Election Day

After months of hype, Election Day has arrived. Pollsters, pundits and the prediction markets all point to a win for the Democrats. If they are correct, this will give Democrats a chance to serve as a check on Trump’s authoritarian tendencies.

But elections like this one are short term events, whereas much of the damage Trump has done is long-term in nature. Rebuilding essential federal regulatory agencies will take time. Convincing talented officials to return to public service will be a tough sell. Plus Trump retains enough executive power to thwart most of the moves Democrats may try.

If the Democrats control both houses of Congress, they can pass legislation. Trump can veto those bills. Democrats can try to repair Medicare, restore environmental protections, public health protections and protect civil rights, especially for immigrants. But none of this will be easy.

What I’m suggesting is that Democrats will have to win the White House in 2028, plus retain control of Congress, to make progress at undoing the harm and repairing the damage inflicted by Trump.

For now, they can investigate the rampant corruption in this administration, stop any further encroachments on our civil society, and prepare a progressive plan for change starting in 2028.

But first they have to win all of those races across the country tonight.

HEADLINES:

• Supreme Court Rejects Trump Administration Request to Intervene in California Ballot Case (NYT)

• Trump focuses on Washington DC construction projects on eve of midterm election as Democrats climb in polls (Guardian)

• The House races that should raise alarms among Republicans (WP)

• Four types of House races to watch on election night to know how it might go (NPR)

• When to Expect Midterm Results in Each State on Election Night (NYT)

• It’s Judgment Day for Trump (and for pollsters) (Silver Bulletin)

• At least 33 dead after Russia drops nine bombs on a Ukrainian school building (CNN)

• The MAGA Faithful Eye the Exits (New Yorker)

• Inside the Abdul El-Sayed-Haley Stevens Meltdown in Michigan (NYT)

• Texas, Alaska, Maine Senate races flip blue on DDHQ map (The Hill)

• Where polls and fundamentals clash (Silver Bulletin)

• ‘Climate hushing’ and the midterm elections (Money Trail)

• Republicans count on Election Day turnout despite enthusiasm gap (WP)

• ‘Weaponization’: Judge blasts DOJ in dismissing case against ex-FBI agents who investigated Hunter Biden (ABC)

• Trump Administration Said to Plan Rolling Back Pregnancy-Related Job Protections (NYT)

• Fake warnings of nuclear attack posted on hacked Russian and Ukrainian emergency apps (CNN)

• America Can’t Afford an AI Recession (Atlantic)

• Could A.I. Be Conscious? It’s Definitely Possible. (NYT)

• Anthropic posts $17B quarterly revenue but losses continue in fresh IPO filing (AP)

• Haley Stevens Threatens To Endorse One Republican Every Hour Until Demands Met (Onion)

 

Election Eve

Although tomorrow is known as Election Day, it probably should be called the Last Chance Saloon of this election season. One way or another, voting will wrap up for the 100 million or so Americans participating in what increasingly appears to be a “blue wave.” Well over half have already cast their ballots.

From the New York Times: “Democrats gained ground right to the end in the final New York Times/Siena University pollsof the 2026 midterm campaign. The party is ahead in all seven states likeliest to decide control of the Senate: Michigan, Kansas, Texas, Maine, Ohio and, more narrowly, Alaska and Iowa.”

In Michigan, El-Sayed(D) leads Rogers(R) 53-42 percent.

In Kansas, Hamilton(D) leads Marshall (R) 49-44.

In Texas, Talarico (D) leads Paxton (R) 50-43.

In Maine, Jackson(D) leads Collins(R) 51-45.

In Ohio, Brown(D) leads Hustad(R) 49-45.

In Alaska, Peltola(D) leads Sullivan(R) 48-46.

In Iowa, Turek(D) leads Hinson(R) 48-47

In the Kalshi prediction market, the bets are Democrats will hold 53 seats to 46 for Republicans with the race in Iowa too close to call. Kalshi rates the Democrats’ chances to take over the Senate at 74 percent.

The only thing in question about the House is the size of the Democratic victory, which Kalshi predicts will be 234-187 with 14 races too close to call. 

Kalshi even expects Democrats to be in control of the Governor’s office in 28 states as opposed to 22 for Republicans.

