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Trump loses appeals over California ballots, Homeland Security operations A federal appeals court on Friday denied a Trump administration demand that California set aside and not count the ballots of 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters, setting the stage for a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/30/repub/trump-loses-appeals-over-california-ballots-homeland-security-operations/? Trump continues rally spree in attempt to blunt Dem momentum in midterms lead-up WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is rounding out his midterm travel blitz in the final sprint leading up to Election Day on Nov. 3. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/30/repub/trump-continues-rally-spree-in-attempt-to-blunt-dem-momentum-in-midterms-lead-up/? Federal subpoenas to election officials mark escalating Trump DOJ pressure campaign As the Trump administration waged a public legal fight with California over the ballots of suspected noncitizen voters in mid-October, behind the scenes a federal grand jury in Santa Ana issued a series of subpoenas to election officials in Los Angeles County at federal prosecutors’ urging. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/30/repub/federal-subpoenas-to-election-officials-mark-escalating-trump-doj-pressure-campaign/? Trump administration has slow-walked 380K potential immigrant voters The Trump administration cut naturalization sharply over the past year, leading to accusations it’s holding back hundreds of thousands of people who might have voted in the midterms. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/30/repub/trump-administration-has-slow-walked-380k-potential-immigrant-voters/?

Explosive spending, ugly ads and courtroom battles set stage for tense midterm elections WASHINGTON — When the polls close Tuesday night, the 2026 U.S. election will go down as one of history’s most expensive and extraordinarily ugly midterms — galvanizing record-breaking early voter turnout among a deeply divided electorate. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/02/repub/explosive-spending-ugly-ads-and-courtroom-battles-set-stage-for-tense-midterm-elections/?

It’s here: 2027 Obamacare enrollment Millions of Florida residents who purchase their insurance policies on healthcare.gov can begin shopping Sunday for coverage to take effect next year. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/01/__trashed-4/? AI company accused of generating child porn claims it’s been ‘cooperating with law enforcement’ The artificial intelligence company targeted by a Attorney General James Uthmeier legal complaint says it is working with law enforcement, contrary to the A.G.’s claim. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/30/ai-company-accused-of-generating-child-porn-claims-its-been-cooperating-with-law-enforcement/?

Israeli officials say elections will stand after Netanyahu claimed Arabs stole vote TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s efforts to question last week’s elections weakened Sunday as officials said the vote would not be undermined by the allegations and a court ordered suspects in one case released. https://apnews.com/article/israel-election-arab-parties-qatar-netanyahu-a3df86ebfbe5c64306f21f33e69208e0?

Why some Ukrainians refuse to leave one of the war’s most dangerous areas A team from The Associated Press gained rare access to a so-called red zone to see firsthand what life in the kill zone looks like, a visit made possible only because of a brief, localized ceasefire tied to the humanitarian aid mission in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky. Read more. What to know: In all, 180 people were evacuated from riverside communities and the city of Kherson, including 23 children, the regional administration said. About 140,000 people remain in the Ukrainian-held part of the Kherson region. Before the war, the whole region, now nearly 70% under Russian control, had about 1 million residents. The riverside is designated a red zone, the highest level of military danger. With the ceasefire over, residents will again face drones, artillery, glide bombs and airdropped mines. Still, many refuse to leave. Some cannot afford to start over and others will not abandon the places where they grew up. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Residents in Kozatske who have endured nearly two years of isolation Civilians in Ukraine’s Kherson prepare for the return of war Ukraine and Russia report fake emergency alerts after cyberattack targets apps

The Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period is now underway The sign-up window for the marketplace also known as Obamacare started Sunday in most states and runs through Jan. 15. People should expect a variety of changes in 2027, including higher premiums and fewer coverage options. Read more. What to know: Across the board, healthcare experts predict less coverage and higher prices, with the average price of health insurance purchased through the marketplaces expected to rise by 13% in 2027, according to analysis of new CMS data by the healthcare research nonprofit KFF. Big changes to the exchange include expiring financial assistance, rising rates, potential delays in working with a broker, new restrictions on immigrants and stricter enrollment checks. Financial help is now restricted for many groups of people who were previously eligible. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Rising health costs and coverage changes are big concerns for older adults as Election Day nears

