Friday, October 30, 2026 · Morning Edition

Today

By StaffNews Desk

Good morning. The world's richest person is buying in: [Elon Musk has become the biggest GOP donor of 2026, opening his deep pockets to bolster Republican candidates after his wealth surged since befriending Donald Trump](https://www.ms.now/news/elon-musk-trump-donor-texas-trillionaire-midterm-doge-elections-spacex-tesla). He spends into a race where the economy ranks as a top concern among voters as campaigns race toward the midterms early next month — and where capital is already working the other end of the wage: regulators have [ordered nine major companies to turn over information on whether they use people's personal data to charge them more or pay their employees less](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/9-major-companies-personal-data-set-prices-pay-workers).

The map is tightening. Prediction-market odds show several Senate races narrowing, with five contests that could decide control of the chamber, and [Senate Democrats' main PAC is spending $750,000 on digital ads in deep-red South Carolina for the first time as polls show a close race](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6183124-senate-democrats-buy-sc-ads). The stakes run deeper than Washington: [Republicans control 10 more state legislatures than Democrats, where most laws on taxes, abortion, crime and schools are made, and Democrats are pushing to cut that lead](https://www.npr.org/2026/10/30/nx-s1-6022353/midterms-state-legislatures-pennsylvania).

In the final stretch, Trump and JD Vance have canceled planned appearances across three states, pulling back their in-person campaigning, even as [Vance and AOC work the trail in what reads as a presidential preview, both parties treating the midterms as a proving ground](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-10-30/midterm-elections-2026-vance-aoc-hit-trail-in-possible-presidential-preview). Obama landed a viral one-liner in Cleveland this week, while the young men who swung to Trump in 2024 are moving away — and a gen Z writer argues content creators hold far less power than the parties scrambling for them think.

The administration keeps leaning on the machinery of the state. [Comey's attorneys are in court seeking to toss a third Justice Department case against the former FBI director, arguing it wasn't presented to a federal grand jury within the statute of limitations](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/james-comey-team-court-seeking-toss-third-doj-case-longtime-trump-foe-rcna606394), while pro-Palestine activists subpoenaed by the Justice Department are refusing to testify, calling potential imprisonment "a cheap price to pay for the defense of our movement". Abroad, [the US sanctioned Rwanda's Ministry of Defense and a bank serving its security services this week, a move that showed the limits of Trump's influence over the Congo conflict](https://www.semafor.com/article/10/30/2026/new-sanctions-show-limits-of-trump-influence-over-congo-conflict).