ELECTION HEADLINES:

• Democrats Show Strength in Final Days of Race for the Senate, New Polls Find (NYT)

• The NYT/Siena polls show a blue tsunami (Silver Bulletin)

• The top 11 Senate seats most likely to flip, the day before the midterms (CNN)

• Judge tosses Trump’s attempt to block Alaska Senate results if GOP incumbent loses (NPR)

• Sullivan: ‘I’m going to accept the election results’ (The Hill)

• Inside Trump’s Dark Plot to Keep Senate in GOP Hands Even If Dems Win (TNR)

• Democratic Rep. Stevens endorses Rogers over El-Sayed in Michigan Senate election (CNBC)

• Democrat Haley Stevens appears with Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers (WP)

• Could Haley Stevens cost Democrats the Senate? (Silver Bulletin)

• Haley Stevens’ Unsettling CNN Interview Proves Why She’s Unfit for Public Office (Variety)

• Concern mounts for Democrat Haley Stevens after ‘trainwreck’ CNN interview over Republican endorsement (Independent)

• James Talarico’s Final Sprint (New Yorker)

• A midterm crossroads for both parties eyeing the beginning of the end of the Trump era (AP)

• 2 days until midterms, Trump campaigns in Iowa and Kansas as both parties make final push (Fox)

• More than 50 million votes cast in US midterm elections: What does it mean? (Al Jazeera)

• Corruption on the Ballot (New Yorker)

• Trump White House maps path to govern without Congress if Democrats win (Reuters)

• 3 maps for the morning after the midterms (Silver Bulletin)

OTHER HEADLINES:

• Cyberattacks Hit Ukraine’s and Russia’s Emergency Alert Apps (WSJ)

• Sen. Chris Murphy is hospitalized after stroke (Politico)

• 9 Die in a Small Plane Crash in Florida, Official Says (NYT)

• 'Grasping at straws': Judge dismisses Trump suit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein letter (AP)

• US attorneys are freeing children from Trump’s ‘deportation machine’ with a new strategy (Guardian)

• Supreme Court hears religious freedom case centered on universal pre-K program (NPR)

• Race questions face new fight ahead of 2030 Census (Axios)

• The Lean Out (BI)

• Israeli officials say elections will stand after Netanyahu claimed Arabs stole vote (AP)

• Yaxel Lendeborg scores 37 points, most by a Warriors rookie since Stephen Curry (ESPN)

• Dakota Johnson wants you to have better sex (CNN)

• Can’t Afford a Home. Can’t Afford a Baby. Can’t Afford Life. This Is 30. (NYT)

• Common pesticide linked to 2.5 times the risk of Parkinson’s disease (ScienceDaily)

• United Nations report highlights significant increase in U.S. climate pollution (NPR)

• We’d Be Entering an Ice Age Right Now if Climate Change Hadn’t Terminated It, Study Suggests (ScienceAlert)

AI HEADLINES:

• Anthropic hiring manager says he stopped giving coding interviews because Claude is better at them — and tells junior engineers that ‘hunger beats tenure’ (TechRadar)

• The Year Math Changed Forever (New Yorker)

• We’re Living in the Age of the Imperial CEO (WSJ)

• Korea’s Stock Market Crashed $1 Trillion. What Does That Mean for the Global AI Race? (China Talk)

The ONION:

• Rich Family Giving Out King-Sized Mattresses

 

Tricky Dicks

Few things could be more quintessentially American than watching your college football team on TV, followed by another game and then another.

And few things could be more quintessentially American than seeing an Islamophobic ad by Republicans against Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for Senator, followed by an ad painting him as a Communist.

The latter reminded me of how Richard Nixon earned his nickname “Tricky Dick” in his first run for the Senate in 1950, decades before the Watergate scandal.

El-Sayed faces not only the double whammy of the GOP attack ads, but the shenanigans of the Democrat he defeated to secure the party’s nomination, Hayley Stevens, who is trying to undermine El-Sated in his quest to defeat Republican Mike Rogers.

The thrust of her efforts is to paint El-Sayed as anti-semitic, another one of those old familiar tunes in American politics. (If he wins, El-Sayed would be the first Moslem in the Senate.)

Every time something like this happens it is a reminder that there are two Americas, one that actually believes in the equality for all and one that doesn’t.

