Good morning and welcome to our coverage of US politics . With 14 days until the mid-terms, we’re heading into the final straight.
President Donald Trump attended a rally last night in North Carolina , where Democrat Roy Cooper is leading Trump’s pick Michael Whatley by a considerable margin.
Undaunted though, Trump said the pollsters “never poll us right” and he predicted “some amazing results”. He’s got another rally in South Carolina later Wednesday. Overnight he’s also posted on data centers – saying that companies building the energy-intensive sites should pay a “dividend” to the communities where they’re located, including several proposed warehouses in Michigan, where the president will head to on the weekend.
Trump has been pushing rapid AI expansion but in a nod to how unpopular these water and electricity-guzzling centres are with locals who have to live near them, he’s been hinting at community benefits.
Trump said the “new and giant” centers “are mandated by me to make their own electricity , and give or sell any excess back to the local community, or grid”.
Meanwhile US envoy Steve Witkoff is in St Petersburg for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine; some earlier wrangling by Trump has succeeded in the release of US schoolteacher Stephen Hubbard , who was captured by the Russians and accused of having fought for Ukraine.