SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Terms " 1,707 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Meet the Democrats trying to flip the script on gun rights: From the Politics Desk
Plus, the big decision awaiting Trump after the midterms.
Politics, Tariffs And Automotive Technology Intersect As Midterms Loom
Honda explains its views on politics and technology as it relates to Chinese cars, tariffs and pricing against the backdrop of the 2026 Midterm elections.
Federal Reserve makes interest rate decision ahead of midterms
Federal Reserve policymakers left interest rates unchanged at their October meeting ahead of next week's midterm elections while inflation remains elevated.
Meta says it’ll probably delay its controversial new business terms again
Meta says conversations with partners could extend beyond November 20th.
For Democrats Eyeing 2028, the First Test Is ‘Money, Money, Money’
As soon as the midterms are over, presidential contenders are going to need to raise millions, quickly.
State Legislative Chambers Could Flip in the Midterms. Here's Where
The race to control Congress in the 2026 midterm elections has dominated the public’s attention. But in many cases, state legislatures may have an even greater impact on Americans’ lives – and there’s a lot of ferment in this year’s contests. With partisan gridlock often hampering lawmaking in ...
General Lost Profits Analysis Versus Insured Business Interruption Loss Analysis
Forensic accountants often perform similar analyses for lost profits and business interruption claims, but while lost profits analysis aims to measure total economic harm from wrongful conduct, business interruption analysis determines recoverable losses under specific insurance policy terms—often resulting in different damage amounts due to coverage limitations, waiting periods, and restoration period restrictions.
Will ‘prairie populism’ defeat Republicans in the midterms?
Jonathan Freedland speaks to Rachel Leingang about her reporting across the midwest, where she has charted the renaissance of progressive populism
Why science is on the ballot in the 2026 midterm elections
From Medicare for All to research grants, science-driven issues are playing a role in the midterm elections
‘It’s definitely the time’: Black governor hopefuls from both parties aim to make history in midterms
Americans have elected three Black governors in the nation’s 250-year history. By next week, that figure could multiply.
Inside the Trump administration’s controversial lists of alleged noncitizen voters
In the closing days of the midterms, the Trump administration has sent multiple states lists of what it alleges are noncitizens on the voter rolls, intensifying its controversial efforts to stop those people from voting in the election.
How a lifelong Republican came to lead the data center battle in Ohio
In Ohio, many people are displeased with the state's rapid buildout of data centers. It's a hot issue in the midterms, as political candidates from both parties try to ease voter concerns.
Trump tamed after US midterms? Europe doubts it
President Donald Trump may be facing a political pounding at the US midterm elections next month -- but in Europe expectations are low that a big Democrat win would change much.While a Democrat win co...
Who Owns What: The Watermania Waterpark Richmond May Expropriate
[There is often a lack of transparency around land ownership in BC. Who Owns What is an ongoing series by The Realist focused on interesting land ownership stories. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email: howardchai@substack.com.] Earlier this month, CBC and Richmond News reported that the City of Richmond is planning to expropriate Watermania, the waterpark located at 14300 Entertainment Boulevard near the Richmond Ice Centre. The City of Richmond currently leases the property from a private owner — 14300 Entertainment Blvd. Investments Ltd. — and the lease is set to expire in March 2027. According to the reports, the two sides have been unable to agree on terms of the lease renewal and the City has since served a Notice of Expropriation, saying it wants to secure “essential community services,” according to CBC, with outgoing Mayor Malcolm Brodie telling CBC that “Watermania is an important recreation facility for our community, and the city’s goal is to secure its long-term future.” Richmond News added that because the expropriation is not for a linear easement like a sewage line or rapid transit, an inquiry can be requested, and one has been scheduled for November 30 to December 4, according to CBC. What was left out of both stories, however, is who the City would be expropriating Watermania from. According to the Land Owner Transparency Registry, 14300 Entertainment Boulevard is legally owned by 14300 Entertainment Blvd. Investments Ltd. and that numbered company is controlled by a Chinese individual named Hai Feng Zhu, who primarily resides in the Jilin province. The registered address of 14300 Entertainment Blvd. Investments Ltd. is 3899 Cartier Street in Vancouver, a mansion in Shaughnessy that BC Assessment values at $10,423,000. The home at 3899 Cartier Street has previously been tied to Kevin Sun of Sun Commercial by reporter Sam Cooper when he was with the Vancouver Sun in a report noting that Sun had an associate named Hai Feng Zhu who is a director of SunOil Ltd., as confirmed by the company’s filings. Another person mentioned in both the report and filing is Denise She. A search of Hai Feng Zhu in the Land Owner Transparency Registry reveals that Zhu also owns four other properties in British Columbia. The Realist then used the PIDs1 to identify the addresses, finding that the two parcels with PIDs beginning 014 are two parcels that form 1155 Bidwell Street in Vancouver and that the two parcels with PIDs beginning 015 are two parcels that form 1755 Davie Street. 