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Jensen Huang's looming ouster triggers an AI earthquake
Axios | achary Basu | 11/12/26

Jensen Huang's potential ouster from Nvidia has plunged the AI industry into uncharted territory - a corporate earthquake that dwarfs even the chaos unleashed by Sam Altman's temporary firing from OpenAI in 2023.

Why it matters: Nvidia is the backbone of the global AI economy, with its chips, investments and financial guarantees sustaining an entire ecosystem of companies worth trillions of dollars.

1. At the center of that vast financial flywheel is Huang, who spent 33 years making himself synonymous with Nvidia - and Nvidia synonymous with the AI revolution.
2. "This is no ordinary CEO. This is no ordinary company. This is no ordinary sector. This is no ordinary time," economist Mohamed El-Erian wrote on X, warning of contagion across the AI industry.
3. One of Wall Street's most prominent voices on tech, analyst Dan Ives, said Nvidia was worth 25% less without Huang.

Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, Nov. 6, 2026 | Washington Week PBS | 11/06/26 | 26:47

Jensen Huang, an architect of the AI boom, resigns as Nvidia CEO
Axios | Madison Mills | 11/12/26

Jensen Huang resigned as CEO of Nvidia after he reportedly had two affairs, including one with a purported Chinese spy.

Why it matters: It's impossible to overstate how critical Huang is to Nvidia, to the AI buildout, to the stock market and economy.

His departure could, per Wall Street sources, be the catalyst that endangers a ballooning AI bubble.

Driving the news: Nvidia's board named longtime CFO Colette Kress interim CEO, while launching a search for a permanent replacement.

1. Kress, who joined Nvidia in 2013, will continue serving as CFO while overseeing the company.
2. Harvey C. Jones was appointed Nvidia's first-ever board chair.
3. The board said it expects Nvidia's operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption.

Maddow: After Hegseth, watch for impeachment of Trump's A.G. Todd Blanche | 11/09/26 | 20:05

Bracing for Nvidia's impact
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Axios | MEmily Peck, Matt Phillips | 11/12/26

... The uncertainty surrounding Huang's position comes as the AI trade is going through one of the crises of investor confidence that have periodically hammered AI shares in recent years.

1. The concern this time centers on the ability of the AI build-out to continue, as rising interest rates and a saturated market curtail the sale of bonds to pay for data centers.
2. Chip makers like Nvidia have been particularly hard hit by this recent AI slump. Its shares were down roughly 30% from their recent high through Wednesday's close, vaporizing nearly $1.59 trillion in shareholder wealth.
3. There have been market drawdowns around AI before, says Eric Sheridan, a research analyst at Goldman Sachs, in a big new report on the investment cycle.
4. "The stakes are undoubtedly higher now as we're further along in the cycle and the dollars being spent have grown considerably, which may be adding to investor skittishness."

Breaking Ranks: The Untold Story of Israel's War in Gaza | Zandland | 11/16/25 | 1:09:53

Why Hamas Really Attacked Israel on Oct. 7 | Episode 12 | John Mearsheimer | 10/12/26 | 53:25

How Many Israelis Were Killed BY ISRAEL on October 7th? | Zeteo | 10/09/26 | 22:04

Israel's Lobby vs US Democracy | A Special Roundtable | John Mearsheimer | 10/26/26 | 1:31:33

How a MAHA leader turned and torched the White House
Axios | Caitlin Owens, Adriel Bettelheim | 11/10/26

Calley Means quickly rose from wellness entrepreneur to senior Trump health adviser - and now he's attacking the White House and suggesting top aides undermined the president's health agenda.

Why it matters: His scorched-earth campaign - which continued Monday in comments to Axios - marks a stunning turn for a figure who was the administration's most vocal advocate of the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.

It also raises questions about what the escalating fight between Means and former White House officials will accomplish for the movement.

Driving the news: Means told Axios he's going public with his allegations of corruption - especially by former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles - because of the high stakes.

