A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties Wednesday in a data privacy case stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, according to the article. The order follows a September jury verdict finding that the company misled New Mexico residents about how it collects and safeguards user data and prevents harmful information from flourishing on its services. Jurors found more than 43 million violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act, which allows civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation. District Court Judge Francis Mathew determined the final penalty, reducing the $219.5 billion amount identified in the filing to $25 billion. He also ordered interest to accrue at 15% annually until the penalty is paid in full.

Mathew cited the number of willful violations, the duration and repetition of the conduct, senior Facebook leadership’s involvement, and what he described as the intentional and systematic nature of the company’s repeated misstatements. He also found that “Facebook did not conduct the comprehensive investigation that it promised” after the Cambridge Analytica revelations. According to the filing, pressure from senior executives to contain costs, insufficient enforcement resources, inadequate investigative techniques, and a desire to avoid setting precedents for future investigations contributed to a “willfully ineffective” internal examination. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez welcomed the order, saying powerful technology companies had operated for too long as though their size and influence placed them beyond the law. “This penalty order demonstrates that those violations carry real consequences,” he said.

Meta’s chief legal officer, C.J. Mahoney, criticized the decision and said the company was confident it would prevail on appeal. “This ruling, and the Attorney General’s approach to this enforcement, makes it all but impossible to do business in the state of New Mexico,” he said, characterizing the lawsuit as an effort to impose “a tax on speech” and new rules for online expression. Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas filed the case in 2021, and Torrez oversaw the trial. The underlying Cambridge Analytica scandal emerged in 2018 and involved allegations that the political consulting firm improperly accessed information belonging to 87 million Facebook users. Meta previously agreed to a $725 million settlement in a related class action in 2022, but New Mexico’s case continued separately.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr warned broadcasters Wednesday that airing what he called “entirely Fake Polls and Suppression Polls” could violate their regulatory obligations, according to the article. In a post on X, Carr alleged that such polls were designed to interfere with the electoral process and change voter turnout and enthusiasm. He accused journalists and broadcasters of amplifying them without following basic journalistic ethics or telling audiences that the surveys lacked a scientific, accurate, or real basis. Carr did not identify a particular poll, broadcaster, or report supporting those accusations. The article places his warning less than two weeks before the November midterm elections, as outlets including Fox News continue covering Trump’s low polling numbers.

Carr tied his accusations directly to broadcasters’ federal licenses and public interest responsibilities. “The FCC takes these issues seriously. Broadcasters are prohibited by the terms of their federal licenses from engaging in News Distortion or promoting Broadcast Hoaxes,” he wrote. He then advised broadcasters to avoid airing polls that would violate their regulatory obligations. The article does not report that Carr announced a specific investigation, identified a licensing violation, or imposed a penalty over polling coverage. His statement nevertheless explicitly invoked the commission’s regulatory authority while accusing unnamed outlets of spreading polls intended to affect electoral participation.

The warning follows a separate dispute over Carr’s review of broadcast licenses for eight ABC television stations. According to the article, ABC alleged in a regulatory lawsuit that the review targeted “the content and viewpoints expressed on ABC network programs.” The article says the threat to those licenses came days after Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about Trump and Melania. It also identifies Carr as a co-author of Project 2025 and characterizes his latest statement as another attack on the press. Its closing suggestion that Trump and his allies might blame Republican losses on media coverage and attempt unconstitutional actions is the article’s assessment of what could happen, not a reported announcement of such a plan.

The Justice Department’s new Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program drew immediate mockery on social media after its Tuesday launch, with critics using the announcement to accuse President Donald Trump of wrongdoing, according to the article. The program promises awards of $10,000 to $30,000 for information leading to criminal charges and forms part of a broader initiative led by Vice President JD Vance to combat alleged government fraud. While the administration has focused on welfare and immigration programs, online critics redirected attention toward the president. “So, we’re mass reporting him, right?” an anti-Trump X user known as JoJo From Jerz wrote. Other commenters joked about reporting Mar-a-Lago or overwhelming the reporting portal. The article quotes those reactions but does not report a verified number of submissions or say that the website actually crashed.

The announcement also prompted a confrontation between Trump and The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg during a Tuesday Oval Office event. Trump said whistleblowers could receive 1% of the money recovered through the new initiative. Feinberg questioned why someone would choose that route when the existing False Claims Act offers a larger share of recovered funds, according to the article. The law allows whistleblowers to sue on behalf of the federal government to recover money defrauded from federal programs. “Because it’s a lot of money,” Trump responded, arguing that even a 1% award could produce payments of millions of dollars. During the rest of the event, Trump told Feinberg to “be careful,” ordered him to be “quiet,” and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Are you a sick person?” Feinberg replied, “Not that I know of, sir.”

The article places the online criticism alongside scrutiny of Trump’s finances and his decision to accept a Boeing 747 worth about $400 million from Qatar for use as the new Air Force One. Financial disclosures reviewed by The New York Times showed that Trump made more than $2.2 billion last year, including about $1.4 billion from his family’s cryptocurrency businesses, according to the report. The administration has previously rejected claims that Trump profited from serving as president, saying he instead lost hundreds of millions of dollars while serving the public. The article states that Trump and his family have not been criminally charged with fraud. The Independent said it contacted the White House for comment on the new allegations.