November 2, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. We have the inside story of how the relationship between the Michigan Democrats Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens broke down. And Democrats are ahead in key races to control the Senate, according to our final polls. Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The Times, has our last look at tomorrow’s midterm elections. That’s first. President Trump and Melania Trump voted early in Florida. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times Our final polls By Shane Goldmacher The fate of President Trump’s final two years in the White House is on the line. Republicans have controlled all of Washington since Trump’s second inauguration. But voters across America will decide tomorrow whether to hand Congress to Democrats. The real fight is for the Senate. And in our final polls of the cycle, they have the edge in six of seven battleground states. They even lead in Texas and Kansas — voters in Kansas have not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932. Based on New York Times/Siena polls. Question wording has been condensed. Jillian Vordick/The New York Times Here’s what else to know about the race. Congress This midterm election — like most midterms — appears to be mostly a referendum on the president. Trump’s popularity is at all-time lows. How much does any aversion to him adhere to the rest of his party? That’s the question voters will answer tomorrow. The House. Polls show that Democrats are favored to win control of the lower chamber. This isn’t a big surprise. The party out of power almost always gains seats in a midterm, and Democrats need to flip just a few seats for a majority. The Senate. Right now, Republicans have 53 seats in the upper chamber. Democrats need to flip four states to take the majority because Vice President JD Vance would break a potential 50-50 tie. Two years ago, Democrats seemed unlikely to snag control; the states up for grabs this year so clearly favor Republicans. Yet the deteriorating political climate for Republicans and strong Democratic candidates have given the party a chance in deep traditional Republican territory. Much of the battle is in places like Alaska, Kansas, Texas, Ohio and Iowa — states that Trump has won every time he has been on the ballot, some by landslide margins. But the Times/Siena polls yesterday show why Democrats have a chance. Just 38 percent of likely voters approved of the president’s job performance in the seven states that were polled. And Democrats have a nine-point advantage on the year’s most pressing issue: the cost of living. The glimmer of good news for the G.O.P. is that late-breaking voters are trending their way: Voters who decided only in the last month favor Republicans by a nine-point margin. It’s worth remembering, though, that surveys are not predictions. (As Nate Cohn, our chief political analyst, puts it in his column: “The final polls show a blue surge. Can we trust them?”) Strategists from both parties say a wide range of outcomes are possible. Republicans have only really surrendered on one single seat (in North Carolina), and they are still trying to capture Michigan, where the Democratic nominee is an outspoken progressive who has spent recent days feuding with his Democratic former primary rival, who endorsed the Republican in dramatic fashion yesterday. Whose advantage? In many ways, the midterms boil down to a contest of Democratic momentum versus a Republican map and Republican money. Trump raised nearly $450 million into his super PAC, and Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has contributed more than $400 million to help federal Republicans. Democrats have vastly out-raised Republicans in small online donations. But the party does not have a financial answer to those huge sums. In race after race, Democrats are making the case that Republicans did not follow through on the central promise of Trump’s 2024 campaign: lowering the cost of living. Inflation is up broadly, and voters are particularly aggrieved about gas prices that soared as a result of the Iran war. Perhaps the biggest difference between this year and Trump’s first midterm in 2018 is that the president’s traditional base of white voters without college degrees has lost faith in his stewardship of the economy. It’s one of the reasons the bottom could fall out from under his party tomorrow in traditional red states. Based on New York Times/Siena polls. Question wording has been condensed. Jillian Vordick/The New York Times Both sides are spending at levels befitting the stakes. A record-setting more than $11 billion has been spent on advertising in the midterms. The aftermath What happens after the vote is counted? Just winning the House alone would be enough for Democrats to stall Trump’s legislative agenda for the rest of his presidency. It would also hand Democratic congressional officials subpoena power to investigate the president, his administration and his allies. But claiming the Senate would give Democrats a functional veto power over his judicial appointments — including to the Supreme Court — and his effort to fill many top administration jobs, including in the cabinet. More on the midterms The New York Times Early results can be misleading. Click the video above to learn ways they might diverge sharply from the final vote count. More than 400 Times journalists in at least 30 states will help cover the election. Here’s how we do it. Aides to a Kansas Republican urged him not to respond to news that he had sent debt collectors after his former patients as an obstetrician. But he aired an ad defending himself. A federal judge in Alaska has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit that pre-emptively challenged the results in the U.S. Senate race there, in which candidates share the same name. Anderson Cooper pressed Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan on CNN about why she decided to endorse a Republican, Mike Rogers, for Senate. The interview became heated. FREE TO READ Loren Elliott for The New York Times Do animals grieve? Coyotes and cockatoos are making scientists reconsider their assumptions. A racing destination: People are flying to see American horses. See photos of some of them. The grid he’s still on: This man wants to be at one with nature and to eat only foraged foods. But he can’t quit Instagram. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Senator Chris Murphy Eric Lee for The New York Times Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, had a stroke over the weekend, his team said. They said he was “awake and alert” in a hospital and were hopeful he would make a full recovery. A Times review of Trump’s public speeches found him to be more profane, more absolutist, longer-winded and less coherent than he was in 2016. Around the World China wants countries to depend on its solar, drone and drugmaking technology. So it’s expanding export controls. The Canadian comedy show “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” is experiencing a resurgence by using social media to lampoon American politics. Other Big Stories A wave of shootings across the United States on Halloween weekend left at least 24 people dead and at least 94 more injured. A business jet dove nose first to the ground and exploded, killing all nine people on board. The pilot made desperate mayday calls. A 28-year-old woman is on life support after being stabbed while jogging in Brooklyn. It was the second recent attack on a female runner in New York. ASK THE MORNING In today’s very polarized political climate, is campaigning about getting people to switch sides? Or is it more about increasing voter turnout? Or both? | Ruth Bieber-Stanley | Cleveland Heights, Ohio You’re asking a question that every campaign has to consider, and the answer depends where they’re running. Both sides are focused on firing up their bases. That’s especially the case for Republicans, and it’s why President Trump has embarked on a red-state tour in recent weeks. The theory was that Republicans can win if Trump’s devoted supporters show up. But in those same places, Democrats are trying to reach voters in the middle — independents and moderate Republicans. Adam Hamilton, the Democratic pastor running for Senate in Kansas, is an example of this approach. He’s trying to persuade Kansans that he cares about the same issues they do, no matter if they belong to the other party. — Jess Bidgood, who writes the On Politics newsletter. Sign up for the On Politics newsletter. We're covering everything you need to know about the midterms. Get it in your inbox. OPINIONS Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters Trump’s proposed triumphal arch lacks purpose, a city planning professor argues. He explains the history of the form. Psychedelics could ease the final moments of dying patients, a critical care physician writes. The Midterms are here. Understand their impact with savings on The Times. Benefit from unlimited coverage of the elections — and what they mean for you going forward. Sale: $1/week for you first year. Subscribe now. TODAY’S NUMBER 106 — That is about how many men there are in San Francisco to every 100 women, versus roughly 98 to every 100 nationally. The A.I. tech boom is reshaping the city’s dating life. “Start-up founders and engineers are dating less because they are working more,” Emmy Martin reports. “So when they date, they bring a high-stakes mind-set to it, which means a first coffee can feel like a final-round interview.” SPORTS FIFA quietly paid millions of dollars to cover the U.S. taxes of its president, Gianni Infantino, despite rules requiring compensation to be public. New York City Marathon: Nearly 60,000 runners completed it yesterday. See videos and photos, including of some of the best outfits. Formula 1: Kimi Antonelli, at 20 years old, is the competition’s youngest ever champion. He fought through fever and illness to earn the title, which he secured by finishing third in Mexico City. N.F.L.: In their 16-0 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team since 1974 to win a game without completing a pass. RECIPE OF THE DAY Karsten Moran for The New York Times I generally make my pizza dough a few days before I intend to use it, and give it a long, slow rise in the refrigerator for tang and stretchability. But David Tanis’s recipe for quick pizza dough works great with just a half-hour’s rest, making it a nice option for weeknight cooking. Get your oven ripping hot, roll the dough out and top it gently — aim for what the Brooklyn pizza crowd calls “even distribush” of the cheese, sauce and whatever else you like to eat on your pie. THE QUILTER “Suffering of Humanity” (2026) was composed with textile fabric, muslin, charcoal colors and thread. Courtesy of the artist and Library Street Collective Gary Tyler was convicted of murder in a trial that a court later deemed unfair. Now free after 41 years, he is a celebrated textile artist with a new solo show at the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan. Take a look at his work. More on culture Top-flight classical musicians benefit from playing top-flight instruments. The trouble is, those instruments can cost millions of dollars. Rich people step in with open-ended loans and “musical mortgages” to make it possible. They’re not just altruistic. There’s a return on the investment. It’s no longer enough for orchestral musicians to master that complicated passage from Mahler. As ensembles increasingly play film scores and the music of contemporary composers, the auditions are changing. Now applicants need to know “Jaws,” “Star Wars” and other theme music. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS The flyover view on Apple’s Maps. Apple Explore some of the helpful new features on Google Maps and Apple’s Maps. Artificial intelligence can be scary, but paired with the human kind, it can make travel a little easier. Give yourself an annual mental-health checkup as we head into a stressful season. There’s no sense feeling down during the holidays if you don’t have to. Our Well desk can help. Add a powerful flashlight to your everyday carry. The gearheads at Wirecutter have found the best ones to introduce you to the lifestyle. Browse a list of gifts that feel more expensive than they are. (This was the most clicked story in The Morning yesterday.) Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was pettifog. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