1755 Davie Street is the Best Western Plus Sands, 1155 Bidwell Street is a surface parking lot, and both are held under 0993956 B.C. LTD., which is controlled by Hai Feng Zhu alongside the aforementioned Kevin Sun and Denise She, among others. The Best Western Plus Sands is listed under Sun Commercial’s portfolio and Sun Commercial also previously sold the Richmond Ice Centre to the City of Richmond for $32 million in 2019. Denise She, Peter Cheng De She, and Julia MiMi Yang also control 1078635 B.C. Ltd., which owns 1707 Davie Street, the small retail building that sits between 1755 Davie Street and 1155 Bidwell Street. Governments in British Columbia have a tendency to overpay for real estate, so it’ll be interesting to see how much the City of Richmond pays for Watermania if they do end up expropriating the property. BC Assessment values 14300 Entertainment Boulevard at $49,397,000. The assessed value is dated to July 1, 2025 and is a small decline from the previous assessment of $52,584,000. The rest of this story dives into Sun Commercial and $159 million in sales it made last year to KingSett Capital. Become a paid subscriber for all the details. Subscribe Sun Commercial Sun Commercial is based out of the City Square Shopping Centre at 555 W 12th Avenue in Vancouver, which it acquired in 2019 for $225 million, and also has an office located at 415 Yonge Street in Toronto.
Animals Starves while the Kardashians Miss the Charts Again
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Before we get going, I’d like to offer congratulations to Jonathan Funke, whose suggestion “midflicks” won the poll for what I should call straight-to-streaming films which aren’t big or cinematic enough to go to theaters but seem too expensive for a TV movie. It’s so useful a term, I just used it last week! Now I just need to add this term to my data dictionary! Okay, on to this week’s issue. We’re starting out looking at Netflix/Ben Affleck’s latest crime thriller, Animals. I’ll also look at Disclosure Day heading to Peacock (it did better than you’d remember in theaters...) and a new movie based on toys. Plus, a long-time streaming flop returns for its eighth season...will it finally chart? (No.) Will anyone at Disney care? Probably not. All that, plus another look at new shows landing on streaming on 1-Oct from Reelgood, what streamer hasn’t had a film make the Luminate charts since August, Reacher’s long run on the charts, M_onster: The Lizzie Borden Story’s_ short run, the top shows in 2026 according to Samba TV, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. And I mean that last part: putting this week’s issue together, I assembled OVER 25 images, most of which are bespoke looks I made just for this report. Really, publishing articles like this takes the work of writing two articles: one is the narrative and the other is making charts/graphs. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the week of October 5th to October 11th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - Netflix’s Latest Star-Studded Thriller Goes For Glory The tempting angle for anyone writing about streaming film this month, like yours truly, is to ask, “Is this why Dan Lin lost his job at Netflix?” Take Animals, the Ben Affleck-starring-and-directing, Artists Equity-produced crime thriller that opened on 9-Oct. (Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson are also in it.) If it did really well, then one could argue that Lin has another success on his resume. If it underperformed, then it’s another example of a Netflix underperformance this year. So where did Animals fall? Kinda in the middle, but that means it’s more “not a hit” than “big hit”. On Nielsen, it opened to 12.0 million hours, and here’s how that stacks up for 2026 films so far this year: Obviously, that’s not great. It’s both under my 15 million opening bar for “fine” for a Netflix film and 20 million bar for “great” opening. It did a bit better on Samba TV, getting to first place. That’s very, very good, though again, looking at the Nielsen data, it probably means that it was a light week overall. Luminate’s data is a bit closer to Samba TV’s, tied for 17th all time for single weeks since May of 2024: To top it off, no one seemed to like it. It has a 33 on Metacritic and only a 5.7 on IMDb. Both of these numbers could have been impacted by the stories about Affleck’s comments about using AI to make the film. Given the controversy, the film might not have been as bad as the ratings suggest, but it’s also not a bullish sign. All to say…yeah, on net this film isn’t a point in Dan Lin’s favor. At this point, Netflix’s slide has been long enough—going on since February—that I’m almost tempted to lower the bar for what a “hit” is on streaming. Post-February of 2026 or so, it seems like straight-to-streaming films just haven’t hit the same heights as they did from 2022 to 2025. Before we head onto the “Quick Hits” for film, I want to shout out a fellow newsletter whose articles I’ve been loving this year, LA Material, a new LA-based news outlet. For just a highlight of my favorite articles since July... I loved this article on Ghost Town, a group on Venice that clears homeless encampments. As a Los Angeleno, obviously I adore their articles on LA parking issues. Their article on illegal parking tickets got the City Council to address the issue! Also check out their article on people parking in medians. Check out their deep dive on what went wrong with the LA Jazz Festival and how it fell apart, or what’s wrong with USC’s finances. Finally, they wrote up a voter guide on voter guides for the LA General Election. So meta! In search of a city? L.A. Material is an independent news outlet covering the people, politics, culture and glorious chaos shaping Los Angeles. L.A. Material brings you intel on the city you can’t get anywhere else. From exploring how Reddit short stories became Hollywood’s hottest commodity to reporting on the survival jobs keeping entertainment workers afloat. And answering, once and for all, why the AMC Burbank escalator is always broken. Through their newsletters, podcast, videos, events, and member community, L.A. Material is designed to help Angelenos connect to Los Angeles