If Elon Musk Were a Country...

Here’s a fun fact for you: Elon Musk’s fruitless spending on the election of some $470 million was the equivalent of the annual GDP of Romania. It’s also larger than the GDPs of Pakistan, Egypt, Chile, Peru and the Czech Republic, etc. — three-quarters of the countries on the planet.

This isn’t his net worth; it’s just the money he spent on the elections. If he were his own country, Musk would have somewhere around the 21st largest national economy in the world. On a bad day at the stock market, he loses the equivalent of a Sri Lanka or two Cambodias, three Lebanons or four Nicaraguas.

On a good day, he might pick up the equivalent of a dozen Sierra Leones.

Now before somebody complains that I’m comparing apples to oranges, I admit that an individual’s net worth is not the same thing as a country’s gross domestic product. 

So which is more: A trillion apples for one guy or a trillion oranges for 100 million?

The point is that never in human history has there been such a shocking disparity in wealth between this right-wing weirdo and virtually everyone else here on earth.

And in case anyone thinks we should try and do something about it before Musk takes over the entire world, you can find him these days in Texas, where he went to escape the reach of the Democrats.

Uh oh.

HEADLINES:

• Unfazed by Midterm Rebuke, Miller Is Poised to Push the Limits of Trump’s Power — The president’s new chief of staff has already demonstrated his intention to forge ahead with an agenda that many voters rejected. (NYT)

• The tech billionaires who fled California are facing a new blue Texas (WP)

• How Elon Musk Frittered Away Nearly $500 Million on the Midterms (NYT)

• Risk of Iran war escalation remains high despite Democratic sweep in U.S. midterm elections (CNBC)

• UFC’s Dana White says he will meet with Trump Monday over offer to be White House press secretary (NPR)

• Who Is Gadi Eisenkot, the Israeli Tasked With Forming a Government? (NYT)

• US offers $20m reward for information about Iran’s nuclear programme (BBC)

• Vance builds a new identity (Reuters)

• Wiles is the latest high-profile woman to leave Trump administration (USAToday)

• A new group of senators from both parties will vote on how to save Social Security. Here’s what they’ve said about it (Fortune)

• DC official urges incoming Democratic governors to withdraw National Guard (The Hill)

• US Senator Abdul El-Sayed launches ‘Habibi’ political action committee (Al Jazeera)

• Four women and two men killed in Krakow shooting as police say suspect wore ‘military-style attire’ (BBC)

• How a Soldier’s Beating Helped Desegregate the Military (Reveal)

• Why Bolsonaro says U.S. took him in: Trump ‘convinced’ Brazil is no longer a democracy (WP)

AI NEWS:

• The Fridge-Hacking Spree Is an Internet-of-Things Wake-Up Call (Wired)

• Why a new report on Anthropic automating AI development is alarming researchers (Verge)

• ChatGPT can now build custom apps for you in seconds, without any coding — I tried making 6 of my own, and the results surprised me (TechRadar)

• Why investors are dumping AI company stocks after Democrats’ election sweep (WP)

• Uncarved Pumpkin Struggling With Survivor’s Guilt (Onion)

 

Local Power Shifts Left

In addition to taking over Congress, Democrats now are the party in control on the state level. When the final results are in, Democrats will hold the Governor’s office in 30 states covering about 75 percent of the country’s population. They were able to flip the governorships in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas. (*)

Democrats also now have majorities in over half of the state legislatures, with a handful of races still to be decided. This new political reality extends the blue wave across the country in ways that ensure that change will not be confined to Washington, D.C. 

Meanwhile, Trump’s choice of Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff is an indication he isn’t interested in a conciliatory approach with the new Congress. Miller, the architect of Trump’s mass deportation policy, is a bitter, angry man with extremist views, which is in sharp contrast to the chief of staff he replaces, Susie Wiles. 

Wiles seemed like one of the few calming voices around Trump. And that matters because while it is a hopeful sign that most Americans have elected Democrats to public offices on every level of government, it’s worth remembering the percentage of the population under a Republican President is still 100.

