Concerns about datacenters and high energy bills could help Democrats clinch races in Ohio, Arizona and Michigan

In Arizona, where summer temperatures regularly hit triple digits, air conditioning can be a matter of life and death. This year, as the state recorded its hottest summer on record, Diali Avila’s monthly power bill went up to $400, the highest it has ever been.

Avila, the state director for Climate Power, an advocacy group, said the upcoming elections offered voters an opportunity to elect candidates who can ease their utility bills. “People are making the connection: they’re looking at their electricity bills that they get at the end of the month, and then they’re looking at their ballot, and they’re [realizing], this is my moment to take action,” she said.

Letter from mayor tells federal agents to stay out of city-owned facilities for immigration operations

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has threatened to take legal action against Immigration and Customs Enforcement over allegations the agency’s officers at the agency are using parking lots owned by New York City for operations in the area.

In a letter to the Trump administration, Mamdani noted the agency’s use of property owned by the city was “unauthorized and is therefore illegal, endangers City residents, and sows fear among those who seek to access City property”.

Mandatory evacuations in Arizona and New Mexico with Pagosa Springs warned of potentially ‘catastrophic’ deluge

Heavy rainfall produced flash flooding and mandatory evacuations in a swath of the south-west on Sunday, including in a Colorado tourist town bracing for its main river to rise to historic levels, as weary residents in the normally arid region deal with another drenching.

Officials in Pagosa Springs, a town of more than 2,000 in the Rockies located near ski resorts and known for its hot springs, warned of potentially “catastrophic flooding” as the San Juan River was forecast to crest at more than 20ft (6.1 meters) late on Sunday night.