and each other. Sign up now for the free weekday newsletter. Quick Notes on Film Steven Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day, came to Peacock on 9-Oct, and I’ll admit that, after pulling its stats, I did a pinch of a double take. As I wrote throughout my deep, deep, deep dive on summer box office/Obsession/Backrooms/IP/superheroes, oftentimes the film media discusses films as “flops” or “misses” or “hits” without clarifying what they specifically mean. Since Disclosure Day didn’t make $250 million in the US or $500 million globally, it was definitely a disappointment by Spielbergian standards, who is the highest-grossing director of all time, and arguably even more ahead in adjusted grosses. But it did make $245 million globally on a $115 million budget, so it isn’t as big of a miss as I remember. That’s still probably not enough to break even in the theatrical window, when you factor in marketing costs…but it’s close. And it grossed a lot more even in the US than some titles with about ten times more coverage. Anyways, lots of preamble to say this one only did 4.5 million hours according to Nielsen, so it did make the charts, but on the low end. Here’s how it stacks up to other Peacock titles: Apple TV (née +) followed up their “success for them” Mayday with Matchbox The Movie. This one doesn’t look like a success even for them, but at least it’s not a miss. Apple/Skydance clearly tried to take advantage of the success of Barbie at the box office—let’s greenlight all the toy properties!!!—but of course, this didn’t make it to theaters. And it stars John Cena, who, as I argued earlier this summer, NEEDS to get his movies back in theaters. Anyways, this one has mixed-to-bad numbers. It missed the Samba TV and Nielsen charts in its first week, but did make Luminate with 7.1 million hours. That’s just enough to not be an outright miss, and about half what Mayday did earlier this summer. Speaking of Apple Studio’s Mayday, it ended up lasting five weeks on Luminate, which isn’t bad for Apple TV. On Nielsen, it had a three-week run, racking up 13.5 million hours total. Again, like Matchbox, the issue is the budget; I doubt that this viewership earned enough to justify that budget. Also, to be clear, neither of these films are “midflicks”; both should have gone to theaters. Toy Story 5 is not hanging around on the streaming charts on Disney+, so it’s not as leggy as either Zootopia 2 or Moana 2, and definitely not in the same class as Encanto. (It did make all the money at the box office, so Disney is going to be fine…) The Breadwinner on Netflix (from Sony) is down to 3.9 million hours in its third week. It only lasted for one week on the Samba TV charts. Netflix’s Doing Life had a smaller-than-normal binge release curve bounce, only going to 7.1 million hours from 6.0 to start, but it made Samba TV at fifth place in its second week. The Netflix documentary, The Widower: Til’ Death Do Us Part, also had a small binge release curve bounce to 6.5 million hours, but did make a second week on Samba TV. Meanwhile, Netflix’s Unabomber fell off after two weeks on Nielsen—which is not great at all—and Demon Slayer fell off after just one week. Over on Luminate, the two smaller titles The Swan: Behind the Mirror and Kill. Bury. Print both fell out of the Luminate top ten charts. The story of library film at the first of the month is the arrival of the Ice Age films on Netflix. Now, here’s a small example of optimizing your library that even Netflix could do better. Say you want to rent/license a new film series from Disney**.** A streamer could pay a big paycheck and then drop each Ice Age film on the exact same day of the month, the fourth of October. That’s one choice. In contrast, the streamer could have released each film one week apart, and make each one a mini-event for folks watching Ice Age films. Or even roll them out monthly. Netflix opted for the former strategy, and as a result, only three of the films made the Nielsen charts this week. The “Miss of the Week” goes to Tubi’s YA-ish horror film_, R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead 2_, which didn’t even make the Luminate charts like Tubi films usually do, or, should I say, “used to”? Tubi films, most of which are straight-to-streaming, used to reliably make the Luminate film charts (which only covers straight-to-streaming films), but a Tubi film hasn’t made it since August. The first Pumpkinhead got 1.4 million hours last year according to Luminate. As I wrote about this film before, it seems to be a bit muddled in terms of age: too scary for young kids but probably not scary enough for older kids. Speaking of Luminate, Netflix’s latest doc about a comic (expect more docs about comedians all month), Who Is Martin Mull?, flopped, getting just 200K and 700K hours according to Luminate. Three other film/special misses belonged to Hulu, including a standup special, Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself, Neon’s latest horror film, Hokum, which made $17 million in the US, and a Family Guy Halloween special. (That last one was only 22 minutes, so it’s not a surprise it missed.) Finally, another Netflix standup special missed the charts, Mojo Brookzz: I Know You Lying missed too. I can confirm last week’s misses, most notably Paramount+’s Jackass: Best and Last, MUBI’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and HBO Max’s Evil Dead Burn. Television - I Can’t Visualize Nothing: The Kardashians Story Normally, in the mini-dive essays that open the Streaming Ratings Report, I focus on shows that do well or, at the very least, make the charts. Why? Because as I’ve said time and again, I can’t visualize nothing like, say, the Kardashians’ TV shows. Here’s the TV debuts chart for this week with a missing spot for The Kardashians, whose eighth season just landed on Hulu:
7 Health Issues On The Ballot In The 2026 Midterms
A doctor writes a guide to the seven health issues voters care about most in the 2026 midterms, from health costs and ACA premiums to Medicaid, fraud and abortion.
