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{beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story Musk ups his midterm spending in final stretch The tech mogul has spent more than $442 million in the midterm elections, after pouring another $76.8 million into his super PAC over the past month, campaign finance filings show. © Susan Walsh, Associated PressAmerica PAC, which Musk launched during the 2024 elections, received the influx of cash from the SpaceX and Tesla CEO over the course of about a week in October, according to the super PAC’s last filing before the midterms. This comes on top of the $366 million he had already spent so far on the upcoming elections. He gave a combined $276 million to his super PAC and various Republican groups in the three-month stretch between July and September alone. Musk has spent heavily backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) amid a tight Senate race against Democrat James Talarico. He gave $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC backing Republican Senate candidates, in two increments in September that were each disbursed to a Texas super PAC backing Paxton a day later. Musk also gave $10 million to the Lone Star Liberty PAC, which is supporting Paxton, in addition to sending $20 million to a House GOP super PAC, $10 million to the Republican Governors Association and $2 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association. Read more in a full report at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: Paxton sues OpenAI, Altman for failing to warn Texans about ChatGPT’s ‘dangers’ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman on Friday, accusing the company of failing to warn consumers about the potential dangers from its AI models. The lawsuit alleges the ChatGPT maker is running afoul of a Texas consumer protection law and kids’ online safety law, underscoring warnings about the technology’s risks from AI leaders, including Altman. “Despite these incredible … Full Story Trump denies speaking to Musk about Starlink but says he will if it’s not fixed President Trump said he did not speak to Elon Musk about the tech leader’s decision to restrict Starlink access for Ukraine but warned he will do so if access is not restored. “I have not spoken to him,” Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn. “I might have to, but I have not. I have heard it was fixed. If it’s not, I’ll speak to him.” Starlink has proven to … Full Story Inside the unlikely coalition taking on prediction markets A fight over who can regulate prediction markets and whether they constitute gambling is creating strange bedfellows, as the two sides dig in for a protracted legal battle with millions of dollars at stake. The commercial gaming industry finds itself aligned with tribal gaming and unions, as they argue states and tribes should be able to enforce their gambling laws against prediction markets. It’s an unusual coalition, bringing … Full Story GOP pushes for oversight of Musk’s dominance of spaceRepublican lawmakers alarmed over Ukraine’s loss of access to Starshield, a critical battlefield tool, are pushing for more congressional oversight on what some view as Elon Musk’s “space monopoly,” fearing that Musk will have too much power over future national security operations. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Thursday said he’s concerned that U.S. national security has become … Full Story The Refresh News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: The Signal chats that cost OpenAI researchers their jobs (Wall Street Journal) In hunt for Starlink alternative, Ukraine partners with Nokia and satellite maker ICEYE (CNBC) CAPITOL CRYPTO FORUM Be in the room where crypto policy takes shape NOVEMBER 19 · 8:00 AM–12:00 PM · STATION DC The Hill and The Block are bringing lawmakers, regulators and digital-asset leaders together in Washington for the inaugural Capitol Crypto Forum. Join the conversation on the Clarity Act, the next moves for the SEC and CFTC, and the future of U.S. crypto policy. REGISTER FOR CAPITOL CRYPTO FORUM → In Other News Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Treasury Department proposes curbs on high-tech investments in China, Russia, North KoreaThe Treasury Department on Thursday proposed a rule to curb American high-tech investments, including in AI, based in U.S. adversary countries such as China, Russia, North Korea and other “countries of concern.” The rule expands restrictions in the Outbound Investment Security Program (OISP) on hypersonic systems and quantum information technologies, high-performance computing and supercomputing and AI. Treasury … Full Story Op-eds in The Hill Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: Anthropic’s AI oversight isn’t democratic enoughCognitive surrender: Artificial intelligence’s threat to democracy Put the last cell tower in orbit You’re all caught up. Check out The Hill's Technology page for the latest coverage.Like this newsletter? 