimism about the economy, which is contributing to weak polling numbers for Republicans. Many voters report feeling they are falling behind financially even as broader economic data appears positive.
A Media Matters for America analysis found Fox News coverage favorable to data centers increased roughly 420 percent over a recent two-month period, with pro-data-center claims rising from 39 between August 5-18 to 203 between August 19 and September 2. The spike followed an August 18 memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee warning party insiders that opposition to data centers threatened Republican midterm prospects, and Fox segments also began citing 'far-left activists' and Chinese government propaganda as sources of anti-data-center sentiment.
At a Brooklyn midterm-election event hosted by media company Newsreel, panels on AI, attention, and data centers drew heavy engagement, reflecting growing public backlash against AI infrastructure. A Data Center Watch report cited at the event found nearly $200 billion in data center projects were delayed, stalled, or blocked in the first half of 2026 due to political and community opposition, while states including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, New York, and Virginia weigh new regulations on data center development.
Spam-blocking services Robokiller and YouMail report that political text messages have surged to between 15 billion and 30 billion this election cycle, a rise partly tied to a Supreme Court ruling that loosened consent requirements for mass texts and calls. Consumer watchdog PIRG notes these messages are exempt from do-not-call-list protections, and experts warn some scam texts are mixed in among legitimate campaign outreach. Recipients are advised to text 'stop' or report messages as spam, though this likely won't meaningfully reduce volume before Election Day.
During the current midterm election season, Democrats and Republicans both invoked the Cheesecake Factory as a symbol in arguments over which party better represents ordinary Americans. The chain itself stayed silent and did not engage with either side's messaging.
President Trump, 80, is reportedly set to hold 20 "virtual rallies" during the final stretch of the midterm election campaign rather than appearing in person. The shift comes amid a report questioning whether a scheduled rally was scrapped so he could attend a Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago.
New campaign finance data shows eight of the top ten donors for the 2026 midterm elections are backing Republican candidates and causes. Elon Musk's continued political spending has pushed the overall donor totals to record levels, with crypto and AI industry figures prominent among the biggest contributors.
The Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at its policy meeting, despite inflation picking up recently amid oil and gas price spikes linked to the Iran war. The decision comes less than a week before the midterm elections, in which affordability has been a dominant voter concern. Last month the Fed raised its key rate from about 3.6% to 3.9%, its first increase in three years.
Fox has introduced a new interactive feature within its Fox One streaming app to help subscribers follow the 2026 midterm elections on Nov. 3. The update includes a home-screen command center with live polling and results widgets, a curated election news hub, and an 'Elections Mode' version of its AI chatbot, Ask Fox, which answers election-related questions in real time.
NASA is aiming to establish a small, self-sustaining city on the moon by the end of the century, as both the US and China pursue lunar base programs. Such a base would need to withstand asteroid impacts, constant radiation, abrasive dust and extreme temperature swings while relying on autonomous robots, nuclear power and local resource use to stay operational.