Barack Obama has appeared to be enjoying himself in recent days, taking to the stage as the midterm election campaigns entered their final stretch.

He has poked fun at Donald Trump’s White House decorations and laughed at what he described as the response of the “whole government.” Across the Midwest, Obama worked the crowds in Michigan and Ohio, mixing political arguments with his familiar one-liners.

But his remarks in Georgia may have carried the greatest political significance.

Jon Ossoff, seeking re-election to the Senate, was the “only common-sense choice in this race,” declared the still hugely popular former president.

Voters appeared to agree. On Tuesday night, Ossoff secured an easy re-election victory, with the independent election-results monitor Decision Desk projecting his win just 18 minutes after polls closed.

CNN political analyst Kasie Hunt announced: “Tonight is Day One of Jon Ossoff’s presidential campaign.”

Obama, it seems, may share that view.

At the October 28 rally, he offered a series of comments that are likely to be closely examined: “And it’s not just because he’s so put-together. It’s not because he looks like a Kennedy, all handsome in the videos.

“It’s because he learned from his mentor, and my mentor — one of the greats, John Lewis — what it means to stir up some good trouble. That’s what he’s been doing on your behalf.”

Sharing a mentor with the former president is notable enough. So is the influence of one of America’s most important civil rights leaders. Add Ossoff’s resemblance to a Kennedy, and the attention becomes even more intense. Social media accounts have emerged to celebrate what fans describe as his increasingly “jacked” physique. Derek Guy, known for his commentary on men’s tailoring, has also pointed to the unusual fit of Ossoff’s trousers, suggesting that his “backside is larger and rounder than… most brands account for.”

Whatever the focus on appearance, if Ossoff was looking beyond his re-election campaign toward the 2028 presidential race, Obama’s endorsement would be difficult to imagine as a better political gift.

By Tuesday night, the online prediction market Kalshi had Ossoff edging ahead of California Governor Gavin Newsom in the 2028 presidential field. Kalshi gave Ossoff an 18 percent chance of winning the presidency, compared with 14 percent for Newsom. Vice President JD Vance remained the favorite, narrowly leading with a 20 percent chance.

Of course, Ossoff, who turns 40 in February, knows better than to embrace speculation about 2028 at this stage.

In April, the father of two young daughters said he had “zero interest in running for president in 2028.” He warned that engaging in “fantasy football” about the next presidential election risked distracting from the issues demanding attention now.

The question resurfaced on October 13 during an Atlanta Press Club debate, when Ossoff was asked whether he would commit to serving a full six-year Senate term if re-elected.

“Yes, I will,” he replied. “I have zero interest in running for president.”

Even so, many observers note that other politicians have made similar declarations before — including the man standing beside Ossoff on October 28.

In January 2006, when he was an Illinois senator, Obama was asked whether he could commit to serving a full six-year term. He said that he could.

‘So, you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?’ the NBC moderator asked.

Obama answered: ‘I will not.’ He announced his candidacy the following year.

The comparisons for Ossoff’s supporters do not end there.

Youthful and energetic, Ossoff is also a relative newcomer to the Senate – he was first elected in 2021. Obama was elected to represent Illinois in 2004.

There is their oratory and their social media savvy – Ossoff was a documentary maker before running for office.

Ossoff gained hours of airtime by goading Donald Trump about his close aide Natalie Harp, a woman perennially by the president’s side. Referencing the Qatari presidential plane debacle, Ossoff said in August that Trump would rather ‘build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace’ than do his job.

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The White House was livid: Ossoff’s team jubilant.

There is substance to the style, too. Ossoff and Obama share many of the same priorities.

Obama told the feverishly excited crowd in the southern Atlanta suburbs that Ossoff had ‘exposed the abuse of Georgia’s foster kids, passed the law forcing tech companies to crack down on child predators, took on the drug companies, capped the price of insulin for seniors.’

He added that a re-elected Ossoff would ‘fight to ban health insurance companies from denying coverage that patients need. And he’s going to repeal the tariffs that have sent prices of groceries soaring. He knows we never should have started this unnecessary war in Iran. And he will fight to end it. And he is going fight for stronger voting rights protections to make sure that every single citizen has a vote, and every vote is counted here in Georgia and across the United States of America.’

And it’s not just Obama who rates Ossoff’s chances, in a currently wide-open Democrat field.

Respected pollster Nate Silver told Puck’s The Powers That Be podcast this week that he felt Ossoff was a strong potential 2028 contender, describing the Atlanta-born politician as his ‘number one horse’ in a 2028 primary draft.

