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The purple tsunami against data centers : Machine Gods AI was all over the 2026 midterms: in the ads, in the political spending and in voters’ opposition to data centers. We break down the races that most surprised us, from Texas to a small Ohio town that recalled its mayor over a proposed Meta facility. Will the backlash slow AI progress, or just force the industry to strike a better deal with communities?
Then Rob Flaherty, co-founder of the Democratic AI super PAC Tomorrow Together, joins to share which AI messages moved voters, what a Democratic Congress could get done on AI safety, and how the fight over AI could shape 2028. For a transcript of this episode, select the episode on npr.org/machinegods . You can watch this full episode on YouTube , Spotify or Apple Podcasts .
And if you’ve got a question you want us to answer, you can drop us a comment on any of those platforms or email us at hey@machinegods.fm . Machine Gods November 6, 2026 7:00 AM ET By , , , , , The Purple Tsunami Against Data Centers Transcript Download Embed < iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-6032000/nx-s1-mx-6032000-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript AI was all over the 2026 midterms: in the ads, in the political spending and in voters’ opposition to data centers. We break down the races that most surprised us, from Texas to a small Ohio town that recalled its mayor over a proposed Meta facility.
Will the backlash slow AI progress, or just force the industry to strike a better deal with communities? Then Rob Flaherty, co-founder of the Democratic AI super PAC Tomorrow Together, joins to share which AI messages moved voters, what a Democratic Congress could get done on AI safety, and how the fight over AI could shape 2028. For a transcript of this episode, select the episode on npr.org/machinegods .
You can watch this full episode on YouTube , Spotify or Apple Podcasts . And if you’ve got a question you want us to answer, you can drop us a comment on any of those platforms or email us at hey@machinegods.fm . NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews.
Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an NPR employee and does not represent NPR.
Source: NPR