Federal Reserve to announce decision on interest rates ahead of midterms
During an appearance earlier this month, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh was coy about which way the decision might go.
Crypto Industry's Political Spending Hits $176 Million Ahead of Midterms
The industry is racing to secure allies in Congress before pro-crypto President Donald Trump leaves office in 2029
How NDAs are reshaping Louisiana politics and could determine the Nov. 3 midterms
NDAs have become a flashpoint in Louisiana politics, drawing criticism from voters on both the left and right. Will they play a role in the Nov. 3 election?
Midterm Election Update: Immigrant Health Policy
Immigration restrictions and enforcement are central to the Trump administration’s domestic agenda and a focus of debate in the 2026 midterm elections. These policies have ripple effects on health care: immigration-related fears are leading some immigrant families to avoid medical care and drop coverage, including for U.S. citizen children, and visa restrictions could strain a health care workforce that relies on immigrants. Federal law has also narrowed eligibility for health coverage among lawfully present immigrants, and states are responding in different ways.
Video: Opinion | Political Satire Is an American Tradition. Deceptive A.I. Ads Are Not.
Despite how cringeworthy they are, political campaigns have spent $137 million on A.I.-generated ads for the midterms. And the lack of regulation on these ads is warping our sense of what’s real. The Opinion writer Rotimi Adeoye argues that while this kind of political satire falls under First Amendment protection, “you should be free to fake a politician, but you shouldn’t be free to hide the fact that you did.”
Will business leaders face a backlash after the midterms?
Democrats could investigate corporations close to the president
IAM Union at the Center of Politics and Power in the Hawkeye State
Iowa’s working-class champions gathered just outside Des Moines, in the town of Altoona, to court IAM voters ahead of the political midterms. Speakers ranged from established state politicians to surging candidates for U.S. Congress and Senate.
Trump and Rubio plan to visit oil tanker carrying Venezuelan crude in Texas
The visit to Port Arthur, Texas, comes on the same day that Trump is campaigning in the state for Republican candidates in the midterms.
Sale of Trinidad Business
TORONTO, ON AND LONDON, UK / ACCESS Newswire / October 27, 2026 / (TSX-V:SEI)(AIM:SEI)(OTCQX:SEUSF) ("Sintana" or the "Company") announces that the first instalment of $450,000 in deferred consideration for the sale of its business in Trinidad in 2025 has been received.It is noted that the Company had agreed with the purchaser a variation of terms for the deferred consideration payment instalments, such that full payment of all outstanding amounts, less an agreed early payment discount, are to b
Will Republicans block Democrats from Congress if they win the midterms? We asked them
Will Republicans try to block Democrats from being sworn in if they take control of Congress? We asked California Republicans. Here’s what they said.
Fox News Power Rankings: As Iran looms large, can the GOP keep the faithful?
Trump's approval dropped to 36% amid the war in Iran, reshaping the 2026 midterms, but the Senate map through deep-red states keeps GOP alive.
Factbox-The Ultra-Wealthy Crypto Executives Who Are Spending Big on the Midterms
Oct 27 (Reuters) - A clutch of ultra-wealthy executives who made fortunes in and around the cryptocurrency business have become influential players in US politics, collectively spending more than $56 million during the current election cycle so far, according to a Reuters analysis of federal ...
What exactly Democrats have pledged to do if they win in the midterms
If Democrats can win control of either the House or the Senate, they will have seized some control of Washington back from President Donald Trump and Republicans.