1. "It is existential to the survival [of] America that we rid DC of Susie's brand of politics," Means said in a text exchange.
2. Means' initial comments on Friday's episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience" went viral, and he continued the campaign with an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday.

'The many v the money' should frame the next US Congress
TheGuardian | Naomi Klein | 11/10/26

If Democrats want to keep the blue wave going into 2028, they have to take on the billionaire class.

Welcome back to How We Win, a Guardian opinion series with leading thinkers, offering bold ideas for America's political future. Last week, Judd Legum shined a spotlight on the role of dark money in US elections. Today's edition was written by Naomi Klein, Guardian US columnist and author of End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World, co-written with Astra Taylor.

To see the battle lines of the post-midterm era in sharp relief, look to Texas.

Just two days after her earthquake victory as the governor-elect, Gina informed reporters that she had already asked the parks and wildlife department to freeze a proposal to sell 1,300 acres (525 hectares) in a state park to SpaceX until she is sworn into her new office. The department complied with her request. ... ... ... Read more

The crisis testing Nvidia's "too big to fail" CEO
Axios | Bradley Olson | 11/09/26

There is no Nvidia - nor an AI boom as we know it - without Jensen Huang. He has reassured jittery markets with his words, bankrolled a trillion-dollar buildout and put economies on his shoulders.

Now, the world is wondering if he can save himself.

Why it matters: Global markets must confront a terrifying reality: The AI ecosystem's first "too big to fail" executive is suddenly vulnerable, and there is no backup plan if he is forced to step down.

Catch up quick: Huang apologized Sunday and Nvidia's board launched an independent probe after he admitted to having a relationship with a woman named Alice Huang, an alleged Chinese operative.

1. Nvidia's board expressed confidence in his leadership and said it had no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised.
2. President Trump stood by Huang, calling him "an honorable guy."

The big picture: Keeping his job is one thing. Maintaining the ability to steady markets, finance customers and shape government policy is another. ... Read more

Why the Stock Market Just Crashed | Paper Billions | 11/09/26 | 14:59

Planet-sized problems collide in permitting debate
Axios | Amy Harder | 11/09/26

Efforts to fight climate change, conserve nature and build clean energy have long unfolded on competing tracks. Now, they're colliding - and exposing tough trade-offs for environmentalists.

Why it matters: Congress' sweeping permitting debate is forcing those competing priorities into the same conversation, with major consequences for climate action and conservation.

Driving the news: The Senate is set to hold an initial procedural vote Monday on a sprawling bipartisan bill that would make it easier to build power lines and energy projects of all kinds, including clean energy and fossil fuels.

1. At the heart of the debate is how much public scrutiny projects should face before they're approved - and how much protection those approvals should receive afterward.
2. Supporters say the current system takes too long, delaying clean energy and other infrastructure. Opponents warn that speeding things up could come at the expense of wildlife, public lands and tribal rights.

The Housing Market Is Now Worse Than 2008 (Here's the Proof) | Finance District | 11/09/26 | 22:03

Behind the Curtain: The Trump obliteration
Axios | Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen | 11/04/26

Make no mistake: Democrats won by epic, sometimes historic margins across red and blue states, up and down ballots, obliterating almost everything President Trump, and a Republican Party remade wholly in his image, built over the past decade in American politics.

Why it matters: Trump and Republicans are left with a mostly white, mostly old House and Senate minority, confronting a younger, more diverse ascendant Democratic Party with power and margins it hasn't held in 18 years, since the dawn of the Obama era.

The results speak louder than any words we can write:

1. Democrats won Senate races in Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, Ohio, and perhaps Mississippi en route to what could be a 55-seat majority.
2. Democrats won swing districts all across red America, with national average margins of victory of roughly 13 points, according to a New York Times estimate.
3. Texas is now a Democratic state, top to bottom - unthinkable mere months ago. James Talarico crushed Ken Paxton (55% to 43%) like it was Connecticut. State Representative Gina Hinojosa will become the first Democratic governor of Texas in 32 years.
4. ... ... ...

