Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is once again pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a US election - this time with the aim of helping Republicans maintain their control of Congress. Musk donated upwards of $200m (£150m) in the quarter that ended on 30 September, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reviewed by the BBC. The fillings were released with just over two weeks until the 2026 midterm election, where many races for the House of Representatives and Senate are close and Republicans risk losing their majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate. Musk also put significant money, $290m, and effort into helping elect President Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2024. Here is where the richest person in the world has been donating this time around, and what it might mean for his businesses.

Did Iran capture a US submarine? United States consumer prices jumped in September in the final inflation report before the midterm elections, increasing chances of an interest rate hike later this month. Annual inflation accelerated to 3.7 percent, up from 3.4 percent in August. On a monthly basis, prices rose by 0.6 percent, according to the Consumer Price Index report released by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Wednesday. Petrol prices rose 9.1 percent in September, accounting for more than half of the CPI monthly increase, according to the BLS.

At least 81 US aircraft worth up to $3.3bn lost or damaged in Iran war Share At least 81 US aircraft worth up to $3.3bn lost or damaged in Iran war on social media At least 81 United States military aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, have been lost or damaged during Operation Epic Fury, the code name for Washington's military campaign against Iran launched earlier this year. The statistic comes as part of a report released on Monday by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan government agency that provides budget-related research to the legislature. The report this week highlights the growing price tag for the war, which began on February 28. A lasting ceasefire has remained out of reach as the conflict continues into its eighth month. "The asymmetries of warfare show that even small countries with small militaries can inflict damage on the world's best militaries," said Harlan Ullman, a former naval officer and chairman of the Killowen Group, a government advisory firm. He told Al Jazeera that Iran has managed to achieve a degree of success in damaging US military hardware and bases in the Middle East.

Anna Gomez, the Democratic member of the United States Federal Communications Commission, has urged the federal agency not to allow robocalls generated with artificial intelligence in the lead-up to the midterm elections in early November. On Wednesday, the commissioner pushed back against a petition from Club for Growth, a national conservative fiscal policy organisation, to allow AI-generated robocalls. The group said it would limit calls so that the same person would not receive more than three calls over the course of 30 days and would be presented with the option to opt out. The FCC's public comment period began on September 4, with the deadline for comments on Monday. Responses to those comments are due October 19, and the FCC has yet to decide whether it will approve the request.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. Fewer than half of Americans expect midterm elections to be'free and fair,' poll finds A worker carries ballots at L.A. County's processing center in June. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search.

Plus: The data center backlash is scrambling the midterm elections. This company's plans to deploy space mirrors could jeopardize the night sky for many A company that plans to beam sunlight from space to Earth on demand might unintentionally brighten the night sky for many more people than intended, according to a new study. Later this year, Reflect Orbital plans to launch a test satellite that will extend an 18-by-18-meter mirror in orbit. The goal is to eventually launch up to 50,000 larger satellites that can reflect sunlight to Earth on demand. Reflect Orbital says the technology could extend sunlight for solar panel charging, emergency response, and military activities. But new research suggests the giant beams could shine as bright as 10,000 full moons and scatter light over tens of kilometers, raising concerns about dark skies, aviation, and wildlife.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's slate of progressives has swept establishment-backed Democrats in New York's closely watched congressional primaries, ousting two sitting congressmen in a show of force for the democratic socialist leader of the United States's largest city. On Tuesday, Adriano Espaillat, who leads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and is in his fifth term, was defeated by Mamdani's most polarising pick, Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who once helped organise pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. And another Mamdani ally, democratic socialist state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, the handpicked successor of retiring US Representative Nydia Velazquez. New York's primary will determine which challengers the party nominates to run in the midterm elections in November. That vote will, in turn, decide which party controls Congress, giving its lawmakers the power to aid or impede US President Donald Trump's legislative agenda for his final two years in office.

We at WIRED are winding down for the year and gearing up for what is sure to be an eventful 2023. This week, following a new surge in mayhem at Twitter, we dove into exactly why the public needs real-time flight tracking, even if Elon Musk claims it's the equivalent of doxing. The crucial transparency this publicly available data provides far outweighs the limited privacy value that censoring would give to the world's rich and powerful. Unfortunately, Musk's threats of legal action against the developer of the @ElonJet tracker are having broader chilling effects. Meanwhile, Iran's internet blackouts--a response to widespread civil rights protests--are sabotaging the country's economy, according to a new assessment from the US Department of State.

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Editor's note: This story contains graphic language. Former first lady Michelle Obama's voting initiative is partnering with a dating app that made a video titled "No Voting No Vucking." The voting initiative, When We All Vote announced that it would be working with the BLK dating app on Oct. 4 and doing "voter registration activations" with the company.

Virtual assistants such as Amazon's Alexa and Google Home have the capacity to analyse how happy and healthy a couple's relationship is, research has found. In-home listening devices will soon be able to judge how functional relationships are as well as interrupt an argument with an idea for how to resolve it, the study said. The research, by Imperial College Business School, stated that within the next two to three years, digital assistants could predict with 75 per cent accuracy the likelihood of a relationship or marriage being a success. The technology would reach a verdict through acoustic analysis of communication between couples – examining everything from everyday encounters to arguments. The virtual assistants would then be able to provide relationship advice and what researchers refer to as democratising counselling.