A majority of Americans view artificial intelligence negatively, and opposition to new data centers extends across political parties, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll. The survey found that 57% say AI is bad for society, compared with 42% who say it is good. Younger adults are more negative: 65% of those under 30 say AI is bad for society, compared with 53% of adults 40 and older. Opposition to building new data centers stands at 66% nationally and rises to 72% when respondents are asked about construction in their own communities. Local opposition includes 81% of Democrats, 76% of independents, and 58% of Republicans. It also spans rural, suburban, and urban communities, where opposition measures 78%, 72%, and 69%, respectively. Just 30% support building more data centers nationally.

Americans are more likely to identify major risks than strong prospects for benefits from AI’s growth. The poll found that 73% see a high risk of AI hacking secure computer systems, 65% see a high risk of eliminating many jobs, and 62% see a high risk of people losing the ability to make decisions without AI. Another 54% see a high risk of increased economic inequality, while 33% see a high risk of human extinction. By comparison, 34% say AI has a big chance of making everyday tasks easier, 30% see a big chance of U.S. dominance in AI technology, and 20% see a big chance of increased productivity. Just 13% see a big chance of AI creating many new jobs, while 52% say that outcome has little or no chance. Views of AI’s personal impact are more evenly divided: 50% say it is good for them, and 49% say it is bad.

Two-thirds of Americans say the federal government is not doing enough to regulate AI, including 80% of Democrats, 66% of independents, and 54% of Republicans. Two-thirds also disapprove of Trump’s handling of AI, while 30% approve. Approval reaches 80% among MAGA Republicans but falls to 49% among non-MAGA Republicans, with 50% of that group disapproving. Asked which party they trust more to handle AI, 26% choose Democrats and 19% choose Republicans, while 49% trust neither. The poll was conducted October 9–13 through the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel among 2,545 U.S. adults, with an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Several questions were asked of approximately half the sample and carry a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 points; other subgroups have larger margins.

CNN is threatening further legal action against the Trump administration over its exclusion from Air Force One trips, saying the White House is continuing to discriminate against the network despite a court order restoring its access to the White House. In a Monday letter to the Justice Department, CNN’s outside counsel Ted Boutrous demanded written confirmation that the administration would abandon any policy excluding CNN from Air Force One and the Oval Office and stop preventing its crews from performing assigned press pool duties. He set a deadline of Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern. “These efforts to retaliate and discriminate against CNN based on the content of its news coverage are mistaken, counterproductive, and unlawful,” Boutrous wrote. According to the letter, the White House has provided no written notice or explanation for leaving CNN off recent presidential trips. The Justice Department had not responded to CNN’s request for comment by Tuesday morning, the article reports.

The confrontation follows a lawsuit filed by CNN, MS NOW and Politico after Trump banned the outlets from the White House last month. U.S. District Judge Tim Kelly issued a preliminary injunction restoring access while the case proceeds, finding that the ban likely amounted to unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. That finding is not a final judgment, and the article does not report a ruling specifically resolving CNN’s latest Air Force One exclusions. CNN nevertheless argues that access to restricted presidential spaces is essential because those locations have become central to Trump’s interactions with reporters. According to figures cited in Boutrous’s letter, Trump has answered more than 4,700 questions in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One and on the tarmac since returning to office, compared with about 150 in the White House briefing room. Through September this year, the letter says, he appeared in the briefing room four times, held 43 Oval Office press events, and answered questions aboard or around Air Force One on 51 occasions.

The exclusions also disrupt the television press pool, in which five major networks rotate responsibility for recording presidential events and sharing footage with news organizations worldwide. Boutrous said CNN has repeatedly been omitted when it was scheduled to provide that coverage, including during Trump’s trip to Georgia and Florida last weekend. The other major networks have declined to fill in when CNN is excluded, according to the article. The legal dispute unfolds alongside the Associated Press’s separate challenge to restrictions on its access to presidential spaces. An appeals panel previously issued a ruling unfavorable to the AP’s position, but Boutrous argues that decision is nonbinding and does not control CNN’s case. The White House has not explicitly identified that ruling as its justification for excluding CNN. “If these actions persist,” Boutrous wrote, “CNN will have no choice but to return to the court to defend its rights.”

Elon Musk ordered restrictions on a version of SpaceX’s Starlink network used by Ukraine in its war against Russia, according to The Wall Street Journal reporting cited in the article. The newspaper, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter, reported that Musk last week “capped the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could stay connected to the satellite-based network.” The decision reportedly left some Ukrainian drones virtually inoperable. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly complained that the slowdown weakened Ukraine’s defenses against Russian attacks, prompting an informal investigation within the White House, according to the Journal.

Musk and President Donald Trump discussed the restrictions “soon after” the change became public last week, two people told the Journal. One person also claimed that Musk discussed the matter with several senior Trump administration officials, including Trump, before imposing the cap. Those accounts describe discussions at different stages, but the article does not establish who in the administration authorized or approved the restrictions. Trump said Monday that he did not know who ordered the interruption, adding, “But I’d like to find out.” The article also notes that both Trump and Musk have recently criticized Zelenskyy.