Andoni Iraola saves Liverpool £100m thanks to genius decision
Andoni Iraola's time at Liverpool has been fairly mixed so far. While he may have only lost one game across all competitions, the Reds are still nowhere near where they need to be in terms of performa...
Economy, 'political homelessness' is top of mind for Ohio voters
Morning Edition Host Amy Eddings is back with another installment of the Ideastream election series that interviews voters from the Mahoning Valley ahead of the midterms.
The midterms look good for Democrats — but it’s too early to call a blue wave
The United States may be within a week of momentous political change in midterm elections that could destroy the Republican Party’s monopoly on Washington and hand Democrats power to check President Donald Trump.
Trump, ignoring polls, predicts economy to help Republicans in midterms
By Trevor Hunnicutt CORINTH, Mississippi, Oct 26 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump campaigned on Monday in deeply Republican Mississippi, predicting victory for a Republican Senate candidate based
Ahead of midterms, Trump offers $1M reward to voter fraud tipsters
President Donald Trump offered $1 million Monday to anyone who reports voter fraud that leads to an arrest and conviction, escalating his efforts to cast doubt on the midterms.
Have you been checked out of politics? This 2026 midterms guide is for you.
Everything you need to know to get caught up before Election Day, all in one place.
The Center for Politics’ Sabato says 2026 midterms are make-or-break for Democrats
Political analyst points to Trump's approval rating, gas prices and Iran War as factors shaping 2026 races.
Ahead of midterms, Trump offers $1-million reward to voter fraud tipsters
The offer comes as the Trump administration has moved more aggressively to intervene in the midterms, including a push in California to segregate ballots from voters it considers likely non-citizens.
Want to Lower the Cost of Living? Unrig our Democracy.
Going into the midterms, voters are feeling the squeeze in their wallets and need relief. The answer lies in holding accountable politicians who prioritize their wealthy benefactors over them.
Survey: More Than Half of Women in States with Abortion Bans Wouldn’t Know Where to Get an Abortion if They Needed One, Up Since 2024
More than half (53%) of reproductive-age women living in states with abortion-provision bans say they would not know where to go or where to find information if they needed an abortion, up from 43% in 2024, according to a new KFF survey.
Microsoft is offering buyouts. Read the memo.
Around 60,000 employees will be eligible and the terms of the buyout will resemble Microsoft's standard severance offer.
As Election Day Nears, Anti-Transgender Attacks Are Still a Political Loser
New polls underscore Americans’ everyday concerns: affordability and rampant corruption Transgender equality not a top issue driving voters, data shows voters trust Democrats more on “transgender issues” despite yearslong anti-trans fear mongering campaigns ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Data continues to make the undercurrents of the midterms elections clear: voters are worried about corruption, inflation, […]
Data centers are inspiring bipartisanship
A political scientist who studies AI in campaigns explains why data centers have put Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon on the same side ahead of the midterms.
"Zero" signs that Kennedy is leaving post-midterms
President Trump is happy with Kennedy, and most of his agenda remains unfinished.
Student-loan borrowers' key midterms issue: affording higher bills
Over 10 million student-loan borrowers are behind on payments. Some are hoping the midterms will prompt policy change to protect those in default.
Republicans are spending millions and still may not win districts drawn to favor them
Republicans redrew Congressional district lines to try to tilt the midterms in their favor. But now they are facing expensive and competitive races they had hoped to outmaneuver.
Republicans are spending millions and still may not win districts drawn to favor them
Republicans redrew Congressional district lines to try to tilt the midterms in their favor. But now they are facing expensive and competitive races they had hoped to outmaneuver.
Divided nation: Republicans prize patriotism, Democrats equality-Poll
As crucial midterms loom, a Gallup/With Honor survey found no consensus that basic American values are shared across party and other lines.
Nicki Minaj pledges to support Donald Trump again during Michigan Republican campaign rally
Nicki Minaj told President Donald Trump she would support him forever at a Michigan rally backing Mike Rogers and John James in the midterms.
Frisco Muslims vote in Texas midterms marked by anti-Islam rhetoric
Texas politicians have campaigned on banning Shariah this cycle. Muslim voters are encouraging their fellow believers to get involved in politics.
How the conservative Supreme Court has rewritten the rules for the midterms
Voters will pick the winners of next month’s midterm elections, but it is the conservative Supreme Court that has set the rules.
Maliek Collins agrees to terms on contract extension
Maliek Collins to remain in Cleveland for two additional years
I'm 62 and refuse to dress or act my age
Lonni Pike got sober at 51 and reinvented her life. Now 62, she's a fashion influencer, gamer, and advocate for aging on her own terms.
Politics chat: The polls show a Democratic sweep in the midterms. Can you trust them?
If you look at the few truly competitive seats, polls show a more complicated picture of momentum toward the Democratic Party in midterm House races. For the Senate, Republicans are on defense.