Isa 3:12 [As for] my people, children [are] their oppressors, and women rule <04910> over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause [thee] to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. Note that women ruling over men is likened to men being oppressed by children. Men ruled by women become objects of scorn and ridicule Same word used in Isaiah 3:12 as in Genesis 3:16. Lamentations 5:8 uses the same word, saying that servants ruled over the conquered Jews. Joel 2:17 Some versions translate this word to make Israel a byword and mockery when they are ruled over by the heathen. How much more when women rule over men, especially in the spiritual realm, the very thing elements in Adventism desire. Want a woman to rule over you? Kamala in 2028.

What could go wrong on Election Day? That’s a question officials across the country have spent months preparing for. Beyond the usual logistical headaches, they’ve considered scenarios that once seemed far-fetched: federal agents at polling places, seized ballots and challenges to election results. The preparations come as President Trump and his allies continue to question the integrity of the vote. + Read more: How officials are preparing for Election Day disruptions — including from Trump + Plus: A field guide to the conspiracy theories you’ll likely see tomorrow Voting may help you live longer The social connection and sense of purpose that come from voting may also help people live longer, according to a first-of-its-kind study. Researchers found that voting in the 2008 and 2012 US presidential elections was associated with roughly a 26% and 32% lower risk of premature death by 2023, respectively. + Read more: Politics can be stressful, but voting may help you live longer + Also: A record number of health professionals are running for office. Could they help heal US politics?

