Nation on Edge

As the midterm elections approach, it’s worth remembering that the beauty of our system is the “little people” who help make sure it works.

They turn over their garages for polling places, gather up and transport the ballots, count the votes and accept the results in victory or defeat. 

But this year election officials are steeling themselves for a frightening possibility — that as Reuters says in a special report “the biggest threat to November’s elections might come not from foreign meddling or technical failures, but from the Trump administration itself.”

• “Reuters interviewed more than 50 state and local election officials from both political parties, including a dozen secretaries of state, the top election officials in their states. Nearly all said they are adopting new strategies to prepare for political interference, misinformation, cyber attacks and even threats of violence ahead of the midterms..“

• “Their efforts span jurisdictions large and small, in areas controlled by Trump’s Republican Party as well as the opposition Democratic Party.”

• “The preparations reflect growing alarm among state and local officials that the biggest threat to November’s elections might come not from foreign meddling or technical failures, but from the Trump administration itself, as the president seeks to expand the federal government’s role in elections…”

• “More than a dozen local and state election officials said they are hiring outside lawyers or seeking legal training for themselves and their staff to prepare for potential demands by the administration for access to sensitive voting records or election equipment.”

• “Nearly twice that many said they are expanding public outreach and social media campaigns to counter misinformation, including the false claims made by Trump and Republican allies that voting machines are unreliable and mail-in voting is inherently corrupt.”

• “And most said they are scrambling to fill gaps left by the Trump administration’s cuts to programs that help safeguard elections from cyber attacks and physical security threats. That includes ongoing work to fortify election offices with camera systems and bulletproof glass – a trend that began after Trump disputed his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election, igniting waves of violent threats by Trump supporters against election workers.”

There is much more in this article, which captures the mood among those on the frontlines of a nation on edge. It’s most definitely worth a read.

HEADLINES:

• With Less Than Two Months Left, Here’s Who We Think Will Win the Midterms (NYT)

• US election officials preparing for chaos ahead of the midterms. (Reuters)

• Canada invited to become first ‘associate member’ of the EU (Euronews)

• Trump’s handpicked Kennedy Center board votes to immediately close venue for renovations (NBC)

• Kennedy Center stood as a symbol of the importance of arts for over 50 years (WP)

• Trump’s Name Must Stay Off Kennedy Center, Judge Rules (NYT)

• ICE is quietly firing new hires. For one recruit, it was devastating. (WP)

• US orbital weapons acknowledgment a landmark moment, US Space Command official says (Reuters)

• What the closure of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline could mean for oil flows (AP)

• Trump Approves $2.8 Billion Arms Sale to Israel, Including 40,000 One-Ton Bombs (NYT)

• Iran war has led to US munitions shortfalls, Pentagon inspector confirms (BBC)

• Trump’s war shifts clean energy into high gear everywhere but here (Money Trail)

• Gavin Newsom Says He Won’t Run in 2028 if Kamala Harris Does (NYT)

• 3 dead after news helicopter reporting for NBC L.A. crashes while covering fatal bus collision (NBC)

• Lead you absorbed as a child may cause dementia as you age (WP)

• The Bay Area has become a brutal place to start a career — and not just in tech (SFC)

• Senate Votes to Block Crypto Bill in Major Blow to the Industry (NYT)

• Leaders at OpenAI, Google and Anthropic have reportedly been meeting regularly to discuss establishing a regulatory framework for the artificial intelligence industry, and President Donald Trump is not a fan. [HuffPost]

• The timing of AI leaders’ calls for a slowdown is too convenient to ignore (BI)

• China is preparing for the risk of AI escaping human control. (Reuters)

• China’s Top Spy Chief Warns A.I. Is a Threat to Party Rule (NYT)

• AI companies buoyed the U.S. economy. What happens if they slow down? (WP)

• As A.I. Fears Rise, Experts Suggest Focusing on the Humans in Charge (NYT)

• We’re not ready for superpersistent AI (Silver Bulletin)

• As the world debates the risks of AI, China closes the technology gap with the US (AP)

• Last-Ever Global Warming Report Released For Posterity (Onion)