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.
wired.com
· 2026-10-23
Political campaigns have spent $137 million on AI-generated advertisements ahead of the midterm elections, but only 27% of those ads included a disclaimer noting AI involvement. Spending data shows Republicans outpacing Democrats in using AI-generated ad content, while Democratic campaigns have shown more hesitation, reportedly over concerns about voter backlash.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-16
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.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-15
Fast Company reports that tech-industry-backed super PACs are spending tens of millions of dollars to influence midterm elections, yet their political advertisements largely avoid discussing artificial intelligence. The PACs are funded by donors with a stake in favorable AI policy, but their messaging focuses elsewhere.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-15
X said it suspended more than 13,000 accounts linked to three suspected foreign influence operations that it attributed to Iran, Russia and China, ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections. The company said the networks used fake accounts to post and amplify political content about candidates and public figures, but it did not publish evidence supporting the attribution. X also pointed to its Civic Integrity policy, which funnels reports into Community Notes alongside other moderation actions.
theregister.com
· 2026-10-15
Elon Musk has given more than $276 million to Republican political groups since July, newly disclosed figures show, including $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund and over $76 million to his America PAC. The contributions push his known federal political spending for the 2025-26 cycle to about $366 million, surpassing his 2024 presidential election spending, with disclosures arriving ahead of a Thursday FEC filing deadline.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-12
President Trump is continuing his aggressive tariff agenda—the steepest U.S. import duties since the Great Depression—despite mounting criticism from trade economists and growing public disapproval. A recent poll found more than 64% of U.S. adults believe Trump has gone too far on tariffs, up from 58% in January, with the Nov. 3 midterm elections approaching.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-12
Elon Musk has donated at least $276 million to Republican-aligned groups since July, according to The New York Times, making him the party's top known donor for the 2026 midterms. The largest chunk, $158 million, went to the Senate Leadership Fund, with smaller sums to America PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, and groups backing Texas Republicans including Ken Paxton's Senate bid.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-12
Axios reports that executives at Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI companies are privately preparing for scenarios involving a major AI-linked disaster, such as a cyberattack disrupting financial services, internet access, power or water. Many industry insiders reportedly expect such an event within six to twelve months, prompting companies to run preparedness exercises and lobby lawmakers ahead of potential regulation. OpenAI confirmed it runs preparedness exercises but said scenarios are not treated as inevitable; Anthropic declined to comment.
yro.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-10
The Federal Communications Commission is reviewing a proposal from a conservative organization to relax regulations on political robocalls, including those utilizing artificial intelligence voices, prior to the upcoming midterm elections. Currently, laws prohibit most robocalls to cellphones without prior consent from the recipient.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-07
Researchers tracking political advertising found that roughly $80 million has already been spent on AI-generated ads for the 2026 U.S. midterm campaigns, appearing across television and social media. Many of these ads, ranging from hyperrealistic deepfakes to subtler AI enhancements, do not disclose that AI was used in their creation.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-07
Several independent candidates running in this year's midterm elections are incorporating the word 'independent' directly into their campaign logos and branding. The approach is meant to visibly distance them from both the Democratic and Republican parties at a time when both major parties face low public approval.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-02
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