(*Votes are still being counted in the Kansas Governor’s race, but Kalshi is 99.5 percent certain the Democrat will win.)

HEADLINES:

• Stephen Miller replacing Susie Wiles as chief of staff as Trump grows furious with midterm results, sources say (CNN)

• With Stephen Miller pick, Trump readies for a battle (BBC)

• The Miller Doctrine: Trump’s “wartime consigliere” (Axios)

• Trump Tried to Undermine the Nation’s Elections. It Didn’t Work. (NYT)

• Comer says ‘there’s a lot of questions about Hegseth’ amid impeachment push (The Hill)

• Bomb Threats in Europe Probably a Coordinated Campaign, Ireland Says (NYT)

• Cornell faculty senate issues no confidence vote on administration’s handling of sexual assault (NBC)

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis planning another White House run (WP)

• How Accurate Were Prediction Markets at Picking Midterm Winners? (NYT)

• Democrat Scott Colom adds to lead in Mississippi Senate ballot counting (The Hill)

• U.S. Attorney Who Oversaw Centerpiece of Trump’s Revenge Campaign Resigns (NYT)

• Houston Mayor John Whitmire directs HPD to reduce cooperation with ICE after midterm results (HPM)

• Trump Wrestles With New Reality: A Lame Duck With Two Years Left to Fight (NYT)

• Jimmy Kimmel spots bizarre clue Donald Trump could leave White House earlier than expected (Independent)

• Tesla Is Ending Production of Its Cybertruck and Refocusing on the Cybercab (NYT)

• Paraguay’s president impeached and under house arrest after bank collapse (BBC)

• Judge places Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, on house arrest after feds find photos of him sexually abusing minors, DOJ says (CNN)

• The final day of voting begins in New Zealand's election as an unusual law bans any talk of politics (AP)

• Yaxel Lendeborg is the NBA’s most entertaining rookie – and he’s not holding back (Guardian)

• From Linux to Wikipedia: How Volunteers Build the Internet (MIT)

• 3 charged in $129 million AI scheme targeting thousands of companies (PBS)

• New Research Tests Whether AI Models Know Their Own Thoughts (Quanta)

• Data centers took a beating in the midterm elections. A reckoning may be ahead for tech giants (AP)

• New Generation Clarifies They’re Fine Not Having Own ‘Cat In The Hat’ (Onion)

 

Salon R.I.P.

It was a sad moment yesterday when word came that Salon has ceased publication. In a short unsigned statement, the site broke its own news: “The business realities of independent digital journalism have changed profoundly over the years. After careful consideration, we have reached the difficult decision that our publishing model is no longer sustainable.”

The truth is that Salon never had a sustainable business model and that was both its charm and its tragedy. Salon epitomized a very specific moment in publishing history — the pivot from print to online sites. 

It also captured a very specific moment in cultural history — the ascendence of “San Francisco values” (shorthand DEI) openly at war with the right-wing’s self-appointed “family values.”

Salon also represented a very specific moment in political history — we were the leading investigative journalists holding hypocritical conservative politicians accountable during the impeachment of Bill Clinton.

Finally, for me personally, Salon played a very important part in the key transition in my career. Just like Salon, my print career was reborn online in 1995. It makes me sad to realize that I have now outlived it.

As for those early years, I’m republishing links to the six-part series on Salon. At the time I wrote it, I had no idea this would be an elegy.