Chicago Bears stadium becomes a political game as midterms near. Can it score for Republicans?
The saga over where the future home of the Chicago Bears has become about more than just sports. For Republicans, and GOP governor nominee Darren Bailey in particular, it represents a political Hail Mary to find a subject that captivates…
The educational divide could spell trouble for Republicans
Republicans tend to run better among voters without a college degree than those with one, which has battered Democrats in recent presidential elections. But that same pattern could give Democrats a potentially decisive boost in next month’s midterms.
‘Talking to every single person matters’: ‘prairie populists’ canvass the rural US heartland to win in midterms
Democratic and independent candidates stump the US midwest and prairie states, hoping to win over Republican strongholds
Why partisan politics may be changing people's accents
With the midterms fast approaching, communicating just the right message has been top of mind on all sides of the political aisle
Democrats Have Edge Across Four Key House Races in Pennsylvania, Polls Find
Democratic candidates are ahead in two, hold a narrow edge in a third and are tied in a fourth, new polling shows. The seats embody the fights playing out nationwide in the midterms.
In Arkansas, Democrats see an opening at the edge of the competitive midterms map
In a sign of the potentially dire midterm political environment, Republicans have spent millions of dollars playing defense in Arkansas, one of the most conservative states in the country.
Economic woes transform the Midwest into a massive midterms battleground
Democrats could be poised for a revival in the heartland, as furor over high costs and doubt about President Donald Trump’s willingness to change the nation’s trajectory threaten to loosen the GOP’s grip on working-class voters.
Small businesses struggling with inflation amid Trump tariffs ahead of midterms
How data centers became a bipartisan political issue in Wisconsin
Data centers are a big issue across the country. As midterms approach, many look to the swing state of Wisconsin for lessons for how that issue could play out nationally.
AOC can draw a crowd, but the midterms will test whether her politics can win before 2028
WASHINGTON — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has had little trouble drawing a crowd. In a final campaign swing with progressive candidates across the country,...
AOC can draw a crowd. The midterms will test whether her politics can win before 2028
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has had little trouble drawing a crowd. In a final campaign swing with progressive candidates across the country, the
AOC can draw a crowd. The midterms will test whether her politics can win before 2028
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has had little trouble drawing a crowd.
AOC can draw a crowd. The midterms will test whether her politics can win before 2028
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is drawing big crowds as she campaigns for progressive Democrats before the Nov. 3 election.
AOC can draw a crowd. The midterms will test whether her politics can win before 2028
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is drawing big crowds as she campaigns for progressive Democrats before the Nov. 3 election. Supporters have packed rooms and chanted her name during appearances that have taken
AOC can draw a crowd. The midterms will test whether her politics can win before 2028
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has had little trouble drawing a crowd.
Epstein files take back seat in midterms but experts say issue has not gone away
Other voter concerns have prevailed but return of Congress likely to see renewed focus on late sex offender’s activities
Political science professor speaks on impact of Harris-Colom rally
A professor said high-profile supporters may motivate voters ahead of midterms.
Texas Midterms: Who’s Winning the Battle for Voters?
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
The impact of 'AI' on political ads
Host and the Panel discuss a myriad of topics leading up to the midterms. Topics included Pennsylvania as the quintessential 'purple state'; how the races in the collar counties are leaning, fostering voter engagement and how 'AI' is changing the game in the political advertising.
DOJ has monitored elections for decades. Here’s why some state officials are concerned this year
The agency regularly monitors polling places. But this year’s effort on Nov. 3 will more than double the number of federal monitors deployed during the 2022 midterms.
Senator says planned Meta commercial terms update could harm US businesses
WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - US Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, on Friday raised concerns about Facebook parent Meta Platforms' plan to update its commercial terms, saying it coul...
In the 2026 midterms, here’s how NC politicians do — or don’t
Hurricane Helene and the economic troubles it left behind influence what politicians say on the campaign trail.
Now Google says it might use your Gmail and Google Photos data to target ads
According to the new terms, sharing your data for better AI recommendations also means opening it up for more personalized ads.
Supreme Court allows New Hampshire to fully ban student IDs for voting in midterms
The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for New Hampshire to fully ban the use of student IDs for voting during the midterm elections.
‘People are busy trying to survive’: Wood County residents share concerns ahead of the midterms
Ahead of the midterms, Wood County residents discuss job losses, education, political apathy and what they want from elected leaders.
Meta delays new business terms after publisher pushback on AI scraping
Legal experts argued that Meta’s changes weren’t enough to rule out AI scraping.