The stakes couldn’t be higher A voter fills out a ballot in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Saturday. (Eric Lee/Reuters) Tuesday’s election is critical for President Donald Trump, the future of the MAGA movement and the political landscape heading into 2028. It could offer Democrats a chance at redemption two years after their crushing presidential defeat. But at its core, the midterms will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress or Democrats gain the power to challenge Trump’s agenda. If Democrats win back the House of Representatives or the Senate, Trump will face a slew of investigations: into his conduct, his Cabinet, alleged government corruption, turmoil at the Pentagon and his personal fortune — which has swelled since he returned to the White House. But victory for Democrats would bring its own challenges. The party would need to prove it can deliver more than opposition to Trump, even as they face his veto power and fierce resistance. + For subscribers: The huge stakes of an unusually momentous midterm election + Read more: Why your party will (or won’t) have a good Election Day + Senate watch: The top 11 Senate seats most likely to flip + How a Democrat feud in Michigan resulted in a stunning party defection

Big Tech’s Democratic Front Group: Investigate Trump, Not Big Tech Big Tech’s Democratic Front Group: Investigate Trump, Not Big Tech The liberal-flavored Chamber of Progress is pressing Democrats to scrutinize the White House — but avoid probing tech giants that bankrolled and benefited from Trump's presidency. Two years ago, California was on the brink of passing some of the strongest artificial intelligence regulations in the country — until the Chamber of Progress stepped in. Launched in 2021, the Democratic-focused tech-industry trade group insists it is “not just another business group” like the corporate lobbying giant Chamber of Commerce. Instead, the Chamber of Progress positions itself as a liberal watchdog organization, saying it’s “a tech industry coalition devoted to a progressive society, economy, workforce, and consumer climate.” But a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) about the AI bill that the Chamber of Progress signed and helped lay the groundwork for didn’t mention any of these matters. Instead, the missive claimed the legislation, which would have required a “kill switch” for rogue AI agents threatening workers, consumers, the economy, or humanity, was “a needless step backward for the California innovation economy.” A month later, Newsom vetoed the legislation, saying the bill risked “curtailing the very innovation that fuels advancement in favor of the public good.” It’s not the only time the Chamber of Progress has mounted efforts that appear to run counter to its stated goals. In the past two years, the lobbying group, which is bankrolled by Silicon Valley companies and a rightwing venture capital firm that have spent millions backing MAGA world, has opposed at least 24 bills throughout the country that sought to regulate surveillance pricing, children’s access to social media, new-age payday lending technologies, and other apparent risks to “a progressive society.” “I typically run into them on the opposite end of pro-worker, pro-consumer, and antitrust policy in California and in state legislatures across the country,” said Lee Hepner, legal counsel at the American Economic Liberties Project. Now, the tech front group has a more ambitious target: the Democratic Party and the oversight powers it will wield if it successfully reclaims control of Congress. As Silicon Valley is reportedly “bracing for a firestorm of scrutiny” if Democrats win majorities in Congress, the Chamber is challenging the Party’s plans to use one of its most powerful tools for holding Big Tech accountable: congressional investigations. A year ago, the Chamber launched the Blue Horizon Project, an initiative to “restore tech optimism in the Democratic Party and reset the relationship between Democrats and the technology sector.” Then, last month, the project published a blog post urging Democrats to focus their firepower on President Donald Trump, rather than the tech companies that have showered him and his pet projects with cash donations. Adam Kovacevich, Chamber of Progress’ CEO, doesn’t deny that one of the group’s main focuses is to have Democrats aim their scrutiny at the Trump administration — and leave business out of it. Kovacevich, Google’s former top federal policy strategist, said that if Democrats probe Big Tech’s ties to Trump, it could alienate voters and drive away big business, like the Party has done in the past. “I hope they aim oversight at the Trump administration and not business, because I think that would be a huge mistake of repeating a Biden-era war on business, which, in my view, set Democrats back,” Kovacevich told The Lever. Others disagree and worry corporate groups like Chamber of Progress risk distracting Democrats from holding accountable the companies funding and benefiting from Trump’s presidency. “Voters want a vision for the future. Corporations, especially Big Tech, are rigging the economy for themselves in collaboration with Trump,” said Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project, a nonprofit that scrutinizes corporate and billionaire influence in politics. “Democrats, by investigating how corporate America and Trump rigged the economy for the rich generally and the Trump family specifically, can reveal what has happened and commit themselves to doing the opposite.” The Man In Charge From 2007 to 2019, Kovacevich worked for Google’s Washington, D.C. lobbying arm, during which he helped stave off a 2012 Federal Trade Commission investigation into Google’s alleged anticompetitive tactics. By 2010, Kovacevich was leading the tech giant’s lobbying arm and grew it from an $800,000 operation in 2006 to a $21.7 million, 100-lobbyist powerhouse in 2018. The following year, Kovacevich was fired from Google amid an “overhaul” of the tech company’s government affairs operation. Two years later, he started the Chamber of