A.I.-Generated Ads Flood the Midterms, and Teenager Kills 4 at Oregon Elementary School
October 16, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readAI-Generated Ads Flood the Midterms, and a Teenager Kills 4 at an Oregon Elementary School
Political ads made with artificial intelligence have saturated TV and social media ahead of the midterms, with candidates and political action groups spending nearly $140 million promoting them, according to an analysis by the Wesleyan Media Project. The researchers examined more than 200 midterm ads that used AI-generated imagery. The AI tweaks range from small, innocuous edits to full-on deepfakes of prominent Democratic politicians like New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani and Democrats in tight Senate races. One ad from the group Make Oklahoma Great Again showed a fake clip of a Democratic candidate hugging and holding hands with Hillary Clinton. Another showed an AI version of Michigan's Democratic Senate candidate, Abdul El-Syed, laughing at cards that read "Death to America" and "Celebrate 9/11."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:50) **AI-Generated Ads Flood Midterm Elections** - Analysis of over 200 AI-generated political ads reveals widespread use and nearly $140 million in spending
- 2 (02:51) **Young Voters Could Be Deciding Factor in Midterms** - Recent polling shows young voters are drifting away from both parties, with many threatening to withhold their votes
- 3 (05:11) **Trump Reverses Plan to Livestream Fort Hood Shooter's Execution** - Controversial proposal to broadcast the execution of a convicted Army officer is called off after intense backlash
- 4 (06:54) **Teenager Kills Four at Oregon Elementary School** - A 16-year-old gunman shot through locked doors at a Bend elementary school, killing three children and one teacher
- 5 (08:27) **Chinese Automakers Make Major Push in Europe** - Twenty Chinese brands showcased at the Paris Motor Show, gaining market share despite US and EU trade barriers
- 6 (11:04) **News Quiz: Politicians Launching Podcasts** - Quiz segment tests knowledge of which politicians have started their own shows
- 7 (13:27) **News Quiz: Four-Winged Dinosaur Fossil Discovered** - Researchers in China examined an exceptionally well-preserved dinosaur skeleton with a surprising feature
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Show Notes
Plus, the Friday news quiz.
Here’s what we’re covering:
- $137 Million in A.I.-Generated Ads Flood the Midterms, by Stuart A. Thompson
- Young Voters Say They Are Turning Their Backs on Trump and His Party, by Sabrina Tavernise and Ruth Igielnik
- Trump Cancels Planned Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution, by Katie Rogers, Tyler Pager, John Ismay and Greg Jaffe
- What We Know About the School Shooting in Bend, Oregon, by Francesca Regalado
- Chinese Carmakers, Once a Sideshow, Take Center Stage, by James Paton
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