Poll: Low-information voters have turned hardest against Trump and the GOP
In 2024, the voters who knew the least about politics were some of Donald Trump’s strongest supporters. A Data for Progress poll released just before the election found Americans who didn’t consume any news at all said they’d vote for Trump over Kamala Harris by a 20-point margin, 60%1 to 40%. In February, we reported that many of these voters had soured on Trump. Voters who couldn’t name the party in control of Congress moved away from Trump at about twice the rate as high-information voters. But approval isn’t vote choice. With the midterms less than two weeks away, it is worth asking if these voters are turning against the president’s party in federal elections, too. In our October Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll, conducted Oct. 13–19 among 2,028 U.S. adults, we asked respondents two factual questions about politics: which party has the most members in the House, and which has the most members in the Senate. I classified anyone who got at least one of these questions wrong as “low-knowledge.” About 30% of adults miss at least one question, including 25% of 2024 Trump voters, 22% of Harris voters, and more than half of people who didn’t vote in 2024. In this article, I do two things with this data. First, I repeat my February analysis and compare how these two groups feel about Trump’s job as president; then I look at each group’s voting behavior in the upcoming House midterms. Register for free to read the rest of this piece.
Green’s funding lags in CD9 race, even with $1.8M loan to himself
President Donald Trump’s fundraising committee gave nearly a third of a million dollars to the Republican candidate ahead of the 2026 midterms.
What will Trump do if Republicans lose the midterms?
Jonathan Freedland and Guardian US columnist Moira Donegan answer your questions about the midterms.
‘Voting is medicine’: These health professionals want you to vote in the midterms » Yale Climate Connections
Physician Cynthia Mahoney says voting is a powerful prescription for health.
Hispanic voters helped bring Trump to power - in Texas, the tide may be turning
Recent polls suggest the president is facing challenging headwinds in the state ahead of the midterms.
Politics in 'materialist terms': Gen Z in Albania, Italy, France and India protesting for 'fairness'
Climate group pours in midterms money for Democrats
The League of Conservation announced more than $100 million to support Democrats going into the midterms.
Opinion: One man's story of supporting the wrong side — and how it applies to the Kansas midterms
Opinion from Eric Thomas: Manchester City’s monumental soccer deception contains a lesson in blind allegiance — my blind allegiance — but also a lesson about what happens when that irrational loyalty breaks.
Trump cuts have hurt Mass. research labs. Scientists hope midterms can ease the pain
Under the second Trump administration, Massachusetts scientists have lost billions in funding, and curtailed more than a dozen clinical trials in the state. Ahead of the midterms, many scientists hope a new Congress will restore stability to federal support and get grant money out the door.
Gene editing scientists slowed down for safety. Could AI leaders follow their guide?
Some of the leaders of the AI race are calling for a slowdown, for safety's sake. Viewed in economics terms, it's a collective action problem: no one wants to slow down unless everyone does.
Judge limits election-related immigration stops amid broader legal war ahead of midterms
An unprecedented election war is playing out between the Trump administration and California in federal court, with a slate of cases proceeding at breakneck speed ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
The 2026 election could reshape healthcare
Why everyone who cares about healthcare reform should vote in the midterms.
Employer Political Activity During the 2026 Midterms: Key FAQs
As the 2026 midterm elections approach, employers may have questions about whether (and how) they can support candidates or political positions. This FAQ addresses common questions about company political activity, communications with employees, mandatory political meetings, and political contributions.
Analysis | The top issues in the midterms
Corruption, health care and AI are among concerns driving voters besides affordability.
How well have past GOTY winners sold?
We’re less than two months away from 2026’s The Game Awards, and what a year it’s been for fantastic games, including Resident Evil Requiem, Forza Horizon 6, Slay the Spire II, the Blood of Dawnwalker, and Control Resonant – just to name a few. So as we approach the end of the year, we thought we’d look back on our estimates for the GOTY winners of the past four years. In terms of revenue, Elden Ring (2022 winner), Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023), Astro Bot (2024), and Expedition 33 (2025) have generated a combined $3.8B via 73M copies sold: Let’s have a look, then. Elden Ring has generated $2B in revenue Elden Ring is a phenomenon in every sense. It’s sold a whopping 36.4M copies across Steam (50%), PS5 (35%), and Xbox (15% across console and PC). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Elden Ring also just passed an astronomical milestone: $2B in revenue. While PlayStation and Xbox account for half of Elden Ring’s copies sold across these three platforms, they account for 57.5% of revenue. This – as ever – is due to regional pricing and the higher relative share of PC gamers in lower-priced markets. For example, around 17.4% of Elden Ring’s Steam copies sold were in China, where the game costs about 26% less than the price in the States. There’s an … interesting narrative going around these days that console gamers are only interested in ball-and-gun games and have the patience for little else. Well, Elden Ring’s impressive sales prove that is simply not true, and across all platforms. What’s more, over 9.8M people have played Elden Ring for over 100 hours, with nearly 3.5M people getting all of the achievements and trophies. For reference, 10.9% of Elden Ring’s PlayStation players have the platinum trophy, while 10.5% of players on Steam and 3.9% of Xbox players unlocked all the achievements. Git gud, Xbox players! Of the 1.5M people who played Elden Ring on PlayStation last month, 4% also played Dark Souls 3 last month, 4% played Bloodborne, and 3% played Sekiro. There’s those Soulsborne diehards for you. By many accounts, including my own, Elden Ring is one of the best games of all time. It’s an evergreen seller that will continue to be a cash cow for Bandai and FromSoftware for years to come. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Elden Ring has sold another 2M copies across Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox this year, generating almost $110M. This means it’s outperforming many of this year’s high-profile releases. Even Elden Ring’s standalone run-based PvE spinoff, 2025’s Nightreign, has sold 7.8M copies and generated $282M in revenue. Baldur’s Gate 3 is another billion-dollar-plus banger Another cross-platform phenomenon is Baldur’s Gate 3, which has sold 23.2M copies and generated over $1.2B in revenue. About 18.7M of these copies (80.6%) are via Steam, 2.9M via PS5 (12.7%), and 1.6M (6.8%) via Xbox. Around 1.3M folks on Steam bought BG3 before it hit 1.0. The PlayStation version launched about a month after the PC 1.0 release, while the Xbox version came four months later due to technical issues around developing local co-op on the Series S. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Across platforms, Baldur’s Gate 3’s monthly active users have never dropped below 2M, including 2.2M MAUs last month (68.5% on Steam, 21.9% on PS5, and 9.6% on Xbox). And it still regularly brings in 280K to 400K players every day: About 1% of BG3’s Steam player base has played for over 500 hours! That’s a little under 200K people. Astro Bot is also an evergreen seller, albeit a more niche, family one Astro Bot, 2024’s winner, has now sold 4.7M copies and generated $291M in revenue. The budget, including marketing, is almost certainly under $100M, given the small Japan-based core team and three-year dev timeline. You can really see why the tides are changing toward less expensive hubs. Astro Bot is the only first-party winner on this list, but follows other first-party winners of The Last of Us Part II (2020’s winner), God of War (2018), and Breath of the Wild (2017). Around 46.6% of Astro Bot’s copies sold have been physical, which is far higher than the typical game. This makes sense for a couple of reasons: There’s a large family audience for this one, and physical boxes are an item to wrap when giving Astro as a gift. Astro has collector value for the PlayStation core (this is nostalgia-fueled platformer celebrating PlayStation’s history) Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Astro is another one of those games that continues selling over time, regularly selling more than 100K a month. It’s sold around 1M more copies this year ($60M in revenue) and is a popular title with families. We can see this using the Alinea platform’s MAU crossover tool: Astro Bot’s top #2, #3, and #4 games by crossover in any given month this year are Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox – without fail. The #1 title every month, though, is Astro’s Playroom, a pack-in with all PS5 consoles. For every month this year, between 20% and 30% of Astro Bot players also played Astro’s Playroom that month. So the free pack-in is a noice funnel for converting players to a full paid product. Expedition 33 sells 8.7M despite Game Pass cannibalisation Finally, we have last year’s winner – Expedition 33. The turn-based-RPG banger has generated $366M via 8.7M copies sold, with 58.8% on Steam, 35.7% on PS5, and 5.5% on Xbox. Xbox’s share of copies sold is this low due to Expedition 33 launching on Game Pass, where 4.3M people across console and PC accessed the game. A little under 700K Xbox players used their subscription to play Expedition 33 this year. That said, the game’s 1.5-year Game Pass deal ended last week on October 16, and we’re already beginning to see a positive trend on Expedition 33’s copies sold via Xbox (but the jury’s still out!). There’s understandably a lot of French pride behind this one, as France is the game’s #3 market on both Steam and PlayStation. Vive la France! One thing that stood out to me is that the GOTY winners aren’t $300M Hollywood productions made in the US. They’re mostly mid-budget studios outside the traditional AAA cost centres. Lots to think about there. Also, good games sell well; who’d have thunk it!? And there’s a whole load of them this year, with GTA 6 still to come, too. GTA just made the cutoff point for the VGAs this year. What a coincidence! Loading... Cool links and other stuff Our physical games newsletter from Tuesday was picked up by GameSpot, Eurogamer, TweakTown, and a bunch of others. We’re offering a free trial of our platform for games companies. Send us a message here, or reply right here on Substack/email, and we’ll set you up. Next week, we’ve got some exciting news regarding the future of our newsletter, so stay tuned! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. Want to see why these companies (and many others) are subscribed to Alinea? Get a free platform trial! [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
Coast Business Council details changes and future plans
The Gulf Coast Business Council meeting provided changes as well as a look into the area's future in terms of economic development.