❌

Normal view

Trump planning a major Iran escalation soon after midterms

30 October 2026 at 04:10

US Senator Chris Murphy disclosed on October 28 that he was among the members of Congress recently briefed behind closed doors on the Trump administration’s discussions of a possible post-midterm assault on Iran, and he came away with a startling assessment: “Their plan is insane.” Murphy (D-Conn.), who recently traveled to Gulf countries to survey […]

The post Trump planning a major Iran escalation soon after midterms appeared first on Asia Times.

WATCH: How does The Associated Press call 2026 midterm election winners? 4 things to know

29 October 2026 at 22:55
The AP will tabulate results for nearly 7,000 races, including national congressional contests, state legislative and gubernatorial races, as well as some local elections for mayor, city council and school board.

Pennsylvania congressional races could hinge on who voters blame for high prices

Democrats are favored to take the House in November, but the size of their potential majority could hinge on a handful of competitive races. Four are in Pennsylvania, where President Trump and Republicans made significant gains in 2024. Now, Democrats are betting that the president's low approval ratings and frustration over high prices will shift the political landscape. Lisa Desjardins reports.

5 expert takeaways on 2026 midterm election security

With Election Day around the corner, states have been working hard to prepare, with some adopting new congressional maps and voting rules on top of normal election security measures. PBS News' Liz Landers and Votebeat editorial director Jessica Huseman hosted a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" Q&A on Wednesday to address people's questions.

Trump cancels midterm rallies in Kansas, Iowa

29 October 2026 at 18:06
President Trump will no longer travel to Kansas or Iowa over the weekend to rally voters ahead of Election Day, instead opting for virtual campaign appearances. A White House official confirmed to The Hill Thursday the in-person Kansas event had been canceled, without providing more details about the decision. Later in the evening, the Republican…

Trump cancels midterm rallies in Kansas, Iowa

29 October 2026 at 18:06
President Trump will no longer travel to Kansas or Iowa over the weekend to rally voters ahead of Election Day, instead opting for virtual campaign appearances. A White House official confirmed to The Hill Thursday the in-person Kansas event had been canceled, without providing more details about the decision. Later in the evening, the Republican…

Many voters say AI data centers will shape their midterm vote — but it’s not their top concern

29 October 2026 at 17:31
Demonstrators hold signs outside the Westchester Black Women's Political Caucus, Inc. (WBWPC) candidate's forum with Representative Michael Lawler, a Republican from New York, and Cait Conley, Democratic US Congressional candidate for New York, not pictured, at the Ford Administration Building in Peekskill, New York, US, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. The 17th Congressional district is one of the few that was carried by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2024 but is represented by a Republican in the House, making it a prime target for Democrats seeking to pick up a seat and potentially flip control of the House. Photographer: Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Gallup survey found that Americans plan to vote on the data center issue, but it doesn't rank as highly in importance as other issues.

Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images

  • Many Americans are not happy about AI data centers and say they plan to vote accordingly.
  • In a Gallup poll, 30% of respondents said AI data centers are "extremely important" in how they vote.
  • AI data centers, however, are not the issue they care about the most.

Many Americans are worried about AI data centers — and they plan to vote accordingly — but the colossal AI-powering warehouses aren't their main concern ahead of next week's midterm elections.

In a Gallup poll released on Thursday based on interviews conducted earlier this month, about 30% of respondents ranked "construction of AI data centers" as an "extremely important" factor in their midterm calculus.

Another 23% ranked the issue as "very important."

When separated by political party, Republicans emerged as the group more apathetic to data centers. Only 16% of registered Republicans said they considered the issue extremely important, compared to 42% of registered Democrats.

In the poll, Gallup surveyors did not ask voters for their opinions on issues like data centers — only the extent to which they were considering each issue when they vote next week.

Overall, the state of the economy, healthcare, and the "situation in Iran" emerged as the most important topics for voters.

The massive server factories powering chatbot queries had a disastrous PR run over the last year, and have been the subject of protests across America at local town hall meetings and major rallies in Washington.

Some states have passed data center moratoriums, prohibiting their construction. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, once a champion of AI data center expansion, said in August that the state had halted as many as 1,800 data center proposals.