Origin Story: Salon

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

“All things must pass.” — George Harrison

HEADLINES:

• ‘I Have Seen the Enemy, and It Is Us’: Inside Team Trump’s Historic Collapse (NYT)

• Tech slump wipes millions off markets (Reuters)

• ‘Knives out’ for Hegseth, other military leaders after Iran war dooms GOP (WP)

• A judge blocks construction of Trump’s arch moments after it won federal approval (NPR)

• Democrats will win more than 250 House seats, CNN projects (CNN)

• How the Democrats will wield their power (Economist)

• The Republican missteps that laid the groundwork for a historic midterm rebuke (WP)

• The Machine, and the Messaging, That Won Texas for Democrats (NYT)

• Democrats face a choice on Trump come January: Confrontation or compromise (WP)

• Newsom moves to commute all California death sentences to life in prison without parole (LAT)

• Judge Scolds ICE ‘Cruelty’ for Arresting Man He Just Ordered Be Released (Newsweek)

• DOJ civil rights division chief resigns (Politico)

• Justice Department Pursuing Criminal Investigation into Dobbs Decision Leak (NR)

• Nithya Raman, Democratic Socialist, Wins Los Angeles Mayoral Race (NYT)

• Hundreds of thousands march in largely peaceful protests across France (CNN)

• Melania Trump calls for lasting Ukraine truce as she hosts Russian and Ukrainian officials (BBC)

• Paraguay President Peña resigns under mounting pressure from bank collapse (Reuters)

• Watch: Is a Nuclear Strike Imminent? Iranian Video on Surviving a Nuclear Explosion Sparks Fear (Sabq)

• Goodbye from Salon (Salon)

• Online magazine Salon, early staple of internet discourse, shuts down (ABC)

• Salon, Digital News Trailblazer, Folds After 31 Years (Hollywood Reporter)

• Salon, a Pioneer of Digital Journalism, Shuts Down (NYT)

• LIV Golf is done after 5 years and $5 billion spent dividing the sport (NYT)

• Bosses loved AI at work — until they drowned in slop (BI)

• Anthropic is rapidly accelerating AI development amid slowdown calls, outside research group says (AP)

• AI agents can trade stocks for you—here are the risks and benefits, according to experts (CNBC)

• Claude can now analyze your spending with its new Personal Finance tool (TechCrunch)

• Voters Rejected A.I. in the Midterms. Now Comes an Era of Scrutiny. (NYT)

• Bain Capital Acquires Tibetan Buddhism For $35 Million (Onion)

 

The Aftermath

For nearly two years, I worried that Trump might try to disrupt the midterm elections by calling a national emergency. That fear was based partly on his threats, partly on the hints in his executive orders and partly on what happened on Jan. 6, 2021.

I also worried that his frequent claim that the elections could be rigged would be plausible, at least to his followers.

But in the end the Democrats won by such a huge margin that nothing like my worst fears happened. Kalshi now says there is a 96.5 percent chance the Dems will win the Senate seat in Mississippi, and a 93.9 percent chance they’ll prevail in the Alaska Senate race, which will bring them to a 56-44 advantage.

The magnitude of the Democratic victory in the House won’t be known for a bit but Kalshi says it will be 260-175.

So rather than declare an emergency over some trumped-up excuse or another, all Trump could do in the end was to wander off to the site of his East Wing destruction project, muttering about pipes and marble and cranes. Now the blame game has started among Republicans the word is they might impeach Pete Hegseth next week while they still hold the Congressional majority.

For the first time, I now feel that I can appreciate the country’s 250th anniversary.

P.S. Of course Trump did initially try to disrupt the elections with numerous lawsuits but he lost in the courts, including in the Supreme Court.

HEADLINES:

• How Trump Lost the Midterms — The Iran war, gas prices and Trump’s miscalculations led to one of the most decisive repudiations of an American president (WSJ)

• Democrats Project Power as G.O.P. Reels in a Reordered Washington (NYT)

• Young voters led a sharp shift toward Democrats in the 2026 midterms, The AP Voter Poll finds (AP)

• ‘Seismic shift’: World reacts to US midterm election results (Al Jazeera)

• After an extraordinary wave, what comes next? (Silver Bulletin)

• Amid the Trump wreckage, the free press survives (The Hill)

• As GOP points fingers over stunning midterm losses, Trump admires his ballroom (Politico)

• Democratic sweep of Congress ushers in a new era as Trump acknowledges impact of the Iran war (AP)