Bernie Explains Whats Next After the Midterms | Bernie Sanders | 11/05/26 | 15:50

Behind the Curtain: Americans teach a lesson - again
Axios | Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen | 11/06/26

Voters were unambiguous on Tuesday: Don't B.S. us. Don't say you'll lower prices and end wars and corruption, then do the opposite. It's really that simple.

This isn't so different from when Americans told Democrats not to B.S. them about Joe Biden's health, or about the words they should use, or social behaviors they should adopt.

Why it matters: Most Americans agree broadly on most things, most of the time. They want competent politicians to focus on issues that meaningfully impact their lives.

Like clockwork, every two years, Americans feel the party in power fails to deliver this - so they punish the incumbents at the polls.

Politicians and some journalists tend to treat the American people as dopes and dupes who don't get what's happening in front of their faces. ... ... Read more

How A Single Shell Company Drained $1.6 Billion From The Pentagon | More Perfect Union | -3mon | 11:22

Tech stocks tumble as election rattles AI trade
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Axios | Matt Phillips | 11/05/26

Tech stocks plunged Thursday in the most visible sign yet that investors are growing worried about a slowdown in the AI boom.

The latest: The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index was down 4.7% at 3 p.m., with just an hour left in trading. The broader stock market was also down sharply.

The sell-off is shaping up to be the stock market's worst showing since the April 2025 tariff panic.

The big picture: The sell-off comes after Democrats notched historic gains in midterm elections, including taking the governorships of Texas and Ohio - areas of intense data center development.

In Texas, Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa promised to impose a moratorium on new buildouts until lawmakers enact stronger protections. ... Read more

Big Tech scrambles to offer voters a new AI deal
Axios | Maria Curi | 11/05/26

The AI industry is scrambling to repackage a $10 trillion infrastructure buildout to appease a hostile electorate that overwhelmingly voted to restrict data center construction in ballot measures across the country.

It's not just changing the name of data centers to "compute campuses," but offering communities real money, including dividends and benefits for schools or cities, plus environmental concessions and labor protections.

Why it matters: Tuesday's election proved voters won't tolerate unchecked growth, although the market and many analysts see the blue wave slowing - but not stopping - data center construction around the U.S. To prevent an existential threat, the world's biggest companies are working on a rebrand.

What they're saying: Chris Lehane, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, compared the turnaround AI must make to the 1996 election, which came shortly after Republicans routed Democrats in a historic midterm election. ... Read more

We Went Back To The Town Tyson Abandoned. What We Found Will Shock You. | More Perfect Union | 10/29/26 | 10:30

Trump can't pack the Fed board with allies now
Axios | Neil Irwin | 11/04/26

A recurring subplot of President Trump's term has been a desire to replace Biden appointees to the powerful Federal Reserve Board of Governors - even ahead of their terms ending - with allies. That effort now looks dead in the water.

Why it matters: Even if Trump succeeds in his efforts to fire governor Lisa Cook, or to oust any of the other three Biden-era holdovers on the seven-member board, a Democratic Senate will likely block any replacements it views as insufficiently independent from the administration.

State of play: The president seeks to fire Cook - whose term runs through 2038 - for alleged mortgage fraud, an effort that has been blocked so far by the courts. The White House plans a hearing over the allegations next month. ... Read more

We Investigated The $400 Million Corruption Machine Built by Trump's Biggest Donors | More Perfect Union | 10/31/26 | 10:07

Key Pentagon priorities in peril after Democratic sweep
Axios | Colin Demarest, Thomas Novelly | 11/04/26

Tuesday's election was great for Democrats. It was bad for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and some of the White House's most ambitious national security projects.

Why it matters: Surprise wins across the map for Democrats - including in the Deep South - complicate a lot for the Trump administration.

1. Republicans have relied on a simple-majority funding mechanism known as reconciliation to pay for marquee projects like Golden Dome. That option is now a long shot over the next few months, and impossible after that.
2. Outrage over the Iran war, well beyond the half-year mark, is sure to turbocharge a long list of congressional inquiries.
3. And lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Reps. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), have suggested impeaching Hegseth.