Progress. “The tech industry’s political honeymoon is over, and everyone wants to make sure that tech operates fairly towards communities,” Kovacevich said in an announcement about the Chamber’s start. “We’ll support sensible rules that nurture the things that people love about technology, while curbing tech’s downsides.” While the Chamber’s mission sounds like it would be in line with many Democratic politicians and voters, Kovacevich’s history suggests otherwise. As a Harvard undergraduate student, he led an effort in 1997 to pressure the university to purchase grapes from non-unionized grape pickers — essentially begging Harvard to cross a picket line. Kovacevich’s family owned a non-union vineyard in Bakersfield, California at the time. Also while at Harvard, Kovacevich became close friends with Tom Cotton, who would later become a U.S. senator for Arkansas and who penned an op-ed urging Trump to send National Guard troops to “restore order to our streets” during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Kovacevich has donated to election efforts for Cotton and far-right Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, among other Republicans. His bio on the Chamber’s website touts his prior work for moderate Democrats such as former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who later served as the chairman for No Labels, a centrist organization that in 2023 promised to put a Republican and a Democrat on the presidential ballot. In the past, Kovacevich has urged Democratic presidential candidates to nominate more people with “business experience,” claiming that this is what the Party’s base wants. He’s also attacked the progressive news outlet The American Prospect, the watchdog organization Revolving Door Project, and the consumer advocacy groups Public Citizen, claiming that they “worked to blackball Biden [nominees] and appointees with corporate experience.” Kovacevich told The Lever that he believes that the Democratic Party should be a “big, loud tent,” that includes progressives and business figures alike — including Big Tech. “I’m not in favor of shrinking the tent,” he said. “There are some who think that the tech industry should be kicked out of the Democratic Party tent. We tried that in the Biden era, and it was a lose-lose [situation] because not only did the Biden-era anti-tech policy drive out a lot of tech people from the Party, but it utterly failed to attract new working class voter support.” Co-opting Progressive Language Under Kovacevich, the Chamber of Progress has regularly used progressive-coded language to urge Democrats to oppose consumer protections that could impact Silicon Valley. In 2024, California passed a bill making it illegal for social media companies to “provide an addictive feed to a user, unless the operator does not have actual knowledge that the user is a minor.” The Chamber opposed the bill, claiming that “parents are not always best suited to control how their child uses a platform” and that the bill would disproportionately harm LGBTQ youth. The Chamber opposed a similar 2025 Arkansas bill that would have set social media limits for children 12 years old and younger. The legislation was aimed at combating social media that results in “compulsive usage” that can cause “psychological distress, loss of control, anxiety, or depression.” The Chamber, however, wrote to lawmakers that the bill would “disproportionately harm historically marginalized youth,” claiming that these children “have the most to gain from social media engagement, particularly if they face adversity or isolation offline.” “[The bill] risks restricting content for LGBTQ+ youth who use online platforms to seek emotional support, search for information about their identities, and find communities that accept them when their own parents do not,” the Chamber wrote to Arkansas lawmakers. The Arkansas bill was pulled by its Democratic authors. “What this reveals is that the Chamber of Progress and other big tech-aligned groups are willing to employ any issue or constituency that helps favor its rhetoric,” Jane Chung, a former Facebook employee and consumer advocate against Big Tech, told The Lever. “Their co-opting of progressive language and issues is hypocritical at best, and deeply cynical at worst.” The Chamber has opposed at least eight other bills aimed at limiting minors’ access to social media. The group has also opposed at least 10 bills aimed at cracking down on surveillance pricing and junk fees. Earlier this year, the Chamber opposed a California bill that would ban surveillance pricing, stating in a letter to lawmakers that a ban on the technology would “jeopardize the personalized discounts… that help California families stretch their budgets.” Kovacevich concurred, saying it was a bad bill that could be detrimental to the average consumer. “That bill would have raised prices for consumers,” he said. “I think that the anti-corporate, populist left doesn’t have a lock on the Democratic Party, and they don’t represent the whole Party on these topics. A central pillar of our work is that Democrats are a big-tent party, and that we believe that most Democratic voters are tech pragmatists.” That bill, called AB 2564, would have allowed certain discounts, but banned “a customized price for a good for a specific consumer or group of consumers, based, in whole or in part, on personally identifiable information.” The bill passed both houses, but was never enacted because of an obscure legislative procedure, according to Hepner. “What you often see is an entity like the Chamber of Progress working behind the scenes, and often through whatever levers of power they can access to exert leverage very quietly through the amendment process,” Hepner said. “This is why you see so many bills stripped of any mechanism for enforcement or riddled with exemptions that kind of leave a husk of what the bill was initially designed to do.” “Don’t Hire Alumni Of The Mafia” As the tech industry has shifted to the right to cater to Trump, the Chamber of Progress has launched a number of initiatives to get Silicon Valley