The report follows Musk’s statement last Wednesday that Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, is “owned and controlled by the US government” and that speed or usage restrictions are “decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” The White House and an email address associated with Musk did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment on the Journal’s findings. The Journal published its story minutes after SpaceX released its latest quarterly earnings, according to the article, and the report was not mentioned during a subsequent conference call with Musk and investors.

New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection proposed rules on October 20 aimed at stopping automated customer service “doom loops” that leave consumers facing repeated wrong answers, unresolved disputes, and financial harm. The proposal would require businesses to provide timely and reasonable assistance, disclose when customers are interacting with an automated system, and offer an easy way to reach a human representative. It would cover AI chatbots as well as automated telephone response systems. The rules are not yet in effect: the proposal begins a 30-day public comment period, including a public hearing, before DCWP reviews submissions and finalizes the rule. According to the announcement, adoption would make New York the first municipality in the country with the ability to enforce this type of consumer protection.

The proposal would classify it as a deceptive and unconscionable trade practice for a business to suggest that customer service is available while repeatedly and unreasonably failing to address inquiries, or responding only with irrelevant, unresponsive, or erroneous information. Businesses would have to provide meaningful assistance when they advertise it and could not evade responsibility for unlawful conduct resulting from their use of AI. DCWP would receive citywide enforcement authority over businesses using automated customer service systems, with violators liable for restitution to harmed consumers and civil penalties starting at $525. “When corporations force you to fight your way through an endless doom loop of AI-generated responses to speak to another human being, they’re stealing your time, money, and patience,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “This rule makes clear: customer service cost-cutting can’t come at New Yorkers’ expense.”

DCWP Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine said the consequences of inadequate service can extend beyond frustration to problems obtaining a critical prescription, rehabilitating a student loan, or recovering a large refund. The announcement cites Gartner figures showing chatbot resolution rates ranging from 17% for billing disputes to 58% for returns or cancellations. Former FTC Chief Technologist Stephanie T. Nguyen said chatbots can create an illusion of assistance while trapping consumers in unresolved problems, while former consumer protection official Adam Teitelbaum emphasized that companies remain responsible when they outsource service to AI. The proposal builds on the city’s subscription-trap regulations, which took effect earlier this year, and follows other DCWP initiatives addressing hidden fees and representations made by chatbots and other AI-enabled systems.

Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case as the outbreak continues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the article. Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said the patient is a woman who arrived on an international flight from Uganda and was admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, where Abuja is located. She received care for several days before laboratory testing confirmed the diagnosis Tuesday. The woman is now in isolation and receiving medical care. Authorities identified 44 close contacts, and public health teams are working to identify and monitor potentially exposed healthcare workers, patients, caregivers, and travel contacts. “Surveillance has been intensified, and the hospital is receiving immediate support to strengthen infection prevention and control measures,” the ministry said.

The patient was diagnosed with Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease, the rare variant responsible for the current DRC outbreak. The article reports that there are no vaccines or treatments for this variant. According to the World Health Organization, Nigeria is the fifth country to detect Ebola Bundibugyo virus since the DRC outbreak began in May. Nigeria’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its incident management system to coordinate case identification and contact follow-up. The WHO said it is working with Nigerian authorities on case investigation, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, and essential supplies, including personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.

Kenya’s Ministry of Health also reported another confirmed infection, bringing its total to nine. Authorities said all the cases appear linked to the original patient, a Kenyan man who had been living in the DRC before traveling to Nairobi and who died October 5. The ministry said 134 of his 135 contacts had been traced and quarantined, and that the risk to the general public remained low. In the DRC, the health ministry reported 9,552 confirmed cases and 4,550 deaths as of October 18, with 937 patients in isolation or hospitalized. The article describes it as the country’s worst Ebola outbreak on record and reports a case fatality rate of 48.2% and contact tracing at 76.9%, an improvement from earlier in the outbreak.

Toledo Fire and Rescue reduced the evacuation zone surrounding the chemical incident at 1266 Progress Ave. to a half-mile radius and lifted all outside shelter-in-place orders in its 5 p.m. Wednesday update, according to the article. The half-mile evacuation zone remains enforced. The changes replace earlier restrictions that required evacuation within one mile and sheltering in place outside that zone but within three miles of the terminal. Officials identified the chemical Wednesday morning as glycidyl methacrylate, an industrial product used in coatings. Although the incident was initially reported as an explosion around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said during his 1 p.m. Wednesday update that the city was characterizing it as a leak at that stage, noting that the initial 911 caller reported no sound or blast.

Officials said conditions were steadily improving as city drones checked the site every half-hour. During the 1 p.m. update, Kapszukiewicz reported that the tank’s temperature had dropped significantly and gas venting had decreased enough for serial numbers on a tank manhole to become clearly visible. Responders were allowing the tank to vent rather than attempting an active intervention that could cause an explosion, with the response guided by the U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies. At that time, authorities estimated venting could take another six to 16 hours. EPA and environmental teams’ air readings had not revealed any profound concern to human health, according to the article, though officials said people with asthma or breathing sensitivities could experience minor eye or respiratory irritation. The cause remained unknown Wednesday afternoon.

