Midterms; GDP report; Israel elections; DOE lawsuit : NPR

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Today’s top stories

As Election Day approaches, data suggest that the focus is now less on whether a Democratic wave will happen and more on its potential magnitude. Democrats continue to invest in competitive Republican-dominated races, and Republicans are matching those efforts. An NPR analysis found 70 districts where both Democrats and Republicans are investing more than six figures in their final messaging. These are the races to watch.

• 🎧 Former President Barack Obama campaigned last night in Georgia for Democrats, highlighting the high cost of living and how Trump’s policies contribute to rising prices, NPR’s Stephen Fowler tells Up First. Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is likely to win the Senate race, while Georgia’s governor race remains uncertain. Millions have already cast their votes early, and Fowler says data show increased turnout among Latino and young voters in Democratic areas, as well as among non-supervoters, who typically don’t participate in primaries. The trend creates some uncertainty around what the final electorate will look like, and indicates that Republicans will have to rely on a large Election Day turnout to stay competitive, Fowler says.
• ➡️ A federal judge has denied the Department of Justice’s emergency request to halt the processing of ballots for 20,000 individuals it identified as “likely” noncitizens. The department filed a notice that it is appealing the decision.
• ➡️ Across the U.S., voters will see 145 statewide ballot measures on the November ballot, according to Ballotpedia. Key themes include abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, taxes, and voting.
• ➡️ The NPR App has all of NPR’s election coverage in one place — from the biggest stories across the country, to the issues that matter close to home. Browse headlines, playlists, podcast episodes, videos and more, all on the 2026 Election tab.

Americans will receive a final reading on the country’s gross domestic product and the state of inflation today before next week’s midterm election. The report will show whether the economy grew faster in the summer compared to spring. Economists expect GDP to be higher, but some say the growth feels delicate.

• 🎧 The tech industry’s continued investment in artificial intelligence and consumer spending are driving the GDP, NPR’s Stephan Bisaha says. But economist Mark Zandi tells him it’s a “very, very fragile growth.” Zandi blames inflation for this sense of fragility. Consumer prices rose 3.7% in September from a year earlier, and prices are outpacing wage growth. After keeping interest rates steady yesterday, the Fed will be paying close attention to today’s inflation reading from the Commerce Department.

Israel’s election is in a deadlock. More than 90% of the votes have been counted, and no candidate has a clear path to forming a coalition. Parties need 61 seats in parliament for a majority. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies have secured 53 seats, while his top rival Gadi Eisenkot and his allies have garnered 48.

• 🎧 NPR’s Daniel Estrin says there are several options for breaking the impasse. Eisenkot’s camp could win by partnering with Arab-led parties, which recently secured a record 19 seats in parliament, NPR’s Daniel Estrin says. But this partnership seems unlikely due to the political risks. Estrin says Arab political leaders in Israel have been demonized. Israel could hold repeat elections, but Eisenkot doesn’t want that because the opposition would have a hard time getting votes a second time. Estrin says Eisenkot will be under pressure to enter a unity government with Netanyahu, especially if Israel launches a new war with Iran.