America’s Utility Bill Crisis, and Trump’s Approval Rating Hits a New Low

From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Will Jarvis, in for Tracy Mumford. Today's Wednesday, October 21st. Here's what we're covering. In the U.S., this past summer was hot, the hottest on record, according to federal data. Americans had their A.C.s going nonstop during some stretches, when the temperatures didn't even cool down much at night. Now, for many households, the soaring electricity costs of that have come due, and The Times has been looking at how for a lot of people, it's way more than they can afford. Laws in many hot-weather states restrict utility companies from shutting off electricity during the worst of the heat. But this time of year, when temperatures begin to drop, is when disconnections peak, as the companies start cutting off people who haven't paid. I recently went to McAllister, Oklahoma, which is a pretty small town of about 8,000 people. And one of the people that I met was a couple that had gotten through the summer with a single air conditioning unit, and the summer had just ended, and they had just gotten the bill for all of that electricity, and it was far more than their monthly income, almost $1,500. It also came with a bold-lettered disconnection notice that said they had nine days left to pay. My colleague Eli Saslow says that for the couple he met, Genia and Daryl, it's not just about the lights going off. A disconnection would mean they also couldn't run the oxygen machine or the CPAP they depend on. Eli says he saw how the couple tried to limit their electric bill by more or less moving their whole life into the living room where the AC is, eating there, sleeping there, hanging curtains from the doorways to keep the cool air in. But all that still wasn't enough. I was there with Genia as she was trying to figure out how to pay this bill in time. And she began a journey essentially across this town. She went to a doctor's office. She tried to get a 30-day extension by having them sign a note that her medical conditions made electricity necessary in order for her to survive. She went to churches to try to get assistance, but those churches were also overwhelmed. She went to a charity thrift store that sometimes gave away money from the cash register to people who needed help with their utility bills. But this time, the store said that their own employees had had their electricity cut off and they couldn't afford to help anybody else. The whole time I was in McAllister, I was in the middle of the city, and I was in the middle of McAllister. This is the conversation that everyone was having. What was their electric bill, and how could people afford to pay? Every day, dozens and dozens of people in this town were getting cut off, and hundreds more were fearing that they would be next. But the utility company in that part of Oklahoma, which is called PSO, says it's facing its own pressure. The grid is old and needs updating. These hot summers also are straining electrical companies because they need to provide more power. And also, there are a huge number of what they call large load customers coming onto the grid. These are new businesses, and in some cases, new data centers for artificial intelligence that are going to increase the demand for electricity like never before. A fresh Times-Siena poll out this morning shows that President Trump's approval rating, has hit a new low, as his party is fighting to keep control of Congress. Just 36% of likely voters said they approved of the president's performance. And beyond Trump, the poll also found that in people's congressional districts, likely voters said they favored Democratic candidates over Republicans by 11 percentage points. It could be a sign of significant political momentum on the left. One thing that's very clear in the poll is that as public perceptions of Republicans have gone down, public perceptions of Republicans have gone down. And that's because thousands of Democrats have gone up across a number of factors. My colleague Ruth Agelnik is part of the team at the Times that conducts and analyzes polls. When people were asked what party can understand the problems facing people like them, what party can fix the problems facing people like them, and what party keeps its promises, again and again, we saw that people say Democrats kind of embody these characteristics. And this is a big shift since 2024. In 2024, voters were more likely to say that Republicans kept their promises. Now that's been reversed. So heading into the midterm elections, Democrats have a much brighter image than they did two years ago. Meanwhile, facing bleak poll numbers, Trump's political operation is pouring money into the midterms during this final stretch. From September until the middle of this month, it spent about $277 million to help Republican candidates. And in recent days, Trump-tied super PACs have drastically upped their spending on Facebook and Instagram ads in a major push to get out the vote. Part of the reason Trump and his allies have so much money on hand, far more than Democrats, is that Trump never let up on fundraising, even as he took office for a second time, and his aides have been soliciting huge checks at dinners and events that offer donors access to the president. Now, two other quick updates on the Trump administration. First… "I've been talking to President Putin about Mr. Hubbard. I've been talking to him at length. I've asked him to release them. Let's see what happens, okay?" This morning, Russia released an American man who had been jailed there, after Trump personally asked the country's president, Vladimir Putin, to set him free. Stephen Hubbard, who's 74, was seized by Russian forces back in 2022 from Ukraine, where he was living. He was accused of being a mercenary and sent to a penal colony. U.S. officials said the charges were fabricated and that he was "not guilty." He said he was wrongfully detained. Hubbard was released by Russia without a prisoner swap, buying more goodwill with President Trump at a moment when he's become increasingly supportive of Russia. In just the past few weeks, Trump has announced that the U.S. will buy Russian diesel fuel and hold off on a new package of sanctions that had been planned, even as he faces criticism from lawmakers and American allies for rehabilitating Russia's standing on the world stage. And at the White House… The Times has learned that President Trump has been repeatedly pushing the idea of turning the press briefing room into a swimming pool, effectively evicting reporters from the building. Trump has floated this idea for years, but three people with knowledge of the discussions say the topic has come up multiple times in just the past few months, and a growing number of people around the president favor the idea of sending the press away, possibly across the street to another building in the White House complex. The potential move comes as the administration has taken action against Trump's plans to bring in an increasingly hostile stance towards the media, subpoenaing journalists and barring some news organizations from the White House altogether. As for putting a pool in, that idea doesn't come out of nowhere. The space where the briefing room is now actually used to be an indoor pool. It was installed in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who needed it as part of therapy for his legs, which were damaged by polio. The U.S. is the only country in the world that has a pool in the United States. In Yemen, authorities are warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe as the Houthi militia lays siege to one of the country's largest cities. In phone interviews, residents and officials in the city, Taiz, told The Times that supplies of food, fuel, and drinking water are running low, and hospitals are using up the last of their medical supplies. On Monday, the Houthis fired ballistic missiles at a Yemeni military camp, killing more than 70 people, according to a local official. And more broadly, the Houthis have moved aggressively to assert control in the wider region. They've captured a strategic port on the Red Sea and launched increasingly brazen waves of missile and drone attacks at Saudi Arabia. Those include deadly strikes at the main airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. And amid the violence, Saudi officials announced this week that they will postpone what's known as Davos in the Desert. The country's marquee investment conference. And finally, across the U.S., it is a do-or-die moment for one particular type of business. "The Haunted Mansion at Long Branch is a living, breathing nightmare." Haunted houses, or what industry insiders apparently just call "haunts." "There is always someone or something dying to meet you." Haunted houses, or what industry insiders probably just call "haunts." "There's always someone dying to meet you." "There's always someone dying to meet you." Haunted houses, or what industry insiders probably just call "haunts." Haunted houses, or what industry insiders probably just call "haunts." "There's always someone dying to meet you." Haunted houses, or what industry insiders probably just call "haunts." throw someone in darkness, and make them unsure of where to go. Those are the headlines. And if you are not a Time subscriber yet, you can get a full month of free access to everything we publish when you download the Times app now. I'm Will Jarvis. We'll be back tomorrow.