HEADLINES:

• Rift grows between Democrats Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens in Michigan (CNN)

• Democratic Discord Intensifies in Michigan Senate Race (NYT)

• 4 ways the polls could be wrong — or right — about who will win the Senate (WP)

• District of Columbia and Virginia sue to block Trump’s triumphal arch plans (Al Jazeera)

• Barack Obama brings the late-breaking cheesecake (Reuters)

• GOP House member on ’embarrassing’ South Carolina prospects: ‘Darline is dragging Rs’ (The Hill)

• Inside the Conservative Case for Voting Restrictions (Reveal)

• Prediction Markets Face Their Biggest Accuracy Test Yet: The Midterms (NYT)

• Conspiracy Theory (Journal of the Plague Years)

• US approves Patriot missile sale to Ukraine (Reuters)

• As Trump fans the flames of a world on fire, can diplomacy take back control? (Guardian)

• Gen Z protests turn violent in Germany (FT)

• Hundreds of thousands of protesters march across France for third week in a row (Politico)

• Stocks take a pounding (Reuters)

• Surviving “The Graduate” (New Yorker)

AI NEWS:

• In San Francisco’s A.I. Boom, a First Date Has Become an Interview (NYT)

• A Defense Contractor Gave Their Personal AI Agent Access to a Secure Pentagon System (Wired)

• The Smartest People in AI Believe This Is the World’s Most Important Chart (WSJ)

• Supersonic airliner in doubt as company shifts to powering AI data centers (ArsTechnica)

• How AI went from fringe idea to unstoppable force (Reuters)

• Scooby-Doo Retires After Taking Skydance Buyout (Onion)

Dirty Tricksters

 Both Halloween and elections bring out tricksters and this year is no exception. It looks like Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s tasteless ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s estranged mother has backfired in the Ohio Governor’s race.

Acton leads in the polls going into Election Day, Ramaswamy has pulled the ad, and Kalshi now gives Acton a 79 percent chance of winning.

Up in Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign may survive the dubious ploy of getting another guy named Dan Sullivan to run in the Senate race against incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan.

The New York Times came out with a story that stirred the pot in this one, but Peltola is leading the polls. Republicans are threatening to refuse to certify her seat if she wins.

Kalshi still likes Peltola by a wide margin, 70-30.

As long as there have been elections, there have been dirty tricks. For that matter, as long as there’s been Halloween, there have been tricksters.

Hopefully the latter are more lovable than the former.

Happy Halloween! (Pumpkin by Julia)

HEADLINES:

• Judge bars DoJ from threats to election workers as Trump to hold tele-rallies three days before elections (Guardian)

• El-Sayed campaign wants Stevens to stay away after day of back-and-forth sniping (Politico)

• An obscure website has become a major force in the election information machine. It’s called Ballot Brief and we’ve identified numerous mistakes on the site. (WP)

• Court Rejects Latest Trump Effort to Impound California Ballots (NYT)

• FBI visits Dan J. Sullivan donor in candidate’s home town as Alaska Senate inquiry widens (AP)

• Alaska Senate candidate denies knowing about alleged plot to put two Dan Sullivans on ballot (BBC)

• Alaska Senate: Judge fast tracks new bids to dismiss DOJ lawsuit over 2nd Sullivan candidacy (CNBC)

• In reversal, Trump to rally in Iowa and Kansas in final days before midterms (Guardian)

• Vance is asked about affordability in America and immediately starts talking about senator’s a** (Independent)

• Inside Trump’s midterm ‘dog fight’ and the scramble for his attention (Politico)

• Christian Nationalist-Backed Candidates Still Run Stealth Campaigns…and Win (Daily Kos)

• The cognitive dissonance election (Silver Bulletin)

• Pope Leo makes history by voting in US midterms (CNN)

• Brash architect of Trump’s midterm strategy could become midterm scapegoat (WP)

• A farm lobby group is spending big on advertisements to defeat Republicans in the midterms, as President Trump’s approval rating among rural voters slides to its lowest ever in Reuters/Ipsos polling. (Reuters)

• Even if the Trump administration’s attempts to meddle in the midterms are unrealistic or rejected by courts, legal experts, voting rights groups and voters themselves say the chaos and intimidation that come with those efforts are the point. [HuffPost]

• Houston Grand Jury Indicts ICE Agent on Charges of Ramming Man in Chase (NYT)

• Federal judge signals she may halt construction on Trump’s arch (WP)

• Xi vs Trump on Corruption (China Talk)

• Oil flows are up as Iran war turmoil eases. Why do prices keep rising? (Al Jazeera)

• U.S. Oil Industry Earned Over $130 Billion in Profit During Iran War (NYT)

• Difficult negotiations lie ahead in Israel after Netanyahu’s bloc loses its parliamentary majority (AP)

• Researchers Uncover Signs of Massive Surveillance Operation on Starlink Users (Gizmodo)

• Boston Dynamics Faces Employee Protest Over Robot Deal With ICE (Cnet)

