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.
wired.com
· 2026-10-07
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.
wired.com
· 2026-10-07
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.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-05
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.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-03
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.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-02
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.
wired.com
· 2026-10-02
A new AP-NORC poll finds just 17% of U.S. adults approve of President Trump's handling of the cost of living, while only 26% approve of his overall economic performance, a new low. The survey also found 65% of adults blame Trump's policies, including tariffs, for persistently high prices rather than outside factors.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-01
White House aides say they are increasingly worried about the 2026 midterms, with national polling showing a historically low 37 percent approval rating for Trump in a Wall Street Journal survey. Trump has told aides he believes Republicans could still outperform expectations, citing internal polling showing narrower deficits in individual House races, while some advisers privately predict heavy losses. Officials reportedly began seeking foreign policy wins, including a US-Denmark agreement on Greenland and a touted Venezuela oil deal, to help drive midterm turnout.
wired.com
· 2026-09-30
A WIRED analysis of candidates for statewide, federal and state legislative races found hundreds of Republicans linked to hateful ideologies, white supremacist and antisemitic figures, or far-right online groups. The outlet cites data from the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights showing over 500 state legislative candidates belong to Facebook groups promoting militias, gun rights and Christian nationalism. Some prominent extremist candidates lost their primaries, but many others advanced to the general election and are considered likely winners.
wired.com
· 2026-09-28
The House of Representatives left Washington on Wednesday, effectively delaying any legislative response to mounting warnings about artificial intelligence risks until after the November midterms. Speaker Mike Johnson canceled planned Thursday work, telling reporters lawmakers needed to return home to campaign, and pointed to the Senate to take up any AI legislation instead. The move comes despite pleas from executives at Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI for federal oversight after an Anthropic researcher's resignation warning about AI's existential dangers.
cnbc.com
· 2026-09-17
A Fast Company panel featuring executives from Lyft, All Voting Is Local, and the ACLU discussed how the 2026 midterm elections could reshape federal and state policy in ways that directly affect companies. Moderated by Fast Company's Amy Farley, the discussion focused on how shifting political control could influence trade, immigration, technology, and economic regulation. Panelists also highlighted the growing role of state governments in setting rules on AI, data privacy, climate, and energy.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-16
A new Nature study by Egan, Bisbee and Tucker surveyed US voters and found that 4.9% of white adults overall, and 13.5% of young white men specifically, agreed with statements framing demographic change as an existential threat to their race and endorsing white cultural superiority. The researchers argue this trend deserves as much scrutiny as the widely discussed rightward political shift among Latino voters ahead of the 2026 midterms.
nature.com
· 2026-09-16
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