A Data Center Backlash in the Midterms, and Melania Trump’s Surprising Diplomatic Role
The Headlines 
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<p>Plus, the Friday news quiz.</p><p>Here’s what we’re covering:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/11/05/us/midterm-elections-democrats-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midterm Elections Live Updates</a>, by New York Times reporters</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/04/technology/midterm-elections-ai-data-centers.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Voters Rejected A.I. in the Midterms. Now Comes an Era of Scrutiny.</a>, by Cecilia Kang and Sophia June</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/05/us/politics/hegseth-video-midterms-trump.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hegseth Lashes Out at Critics Calling for His Firing</a>, by Greg Jaffe</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/05/world/europe/melania-trump-oleshky-ukraine-ceasefire.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How Melania Trump Became a Dark-Horse Diplomat on Ukraine</a>, by Siobhán O’Grady and Katie Rogers</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/03/health/maternal-drapes-nigeria-childbirth.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">An 80-Cent Plastic Pouch Is Saving Thousands of Women From Dying in Childbirth</a>, by Stephanie Nolen</li><li><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/05/science/ancient-siberia-scythians-first-marijuanna-cannabis-use.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Were These Ancient Siberian Nomads the First Stoners?</a>, by Annie Roth</p><p>Listen to the end of the episode for an audio news quiz. If you want to take The New York Times’s weekly online news quiz, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/news-quiz" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">go here</a>.</p></li></ul> <p><p>Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: <a href="mailto:theheadlines@nytimes.com">theheadlines@nytimes.com</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>
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