The earlier one-mile evacuation zone encompassed 983 residents in Washington Township and Toledo, and officials said the surrounding industrial area can have as many as 5,000 workers during a normal workday. TARTA buses helped residents leave, while temporary shelter arrangements and American Red Cross assistance were provided during the response. The city’s overnight statement reported no injuries or fatalities. A 24-hour flight restriction was imposed Wednesday afternoon in the immediate vicinity, covering aircraft and drones except those used by emergency responders. Residents seeking incident information were directed to Engage Toledo at 419-936-2020 rather than 911. Company executives were traveling from Arkansas to Toledo, and officials said they were awaiting additional details from them.

Officials overseeing the Department of Homeland Security instructed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to acquire a voting machine and identify its vulnerabilities for the White House, according to the article’s account of a ProPublica investigation. Two former government officials, speaking anonymously because they feared retaliation, described the directive and said it sparked outrage inside CISA. The supplied article does not establish that a machine was acquired, successfully hacked, or used to interfere with an election.

One former official expressed concern that the findings could be used to challenge unfavorable election outcomes. “My thought was they could keep it in their back pocket to invalidate any [election] results they don’t like,” the official told ProPublica, according to the article. That statement describes the source’s fear about possible misuse. It is not evidence, by itself, that the administration issued the order for that purpose or had an established plan to invalidate results.

The effort reportedly encountered a major staffing problem. According to the article, cuts associated with Elon Musk’s DOGE operation had removed CISA personnel with the expertise needed to carry out the assignment. The employees who received the directive reportedly told White House officials repeatedly that the request could not be completed. The account does not identify the voting machine model, the proposed testing procedures, or whether the assignment ultimately proceeded.

The report also describes concerns about CISA’s broader election security work. The agency previously maintained discussions with state governments and voting equipment vendors about potential vulnerabilities, according to the article. CISA cybersecurity and election consultant Ryan Macias said that previously dependable experts were absent during the period from 2025 through September 2026. “There is a difference between deprioritizing and being nonexistent,” he told ProPublica. His account raises a separate question about the availability of federal technical assistance during an election season.

President Trump’s lawyers are trying to prevent former special counsel Jack Smith from being questioned in Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, according to the article. The broadcaster subpoenaed Smith to defend itself against allegations that deceptive editing in a 2024 documentary falsely portrayed Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The article describes a dispute over access to testimony, not a court ruling that the lawsuit has failed.

In a Friday filing, Trump’s attorneys argued that Smith lacks personal knowledge of the relevant events because he was not present for Trump’s January 6 speech, did not help prepare it, and had no firsthand knowledge of Trump’s state of mind when he delivered it. They characterized the evidence gathered during Smith’s investigation as secondhand material collected from other sources. Their argument seeks to distinguish Smith’s investigative knowledge from direct participation in the events at issue.

The BBC countered that Smith does not object to being deposed and that his testimony could help it contest Trump’s allegation that the documentary falsely implied he incited the Capitol violence. “No one forced Plaintiff to file this lawsuit,” the broadcaster’s lawyers wrote, arguing that Trump cannot pursue the case while preventing the BBC from obtaining evidence needed for its defense. The article also reports that Trump’s attorneys are resisting efforts to question Trump and his children and obtain financial information, but it does not identify rulings resolving those disputes.

Security researchers found that Meta’s Muse AI agent could expose sensitive user information through web links created by its sharing feature, according to the article’s account of reporting by Ars Technica. Investigators at cybersecurity firm Claroc uncovered a method that allowed them to access pages from more than 6,800 Muse-generated share links. Among the accessible material were chat logs containing corporate revenue documents, loan applications, bank transaction details, income information, and a workplace vacation calendar. The findings followed Mark Zuckerberg’s statement during Muse’s public launch last month that the agent was “built from the ground up for privacy and security.” The article reports that his post on X subsequently received a community note correcting the claim.

The exposure involved links generated when users chose to share material, such as a copy of a conversation with Muse. Each URL contained an AI-generated chat title and a random string of characters. According to the article, opening a link caused its full address to appear in a lookup dataset containing visited web addresses. Researchers could search that dataset for other Muse share links, allowing them to discover and open unrelated shared conversations. “If you had asked us beforehand, we would have guessed that gathering these would take real effort,” the researchers wrote. Instead, “it took one query.” The reported method involved finding share addresses through those datasets, rather than the article describing researchers signing into the affected users’ accounts.

Meta told Ars Technica that it had shut off the sharing feature, according to the article. The report also describes an earlier revelation this month that Muse was maintaining detailed files about users’ friends and family members, apparently following an internal instruction to keep a running “page for every person in the user’s life.” That earlier reporting concerned information Muse retained about people connected to its users, while the newly described issue involved the discoverability of shared conversations. The article identifies more than 6,800 accessible links but does not provide a count of affected users or say that every accessible page contained sensitive information.

The Interior Department has submitted final plans for President Donald Trump’s proposed Triumphal Arch to the National Capital Planning Commission, bringing the project to a scheduled November 5 review for final approval, according to the article. The submission includes updated traffic circulation and lighting plans for the monument, also called the Monumental Arch. It would stand on National Park Service land across the Potomac River from Washington, at the foot of Arlington National Cemetery. Submission of the plans does not mean the commission has approved them.

The proposed design includes a golden winged statue resembling the Statue of Liberty, holding a torch with an “eternal flame.” According to the project summary described in the article, the lighting is intended to make the flame visible from all angles, including at night, while limiting discomfort for drivers and visitors and effects on the surrounding environment. The article says the flame’s placement also addresses Federal Aviation Administration visibility requirements. The FAA determined last month that the proposed structure would not pose a hazard to aircraft, after initially calling for red obstruction lights.