We Investigated The Board Of Peace. The Corruption We Found Will Shock You. | More Perfect Union | 08/06/26 | 15:19

Jared Kushner: The Most Powerful Person in America | Epoch Philosophy | 09/21/26 | 26:31

Dems flip House and Senate seats as Trump rages
Axios | Herb Scribner | 11/03/26

The state of North Carolina produced the first flips of the 2026 midterms, with Democrats winning a House and Senate seat.

Why it matters: The results tonight will be the clearest national test of President Trump's second presidency, following war abroad, economic anxiety at home and sweeping changes in Washington. Trump has made himself the face of the Republican campaign for control.

The latest: In a major win of the night, Democrat Jon Ossoff won reelection to U.S. Senate from Georgia, AP projects.

1. In North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Trump's handpicked candidate, Michael Whatley, flipping one of the Republican party's two U.S. Senate seats.
2. In North Carolina's 11th House district, Jamie Ager flipped the seat for Democrats. The seat is held by retiring Rep. Chuck Edwards, who ended his reelection bid after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured.

Who Does America Owe $40 Trillion? (Explained Like You're 5) | PENNY | 10/24/26 | 14:46

Everything you need to know about last night in under 1,000 words
Axios | | 11/04/26

It was a drubbing on a scale that neither side saw coming: Democrats pummeled Republicans across the battleground map and into some of the most MAGA-friendly terrain in the country.

Why it matters: The results were an emphatic rejection of Donald Trump's second term in office - and set the stage for two years of corruption investigations and legislative frustration for the lame-duck president.

The size of the Dem majorities:

It was clear early in the night that Democrats would flip the Senate. Few predicted how big their majority would end up.

1. Democrats will have at least 54 Senate seats, and another two - in Alaska and Mississippi — were too close to call early Wednesday.
2. The New York Times projects Democrats will win 257 seats vs. 178 for Republicans - a 79-seat majority. Those numbers could change as more races are called, but in any scenario it will be an astounding majority.

The big surprises:

1. Texas turns blue:
2. More red-state romps:
3. House district reversals.

Is the AI Bubble About to Pop? (Explained Like You're 5) | PENNY | 10/20/26 | 13:12

Charted: Why early midterm results can be misleading
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Axios | Andrew Pantazi | 11/03/26

The first votes counted Tuesday night will almost certainly look redder than the final result, and control of the House and Senate could take days to settle.

Why it matters: Early leads can create false impressions of who's winning and suspicion when those leads vanish. Election night is really election week.

By the numbers: AP didn't call control of the House until seven or eight days after Election Day in each of the past three elections.

The Senate was settled by 10:44pm on election night in 2018 and at 12:06am the next morning in 2024. In 2022, it took four days, and in 2020, it wasn't called until Georgia's January runoffs, two months later. ... ... ... Read more

Midterms 2026: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | John Oliver | 11/02/26 | 25:37

GOP's midterm blame game starts early
Axios | Stef W. Kight, Hans Nichols | 11/03/26

Republicans don't know if they'll lose big or small on Tuesday, but they're already bracing for an epic blame game.

Why it matters: Privately, Republicans acknowledge it's not a complicated version of Clue. The leading suspect: Mr. President, in the Oval Office, with an assortment of weapons - and one war.

1. Returning Republican senators are unlikely to blame President Trump publicly. There's a price for that. And don't expect Trump to shoulder the responsibility.
2. But do expect departing GOP lawmakers to take shots at Trump or his team, and Trump to fire back at Senate Republicans, whom he's never been shy about torching.

Three midterm tests of AI's political influence
Axios | Maria Curi | 11/03/26

The 2026 midterms bring the first test of voter sentiment on the AI race, offering a window into how a niche policy debate is transforming into a wedge issue ahead of a presidential campaign cycle.

Why it matters: The results will reveal whether explicitly campaigning on AI regulation - or aligning with tech moguls like Elon Musk - is a winning political strategy or a liability for 2028.

One thing is already clear: Candidates increasingly can't afford to have half-baked AI agendas.

