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Inside Starbase, Elon Musk’s New City
The creation of the city of Starbase followed one of the nation’s more unusual elections. No campaigning took place and there were no yard signs or other evidence of a consequential vote in the area. According to preliminary results, the measure passed by a whopping 212 to 6 — the kind of margin that had been expected but was very unlike most contests in a deeply polarized nation.
Under state law, a new city can be incorporated after a certain number of residents file a petition to do so, and a majority of voters approve it. Only registered voters who live within its proposed boundaries are able to take part in the election. In the area of Starbase, that was about 280 people, most of whom either work for SpaceX or have a relative who does.
A majority of the eligible voters registered in the area since the start of the year, and 90 percent had done so since 2024. Two-thirds were men, with an average age of about 27. Many had never taken part in an election of any type before. But turnout was more than 75 percent in this one. It was not clear whether Mr. Musk voted.
As part of the incorporation election, voters also chose a slate of elected officials to run the new city, including its new mayor, Bobby Peden, a SpaceX vice president, and two city commissioners. Initially, the candidate for mayor had been a different SpaceX employee, but he was replaced by Mr. Peden on the ballot. Neither responded to requests for comment.
SpaceX has explained little about its plans for the new city beyond its intention to have Starbase take over some functions that the company itself has been conducting, such as managing utilities and roads. Some local residents said there had been talk of connecting the city to a local water system. As it stands, residents must have their water trucked in from Brownsville.
But the company has filed paperwork with the state to spend millions building the school, power plant and the commercial center along with a sushi restaurant near Mr. Musk’s house.
News
Video: Their Mother Was Detained. Now a Minneapolis Family Lives in Fear.
new video loaded: Their Mother Was Detained. Now a Minneapolis Family Lives in Fear.
By Ang Li, Bethlehem Feleke, Ben Garvin and Caroline Kim
January 28, 2026
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The FBI conducts a search at the Fulton County election office in Georgia
An election worker walks near voting machines at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center on Nov. 5, 2024.
John Bazemore/AP
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John Bazemore/AP
The FBI says it’s executing a “court authorized law enforcement action” at a location in Georgia that is home to the Fulton County election office.
When asked about the search, the FBI would not clarify whether the action is tied to the 2020 election, but last month the Department of Justice announced it’s suing Fulton County for records related to the 2020 election.
In its complaint, the DOJ cited efforts by the Georgia State Election Board to obtain 2020 election materials from the county.
On Oct. 30, 2025, the complaint says, the U.S. attorney general sent a letter to the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections “demanding ‘all records in your possession responsive to the recent subpoena issued to your office by the State Election Board.’ “
A Fulton County judge has denied a request by the county to block that subpoena.
Since the 2020 election, Fulton County has been at the center of baseless claims of election fraud by President Trump and others.
In November the sweeping election interference case against Trump and allies was dismissed by a Fulton County judge.
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Rep. Ilhan Omar rushed by man on stage and sprayed with liquid at town hall event
A man is tackled after spraying an unknown substance at US Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) during a town hall she was hosting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 27, 2026. (Photo by Octavio JONES / AFP via Getty Images)
OCTAVIO JONES/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
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OCTAVIO JONES/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was rushed by a man during a town hall event Tuesday night and sprayed with a liquid via a syringe.
Footage from the event shows a man approaching Omar at her lectern as she is delivering remarks and spraying an unknown substance in her direction, before swiftly being tackled by security. Omar called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment immediately before the assault.
Noem has faced criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis Saturday.
Omar’s staff can be heard urging her to step away and get “checked out,” with others nearby saying the substance smelled bad.
“We will continue,” Omar responded. “These f******* a**holes are not going to get away with it.”
A statement from Omar’s office released after the event said the individual who approached and sprayed the congresswoman is now in custody.
“The Congresswoman is okay,” the statement read. “She continued with her town hall because she doesn’t let bullies win.”
A syringe lays on the ground after a man, left, approached Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, during a town hall event in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. The man was apprehended after spraying an unknown substance according to the Associated Press. Photographer: Angelina Katsanis/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Bloomberg
Omar followed up with a statement on social media saying she will not be intimidated.
I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work.
I don’t let bullies win.
Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 28, 2026
As Omar continued her remarks at the town hall, she said: “We are Minnesota strong and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us.”
Just three days ago, fellow Democrat Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida said he was assaulted at the Sundance Festival by a man “who told me that Trump was going to deport me before he punched me in the face.”
Threats against Congressional lawmakers have been rising. Last year, there was an increase in security funding in the wake of growing concerns about political violence in the country.
According to the U.S. Capitol Police, the number of threat assessment cases has increased for the third year in a row. In 2025, the USCP investigated 14,938 “concerning statements, behaviors, and communications” directed towards congressional lawmakers, their families and staff. That figure represents a nearly 58% increase from 2024.
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