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Paxton and Talarico tussle for Texas Senate seat as Trump campaigns via telephone Texas was not expected to be an epicenter of midterm elections that could reshape the final chapters of Donald Trump's second presidency. Read More.

Over 40% of names on DOJ list of alleged noncitizens are not on Calif. voter rolls, analysis finds WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 4 in 10 names flagged as possible noncitizen voters in California by the Trump administration cannot be found on the state’s voter rolls, according to a legal filing Saturday by an immigrant-rights group. https://apnews.com/article/california-justice-department-noncitizen-voters-midterms-45b31d5aefb03723f0e59f6084e918d4?

🏘️ Sign of the times: Data Center Alley A housing development near data centers in Sterling, Va. Photo: Stephen Voss D.C. photographer Stephen Voss is trying to show how data centers actually affect the people living near them, Axios D.C. co-author Mimi Montgomery writes. His project, "Dark Fiber," documents how data center development has transformed Northern Virginia communities. A home near a data center in Gainesville, Va. Photo: Stephen Voss The data center boom is reshaping the D.C.-Virginia-Maryland region so quickly that some of the places Voss photographed just a few years ago already look different. More photos ...

🏗️ One town's bargain: New Albany, Ohio Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Stock: Getty Images New Albany, Ohio, has welcomed roughly 40 data centers operated by Meta, Google, AWS, Microsoft, Vantage Data Centers and others over the last decade. The Columbus suburb courted these companies in exchange for millions in tax revenue and infrastructure investments — even as residents complain about noise, energy use and environmental impacts, Axios Macro co-author Courtenay Brown reports. 🛝 How it works: New Albany offers property tax breaks while requiring developers to make payments that help fund infrastructure, parks and other public improvements. Those payments generated roughly $10 million in 2024, equivalent to nearly one-fifth of the city's general fund revenue that year. A single hyperscale data center generated as much revenue for the city as it would collect in local income taxes from a company with $178 million in annual payroll. Data center revenue has also helped local schools avoid asking voters for new property tax levies. ⚖️ Reality check: The financial payoff of welcoming a data center depends on the deals communities negotiate — and whether residents feel the benefits outweigh the cost. Keep reading.

👷 Unions split on AI Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Stock: Getty Images AI is creating jobs for some union workers — while threatening to replace others. That tension is dividing organized labor over how to respond to the technology's rapid expansion, Axios Closer author Nathan Bomey reports. 🛠️ Why it matters: Building trade unions are embracing the data center construction boom. But other labor groups, including the Teamsters, are advocating policies to restrict AI use that could replace workers. The big picture: Labor's competing priorities are complicating its political alliances as both parties court union voters. 🏗️ Building trade unions representing electricians and plumbers have joined forces with OpenAI and real estate and financial firm Blackstone to fight moratoriums on data center construction. The AFL-CIO is pushing for restrictions against workplace surveillance and AI-driven health care decisions made without human oversight. ✊ UAW president Shawn Fain has criticized the "corporate narrative" that technology should be used to eliminate jobs and boost profits, arguing "it doesn't have to be that way." Go deeper.

📍 Mapped: AI's $10 trillion buildout Data: Data Center Map. Map: Erin Davis/Axios Despite more than 300 local moratoriums, U.S. data center development is moving at a blistering pace, Axios' Bradley Olson and Erin Davis report. 🚧 But political, regulatory, supply and environmental hurdles are delaying some major projects. Case in point: In New Mexico, Oracle recently took steps to protect itself from steep costs tied to delays of the $165 billion Project Jupiter stemming from local opposition, permitting roadblocks and power supply challenges. Data: Michael Bommarito, 2026, Survey of Data Center Moratoria. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios The bottom line: Growing opposition is slowing some projects but hasn't forced the buildout to stop. Keep reading ...

🏦 What Wall Street is watching Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images Investors are closely watching elections in states with major data center projects planned, down to the makeup of local utility commission boards. 🎰 Why it matters: New restrictions could delay major projects and rattle the AI trade that's driving the stock market and helping power the U.S. economy, Axios Markets co-author Emily Peck reports. 📊 Stunning stat: The outcomes of 10 governors' races could affect 67.4 gigawatts of planned data center capacity — $2.5 trillion worth (!) — more than is currently operating in the U.S., according to research firm Cleanview. A Democratic sweep would be the most negative outcome for AI investor sentiment, Morgan Stanley projects. Keep reading ...