‘I had Jon Ossoff as my first pick, and I would have taken Ossoff first,’ said Silver.

‘It would be surprising if he didn’t cruise to re-election by a high single digit, low double-digit margin. Uniting these different factions.’

Silver added that Ossoff’s position as a moderate made him even more valuable to Democrats given their emerging strength in previous Republican strongholds. Ossoff’s team notes in campaign material that he is ‘the only Democratic US Senator up for re-election in a state Trump won.’

Progressives such as New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attract fervent support, but their appeal is far narrower in a nationwide poll.

‘The expansion of the electoral map into these more red states, where there are mostly moderate Democrats running, has potentially taken a bit of the wind out of the sails of the more progressive Democrats,’ said Silver. ‘I think AOC is a talented politician, but it’s obviously in a lane.’

Yet Ossoff knows he faces headwinds.

He made history as the first Jewish Senator from the deep south since 1878, but his faith may still be an impediment for some. Ossoff has condemned Israel for breaking international law in Gaza, but stopped short of calling the government’s actions a genocide – angering both sides in the process.

His Republican opponent for the Senate, Mike Collins, who has raised a mere $10 million in donations, to Ossoff’s $120 million, called Ossoff a ‘radical’ and a ‘trust fund kid who’s never had a job in his life.’

Ossoff inherited a substantial sum – he refuses to say how much – from his grandfather, who was co-owner of a Massachusetts leather factory.

In 2020, making his first run for the Senate, he told The Washington Post: ‘I openly acknowledge that the opportunity I’ve had is a function of my parents’ hard work: the opportunity to get a great education without debt, the opportunity to do what I love and pursue my passion, which is confronting and exposing injustice and the abuse of power.’

The paper reported that Ossoff’s financial disclosure form, filed as a Senate candidate, said his net worth was between $2.3 million and $8.8 million, including the value of his documentary company, which he put at between $1 million and $5 million.

Perhaps, in the age of Donald Trump, that no longer raises an eyebrow.

Ossoff, however, is determined to have nothing to do with what he terms the ‘Epstein Class’ – his age and distance from power centers certainly gives him a clean slate there.

He cannot fail to appreciate Obama’s comparing him to Kennedy and it’s tempting to think that the noticeably more buff Ossoff has more of an eye on the optics than he claims.

On Tuesday night, his campaign hosted a watch party on YouTube, live from Atlanta and witnessed, perhaps, not just a victory but a coronation.

Hollywood celebrities took to social media on Tuesday to urge Americans to cast their ballots in the 2026 midterm elections.

Hailey Bieber, 29, proudly displayed her “I voted” sticker on Instagram Stories, adding the message: “And you should too!”

Julia Roberts, 59, posted a photo of her own sticker and captioned it, “Power to the People.”  

Reese Witherspoon, 50, shared a selfie on Instagram alongside the words: “Your voice matters! What a privilege it is to use it. Make sure you go vote today!!” 

Control of Congress remains up for grabs as voters head to the polls. Democrats need to flip four Republican-held Senate seats to take control of the chamber, while three additional seats would give them the majority in the House.

The earliest polls closed at 6pm ET, while the final polling places were scheduled to close at 1am ET. The country will then await the results as ballots are counted nationwide to determine whether Republicans or Democrats will hold power. 

Actress Brooke Shields, 61, shared a sticker from 2024 and explained: “I voted absentee this year because I’m on set, so I didn’t get a sticker… but the message still stands from 2024!! GET OUT & VOTE!”

Cinema icon Tom Hanks, 70, joined the voting push by posting a photo of himself wearing his “I voted” sticker and encouraging fans to participate.

Former mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, 43, posted a photo of himself dropping off his ballot with the caption: “God Bless America. Rage against the commies.” 

Bette Midler, 80, shared a garden photo showing her holding an American flag and wearing her voting sticker on her nose.

“I rescue community gardens to give back to society, and you voted! We are both do-gooders!” she wrote, adding: “I love to see people participating in saving our democracy!”

Busy Philipps, 47, also urged her followers to vote, writing on Instagram: “VOTE BABY VOTE! early voting is SO HOT RIGHT NOW! LETS GET OUR COUNTRY BACK! WE HAVE THE NUMBERS FOR GOOD!”