The final submission removes 15 previously proposed traffic signal posts and changes traffic circulation routes. It also states that environmental and historical considerations were reviewed by relevant agencies and determined to have no significant impact. However, the article separately reports that the administration previously acknowledged the project would cause “adverse effects” on the setting and views along the Potomac. The administration said those effects could not be fully avoided because the location is central to the project. Opponents have challenged the proposed site and its potential effects on the surrounding landscape.

Trump has also claimed the arch is being built at the Pentagon’s request for national security purposes and would function as a “top-grade Military Complex.” The Pentagon declined to comment when ABC News sought a response, leaving that claim unconfirmed in the article. Planning documents described in the report call for construction activity 20 hours a day over two to three years.

Meta says an automated security error shut down the No Kings movement’s Instagram account during Saturday’s nationwide day of action encouraging early voting in the midterms. The account was taken offline and administrators lost access for “several hours,” according to the group, which said it organized nearly 3,000 rallies across the country. Meta initially acknowledged that the suspension happened “in error,” then said its engineers traced the trigger primarily to a surge in the account’s reading activity rather than its posting.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said security systems detected a Claude tool reading profiles, posts, and hashtags at roughly four times its previous volume, with activity occurring in intense bursts on October 17. The pattern resembled bot traffic and prompted an automatic shutdown. According to Stone, an automated review recognized the mistake about an hour later and restored the account, but restoring administrators’ access took additional time. “We want to reiterate our sincere apology for the error,” he said. The article does not identify the specific Claude tool or explain how it was being used.

No Kings, which describes itself as nonpartisan and emerged last year in response to President Trump’s actions, condemned the interruption during an election mobilization effort. “Restricting communications about voting in the middle of an election is unacceptable,” the network said, demanding an explanation and safeguards against similar suspensions. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy called for an investigation, arguing that even an accidental shutdown exposed the consequences of Meta’s influence over political communication. He also suggested the company’s desire to remain close to Trump could discourage adequate preparation for the rallies. That is Murphy’s assessment; the article provides no evidence that political direction caused the suspension.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott collected about $9 million from donors with direct or indirect financial ties to data centers since July 2025, accounting for roughly 13% of his campaign donations during that period, according to the Texas Tribune analysis described in the article. The fundraising continued as Abbott publicly moved toward tighter oversight. Data center-related donors contributed $1.5 million in June, when he recommended regulations that included ending a major tax break. After he announced an August pause on approvals for data centers seeking to connect to the electrical grid pending a statewide audit, he received another $2.8 million that month, his largest monthly total from those donors during the election cycle.

The Tribune separated the contributions into two categories. About $4.9 million came from people, companies, and associated corporate political action committees that develop, own, or operate data centers. Another $4.1 million came from donors with indirect financial connections, including investors, AI-related businesses, and companies that help build or serve the facilities. Black Mountain CEO Rhett Bennett and his company contributed a combined $1 million, while former Fermi America CEO Toby Neugebauer gave $100,000. Other major contributors included Joe Gebbia at $1.5 million, Jeff Yass and Edward Roski Jr. at $1 million each, Elon Musk at $500,000, and Harlan Crow at $250,000. The article cautions that these donors also have other business interests and political motivations.

Abbott’s campaign rejected suggestions that the donations undermine his regulatory position. Spokesman Eduardo Leal said data centers must “pay their own way,” protect the electrical grid, bring their own water, and avoid disturbing surrounding communities. He also pointed to Abbott’s permitting restrictions and call to end taxpayer-funded incentives. Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa accused Abbott of favoring corporate interests, but her campaign’s claim that he received $20 million from data center executives and companies uses a broader definition than the Tribune’s analysis. Her tally includes businesses that lease data center space and energy companies that could supply the facilities, categories the Tribune excluded. The Tribune identified one qualifying donation to Hinojosa: $25,000 from T-Mobile executive Jon Freier, less than 1% of her fundraising during the period.

The money also reached other Texas officials positioned to shape the industry’s future. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick received more than $1.6 million from data center-related donors, mostly those with indirect ties. Comptroller Don Huffines received about $1 million, all from indirectly connected donors, while House Speaker Dustin Burrows received at least $377,500. Those offices have distinct responsibilities involving Senate legislation, qualifying sales tax exemptions, and House legislative priorities. Campaign representatives for Patrick and Huffines disputed aspects of the Tribune’s donor classifications, and Huffines’ adviser said contributions have no effect on the comptroller’s decisions.

Political advertisers are spending heavily to promote AI-generated election content, according to the article, which cites reporting by The New York Times and research from Wesleyan University’s Wesleyan Media Project. More than $137 million has reportedly gone toward advertising involving AI-generated material during the current election cycle. The article compares that figure with $565 million in advertising across U.S. House and Senate campaigns, putting the reported AI-related share at nearly one-quarter. That is spending to promote the ads, not a measure of what campaigns paid to generate their images, video, or audio.

