The Ukrainian government on Tuesday night said that its access to the SpaceX-owned Starlink satellite internet service was throttled, prompting critics to question the wisdom of depending on any company owned by far-right billionaire Elon Musk. According to a Wednesday report in The New York Times, Ukrainian officials suspect that orders to restrict their access […]
The post Throttling Ukraine’s Starlink access heightens concerns over Musk appeared first on Asia Times.
No longer so red: Long a swing state, Ohio went for President Donald Trump back in 2016, in 2020, and in 2024. Now, with midterms approaching, it looks likely to vote blue again, and there are early indicators that Republicans have failed to win over Ohio's working-class voters in particular.
"After the first days of early voting in Ohio, a state that could help determine control of the Senate, there are clear signs Democrats are more enthusiastic to vote," reports CNN. "So far, affiliated Democrats make up larger shares of pre-election voters than they did two years ago, even in the most Republican parts of the state. At this point in 2024, Republicans had a 30-percentage point lead over Democrats in counties that voted for President Donald Trump by 20 points or more, according to data from the Ohio Secretary of State. This year, that's shrunk to just five points."
Take this data with a grain of salt: It is just early-voter data.
But this is all rather high-stakes because Republicans are defending a Senate seat, as well as the governor's office. Two races for House seats are considered toss-ups. The conventional wisdom has been that Ohio is now solidly red, with three cycles of presidential election data to support that. But it's possible Trump has pissed off the voters who supported him to such a degree that Ohio will be sent back into swing-state territory.
"God knows we didn't vote for this," one voter—a pastor who went for Trump, then Biden, then Trump—told Reuters, referring to inflation. Other voters wonder about the decline in manufacturing jobs and the fact that the president has paid lip service to these problems but done very little to actually improve people's circumstances.
On Monday, Trump rallied in support of Sen. Jon Husted, who hopes to retain his seat. In the Mahoning Valley, the president announced a few new, uh, incentives to voters: a Defense Department facility based in Cleveland, and promises that a heat provider for Youngstown remained open. "The Youngstown area for decades used to vote Democrat, and then you ran for office in 2016 and flipped it red forever," said Husted in his speech. "Is that right, folks?"
OpenAI arrest: The FBI arrested a Saudi national who worked at OpenAI "and charged him with installing a hidden audio recording device in an executive conference room," per the Department of Justice. Abdulrahman Alfozan had worked as an engineer at OpenAI since July 2025, in the San Francisco office. The company found the recording device "plugged into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room," per Reuters. The device had a microphone and allegedly connected to a camera; the data it stored was encrypted.
"At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated," said OpenAI. It's not clear who Alfozan may have been working for or with; he has been a permanent resident of the U.S. since 2020, with stints at Meta and Microsoft.
"If convicted, Alfozan faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release," notes Reuters.
Scenes from New York: Mayor Zohran Mamdani has reportedly reached a deal with the City Council to ban horse carriages in the city, per Politico. I'll admit, I don't really care, but I'm intrigued by the fact that the reason this has taken so long to get through has been because the union representing the carriage-drivers has been so successful at advocating for its members' interests.
This is the greatest post in the history of FIRE Reddit. Perfection. pic.twitter.com/dh1tesicfi
— Conservative Dividend Investing (@CDInewsletter) October 13, 2026
"Blessed" is a useful religious concept that has no adequate secular equivalent
"I was lucky" almost wholly fails to convey the weight and sentiment of providence that comes when things go better than you had any right to hope
— Jack (@tracewoodgrains) October 13, 2026
The post Ohio's Democrat Momentum appeared first on Reason Magazine.
The elections coincide with negotiations over the EU’s 2028–2034 financial framework, increasing the uncertainty surrounding agreements on common borrowing, defence expenditure, agricultural funding and the Union’s future institutional priorities.