back in Democrats’ good graces. In September 2025, the group launched what it called the Blue Horizon Project. The project was pitched as a way for Democrats to “assess the lessons of the 2024 election,” stating that “it’s clear the Party must rethink its approach to technology and innovation.” To lead the initiative, the Chamber hired Dave Vorland, a former Defense Department staffer from the Obama and Biden administrations. Vorland also ran a lobbying group for tech companies, startups, and venture capitalists focused on lowering companies’ barriers to entry for government contracts, especially defense contracts. In a November 2025 Blue Horizon post, Vorland threw his former employer under the bus, writing that the Biden administration “eschewed hiring leaders from the technology and innovation industries,” and that the Biden’s administration’s supposed cold shoulder toward tech “blunted its success.” Instead, Vorland advocated for Democrats to hire more tech employees, stating “you cannot effectively govern a tech-driven economy without people who understand tech from the inside.” Vorland echoed such arguments in a Sept. 8 op-ed in a California-based news outlet, blaming Democrats for driving Silicon Valley away from the Party due to its “hostility toward the entire industry” and the Biden administration’s “suspicion” and “politically fraught” meetings with tech leaders. “The tech industry didn’t suddenly become conservative,” Vorland wrote. “Democrats stopped sounding like the party of innovation.” But hiring former tech employees and deferring to its leaders doesn’t boost innovation, said Hauser with the Revolving Door Project; it leads to corporate capture. “If we want to protect society from the worst possible consequences of artificial intelligence, for example, we need to make sure that the cops on the beat are not looking to secure bags from the AI companies,” he said. “If you’re trying to protect people from the mafia, you don’t hire alumni of the mafia to spend four-year stints in government before returning to La Casa Nostra.” Over the past few months, the Chamber began releasing a series of proposals for Democratic policymakers, called the Democratic AI Opportunity Agenda, with the goal of refocusing Democrats “on AI policies that create more economic, personal, and social opportunity for Americans.” Part of that agenda involves laying the groundwork so the federal government can block state-level AI laws and safety regulations — long a priority for the AI industry and the Trump administration. The proposal comes as about two-thirds of Americans believe that there is a moderate risk AI could destroy human civilization. Among those concerned is the architect of Trump’s AI plan. After leaving the White House, the AI policy wonk has since admitted that he downplayed the tech’s existential risks because it would have limited his influence — and that “there are ways in which the rise of self-sovereign AI could go very, very poorly for human beings.” “Focus On Trump” Last month, Vorland, on behalf of the Chamber of Progress and the Blue Horizon Project, made his most explicit demand of Democrats yet: Forgo the subpoena and investigative powers awarded to Congress’ ruling party. If Democrats win those powers in the midterm elections, wrote Vorland on the Blue Horizon Project Substack, the Party should keep it simple: “Focus on Trump.” “Focusing instead on companies who may make easier oversight targets may increase voter anger at companies, but will do little to give Trump voters reason to switch parties next election cycle,” wrote Vorland. “Companies can be important sources of evidence without becoming the central villains of the oversight agenda.” The Chamber of Progress has been arguing for years that Big Tech was Democrats’ ally. Now, proclaimed the lobbying group, they should still be the industry’s allies even after the industry’s leaders have happily taken up rightwing demands and flooded the GOP with political donations. In other words, the Chamber of Progress wants lawmakers to overlook that many of its own “partners,” like Apple, Amazon, Google, Coinbase, Ripple, and a16z, have showered Trump with donations, praise, and White House visits — all while being rewarded with light-touch regulations, business-friendly policies, corporate tax cuts, and the elimination of cryptocurrency enforcement efforts. “What looks like ‘bending the knee,’” wrote Vorland, “may be better understood as risk management.” Kovacevich spoke similarly when talking to The Lever. “You shouldn’t confuse CEOs having to go build a relationship with Trump with sort of where companies are,” he said. “Companies in general don’t endorse candidates. Some high-profile individuals have been active with Trump, but in general, I find that companies kind of understand that they need to have bipartisan relationships over the long haul.” But by waving away Silicon Valley’s acquiescence to Trump as risk management and bipartisan relationship-building, Chamber of Progress is whitewashing the pay-to-play tactics that have eaten away at voters’ confidence in government, said Hepner at the American Economic Liberties Project. “The Chamber of Progress has to be seen as just one leg of the stool of how corporate power has taken over our politics," said Hepner. “Big tech corporations have been involved in distorting our elections via campaign finance super PACs. I think that the Chamber of Progress is laundering the interests of corporate power as part of a broader strategy to distort our politics against the public interest in fair and reasonable regulation.” Despite its political firepower and past successes, the Chamber of Progress’ laundering effort may be a tough sell, at least based on the online reaction to the operation’s recent call to action for Democrats to “focus on Trump,” rather than his tech allies. As the top commenter on the Blue Horizon Project post put it, “This is a lot of words to basically justify the Nuremberg Defense for people who empowered Trump.” https://www.levernews.com/big-tech-to-democrats-investigate-trump-not-us/? ps:So pathetic!!!!!