Wesleyan researchers identified more than 220 AI-generated midterm election ads, according to the report. Republicans produced approximately 80% of those ads, while Democrats produced approximately 20%. Those percentages describe the number of identified ads, not each party’s share of the $137 million in spending. The article does not provide a party-by-party spending breakdown or explain how much AI-generated material an advertisement must contain to enter the researchers’ count.

One example comes from the political action committee Make Oklahoma Great Again. Its ad depicts Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei embracing an AI-generated Hillary Clinton while an AI-generated Donald Trump looks on unhappily. “Clinton lover, Trump hater,” the narration says. “That’s Mike Mazzei.” According to the article, the commercial carries no disclosure that it was generated with AI, and the PAC spent more than $200,000 purchasing television airtime for it in Oklahoma.

“I think what we’re seeing with AI has surprised even us,” Wesleyan Media Project co-director Erika Franklin Fowler told The New York Times, as quoted in the article. She said some uses are difficult to recognize without a disclaimer. Her observation highlights the issue raised by the Oklahoma example: viewers are being shown a fabricated interaction between recognizable political figures without being told that the scene was artificially created.

Elon Musk says he will give every child in the United States one of his SpaceX shares next year, announcing the pledge Monday on X. “Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many,” he wrote. SpaceX is valued at nearly $2 trillion, and a share was worth about $150 on Monday morning, according to the article. Using the Census estimate of approximately 73 million Americans under 18, the proposed giveaway would total nearly $11 billion. Musk did not specify an age cutoff, explain how recipients would receive their shares, or provide a timetable beyond next year.

The proposed transfer would come from Musk’s personal holdings in the company, where he is founder, CEO, and the largest individual shareholder. Against his reported $908.5 billion net worth, the estimated donation would amount to about 1.2% of his wealth. SpaceX operates spacecraft and the Starlink satellite network and, according to the article, also oversees xAI. The pledge arrives as policymakers, investors, and the public debate how the economic gains from AI will be distributed, particularly if the technology disrupts employment. It remains an announced commitment, not a completed transfer of stock.

Musk’s announcement follows Anthropic’s proposal Sunday to establish a Public Benefit Fund holding 5% of its shares, subject to shareholder approval. Anthropic said additional shares could be allocated at the board’s discretion as the company’s valuation rises, and that the fund could support nonprofits or direct distributions to particular populations. The company explicitly linked the initiative to the possibility that AI could create enormous wealth while destabilizing workers’ lives. OpenAI’s foundation has separately outlined plans to invest $1 billion over a year in areas including health research, jobs, economic impact, and community programs. The initiatives differ in structure, but all arrive amid growing scrutiny of who benefits from the industry’s expansion and who bears its risks.

The International Monetary Fund is warning that the AI investment boom could become a source of global financial instability if earnings fail to justify the enormous sums flowing into the sector, according to the article. Its latest Global Financial Stability Report describes a risk in which disappointing returns trigger a sharp decline in AI-related stocks, with repercussions spreading beyond technology companies. This is a warning about a potential chain reaction—not a prediction that an economic collapse is inevitable.

Borrowing could amplify that reversal. “Hyperscalers, as the largest data center operators are known, are borrowing more and more, while investors have been leveraging to invest in AI stocks,” the IMF said in a blog post quoted by the article. The concern is that companies financing infrastructure and investors borrowing to buy shares could both come under pressure if expectations deteriorate. An investment boom that has supported growth could then transmit financial stress across markets.

The IMF also flagged financing arrangements that link AI companies as investors, suppliers, and customers. According to the article, its review of 14 transactions since 2023 identified approximately $300 billion in equity investments and $650 billion in debt, alongside $1.4 trillion in future revenue commitments. Those are different financial categories, not interchangeable measures of money already earned or spent. The danger is their interdependence: “Stress at key companies receiving investment could lower revenue forecasts and investment valuations, which in turn would weaken the value of the accumulated debt in those deals,” the IMF warned.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of making a “reckless” allegation Sunday after Zelenskyy said he believed the U.S. government was responsible for restrictions affecting Ukraine’s military satellite internet. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Bessent said Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had categorically denied administration involvement. “President Zelenskyy should be very careful about making statements like this that aren’t true,” he said. Zelenskyy had told the program earlier that Starshield-linked vehicles and drones remained restricted in speed and that Ukraine had also been blocked from U.S. intelligence for a period of time.

The competing accounts leave a consequential question unanswered: who authorized restrictions on a service critical to Ukraine’s defense? Starshield is the military and government-controlled counterpart to SpaceX’s commercial Starlink service. Elon Musk said last week that the systems are “owned and controlled by the US government” and that limits on speed or usage are determined by the U.S. military and “ultimately POTUS.” Reuters separately reported that the White House ordered the restrictions. Trump has denied responsibility, saying, “It wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” while also maintaining that the service was unchanged. SpaceX did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

The confrontation comes as Trump criticizes Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries and pursues Russian diesel imports to address high fuel prices before the midterms. CNBC reports that soaring energy prices are largely driven by the U.S. war with Iran and disruption to oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. According to AAA figures cited in the article, gasoline averaged nearly $4.30 a gallon Sunday and diesel roughly $6.32. Trump has nevertheless personally blamed Zelenskyy for creating diesel problems for American farmers and ranchers.