Spain is scheduled to hold a general election on 29th November following Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s decision to seek an early mandate. France faces a presidential election in 2027, while major electoral contests in Italy and Poland will also determine the political direction of governments central to European decision-making.
Although national elections do not directly change the composition of the European Parliament, they determine who represents member states in the European Council and influence the balance of negotiations within the Council of the EU.
Spain’s election will provide the first major indication of how the electoral cycle may develop.
Sánchez’s Socialist government faces substantial pressure over domestic economic and political disputes, including housing policy, while migration has returned to the forefront of political debate following the crisis in Ceuta.
The opposition People’s Party is seeking to replace the Socialists, with the possible parliamentary role of Vox remaining an important consideration.
The outcome could alter Spain’s position on EU migration arrangements, fiscal policy and aspects of European integration.
Spain is one of the Union’s largest member states and has traditionally supported closer integration in a range of policy areas. A change of government would not necessarily reverse that position, but it could change the priorities Madrid brings to negotiations in Brussels.
Domestic political pressures may also affect the government’s willingness to accept compromises on the EU’s next budget.
France’s presidential election in 2027 carries particularly substantial implications because Emmanuel Macron cannot seek another consecutive term.
The contest will determine the leadership of a founding EU member state that remains central to European defence policy, eurozone economic governance and relations with Germany.
Raphaël Glucksmann has emerged as a prominent candidate from the moderate left following his victory in the social-democratic primary, while the political centre and conservative right are preparing competing candidacies.
The National Rally remains an important electoral force, although questions concerning Marine Le Pen’s legal position complicate predictions about its eventual presidential candidate.
The French election will take place against a difficult fiscal background.
France faces continuing pressure over its public finances, with European officials urging Paris to adopt a credible 2027 budget and provide greater reassurance to financial markets.
Any incoming president will therefore inherit constraints extending beyond domestic spending choices.
France’s position in European negotiations may be influenced by the relationship between presidential authority, parliamentary support and the country’s fiscal commitments.
The contests in Italy and Poland will introduce additional questions concerning relations between national governments and EU institutions.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has combined a firm position on migration with support for Ukraine and participation in European defence initiatives.
Her government’s record demonstrates that parties associated with the nationalist right do not necessarily adopt identical positions on foreign policy, economic governance or defence.
Poland’s political competition similarly includes substantial disagreements over EU institutional authority and domestic reforms, while support for national security and resistance to Russian aggression extend across much of the political spectrum.
Changes in either country’s government could alter negotiating coalitions within the Council.
However, the consequences cannot be reliably inferred from broad political labels alone. Individual governments differ in their positions on agricultural support, industrial policy, common financing and enlargement.
The first substantial European policy test is already under way.
Ireland’s presidency of the Council has proposed a revised seven-year EU budget of approximately €1.62 trillion, reducing the Commission’s original proposal by about eight per cent.
The negotiating framework requires agreement among all 27 member states, giving national governments considerable influence over the final settlement.
European leaders are attempting to secure an agreement before the end of 2026, partly to avoid carrying unresolved financial negotiations into a year dominated by elections.
A delayed settlement would risk leaving politically sensitive decisions to new governments that might wish to revise previous commitments.
Support for Ukraine will remain a major issue, particularly as European governments consider future financing, military assistance and the consequences of any diplomatic negotiations involving Russia.
Differences between parties over the extent and financing of European assistance could become more significant if new governments form alternative coalitions within the Council.
Migration policy, the relationship with the United States and EU enlargement will also remain areas of potential disagreement.
Yet the institutional structure of the Union limits the ability of any single election to produce an immediate reversal of policy.
Legislation requires agreement through established procedures, while many foreign-policy decisions continue to depend on consensus or unanimity.
The electoral cycle may consequently produce a gradual realignment of European negotiating positions rather than a sudden institutional transformation.
For Brussels, the immediate priority is securing agreements on the financial framework and legislative programme before domestic campaigns begin to restrict the room available for compromise.
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