🔌 Who pays for the grid's growing tab Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Lexi Critchett/Bloomberg via Getty Images Americans' electricity bills could be affected for years to come by the decisions being made now about who pays for the AI data center boom, Axios national energy correspondent Amy Harder reports. 💰 Why it matters: Policymakers increasingly want tech companies — not residential customers — to foot more of the bill. How it works: Data centers pay for the electricity they use and generally cover the cost of connecting to the grid. But the cost of building new power plants and broader electric grid upgrades can be passed on to households. 🧮 Who ultimately pays depends on where a data center is built, how its utility charges customers and whether new protections take effect. More than half of states have taken or considered steps to protect residential customers, including special electricity rates and requirements that data centers cover more infrastructure costs. 👀 What to watch: Congress is considering bipartisan legislation to require large data centers to pay more of those costs — even if projects are canceled. ps:Tax payers that's who!!

AI boom meets the ballot box Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images Technology has become a defining issue in the 2026 midterms — and AI data centers are the punching bag. 🥊 Why it matters: It's not just about noise pollution and curb appeal. Data centers have become a lightning rod for growing resentment over who gets rich from the AI boom and who bears the cost, Axios' Maria Curi and Erica Pandey report. 💬 Tatishe Nteta, a political scientist at UMass Amherst, says: "It's a reflection of what's increasingly becoming an easy target — tech giants and AI." He calls the backlash "a turn against the billionaire class from both the left and the right." 🗳️ Driving the news: Opposition to data centers reached a fever pitch in the months leading up to the midterms. Once an obscure infrastructure issue, data centers have become a political liability for candidates across the country. Voters in 10 states will decide on 41 data center ballot measures on Election Day, ranging from new requirements for developers to outright bans on construction. All six data center measures already decided this year — in New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Michigan and California — have gone against development, according to Ballotpedia. Data: Ballotpedia. Map: Erin Davis/Axios 🔎 Zoom in: Data center backlash is reshaping races and forcing politicians to change course. In Texas, incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (R) reversed course after years of courting the industry — halting new approvals pending an audit of projects — after a backlash in rural communities. Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa supports a moratorium on new data centers until tougher rules are established. In Utah, an unlikely coalition of state leaders, local residents and environmental groups is opposing a data center project backed by Shark Tank's "Mr. Wonderful," Kevin O'Leary. In Ohio, incumbent Sen. Jon Husted (R) is on the defensive over past support for data centers as he fights to keep his seat in a race that could help decide Senate control. The state has 21 data center-related measures on Tuesday's ballot. The backlash is minting a new wave of candidates. Across the country, local activists galvanized by data center fights in their communities are running for office. ↔️ Between the lines: The opposition to data centers cuts across generations and party lines, though some groups are far more skeptical than others, per exclusive polling from the new Axios-CivicScience AI Sentiment Index. Overall, 43% of Americans oppose construction of data centers in their area, compared with 19% who support them. Another 38% are neutral. The generational divide is stark: Nearly two-thirds of baby boomers and older Americans (65%) oppose data centers, compared with 26% of Gen Z. A majority of independents (54%) and nearly half of Democrats (48%) oppose data centers. Republicans are almost evenly split, with 30% opposed and 29% supportive. 🇺🇸 The Trump factor: President Trump has complicated Republicans' efforts to navigate local backlash over data centers, declaring "we want them" at an Ohio rally and forcing the Husted campaign to distance itself from his remarks. Trump has called data centers a "Golden Goose" for the U.S. economy and praised companies like Meta for investing in local communities. Democrats are capitalizing on voter frustration and making data centers a major campaign issue.

Iran targeted US air defenses then hit aircraft and buildings on Mideast bases, AP analysis finds WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran’s strikes on more than two dozen U.S. bases in the Middle East focused on early-warning systems before hitting aircraft and buildings, causing billions of dollars in equipment damage, according to an Associated Press analysis. https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-us-base-damage-trump-26e0f05e01d6f56ff46f7c1a14384f7c? Iran targeted US air defenses then hit aircraft and buildings on Mideast bases, AP analysis finds Iran's strikes on more than two dozen U.S. bases in the Middle East focused on early-warning systems before hitting aircraft and buildings, causing billions of dollars in equipment damage, according to an Associated Press analysis. Read More.