Here are three major questions about the future of AI politics and policy, and the races we're watching on Election Day for answers.

1. Did AI break through?
2. Did Elon Musk help or hurt candidates?
3. How loud will the AI safety movement be in the next Congress?

The humans burning out on AI's cyber frontlines
Axios | Sam Sabin | 10/30/26

The people at the frontlines of the ongoing barrage of AI-enabled cyberattacks are being pummeled with attacks, vulnerabilities and false alarms.

Why it matters: Humans are still at the frontlines of a fight enabled largely by AI - and they're struggling to wade through mountains of threat data to determine who's been hit and which attacks pose a real danger to companies.

What they're saying: "The last month has been the longest year of my life," Justin Timothy, threat intelligence consultant at GuidePoint Security, told Axios.

1. Even before "Black October," Timothy was already swamped and dealing with hacker gangs that returned from a seasonal summer lull.
2. These groups specialize in ransomware, essentially attacking the networks of an institution and holding it hostage. While AI is playing a role in many new cyberattacks, the ransomware scourge has already been shutting down pipeline systems, hospitals, education software and other essential services for years.
3. It's only expected to get worse this year as powerful new AI systems are amplifying the capabilities of attackers faster than defenders can insulate vast corners of the unprotected internet.

Corporate America's Trump trap
Axios | Zachary Basu | `0/30/26

America's corporate titans greeted President Trump's 2024 victory with open checkbooks, 12-figure investment pledges and fawning tributes to his coming "Golden Age."

Two years later, on the eve of a potential blue wave, Democrats are preparing to greet those same executives with a stack of subpoenas.

Why it matters: The CEOs who staked their reputations and fortunes on MAGA's staying power could spend the final two years of Trump's presidency defending their dealings under oath.

The big picture: A Democratic House would carry its campaign against billionaire power and corruption deep into corporate America, scrutinizing the relationships between Trump's White House and the executives who courted him.

Corporate leaders now face a delicate balancing act: rebuilding ties with Democrats while avoiding retaliation from a president who still controls federal contracts, tariffs and regulators. ... ...

1. AI accelerationists:
2. Media consolidation:
3. Elite law firms:
4. Ballroom donors:
5. Equity deals:
6. Fossil fuel giants:

Binance halts trading after biggest-ever crypto hack
Axios | Sam Sabin | 10/30/26

Binance halted trading Thursday after hackers allegedly linked to North Korea stole more than $6 billion, the largest crypto hack in history.

Why it matters: The attack comes after a wave of high-profile cyber intrusions and data breaches during "Black October," when a series of security incidents and AI-discovered bugs triggered fears of a global crisis.

Driving the news: Binance co-founder Yi He said on X that the crypto exchange had suspended deposits and withdrawals. "User funds are safe," she wrote. "Binance will cover all hacking losses."

1. An estimated $6.3 billion were drained from wallets in the incident, Binance said, although the exchange and partners managed to freeze about $3 billion that can potentially be recovered.
3. "This is unprecedented," said Kevin March, a co-founder of JPEG Trading, a cryptocurrency trading firm that closely tracked the hack to monitor market conditions.
4. An initial investigation linked the hack to a compromised laptop from one Binance engineer. That access allowed an attacker to gain access to Binance's systems to make withdrawals, the exchange said.

This is the most important midterm election in modern American history. Here's why. | Bernie Sanders | 10/29/26 | 16:29

BOMBSHELL new report on Trump's alleged Epstein ties TERRIFIES Republicans one week before midterms | MSNow | 10/28/26 | 13:05

A sign the SaaSpocalypse isn't over
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Axios | Emily Peck | 10/29/26

There's trouble brewing in the leveraged loan market: The share of these loans trading at distressed levels has more than doubled since last year, and a lot of pain is showing up inside software companies dealing with the threat of AI.

Why it matters: When the economy sneezes, companies that have borrowed loads of money can get really sick - the rise in distress is a sign that more of them are at risk of defaulting on their loans.