President Donald Trump, who has championed a national effort to build out AI infrastructure, said in August that data centers "could use a little public relations help." He encouraged major builders, including Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, to do more for the communities where they are planned.

As the midterms approach, however, concern over AI data centers has given way to more pressing issues for voters, like the Iran war, rising energy prices, and the overall health of the economy.

The data center issue ranked 10th among the topics polled by Gallup, just ahead of climate change at 11. A whopping 87% of voters consider the economy an important issue, followed closely by healthcare at 77%.

In a September poll by the Pew Research Center, which surveyed people in August, half of rural Americans said data centers "are mostly bad for the environment" — a figure substantially higher than in January, when it sat at 32%.

For AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google, and others, the issue is existential. Without AI data centers, they can't power the products they sell. Sam Altman has recently suggested that new data centers could be built far from where people live, like the desert.

"We should just go put it off in the desert, around no one where no one wants to be," Altman said in July. "This is fine. The AI system is very happy to be there."

Read the original article on Business Insider

Newsom warns Trump as California deploys election lawyers to battleground districts

29 October 2026 at 17:15
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is warning President Trump against trying to meddle in his state’s elections amid growing concerns from Democrats over federal interference in next week’s midterms. “A warning to Donald Trump: I’m deploying election lawyers to key battleground districts in California to protect every vote,” Newsom wrote on social platform X. “And…

Newsom warns Trump as California deploys election lawyers to battleground districts

29 October 2026 at 17:15
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is warning President Trump against trying to meddle in his state’s elections amid growing concerns from Democrats over federal interference in next week’s midterms. “A warning to Donald Trump: I’m deploying election lawyers to key battleground districts in California to protect every vote,” Newsom wrote on social platform X. “And…

Most voters say enthusiasm to cast midterm ballots higher than previous elections: Survey

29 October 2026 at 14:49
Most American voters say they have a higher level of enthusiasm for casting their ballots this year versus prior elections, according to a new poll. In the Gallup survey, 56 percent of respondents said they were “more enthusiastic about voting than usual,” while 30 percent said they were “less enthusiastic” and 11 percent were “as…

Most voters say enthusiasm to cast midterm ballots higher than previous elections: Survey

29 October 2026 at 14:49
Most American voters say they have a higher level of enthusiasm for casting their ballots this year versus prior elections, according to a new poll. In the Gallup survey, 56 percent of respondents said they were “more enthusiastic about voting than usual,” while 30 percent said they were “less enthusiastic” and 11 percent were “as…

Alaska's governor orders a probe into Peltola's Senate campaign over spoiler candidate controversy

Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into the Democratic candidate running for the U.S. Senate in the state after revelations that her campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting another candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.

Stevens on fiance voting for Rogers: ‘We’re a household divided’

29 October 2026 at 13:43
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) said Wednesday she is still supporting Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after her fiance announced he would back the GOP candidate, former Rep. Mike Rogers (Mich.), in the contest.  “Like a lot of households in America, we’re a household divided,” she told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “I still very much want…

Stevens on fiance voting for Rogers: ‘We’re a household divided’

29 October 2026 at 13:43
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) said Wednesday she is still supporting Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after her fiance announced he would back the GOP candidate, former Rep. Mike Rogers (Mich.), in the contest.  “Like a lot of households in America, we’re a household divided,” she told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “I still very much want…

Democrats leading in Texas, Michigan Senate races: Polling

29 October 2026 at 13:28
Democrats are leading in the Texas and Michigan Senate races, according to new polling. The CNN polls released Thursday found 49 percent of respondents backed or leaned toward Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, while 42 percent said the same of Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race. Five percent said they didn’t back either candidate, 3…

Democrats leading in Texas, Michigan Senate races: Polling

29 October 2026 at 13:28
Democrats are leading in the Texas and Michigan Senate races, according to new polling. The CNN polls released Thursday found 49 percent of respondents backed or leaned toward Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, while 42 percent said the same of Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race. Five percent said they didn’t back either candidate, 3…

Scalise stresses voter turnout: ‘We can hold the House’

29 October 2026 at 13:25
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Wednesday stressed that Republicans could hold on to their control of the House if there’s strong voter turnout on Election Day. NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich asked Scalise if he was preparing for a Democrat-led House that would look to investigate President Trump and his family or impeach Trump for…

❌