THIS DAY IN HISTORY November 2 1947 Howard Hughes’ ‘Spruce Goose’ flies The world’s largest aircraft at the time, the wooden behemoth only flew once. Read More Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1960 ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ obscenity trial ends Crime 1989 A nurse’s aide gets life imprisonment for murder Middle Eastern History 1917 Balfour Declaration letter written Observances & Traditions 1983 MLK federal holiday declared Space Exploration 2000 First residential crew arrives aboard the International Space Station Sports 1986 Grete Waitz wins her eighth New York City Marathon U.S. Government and Politics 1948 Truman defeats Dewey U.S. Presidents 1795 James Polk is born 1865 Warren G. Harding is born Vietnam War 1963 Ngo Dinh Diem assassinated in South Vietnam

🗽 1 fun thing: 60,000 runners A runner dressed as Superman crosses the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge at the start of the New York City Marathon yesterday. Photo: Brendan McDermid/Reuters Nearly 60,000 runners from 140+ countries ran the New York City Marathon yesterday. It's the 50th year the course snaked through all five boroughs — starting in Staten Island and ending in Central Park. An estimated 2 million spectators lined the streets. Photo: Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times Above: Runners pound Brooklyn's pavement. More pics ... Marathon winners.

💵 Health care eats paychecks Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chart: Neil Irwin/Axios Soaring health insurance costs — rising at their fastest pace in 20 years — are eating into the money companies have to spend on pay raises, Axios Macro co-author Neil Irwin writes from federal data. Why it matters: The data helps explain why wage growth remains weak despite a relatively strong job market. Health insurance costs rose more than twice as fast as wages over the last year. 🩺 Zoom in: Total spending on employee pay and benefits is rising at roughly the same pace as last year, with a bigger share going to health insurance. Companies can deal with rising insurance costs by cutting benefits, charging employees more or accepting lower profits. Or they can hold down pay raises, which the new data suggests they're doing.

📊 Final polls: Blue Senate surge In the final set of New York Times/Siena polls before tomorrow's election, Democrats are ahead in all seven battleground states likely to decide the Senate. Since a September poll, Democrats gained in six of the states (Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas) and lost ground in Alaska. 🧮 By the numbers: Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed leads Republican rival Mike Rogers by 11 points. Texas Democrat James Talarico has a 7-point lead over state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Democratic candidates also lead in Maine, Ohio and Kansas, and narrowly in Alaska — all states with incumbent Republican senators. The race in Iowa is effectively tied. Between the lines: In six of the seven states (every one but Maine), the Democratic Senate candidate was viewed more favorably than the Republican. To take control of the Senate, Democrats have to hold every seat they have and flip at least four Republican-held seats. If these polls are right, they win. NYT gift link ... More data.

💰 Biggest midterm megadonors Data: The New York Times. Chart: Noah Bressner/Axios The top 20 donors have poured about $2 billion into federal races for this year's midterm elections, The New York Times' Matt Zdun and Teddy Schleifer write. That's 15% of all the money that will be spent on ads this cycle. Elon Musk ($446 million) towers over every other midterm donor, contributing nearly three times as much as the next-biggest donor. That figure excludes tens of millions in additional contributions made after Oct. 14 or to groups that don't report to the FEC. 🔬 Zoom in: The tech industry is flexing its political muscle with venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and its founders contributing $116 million, overwhelmingly to Republican causes, including super PACs pushing AI- and crypto-friendly policies. OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife have also poured money into a pro-AI super PAC, though they've since distanced themselves from the group. On the Democratic side, tech investor Reid Hoffman has spent nearly $17 million backing Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Top 20 (via X) ... Keep reading (gift link).

NYC Marathon Turns 50 Roughly 60,000 competitors from more than 140 countries turned out for the New York City Marathon yesterday—marking the five-borough race’s 50th anniversary, its largest field yet, and the first route change in 15 years. Sweden’s Andreas Almgren won his first-ever marathon in the men’s race (2:06:01); Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui won the women’s race (2:24:36). See photos here. The 26.2-mile race (why the .2?) changed course for the first time since 2011 this year, with runners seeing two fewer turns in the Bronx to accommodate local access to a supermarket and laundromat. Among the most notoriously difficult moments for runners are the Queensboro Bridge at mile 15 and the so-called Fifth Avenue grind at mile 24. Celebrity runners included actress Jennifer Connelly. The first NYC marathon in 1970 involved several rounds around Manhattan's Central Park, with the race expanding to involve all five boroughs in 1976. See how the various World Marathon Majors stack up here.

Haseng: I will clairfy what you have unlderstood: * ?When I graduated for ml Palcific Unioin Collefge, I was informed that I could be comissioned as a Medical sErvice Corps Officer. I decided not to go that rourte. * As a Theology student, who hD BEEN Accepted at the lSeminY AT aNdrews, I was legally exempt frokm being drafted. IL forgo that exemption and I volunteered to be drafted. ID was drafted wilthin 30 dlays. and I erved for 2-years as an enlisted combat medic. * I got out of the Army, graduated from the Semlinary at Andrews and served as a SDA pastor in Virginia. * k Ater 10-years I re=entered thae armly as a chaplailn. * I ckompleted a total of 20-years in the army and then lelft active duty. Under the law, I remain an armyl Chakplain, just not werving on active duty. * During my time as a SDA lpastor in Virginia, I also served for short periods in the Reserves. * I was rhwe first SDA ever to serve as a National Guard Chaplin. * i also served as qa Reserve Uniot cjhaplain. * During active duty I served on the tedching faclty of the Army Chaplain School, the first SDA tko do so. * I was the first Army chaplain ever to go into combat with a COED unit.