Evacuees reunite with family at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border after fleeing Oleshky CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Residents of Russian-occupied Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory Saturday in a major evacuation operation carried out under the most significant truce since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine 4½ years ago. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-oleshky-evacuation-5cbc7d2a5b8ac34b15c914338fd5a9f3?

🦐 1 fun thing: Where both parties party The Bidens leave Drago's Seafood Restaurant in New Orleans after dinner in August 2024. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images From hosting then-President Biden to catering election-night gatherings for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Drago's Seafood Restaurant in New Orleans has found a bivalve secret to bipartisan appeal, Axios New Orleans' Chelsea Brasted writes. "Republicans and Democrats all love oysters," owner Tommy Cvitanovich told us. Read on ...

📺 Where record ad money went Data: AdImpact (as of Tuesday). Graphic: Jillian Vordick/The New York Times More than one-fourth of all the midterm ad spending has gone to just three races — the Senate races in Michigan, Ohio and Texas, the N.Y. Times' Jillian Vordick and Teddy Schleifer report. All three states went for President Trump in 2024, and all three races are rated as toss-ups by the Cook Political Report. (The other Senate toss-ups are Alaska, Iowa, Kansas and Maine.) Republicans are spending $2.1 billion across all races, outspending Democrats, who are spending $1.8 billion. Senate races account for 60% of all ad spending up to the final week of midterm campaigning. 👀 NEW RECORD: This midterm cycle has broken the record for ad spending on any election, including presidential years. AdImpact says total ad spending on the 2025-26 cycle crossed $11.6 billion, passing the record set in 2023-24. More data (NYT gift link).

🇰🇵 How North Korea perfected the crypto heist Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios The world's biggest crypto heist is the latest feat by North Korean hackers who have spent years perfecting an arsenal of financial theft, social engineering and sophisticated cyberattacks. Why it matters: The suspected North Korean hackers behind the $6.3 billion Binance theft appear to have combined familiar hacking tactics with extraordinary speed and automation, Axios' Sam Sabin reports. 🔭 The big picture: North Korean government hackers have spent more than a decade carrying out financial heists and disruptive cyberattacks, turning cryptocurrency theft into an industrial-scale operation. The country has intensified its focus on pillaging crypto exchanges, in part because digital assets can be transferred and laundered across borders more easily — although such attacks can leave more of a paper trail. Keep reading.

🤖 AI's trick-or-treat earnings season Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios The latest wave of hyperscaler earnings is spooking Wall Street. But bulls and bears alike have evidence to validate their wildest dreams — or their worst nightmares, Axios' Madison Mills reports. Why it matters: The market's AI obsession has entered its Jekyll-and-Hyde era, with the latest earnings from tech giants sending mixed signals about the AI boom. Google: 🧟 The scary: Google's AI Overviews are cannibalizing the company's core business — ad revenue from search. 🍬 The good: Google Cloud is closing in on Microsoft's Azure cloud revenue, a stunning development given that Google was an also-ran in the cloud game only a few years ago. Microsoft and Amazon: 🍭 The good: Both companies had explosive cloud growth. 👻 The iffy: Amazon's net income fell despite soaring operating profits, as it didn't repeat the pretax gain from its Anthropic investment that boosted earnings a year earlier. Microsoft's OpenAI investment boosted its net income slightly, which lifted its profit growth. Data: FactSet. Chart: Matt Phillips/Axios By the numbers: Either way, this week's flood of AI news failed to shore up investor confidence, Axios markets correspondent Matt Phillips writes. The large-cap, tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 stumbled to its third straight weekly loss. The bottom line: The AI boom championed by President Trump is losing momentum just days before the midterms, when voters will be deciding on AI-related issues at the ballot box for the first time.

Wasted opioid settlements are a new low in the West Virginia exploitation story West Virginia is a special place, known to outsiders as “Almost Heaven,” as John Denver sings in his song “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” However, West Virginians know there is an eerie emphasis on the word “almost” in our mountain mama’s hymn. The word “almost” speaks to the promise and potential found in West Virginia. Or, as a neighbor back home in Union once put it: “It’s called Almost Heaven, because we’re close to dying every day.” https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/wasted-opioid-settlements-are-new-low-west-virginia-exploitation-story?

Epstein’s money left a record. New Mexico is right to demand it Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes took more than one man. Someone had to manage the properties, handle the paperwork, move the money and keep quiet. New Mexico’s attorney general says those people were Epstein’s lawyer and his accountant, and he is asking a federal court to stop the estate from paying them tens of millions more. https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/epsteins-money-left-record-new-mexico-right-demand-it?