• Massive crypto hack probably the largest theft of digital currencies in history (WP)

• Christa Pike makes first public comments since botched execution: ‘Healing is not the same as being okay’ (CNN)

• The Diplomat Has Achieved Something Most Netflix Original Shows Never Do (TV Line)

AI NEWS:

• This electric screwdriver uses a camera and AI to figure out what bit you need (Verge)

• How One Country Became the Unlikely Crossroads of the Global A.I. Boom (NYT)

• Macmillan Staff Say the Publisher Threw a Party for a Workplace AI Assistant That Was Later Killed (Wired)

• What does OpenAI’s progress mean for scientists? (Economist)

• The AI build-out has given America ‘Dutch disease’ (WP)

• A Powerful Mosquito-Hunting Laser Uses A.I. to Zap Winged Pests (NYT)

• NYSE Opens Spirit Realm Stock Trading For One Night A Year (Onion)

Home Stretch

“Polls are not perfect predictions of outcomes.” — Charles Franklin, professor of law and public policy and director of the Marquette Law School Poll

Over half the people voting in this year’s elections will have cast their ballots by Election Day, which is next Tuesday.

We’ve now enter the Twilight Zone phase of an election when the polls no longer have much impact (it’s too late) and the prediction markets are pretty much set in place, with some notable exceptions. Kalshi has the Democrats’s chances in the House at 92 percent and in the Senate at 69 percent.

Among major races the odds have flipped in one. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass now has a 60 percent chance of retaining her job over challenger Nithya Raman (40 percent). Raman had been leading in the betting until recently.

In the contentious Ohio Governor’s race, the Democrat Amy Acton is given a commanding chance (80 percent) to beat the GOP’s Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy has finally taken down his offensive ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar. That's him raising the white flag.

In another controversial contest, Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola is given a 68 percent chance over Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. The “other” Dan Sullivan in this race is given no chance to prevail. It looks like Trump's plan is to try and prevent her from claiming her seat in the Senate.

***

The degree to which you give credence to any of these numbers is probably consistent with whether you believe in the “wisdom of the crowds” hypothesis.

I do, which is why I am citing the predictions this time around. Oh yeah, one last datapoint. It looks like Trump is abandoning the campaign trail at the end. He has cancelled visits to Kansas and Iowa.

HEADLINES:

• Our forecast of the midterms’ outcome (Economist)

• A Guide to the 2026 Midterms (New Yorker)

• US midterms: 4 days to go – What the polls say as Trump cancels two rallies (Al Jazeera)

• Alaska governor orders investigation into Democrat Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign (Guardian)

• Senate braces for nasty fight over seating Peltola after Alaska Senate race (The Hill)

• Live Midterm Election Updates: Trump campaigns in South Carolina for Darline Graham and more from the trail (CBS)

• Judge rejects Justice Department bid to set aside California ballots (WP)

• Justice Dept. Pressures California With Expanded Election Investigation (NYT)

• Republicans Tried to Undercut Black Voters. It’s Blowing Up in Their Faces. (Bulwark)

• Trump fired him. The ‘DEI Watchlist’ shamed him. Then came 500 job rejections. (WP)

• Ilhan Omar Investigation Involves New Scrutiny of Long-Disputed Marriage (NYT)

• The Four Academics Who Dreamed Up California’s Billionaire Tax (WSJ)

• Marked Down: Trump’s trick or treat (Money Trail)

• Hegseth’s team forces out another top Pentagon general, officials say (WP)

• In Her Final Months, Dolores Huerta Was Lauded for Revealing a Deep Secret (NYT)

• Netanyahu falls short of majority as Israel faces three possible paths to a new government (Fox)

• Israel’s Parties Gird for Wrangling to Form a Government, With No Clear Path (NYT)

• What we know of Vance’s letter to Rezaei, as Trump warns Gulf to ‘prepare’ (Al Jazeera)

• US warns allies to prepare for possible Iran strikes, retaliation after elections (AP)

• The strange math that shows how Trump got Venezuela to ‘gift’ oil to the United States (CNN)

• Record number of purges as Xi emphasises ‘party discipline’ at China political gathering (BBC)

• French Protests Are Hijacked by Agitators (Nation)

• Experts warn of wider spread as Ebola outbreak reaches plateau (AP)

• Return of the poppy — Taliban’s poppy ban falters as Afghan farmers say they can’t feed their children (Reuters)

• ‘The Diplomat’ Renewed for Season 5 at Netflix (Variety)

AI NEWS:

