MAGA activists are pushing for President Trump to resort to extraordinary measures — including martial law — if they believe the midterm elections are "rigged," Axios' Brittany Gibson writes.

• Why it matters: Some of the proposals go far beyond Trump's legal authority — and there's no evidence that the elections will be rigged. But people in this orbit have close access to the president.

Prominent MAGA election activist Tina Peters met with Trump this month. Convicted in 2024 of crimes tied to a breach of election equipment, Peters was released this year after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) commuted her sentence.

• Peters and her attorney, Peter Ticktin, also visited Trump at the White House in late June.

🔎 Zoom in: On a Sept. 30 video call for MAGA election activists streamed on Rumble, speakers warned of widespread election security breaches they believe will occur in November — and urgently pushed for remedies.

• Ticktin, Trump's childhood friend, said on the call "there would have to be martial law in the event ... [of] another rigged election."
• "There'll probably need to be commandeering of ballots and election equipment to make sure that we can get to the bottom of it before anything further occurs," he later told Axios.
• Gregory Stenstrom, who testified about alleged voting irregularities in Pennsylvania in 2020, said he most wanted the election paused over security concerns. Alternatively, he proposed Trump invoke the National Emergencies Act to force states to change how they run elections.

🥊 Reality check: "Emergency powers are not just a blank check for the president to go do whatever they want," said Derek Tisler, counsel for the Brennan Center's elections and government program. "The president still has to act within the Constitution and within statutes set by Congress."

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This chart shows Democrats' staggering third-quarter fundraising advantage in nine closely watched Senate races — outraising Republicans in every one by at least $9 million.

• Why it matters: If money is momentum, Democratic Senate candidates are poised for a monumental Election Day, Axios' Hans Nichols writes.

Republicans are awash in super PAC cash, but Democrats' advantage in hard dollars reveals a yawning enthusiasm gap — the kind of energy money can't buy.

• "Oh, my God! Holy crap," Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said when informed of Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico's $64 million haul. "I mean, that's a number that's mind-blowing."

Between the lines: The figures reflect FEC filings and campaign-reported totals, some of which include money raised through joint fundraising committees.

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Wall Street appears to be hitting its limit on AI — and financiers are starting to say the quiet part out loud: All of this AI spending doesn't look like it can pay off for everyone, Axios' Madison Mills writes.

• Why it matters: A massive gap is opening up between AI infrastructure spending and expected returns.

AI providers are projected to spend $7 trillion on infrastructure through 2030. They're expected to generate no more than $3.6 trillion in related revenue over that same period, according to the Gartner consulting firm.

• Gartner also predicts that more than 80% of specialized AI cloud providers will cease operating independently by 2030.

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Elon Musk finally unveiled his long-promised next-generation Tesla Roadster last night, and it's every bit as outrageous as you'd expect from a man who launches rockets into space, Axios' Joann Muller writes.

• The car flies, does backflips and even drives upside down.

Why it matters: Musk's latest creation — a collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX engineers — pushes the boundaries of automotive technology, even if it's hard to imagine what practical purpose a flying sports car might serve.

🚀 Zoom in: At a theatrical unveiling yesterday, Musk showed off a two-seat electric supercar equipped with rocket thrusters and a powerful suction system.

• The Roadster uses high-pressure compressed air, rather than rocket fuel, to propel itself into the air and perform aerial gymnastics.
• Tesla claims the car can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in just 0.8 seconds — faster than any production car — and will exceed 230 mph, although Musk said the goal is to achieve "half the speed of sound," or around 380 mph.

Reality check: Tesla hasn't disclosed the Roadster's price, driving range or how long it can stay airborne. Nor has it explained how a rocket-powered flying car could meet safety and regulatory requirements.

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Geothermal — power drawn from the Earth's natural heat — is pulling off something remarkable in today's hyperpolarized America: winning fans across the political spectrum, Axios national energy correspondent Amy Harder writes.

• Why it matters: The bipartisan appeal, combined with surging electricity demand from AI, is helping fuel investment in a niche energy source yet to prove it can compete at scale.

Geothermal received unusually extensive attention in a bipartisan Senate bill introduced late last month to cut hurdles for energy projects.

• The House passed a package this summer containing several of the same geothermal provisions.

The rising cachet of geothermal is the product of three trends converging:

1. Technologies adapted from the oil and gas industry, including fracking, are making it possible to tap heat in more places than just far-flung hot springs and volcanoes.
2. Tech companies, on the hunt for reliable electricity, are willing to pay a premium for next-generation geothermal to power data centers.
3. Investment is surging as companies race to scale a renewable energy source that can generate power around the clock.

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President Trump will return to his Florida base of operations to juice in-person early voting with an Oct. 23 rally in the southwest part of the state, Axios' Marc Caputo has learned.

Why it matters: Florida is among the GOP's least problematic states in midterms, 18 days away. But Republicans are worried about enthusiasm and turnout, even in Trump's newly adopted home state.

Polls show Rep. Byron Donalds and Sen. Ashley Moody with marginal leads over their Democratic opponents in the gubernatorial and Senate races.

• The Fort Myers rally is in the heart of Donalds' Southwest Florida district, among the state's solid Republican strongholds.

🗳️ State of play: Registered Florida Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by more than 1.5 million.

• So far, though, Democrats have cast more vote-by-mail ballots than Republicans, according to the state's Division of Elections.

Republicans used to dominate mail voting in Florida. But that began to change after Trump started demonizing the method in 2020. So now Republicans rely more on early in-person voting.

• "Next week is crunch time," said a top Florida Republican consultant. "It's still Florida, and we still have more voters. But the environment isn't great and, sure, no one turns out our base more than the president. I hope it works."

✈️ Coming attractions: Today, Trump officially kicks off his Florida season by overnighting at his Mar-a-Lago club after a rally this afternoon in Dalton, Ga.

• Tomorrow, he rallies at Northern Kentucky University's arena in Highland Heights, Ky., then is back in Palm Beach for a MAGA Inc. Candlelight Dinner.
• Sunday, he'll return to the White House.
• Monday, he rallies in Wichita, Kan.
• Tuesday, he rallies in Greenville, S.C.
• Wednesday, he rallies in Clemson, S.C.
• Thursday, he rallies in Sioux City, Iowa.
• Next Friday, he returns to Florida for the rally with Donalds and Moody.

Winter in the U.S. looks like it will generally be wetter and warmer, but not necessarily snowier, according to the federal government's seasonal outlook.

• El Niño — the natural but temporary warming in parts of the Pacific — should help erase persistent Western drought but likely won't make Northern snow-lovers happy.

Full winter outlook.

The Milwaukee Brewers are headed for their first World Series appearance since 1982 after completing a shocking sweep of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers last night.

• Milwaukee — a small-market franchise that's never won a title — toppled baseball's highest-paid team and the sport's biggest star, Shohei Ohtani.

The Brewers will face the winner of the American League Championship Series, where the Cleveland Guardians lead the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-1.

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