That dispute is unfolding alongside Trump’s decision to waive provisions of a bipartisan sanctions package targeting Russia, drawing criticism from members of his own party. Sen. Thom Tillis called the move “beyond irresponsible,” citing the legislation’s 86–11 Senate passage. Together, the satellite restrictions, fuel-price accusations, and sanctions waivers have intensified scrutiny of Washington’s approach to Ukraine. The administration denies ordering the slowdown, but the article presents reporting and statements about control of the system that its public denials have not reconciled.

The Trump administration has filed a motion to disqualify U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes from the lawsuit over construction and tree-clearing at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, D.C. In a 13-page filing submitted Friday, the Justice Department accused Reyes of showing hostility toward the administration, prejudging disputes, and allowing her views to influence proceedings. The government wants the case transferred to another district judge and has requested the release of hearing audio so the public can “fully appreciate Judge Reyes’s animosity.” Reyes ordered the plaintiffs to respond by Sunday afternoon; the article does not report a decision on her removal.

The confrontation intensified after the Interior Department removed approximately 529 trees in early October. Reyes sharply criticized the operation and the government’s explanations, writing: “The reason? Disputed. The budget? Unclear. The environmental impact? Unstudied. The urgency? None. Next steps: bulldoze hundreds more.” A central dispute concerns an earlier court requirement that the administration provide notice when construction equipment larger than a sedan arrived at the park. That notice was not provided before the tree removal. When DOJ attorneys said they had sought details and done their best, Reyes rejected the explanation, telling them, “Ignorance is not an excuse here.”

The lawsuit began in February when golfers and an environmental advocacy group alleged that Trump intended to replace the public course with a championship-style venue suitable for professional tournaments. Reyes initially resisted granting preliminary relief, saying she did not want to become “the overseer of Parks and Rec.” The government nevertheless argues that her earlier notice requirement effectively gave the plaintiffs veto power over significant maintenance. Its recusal motion also cites her conduct in separate litigation involving transgender service members, alleging a broader “pattern of animus.” Those are the administration’s allegations, not findings that Reyes is biased. The case now involves two distinct disputes: whether the government’s work at the course is lawful, and whether the judge overseeing that work can remain an impartial adjudicator.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright defended President Donald Trump’s decision to waive new sanctions and tariffs on Russia during a Sunday interview on ABC’s “This Week,” arguing that the move could help end the war in Ukraine. “This is a carrot to try to end a war. It’s not an economic lifeline for Russia,” Wright told Martha Raddatz. Trump signed the waiver Friday, two days before the penalties were scheduled to take effect and just one month after signing the legislation that required them. The decision follows his announcement of a deal to eventually import millions of tons of Russian diesel as Americans face average diesel prices above $6 a gallon.

Wright’s argument is that Russia cannot fully benefit from exporting more diesel without making difficult choices or moving toward an agreement with Ukraine. He said Moscow would have to consume less fuel domestically, reduce its war effort, or repair refineries through a peace agreement, an energy ceasefire, or another step toward peace. The administration is presenting that potential trade-off as pressure on Putin rather than a concession. But the article does not report a Russian commitment to reduce military operations, accept a ceasefire, or make another concession in exchange for the waiver.

The policy has drawn bipartisan criticism and a sharp response from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said it “definitely helps only the Russians” and called the diesel deal a “birthday gift” to Putin. Sen. Darline Graham, who replaced her late brother Lindsey Graham in the Senate, also opposed the decision. “Personally, I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia to end the war and get the gas prices down, because I don’t trust Putin and don’t trust Russia,” she said. The article also notes that the proposed imports conflict with a 2022 law explicitly banning Russian energy imports, but does not explain how the administration intends to address that restriction.

The dispute extends to who bears responsibility for high fuel prices. Trump has criticized Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, while Zelenskyy argues that the Middle East war is driving the increases. The article reports that U.S. gasoline and diesel prices began rising after the United States went to war with Iran in late February. Wright acknowledged Americans’ frustration and said the administration is pursuing multiple ways to lower costs, while maintaining that substantial pressure on Russia remains in place. His defense leaves the central disagreement unresolved: whether opening a path for Russian diesel exports creates an incentive for peace or provides relief before Moscow has changed its behavior.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday waiving every operative section of the Graham Act pertaining to Russia, preventing a sweeping package of sanctions and tariffs from taking effect October 18. Trump signed the legislation last month after it passed Congress by large margins, including an 86–11 Senate vote. Named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died in July and had pushed for its passage, the law targeted Russian officials, oligarchs, financial institutions, and the shadow fleet used to evade sanctions. The law gives the president waiver authority, which Trump invoked on national interest grounds without providing additional details in the order.

The decision blocks requirements for tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods, including oil and gas, and tariffs of up to 100% on major foreign buyers of Russian energy and countries helping Russia evade oil sanctions. It also waives sanctions requirements involving foreign banks doing significant business with Russian state-owned banks, along with restrictions on Russian sovereign debt, U.S. investment in Russia, and certain financial transfers benefiting the Russian government or its officials. Existing sanctions imposed through earlier executive orders remain in place.