• Amazon Hedges Against AI Shopping Agents With 250 Million Outside Listings (The Information)

• I Used AI to Fake a Scientific Paper. Here’s What Happened (IEEE)

• The Solution to AI’s Alignment Problem is Precise Guardrails on How We Use It (TechPolicy)

• Worried about a new wave of AI hacks? Take these steps right now. (WP)

• Nvidia Chief Seen as Target of Chinese Spy Plot (NYT)

• Roasting China’s AI Industry (ChinaTalk)

• Top Dartmouth Leader Steps Down Over Undisclosed A.I. Use in Writings (NYT)

• He called for an AI slowdown, then told investors he’d race ahead (WP)

• Republicans Privately Urging Trump To Not Be President Leading Up To Midterms (Onion)

Duck Stop on the Potomac

It looks ever more likely that the Democrats are going to take control of Congress in this year’s elections, which will turn Donald Trump into a true lame duck.

Maybe it will be time to start calling him Donald Duck.

And I have a plan for him that just might make sense. We know that Donald doesn’t really care about the Republicans, anyway, so why not make a few deals with the Democrats, since they now will control Congress?

They will certainly be passing bills that aim to lower costs, improve health care, preserve the environment and regulate AI, among other things. And that could end up being a lasting legacy.

So what if rather than vetoing them — which everyone expects — Duck signs them and takes all the credit?

Do that, Mr. President, and the Democrats might let you have your ballroom and your supersized golden arch, the latter of which can be dubbed the “Duck Stop on the Potomac,” in your everlasting honor.

(Latest numbers from Kalshi: Democrats have a 91 percent chance of winning the House and a 67 percent of winning the Senate. Donald Trump has a 100 percent chance of being a lame duck.)

HEADLINES:

• The seven races that will decide control of the Senate (WP)

• These are the House races to watch in the 2026 midterm election on Nov. 3 (NPR)
• 
  
• What our final poll before Election Day says about midterms and Trump (PBS)

• Trump’s speeches take on darker tone (NBC)

• Ken Paxton’s State-Funded Jet-Setting Draws Campaign Scrutiny (NYT)

• Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign reportedly recruited second Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate race (Guardian)

• Trump demands Alaska candidates be removed over alleged ballot scheme (Al Jazeera)

• Alaska election officials oppose Trump DOJ’s involvement in Senate race (CNN)

• Vivek Ramaswamy was warned not to air ‘liar’ ad and now staff want to resign days before election: report (Independent)

• Netanyahu bloc slightly ahead in Israel elections but short of majority as most votes counted (BBC)

• Netanyahu is the ultimate survivor. But can he survive this time? (CNN)

• Arab parties on course for 17 seats in Israel election, early results show (Al Jazeera)

• How to Secure the Straits (Foreign Affairs)

• Iran pressed to make nuke concessions as massive post-midterms strikes loom (Axios)

• Bolsonaro lands in US, declares himself ‘leader’ of Brazil (DW)

• Federal Reserve Keeps Rates Unchanged Despite Elevated Inflation (HP)

• Fed meeting recap: Warsh says central bank will host fewer rate-setting meetings in future years (CNBC)

• US economy beats forecasts to grow at 3.4% rate in third quarter (FT)

• RFK Jr. rebuked for derogatory claim about ‘Arabs in the world’ (The Hill)

• RFK Jr. eases access to unproven peptides despite opposition from FDA scientists (AP)

• CDC warns of rising threat of drug-resistant germs, which kill 50,000 people per year (NBC)

• How Do You Solve a Problem Like Elon Musk? (Bulwark)

• Conservative influencer James O’Keefe charged with unlawful voting and identity theft in Minnesota (NBC)

• Leak website releases data on tens of thousands of DHS employees (Reuters)

• When ICE Comes for a MAGA Supporter (Atlantic)

• Inside the Billionaires’ War Against California’s Proposed Wealth Tax (NYT)

• Trump says he will ban the term artificial intelligence (The Hill)

• Boston Dynamics Faces Employee Protest Over Robot Deal With ICE (Cnet)

• DoorDash to Buy Instacart for $17 Billion, Uniting 2 Delivery Giants (NYT)

• In southern Chile, locals push to protect oceans that have been hurt by intensive salmon farming (AP)

• Christine Lagarde to Step Down as Chief of European Central Bank (NYT)

• Why Gen Z are leading protests across Europe. (Reuters)

• Religion Remains Stable in the U.S., With Mixed Signals for Young Adults (Pew)