If you care about affordability, vote with climate in mind Like many Americans, the issue that is top of mind for me as we approach the midterms is affordability, or rather, a lack thereof. That’s why I’m disappointed to see how few voters, and even candidates, are focused on climate change this election. https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/if-you-care-about-affordability-vote-climate-mind? ↩️ Young voters' U-turn Data: Generation Lab/Axios. Chart: Avery Lotz/Axios In 2024, the Trump campaign made inroads with the youth vote by seizing on manosphere cultural stars to connect with young Americans: They voted Republican in higher-than-usual numbers. Two years later, President Trump's youth support has dropped, Axios' Avery Lotz and Margaret Talev write. 📊 In a new Generation Lab poll for Axios, 48% of 18-to-29-year-old, college-educated Democrats, 22% of independents and 6% of Republicans called Trump the biggest threat to America today. A New York Times/Siena poll of likely midterm voters published last week found that 7 in 10 young voters (ages 18-29) identified as or leaned toward Democrats — a 15-point swing from before the 2024 election. Keep reading.

Florida Republicans say they’re not sweating early voter turnout — not yet, anyway Although Gov. Ron DeSantis sounded the alarm about Republican voter turnout earlier this week, other Florida GOP officials insist they’ve little to worry about as Democrats turned out in bigger numbers than they did four years ago in early in-person and mail voting. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/30/florida-republicans-say-theyre-not-sweating-early-voter-turnout-not-yet-anyway/? Trump OKs individual FEMA assistance for eight Florida counties hit by Isaias President Donald Trump has approved the DeSantis administration’s request that the Federal Emergency Management Agency provide individual assistance to eight counties in the Florida Panhandle that suffered damage from Hurricane Iasias. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/29/trump-oks-individual-fema-assistance-for-eight-florida-counties-hit-by-isaias/?

City employee comes to the rescue after a 5-year-old's beloved stuffed animal fell down a storm drain. (More) Minnesota man finds a stray kitten at Chicago's O'Hare airport during a missed connection, buys a kennel and brings it home. (More, w/video) British woman living in DC starts weekly "Great British Bake Off" watch parties at a local bar, building a new community. (More, w/video) Engineering students refurbish a 2020 Hyundai and donate it to a disabled Navy veteran who hasn't owned a car in over two years. (More) Australian diver saves kangaroo stranded nearly two miles from shore. (More, w/video) Today, we're sharing a story from reader Ted R. "For over 50 years, Halloween in Emsworth meant a mandatory stop at a very special home that three generations of neighborhood trick-or-treaters know very well. It was the house where Jackie and Walt Kenderski transformed their driveway with pumpkins, scarecrows, and cornstalks. No matter the weather, Jackie would sit outside in her signature witch’s hat, welcoming the costumed visitors with open arms. If it rained, they simply opened the garage doors and kept the magic alive. They didn't just hand out store-bought candy. Every single year, Jackie and Walt purchased local orchard apples and poured their hearts into making at least 100 homemade, individually wrapped candy apples. It was a true labor of love that became an Emsworth Halloween tradition."

‘Reparations now’: King and Burnham face protests at Antigua Commonwealth summit Activists see meeting as opportunity to demand UK confront role in transatlantic enslavement https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/31/protests-expected-king-charles-reparations-slave-trade-commonwealth-summit-antigua?

Riot police deployed to Poland’s constitutional court after judge suspended President Karol Nawrocki seen struggling to gain entry to court building in Warsaw amid long-running row over the court’s legitimacy https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/31/riot-police-deployed-to-polands-constitutional-court-after-judge-suspended?

Alliance for the Future, unveiled at Montreal summit and open to other countries, conceived for world ‘shaken by new storms’ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/30/canada-european-union-alliance?

‘You need the power of all your votes’: Bedouin women secure success for Arab parties in Israeli election With 180,000 eligible voters, Bedouin turnout was key in Palestinian-led parties winning unprecedented 19 seats https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/31/bedouin-women-success-arab-parties-israel-election?

What is ballot-stacking and is it illegal? Alaska Senate race controversy, explained Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign allegedly recruited a second Dan Sullivan to run for Senate and confuse Republican voters. https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/10/30/ballot-stacking-alaska-senate-race/? ps:I don't like that, but if that confuses republicans that's pretty sad! It's interesting that they cry foul in this case, but have no problem with "gerrymandering?"