However, Trump also waived the provision requiring those sanctions to remain, clearing the way for him to alter them unilaterally. The new waivers have no fixed end date, remaining in place until the president or secretary of state determines further action is warranted under the order’s consultation process.
The move follows a Treasury authorization allowing Russian diesel sales, deliveries, and imports into the United States through April, part of a deal intended to bring hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel to U.S. and global markets as prices rise. Without the waiver, the Graham Act would have required tariffs on Russian petroleum products and sanctions on ships carrying them. Republican senators including Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, and John Cornyn had urged Trump to abandon the diesel deal and implement the sanctions. Tillis called the waiver “beyond irresponsible,” while Cornyn said Graham “would be appalled.” Republican Rep. Thomas Massie welcomed the decision, arguing that Trump used authority Congress itself had granted him.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the decision helps Russia and encourages Putin to continue the war. “It only fuels their satisfaction and their desire to keep killing people,” he wrote, thanking lawmakers from both parties who supported the legislation. The White House defended the waivers as necessary to preserve negotiations, saying immediate enforcement would impede efforts to reach a durable peace agreement and that Trump could exercise the sanctions authorities later. The disagreement now centers on whether withholding those penalties creates room for diplomacy or gives Russia economic relief without requiring it to stop fighting.

At least four Canadian service members were killed and dozens more were seriously wounded after an explosion and a rapidly spreading fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday. Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed those figures Sunday, calling the incident “one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime.” Global News, citing multiple military sources, separately reported at least seven deaths. That higher toll has not been confirmed in the official account described in the article.

The fire erupted around 4 p.m. Saturday in the base’s training area, with high winds driving flames beyond the military facility into the surrounding rural area. Military and civilian emergency crews responded to contain the fire and assist the injured. Sources told Global News that the incident occurred during a live-fire exercise and involved a struck gas line or gas well, but officials have not confirmed that explanation. Canada’s Department of National Defense said Sunday that there were “no indications” the incident resulted from terrorist activity.

Defense Minister David McGuinty described the response as a “very, very active and delicate situation” and declined to provide details about the cause. “I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory,” he said Saturday night. CFB Wainwright is one of Canada’s largest and busiest military training bases and houses the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Center, where soldiers undertake realistic battlefield exercises. NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragon expressed solidarity on behalf of all 32 Allied Chiefs of Defense, saying, “Canada does not carry this grief alone.”

Millions of current and former California public-school students have had sensitive information stolen in a breach involving Educational Testing Service, the organization that provides the state’s mandated standardized testing services. Officials announced the breach Friday, saying the exposed records include names, addresses, dates of birth, schools, grade levels, and unique student identification numbers. The files also contain demographic information, English learner status, disability information, and eligibility for federal programs serving students from low-income families. The affected population extends beyond California’s current 5.7 million public-school students, including enrollment records dating to 2023 and records going back to 2006 for students who left the state without a confirmed transfer.

ETS discovered the breach September 25. Investigators determined that an unauthorized party used a compromised login credential to access the site and copy student files at various times between May 22 and September 18. School district leaders were notified October 2, two weeks before the public announcement. Officials said the stolen information did not include Social Security numbers, financial account details, payment card information, account passwords, or parent and guardian personal information. They have not found evidence that the stolen records have been made public, and the announcement did not disclose whether hackers made a ransom demand.

The reported use of a single compromised credential has raised questions about how access to such a large collection of student information was controlled. “A stolen login credential should not become a months-long passport to millions of students’ personal records,” said Anton Dahbura, executive director of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute. ETS defended its security program and said it has added enhanced monitoring, stronger access controls, and further independent review. The organization said no other ETS customers were affected, while state officials continue investigating the breach’s full scope.

Officials said those affected are eligible for 24 months of free identity-protection services and identity-restoration assistance. They also suggested that parents and guardians consider free credit freezes for children under 16 and warned families to be cautious about unexpected calls, emails, or texts claiming to come from ETS, state agencies, or monitoring services. The breach adds to a series of major education-sector incidents, including this year’s Canvas attack and the 2022 Los Angeles Unified breach, which ultimately exposed sensitive student assessments and other confidential records.

President Donald Trump threatened California election officials with lengthy prison terms Friday as his administration escalated an effort to prevent ballots from 20,000 flagged voters from being counted. “They will all go to jail for a long period of time!!!” Trump wrote on social media, hours after the Department of Justice warned officials of possible “criminal exposure.” The administration claims the voters may be noncitizens, but the article reports that it has not shown evidence supporting those claims. After giving California and Los Angeles County 48 hours to confirm the voters’ citizenship, DOJ filed a civil lawsuit Thursday seeking a court order barring their ballots from being counted.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter intensified the pressure in a Friday letter to Los Angeles County’s counsel. “If persons knowingly tabulate ballots cast by individuals identified by federal agencies as noncitizens, they risk becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime,” he wrote. The letter threatens potential criminal liability while the administration pursues its civil case. The article does not report that a judge has granted the requested order or determined that the 20,000 flagged voters are ineligible. It also notes that the administration has previously flagged eligible voters as potential noncitizens during its reviews of state registration lists.

The dispute has already exposed problems with how the federal government provided its information. DOJ initially sent Los Angeles County a password-protected thumb drive containing the names, but county officials could not access it because of security concerns. When they eventually obtained secure access, officials told Democracy Docket that the list included voters from across California, not just Los Angeles County. Those problems complicate an already compressed verification demand, as state and local officials face both a federal lawsuit and presidential threats over ballots whose eligibility remains disputed.