• How to be happy: Tips from the pioneers of well‑being research (The Conversation)

• How to stop a ‘what if’ anxiety spiral before it takes over (WP)

AI NEWS:

• Anthropic’s constitutional order (FT)

• As AI agents reshape the web, Google opens Gemini and Search to more apps (TechCrunch)

• China unveils 13-foot robot that can lift a cow (Independent)

• Anthropic IPO filing warns some risks may be uninsurable. AI coverage will be issue for every company (CNBC)

• Inside Anthropic’s IPO + How AI Agents Spy on Your Messages (NPR)

• Dueling proofs from OpenAI and Anthropic astound scientists (SciAm)

• The AI boom is starting to break time-tested stock-market signals (MarketWatch)

• China’s AI Jobs Problem: What Economists Fear and Why the Fixes May Fall Short (ChinaTalk)

• An AI safety leader says he stopped saving for retirement (BI)

• Trump Drowns In 2-Inch Puddle (Onion)

 

Silver Tongue

Nate Silver is one of the most prominent election forecasters in America, but he stresses that he is not a pollster. If you want to try and guess what the results of next Tuesday’s midterm elections are going to be, read or listen to his conversation with Ezra Klein of the New York Times.

I’m hesitant to summarize it because the nuance is where all the rough edges get smoothed. But here goes:

• Democrats should flip enough seats in the Senate to take control of that body along with the House.

• One of the biggest factors is that midterms are always a judgement about the incumbent President, even though he is not on the ballot, and Trump has low approval ratings.

• Trump’s rural, white voter base may not turn out in the numbers Republicans need to ward off a Democratic victory.

• While the major Democratic candidates for key Senate races are not perfect, the Republican candidates are bad.

• The polls could still be wrong and the results could surprise us.

• A lot of the anxiety over affordability, jobs and the future revolves around AI.

• AI may well be the major issue in 2028. And the next President will not be an old man.

There’s much more, so give the article or podcast a look. My conclusions from this and all the other sources I monitor is that Democrats are poised for a big win but not a mandate. What they do with their new power will probably be pivotal in the 2028 presidential election.

HEADLINES:

• How Trump and his allies are sowing doubt ahead of the midterms (WP)

• Nate Silver on What the Polls Say — and What His Gut’s Telling Him (NYT)

• Israeli exit polls indicate deadlock in pivotal election as Netanyahu faces main rival Eisenkot (Reuters)

• With over 85% of votes counted, pro-Netanyahu bloc gets 53 seats, Eisenkot-led bloc at 48 and Arab parties have 19. (Times of Israel)

• At Least 64 Killed in Train Crash in Spain, Officials Say (NYT)

• Romanian president calls alleged Russian sabotage plot a 'grave violation' of NATO member's security (AP)

• Flávio Bolsonaro flees Brazil after presidential election loss, reports say (Guardian)

• The U.S. Called It Putin’s ‘Slush Fund.’ Now Trump May Drop Sanctions on It. (NYT)

• Pretti family accuses federal government of ‘shielding Alex’s killers’ (MS-T)

• Hackers target US FEC system, disrupting campaign finance disclosures days before midterms (Reuters)

• Grand Jury Declines to Bring Charges Against Cassidy Hutchinson (NYT)

• The Art of the Deal: Jared Kushner’s Hacked Phone Revealed His Secret Negotiations—Including More Than $700 Million in Transfers (Vanity Fair)

• Trump to Loosen Rules for Oil Firms on Methane, a Potent Warming Gas (NYT)

• How Long Until the Internet Breaks? (Atlantic)

• At 80, he’s a top dementia expert. Here’s how he keeps his brain healthy. (WP)

• While global tech stocks teeter, China’s have already crashed as lofty valuations collapse under worries about AI demand and curbs on Chinese exports. (Reuters)

AI NEWS:

• Why Anthropic’s IPO contrasts the ‘cult of Elon Musk’ at SpaceX and Tesla (Yahoo)

• As AI threatens entry-level jobs, Gen Z is souring on if another degree can help—U.S. business school applications have plunged 25% (Fortune)

• There’s not enough money in the world to pay for the AI boom (WP)

• Anthropic’s elaborate plan to keep Wall Street at bay (Verge)

• An AI safety leader says he stopped saving for retirement because he believes AI will kill us all in the next 10 years (BI)

• A.I.’s Rogue Behavior Starts With Its Training (NYT)

• Career Experts Advise Job Applicants To Send Interviewer Follow-Up Blackmail (Onion)