How it works: The leveraged loan market is where investors trade loans made to heavily indebted companies with weak credit ratings.

These are typically private equity-backed companies.

The big picture: Years of higher interest rates, including the increase this year, and rising economic uncertainty are weighing heavily. ... Read more

Fear of a Democrat takeover has tech, crypto and industrial firms rushing to K Street
Politico | Oliver Ward | 10/29/26

Companies are bracing for an aggressive corruption hunt led by social media-savvy Democrats hungry to scrutinize dealings with the Trump administration.

Donating to President Donald Trump's pet projects may have seemed like a savvy corporate investment 18 months ago.

But today, companies are hiring lobbyists and crisis communications experts out of fear that their efforts to stay in the administration's good graces may expose them to a hail of partisan crossfire if Democrats take over Congress.

Top congressional Democrats have already expressed interest in probing how technology giants like Meta, Nvidia and Amazon have worked with the Trump administration, rattling executives in other industries who fear they could also get targeted.

A broad range of technology, financial, cryptocurrency and industrial companies are now scrambling to get ahead of Democrats' aggressive congressional oversight agenda if the party wins power next week, according to nine lobbyists, lawyers, public relations professionals and former congressional staffers who spoke to POLITICO. ... ... ... Read more

We are seeing the rise of psychopatriarchy everywhere
TheGuardian | Eve Ensler | 10/28/26

Psychopatriarchy is jet fuel to racism, colonialism, imperialism and capitalism

or those of us who have spent our lives trying to dismantle this endlessly destructive paradigm of patriarchy, it has become increasingly clear in recent months that something more terrifying is afoot.

The wheels are off the cart. We are in the midst of a chaotic, demented acceleration of the most violent and cruel aspects of this system which has evolved into what I am calling Psychopatriarchy.

Psychopatriarchy is a reaction, a backlash against the progress we have made on all fronts: women's rights, civil rights, immigrant rights, workers rights, trans rights etc.

It has birthed an authoritarian fascist reality, poisoning our social and psychological environment with terrorizing violence, cruelty and precarity. It has consolidated the billionaire class who are driven by the mindset summed up in the slogan "move fast and break things." Or, one might say, grab things, rape things. ... Read more

CorruptionLand | CorruptionLand.org | 10/28/26 | 33:47

Trump escalates anti-Muslim rhetoric before midterms
Axios | Josephine Walker | 10/27/26

President Trump has increasingly singled out Muslim politicians and communities in a bid to rally his base in the final push before election day.

Why it matters: Trump's comments could energize some Republican voters in close races, but the strategy could alienate those who see the rhetoric as fearmongering or discriminatory.

Driving the news: Trump's Monday appearance at a Michigan rally for GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers included several barbs at Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed's Muslim faith.

1. Trump suggested that El-Sayed posed a security threat, saying, "He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate."
2. He also called El-Sayed a "jihadist," baselessly claimed the Senate candidate wants to impose sharia law in Michigan, and again accused him of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
3. El-Sayed has repeatedly denied ties to extremist groups, and no evidence has emerged linking him to the Muslim Brotherhood. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Top U.S. & World Headlines - October 28, 2026| 10/28/26 | 54:16

Inside Why Trump Playing Golf Endangers Millions | Thom Hartmann | 10/28/26 | 15:50

FEMA tells states to handle disasters on their own
Politico | Thomas Frank | 10/20/26

The Trump administration's disaster chief told state officials Tuesday they must increase their financial reserves and emergency capabilities to handle most disasters on their own, without federal help.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Cameron Hamilton gave unprecedented detail at a conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, about the administration's long-planned shift of disaster responsibilities to states.

"Every state must have the appropriate financial reserves" and other abilities "to ensure that recovery efforts can start immediately and not necessarily be held up simply because of the federal [disaster] declaration process," Hamilton said, according to a recording of his remarks obtained by POLITICO. ... Read more

Trump Gets Heckled at His Own Rally, Gifts Us a GREAT Moment & Don Jr's Oligarch Hunting Trip | jimmy Kimmel | 10/27/26 | 15:33