German Protests Turn Violent Over 100,000 people joined protests across 34 German cities over the weekend. The Gen Z-led marches began as peaceful demonstrations, but some took violent turns, leaving more than 100 police officers injured. More than 50 people were arrested. Youth group Gen Z Regelt, translated as “Gen Z Takes Charge,” organized Saturday’s gatherings to demand increased funding for education, housing, and climate protection. Protesters also spoke out against mandatory military service, a measure German officials may reinstate if voluntary recruitment fails to expand the armed forces to 260,000 active personnel by 2035. In several major cities, demonstrations descended into scenes reminiscent of the riots in France and Albania (see photos). Some participants in Hamburg lit fireworks and set barricades on fire. Rioters also damaged 17 stores in Frankfurt and attacked police with Molotov cocktails (watch clips of the looting and vandalism here). In neighboring France, protests against high living costs and poor school conditions continued for a third straight weekend.

Election Eve Voters in the US head to the polls tomorrow, with record numbers of early ballots cast and record spending projected to reach $11.6B, outpacing every other midterm in US history and even narrowly eclipsing the 2024 election cycle. Republicans lead overall ad spending at $5.2B compared with Democrats’ $4.8B, with individual megadonors driving the totals. Elon Musk gave around $450M to conservative groups and causes, more than double the $186.2M combined donations from two of the top Democratic contributors, George Soros and Michael Bloomberg. Texas’ Senate race accounts for over $573M of the funds, putting it on track to become the most expensive nonpresidential contest ever. Research shows a $2M TV ad advantage can net a Senate candidate roughly 10,000 votes, which could be crucial in a tight race (what was the closest election in Senate history?). Once vote counting concludes, federal candidates cannot pocket unspent funds for personal use. Legal options include settling campaign debts, funding party committees, or saving for future runs.

Rebecca Felton was the first woman to ever serve in the United States Senate – but she only served for one day. James

A New Approach to Discovering Assyria’s Hidden Secrets Assyria was the archenemy of Israel for 300 years during its Divided Kingdom period. The Assyrians were ruthless to all who opposed them during their wide-ranging conquests to form a great empire. The prophet Jonah was sent to warn the great Assyrian city, Nineveh, of God’s impending judgment because of their wickedness. Jonah then lamented over God’s mercy shown to the city after they repented. https://www.patternsofevidence.com/2026/10/30/a-new-approach-to-discovering-assyrias-hidden-secrets/? A Forest Fortress Reopens in Israel The Israel Antiquities Authority announced in a press release that the Gal’on Fortress has officially been opened to the public. This mid-12th century BCE structure lies in what is today the Guvrin Forest, located within Israel’s lowlands, or Shephelah—about a 40-minute drive south of Jerusalem. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/a-forest-fortress-reopens-in-israel/?

Texas showdown: 12 claims involving Talarico and Paxton, fact-checked The U.S. Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton in Texas has garnered national attention, prompting numerous rumors about the candidates. https://www.snopes.com/collections/talarico-paxton-fact-checks/? Were 3 Democratic women running for Congress in car crashes ahead of the midterms? U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Heidi Kuhn of Tennessee were injured in accidents between August and October. Claim: Three Democratic women running for Congress were in car accidents in October, days ahead of the midterm elections. Rating: Mostly True What's True Two Democratic women running for Congress were in car accidents during the last week of October: Mary Peltola, a U.S. Senate candidate in Alaska, and Heidi Kuhn, a U.S. House candidate in Tennessee. Both experienced injuries that weren't life-threatening and are back on the campaign trail. What's False U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, an Ohio Democrat running for reelection, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after a hit-and-run car crash in August, not October. What's Undetermined There is no evidence the women were deliberately targeted, contrary to suggestions of foul play from social media users. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/democrat-women-congress-car-crashes/? Did Trump say US is 'making money' like it never has before while downplaying high gas prices? The president referred to the high cost of oil and said, "We're making a freaking fortune." Claim: U.S. President Donald Trump said, “We're making money like this country has never made before,” in reference to the high cost of oil in 2026. Rating: Correct Attribution Context Trump made the statement during an Oct. 24 speech in Perry, Georgia, where he appeared at a rally in support of Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections. His overall point appeared to be that the economy is growing in strength despite the current high price of gasoline, which he claimed would eventually come down. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-us-making-fortune-oil-gas/? ps:Personally it's not the US that's making a lot of money! It's trump and his billionaire friends!!!!! Did Ilhan Omar marry her brother? Name dispute revives unfounded rumor The latest rumor stems from unsubstantiated reports that disregard Somali naming conventions. https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/10/27/ilhan-omar-married-brother-name-dispute/? Trump is accused of raping former Miss Switzerland contestant in 1993. Here's what we know A detailed account of Béatrice Keul's allegation features in a report by Democrats on the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary. https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/10/28/trump-miss-switzerland-rape-allegation/?

The passage is plain enough to me, no machinations required. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” 16 ¶ To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire [shall be] for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” NKJV 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." 16 ¶ To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." NRSV 15 and enmity I put between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he doth bruise thee — the head, and thou dost bruise him — the heel.’ 16 ¶ Unto the woman He said, ‘Multiplying I multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow dost thou bear children, and toward thy husband [is] thy desire, and he doth rule over thee.’ YLT Even though the text says the woman's desire shall be for her husband and he shall rule over her, the "he" does not refer to the husband, immediately antecedent? Maybe you are right but I seriously doubt it, in the light of other passages which plainly say what the text in Genesis 3: 15,16 appears to be saying.