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Technology Newsletter Musk ups midterm spending in final stretch Comments: by Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro - 10/23/26 5:37 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro - 10/23/26 5:37 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING {beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story Musk ups his midterm spending in final stretch The tech mogul has spent more than $442 million in the midterm elections, after pouring another $76.8 million into his super PAC over the past month, campaign finance filings show. © Susan Walsh, Associated Press America PAC, which Musk launched during the 2024 elections, received the influx of cash from the SpaceX and Tesla CEO over the course of about a week in October, according to the super PAC’s last filing before the midterms. This comes on top of the $366 million he had already spent so far on the upcoming elections. He gave a combined $276 million to his super PAC and various Republican groups in the three-month stretch between July and September alone. Musk has spent heavily backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) amid a tight Senate race against Democrat James Talarico. He gave $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC backing Republican Senate candidates, in two increments in September that were each disbursed to a Texas super PAC backing Paxton a day later. Musk also gave $10 million to the Lone Star Liberty PAC, which is supporting Paxton, in addition to sending $20 million to a House GOP super PAC, $10 million to the Republican Governors Association and $2 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association. Read more in a full report at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: Paxton sues OpenAI, Altman for failing to warn Texans about ChatGPT’s ‘dangers’ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman on Friday, accusing the company of failing to warn consumers about the potential dangers from its AI models. The lawsuit alleges the ChatGPT maker is running afoul of a Texas consumer protection law and kids’ online safety law, underscoring warnings about the technology’s risks from AI leaders, including Altman. “Despite these incredible … Full Story Trump denies speaking to Musk about Starlink but says he will if it’s not fixed President Trump said he did not speak to Elon Musk about the tech leader’s decision to restrict Starlink access for Ukraine but warned he will do so if access is not restored. “I have not spoken to him,” Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn. “I might have to, but I have not. I have heard it was fixed. If it’s not, I’ll speak to him.” Starlink has proven to … Full Story Inside the unlikely coalition taking on prediction markets A fight over who can regulate prediction markets and whether they constitute gambling is creating strange bedfellows, as the two sides dig in for a protracted legal battle with millions of dollars at stake. The commercial gaming industry finds itself aligned with tribal gaming and unions, as they argue states and tribes should be able to enforce their gambling laws against prediction markets. It’s an unusual coalition, bringing … Full Story GOP pushes for oversight of Musk’s dominance of space Republican lawmakers alarmed over Ukraine’s loss of access to Starshield, a critical battlefield tool, are pushing for more congressional oversight on what some view as Elon Musk’s “space monopoly,” fearing that Musk will have too much power over future national security operations. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Thursday said he’s concerned that U.S. national security has become … Full Story The Refresh News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: The Signal chats that cost OpenAI researchers their jobs (Wall Street Journal) In hunt for Starlink alternative, Ukraine partners with Nokia and satellite maker ICEYE (CNBC) CAPITOL CRYPTO FORUM Be in the room where crypto policy takes shape NOVEMBER 19 · 8:00 AM–12:00 PM · STATION DC The Hill and The Block are bringing lawmakers, regulators and digital-asset leaders together in Washington for the inaugural Capitol Crypto Forum. Join the conversation on the Clarity Act, the next moves for the SEC and CFTC, and the future of U.S. crypto policy. REGISTER FOR CAPITOL CRYPTO FORUM → In Other News Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Treasury Department proposes curbs on high-tech investments in China, Russia, North Korea The Treasury Department on Thursday proposed a rule to curb American high-tech investments, including in AI, based in U.S. adversary countries such as China, Russia, North Korea and other “countries of concern.” The rule expands restrictions in the Outbound Investment Security Program (OISP) on hypersonic systems and quantum information technologies, high-performance computing and supercomputing and AI. Treasury … Full Story Op-eds in The Hill Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: Anthropic’s AI oversight isn’t democratic enough Cognitive surrender: Artificial intelligence’s threat to democracy Put the last cell tower in orbit You’re all caught up. Check out The Hill’s Technology page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy | Manage Subscriptions | Unsubscribe 400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 – 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Technology newsletter Subscribe Add as preferred source on Google Tags Elon Musk Ken Paxton Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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