Good morning. Vast sums of money are being ploughed into November’s midterms, with the billionaire Michael Bloomberg spending $80m to help Democratic candidates, and Donald Trump announcing he intends to spend $400m to aid Republican candidates, with $300m already disbursed.Bloomberg made the contributions in September and October, particularly focused on Democrats running to flip the US House of Representatives.

Democrats believe they are favored to take back the House, though they’ve acknowledged trailing Republicans in fundraising. Republicans are also being aided by the president’s ally Elon Musk, who has spent $366m so far.

What are the main issues for voters in the midterms? In this explainer, Robert Tait looks at six key issues swaying how people might vote – the economy, Iran, immigration, Trump’s use of power, AI and datacenters and the state of democracy and voter rights in the US.

What is happening between the DoJ and California over voter rolls? The justice department’s list of suspected non-citizens in California includes a “high percentage” of people born in the US, Los Angeles election officials said.

The statement, made in court papers, raises further questions about the reliability of the list of 20,000 people the DoJ is demanding be investigated. What was strange about how the ADL reminded people about an antisemitic slur?

The Anti-Defamation League ADL has denounced the use of the term “shylock” as antisemitic, without explaining that the slur had been used a day earlier by Trump in a speech in Kansas. Republicans push back on Donald Trump’s wavering support for UkraineA high-rise apartment damaged by a Russian drone in Kyiv.

Photograph: Global Images Ukraine/Getty ImagesSome Republicans have spoken out against Donald Trump’s softening stance on Russia, threatening to pull financial support for his agenda over his handling of the Ukraine war. Don Bacon, an outgoing congressman in Nebraska, condemned Trump’s actions – which include an agreement to buy Russian diesel and pausing sanctions on Moscow – as “absolutely disgraceful” and accused the US president of cozying up to a “war criminal” in Vladimir Putin.On Tuesday, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said his country was again receiving advance warnings of ballistic missile attacks, which were seemingly suspended last week by the White House.University of Arizona sorority member alleges sexual assault at fraternity houseThe main gate at the University of Arizona.

Photograph: Ross D Franklin/APA sorority member at the University of Arizona has alleged she was sexually assaulted by two men at a fraternity house during a night of drinking in late August. The sexual assault allegations surfaced two weeks after the university had suspended activities for its 21 fraternities amid reports of misconduct, including assault, hazing and drug- and alcohol-related behavior.

What are the latest developments at Cornell University? The former Cornell University student who accused seven men of sexually assaulting her at a fraternity house in 2024 recently wrote a letter to campus faculty leaders saying that she felt “unsupported and disbelieved” by the Ivy League institution’s president.

Tesla and SpaceX explore merger as Elon Musk gives backingA SpaceX lift off. Photograph: Steve Nesius/ReutersElon Musk has declared his support for combining the aerospace and AI company SpaceX with his electric vehicle company, Tesla.

He said both companies had created special committees to explore a potential merger, but have not reached any agreement on terms of a transaction.“I think some people out there assume that a SpaceX and Tesla merger is a certainty and I think that would be overstating it,” Musk said, adding it would require shareholder approvals and special committees at both firms.In other news …Christina Applegate. Photograph: Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images Christina Applegate has revealed she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Having been an advocate for awareness of the condition, the actor said: “I’m back at square one – that I don’t know what’s going on with me.” Australian MP Helen Haines has lost both legs after an alleged vehicle attack but “her heart and mind are in good shape”, her husband said. A man has been charged.

A judge has dismissed a sexual abuse lawsuit from Sam Altman’s sister. Ann Altman had accused the Open AI CEO of repeatedly abusing her decades ago.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is facing a rightwing backlash after calling for a nationwide US wealth tax. A fifth foreign company has pulled out of a plan to build a cable car to East Jerusalem that threatens to involve the seizure of land and property rights from dozens of Palestinian families.

UK watchdogs have been urged to tackle suicide social media content after the death of girl, 14. Adriana Retyte took her own life after viewing “high-risk” material on TikTok.

Stat of the day: World must cut emissions by 18% in four years ‘to find our way back’, UN saysA coal-powered power station in Datong, China. Photograph: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty ImagesAlthough the “window has closed” on holding temperature rises to 1.5C, in line with scientific advice, limiting the “overshoot” of that target is still possible, according to the UN Environment Programme (Unep), which says the world needs to cut carbon emissions by nearly a fifth in the next four years, and by close to half within a decade to meet the goal.Why – and how – people get through their high school reunionsHow to survive a school reunion.

Composite: Guardian Design/Getty ImagesIt’s natural for reunions to trigger existential questions about how our lives have turned out, so Wendy Syfret has got experts and attendees to share how to go in prepared. We’ve also had articles over the last few days answering these two vital questions: is it true that you need to take 10,000 steps a day to be healthy, and should you store bread in the fridge?Don’t miss this: Key findings from the Guardian’s investigation of Louisiana’s justice of the peace courtsA constable delivering an eviction notice in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

Photograph: Annie Flanagan/The GuardianIn Louisiana, justices of the peace pocket income directly from the filing fees charged to evict tenants. This Guardian investigation highlights an urgent, unconstitutional flaw in Louisiana’s legal system during a national housing crisis.… or this: A student protest movement has gripped Serbia for two years – this weekend it will try to take powerLocal students set off on foot from Novi Sad for an election rally.

Photograph: Maxim Konankov/NurPhoto/ShutterstockJulian Borger reports from Belgrade, where a mass student movement represents the most serious challenge Aleksandar Vučić has faced in his 12 increasingly authoritarian years in power. In the weekend’s parliamentary elections they hope to emulate the defeat of Vučić’s ally, Viktor Orbán, in neighbouring Hungary.Climate check: ‘For Panama, it is life or death’ – how drought is choking the canal that feeds a nationDrought in Herrera province, Panama.

Photograph: Panama Landscapes by Oyvind Martinsen/AlamyFailed rains and a dire El NiĂąo are threatening the waterway that sustains Panama, with farmers left selling cattle to survive. They are also now lacking fresh water in Longyearbyen in Norway, thanks to contamination, where my colleague Karen McVeigh has visited one of the fastest-warming places on Earth.The current Beatles exhibition on the waterfront at Albert Dock, Liverpool.

Photograph: David A Eastley/AlamyBeatlemania may have been decades ago, but the Fab Four still have a magnetic hold on popular culture, especially in their home city of Liverpool. This new museum sounds like a “must see” for every fan, even if it requires a trans-Atlantic crossing.Sign upSign up for the US morning briefingFirst Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday.

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