• Vance blames Republican losses on Iran war (Yahoo)

• El-Sayed Calls Out JD Vance in Victory Speech (WSJ)

• Oil prices plunge after Vance post on Iran war (Axios)

• Stocks Rise as Democrats Flip Control of Congress (NYT)

• Republican strongholds flip for the first time in a generation (Reuters)

• Why Pete Hegseth could fall through “thin ice” (Axios)

• Trump asking advisers if Hegseth should stay after midterm losses, sources say (CBS)

• A Blue Wave Just Crashed on Trump (New Yorker)

• DeSantis calls midterm bloodbath an ‘extinction-level event for Republicans’ (Politico)

• How a blue wave crushed the tech right (BI)

• These Democrats are set to take foreign policy reins in Congress (The Hill)

• Among winners: The polls. Among losers: Billionaires. (WP)

• Goodbye, Vivek Ramaswamy (Slate)

• ‘Congratulations to Donald Trump on a successful regime change’: Late night hosts react to Democrat sweep (Independent)

• Pope Leo receives Bob Dylan at the Vatican (Vatican News)

• OpenAI is already trying to shape the 2028 election (TechCrunch)

• Google Will Turn Off Search for Schools That Reject A.I. (NYT)

• Nation Watches Helplessly As 2028 Election Cycle Begins (Onion)

America to Trump: "Enough!"

Before any vote totals were released Tuesday night, I was looking through the exit poll data at several media sites. It was crystal clear from the demographics, the issues, the attitudes and the energy that a Democratic victory was coming.

What wasn’t clear was the scope.

The Democrats have won control of the House, the Senate and a majority of the Governorships. They bring a rainbow of new leaders — the first Muslim Senator, the first openly gay Senator, the first black Speaker of the House, the first black woman Governor, the first Latina woman Governor, the first Native American woman Governor and a broad array of progressives and moderates united in opposition to one man — Donald J. Trump.

This is a complete and utter repudiation of Trump’s authoritarianism. When they take office in January, these leaders have the opportunity and the responsibility to craft a new path to a much better future for everybody.

Everybody, that is, but Trump, Elon Musk and the other gangsters who have been looting and lying as if this country belonged to them.

It doesn’t. It belongs to the rest of us. And last night we took it back.

HEADLINES:

• Finally, the Beginning of Trump’s End (New Yorker)

• Republican strongholds flip for the first time in a generation (Reuters)

• Democrats Seize Control of Congress, Ending a G.O.P. Trifecta (NYT)

• Voters dealt President Donald Trump a historic rebuke in yesterday’s midterms. (WP)

• The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a push for California to set aside thousands of mail ballots from people the Trump administration claims are noncitizens. The swift rejection was the latest in a flurry of election-related litigation the day before the elections. No justices publicly dissented. [AP]

• As Americans voted, Trump says US will stop $4 billion in aid to Israel (Reuters)

• Why are Americans paying more for health insurance? Experts give 3 reasons (PBS)

• ‘Quiet quitting’ could be hitting the economy - here’s why (BBC)

• US has conducted defensive strikes on Iranian targets, US official says (AP)

• Unabating attacks show how the escalating maritime war between Russia and Ukraine is expanding into a major ‌challenge for NATO in the Black Sea that has left coastal member states such as Romania and Bulgaria exposed. (Reuters)

• Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Demanding Harvard Admissions Data (NYT)

• Parts of Florida see half a year’s worth of rain in 36 hours (WP)

• CrowdStrike to Buy Two AI Security Startups for $495 Million (WSJ)

• How “reverse game theory” could keep AI agents in check (TR)

• OpenAI hires former US Army secretary as military seeks to expand AI use (FT)

• Google researchers are fighting the company to tell the world what they know about AI (WP)

• Anthropic Is Racing to Obtain the A.I. Boom’s Most Vital Resource (NYT)

• Nation Lines Up In Droves To Humiliate Nate Silver (Onion)

 

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