By Tim Henderson, Stateline October 16, 2026 The sheer size of investment in data centers is drawing concern as it surpasses all other historical booms and crowds out other more job-creating ventures.  Until now, no industry had driven the U.S. economy with such force since the railroad expansion of the late 1800s, when titans battled…

By Tim Henderson, Stateline October 14, 2026 Inflation grew to a 3.7% annual rate in September, according to an Oct. 14 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 3.4% in August.  In the last consumer price inflation report before midterm elections, with voters already fed up with higher prices, September’s number was…

By Christine Mai-Duc Oct 16, 2026 In March 2025, when California ran out of Medicaid funds to pay doctors and hospitals, the state borrowed $3.4 billion to keep the program afloat. It was, as a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom insisted, nothing new. Indeed, a handful of times over the years, the state had taken…

By Julie Appleby Oct 16, 2026 Late last month, the Trump administration announced that it had cut 760,000 people from the Affordable Care Act rolls, claiming fraud and improper enrollments and touting billions in potential taxpayer savings. Not all of those kicked off were fraudulently enrolled, KFF Health News has learned. Insurance industry sources said…

SHREVEPORT, La. (Oct. 15) – Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) is encouraging residential customers who may be struggling with electric bills to call before Oct. 31 to see what assistance programs, payment options and temporary bill support measures may be available for their accounts. “Many customers may qualify for programs or assistance they haven’t explored…

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. By Natalia Contreras, Votebeat Oct 14, 2026 at 6:24pm EDT Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Texas’ free newsletter here. Election officials across…

By Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune October 15, 2026 President Donald Trump took to social media Thursday to blast U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and GOP stalwart Karl Rove for doing “everything possible to make it hard” for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to win his U.S. Senate election. Trump said in a Truth Social post…

  CMS NEWS October 15, 2026 These investments will support the rural health workforce, modernize aging equipment, and advance chronic disease prevention to keep quality care within reach for rural Texans. Today, the Trump Administration announced $78 million in Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding to 216 rural healthcare providers through the Rural Texas Strong…

By Colleen DeGuzman, The Texas Tribune October 16, 2026 Largely driven by Republicans intent on making elections more secure — and over objections from Democrats who say voting should be made easier, not harder — Texas lawmakers have changed a number of voting laws in the past two decades. Texas has 19 million registered voters…

By Juliana Lightsey and María Méndez, The Texas Tribune October 16, 2026 Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about the candidates running for statewide seats, The Texas Tribune is sharing information about the Republican, Democratic and third-party candidates. For more information on midterms and the voting process, check out our election resources here.  About the elected…