She continued: “DO NOT LET BILLIONAIRES STEAL THIS COUNTRY AND RUN IT INTO THE GROUND SO THEY CAN GO HIDE IN BUNKERS IN NEW ZEALAND!!! LFG!!!! Text BUSY to 63033 to find out where to vote and when polling places close!!!” 

Jessica Biel, 44, posted a selfie from her car and declared: “Voting looks good on everyone.” 

Ethan Hawke, 55, wrote, ‘Get out there & vote! NY polls close 9PM’ alongside a photo of himself. 

Star Wars legend Mark Hamill, 75, wrote, ‘Every vote counts. Get out and have your voice heard.’ 

Samuel L. Jackson posted a photo of himself wearing a cheeky shirt that read, ‘fcuk you, I’m voting!’ In the caption he wrote, ‘What the shirt says!!’ 

Actress Virginia Madsen, 65, thrilled fans with a stunning selfie that featured the sticker on her cheek, alongside a ‘vote’ brooch.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Tatyana Ali, 47, who’s currently competing on Dancing with the Stars, wrote on her Instagram: ‘Took an important pause to vote, and I’m already working on my arm extension [laughing emoji] Seriously, go vote!’ 

Melissa E. Gilbert, 62, wore her sticker on her forehead and wrote in her Instagram caption, ‘It’s a right but also a privilege. Go vote!’ 

Actress AnnaSophia Robb, 32, shared a Halloween selfie with a sticked that declared she ‘voted early’ 

First came the melting ice cream. Then came the stench of rotting meat, followed by the desperate sight of supermarket workers shovelling spoiled food into black bin bags.

On Sunday, October 11, an unprecedented cyber attack struck refrigeration units in 700 French supermarkets. In the worst-hit stores, freezer temperatures soared to 80C — roughly the heat of a sauna — while small fires broke out after plastic and cardboard packaging caught alight.

Cooperative U was among the chains worst affected, with around 5 per cent of its 2,000 stores hit. Carrefour, Intermarche, Monoprix and Netto were also targeted. Food worth hundreds of millions of euros had to be thrown away.

The incident made headlines around the world. But it was only the opening act.

Just three weeks later, on Monday, a second cyber attack targeted refrigeration systems at about 100 stores across Europe, including outlets in Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Chilled and frozen food worth tens of millions of euros was destroyed. In some cases, products had been stored at temperatures as low as minus 27C before the refrigeration units were heated to above 50C.

Christophe Hansen, the EU agriculture and food commissioner, called the second incident a “deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply-chain”.

The attacks caused shortages and empty shelves in supermarkets across Europe. Fortunately, the refrigeration systems at the larger processing and storage facilities supplying those stores were not affected, meaning retailers should be able to replenish their shelves quickly.

Even so, the sudden shortages have intensified concerns about the resilience of food supply chains, particularly as European governments urge the public to prepare for emergencies. Last week, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told people in Britain to keep enough supplies for 72 hours. Some countries have issued even tougher guidance: Sweden, for example, advises residents to remain self-sufficient for up to a week.

Although supermarket shelves have now largely returned to normal, the attacks were reportedly far less sophisticated than last week’s multi-billion-pound cryptocurrency heist, which is believed to have been orchestrated by North Korea. Vincent Strubel, head of France’s cyber security agency ANSSI, said they exploited “basic security flaws” in computer software. Such weaknesses are thought to be widespread in Britain and across Europe’s “operational technology” — everyday equipment, including refrigerators and fire alarms, that is connected to the internet but often receives little cyber-protection. Artificial intelligence has made it far faster and easier to identify these vulnerabilities.

No group has claimed responsibility, and no ransom demand has been made, seemingly ruling out conventional criminal gangs. If that is the case, the incidents raise the disturbing possibility that they represent an unprecedented example of state-sponsored “shadow warfare”.

In its annual “cyber security review”, published yesterday, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, warned: “By 2028, it is highly likely China, Russia and other nation states will routinely use AI cyber to achieve their geopolitical goals, with the UK facing an increase in scale and speed of sophisticated cyber attacks.”

The NCSC has recorded at least 1,831 cyber attacks against British companies, organisations or infrastructure this year alone. Of those, 80 were considered to be of “national significance”.

It also emerged yesterday that Britain’s meat-processing industry is currently dealing with one such attack, with NCSC teams working through the night to warn affected companies about the crisis.

So what is known about the latest attacks — and could they mark the beginning of a sustained cyber campaign against Western Europe, including Britain? Like many modern systems, supermarket refrigeration units are connected to the internet, allowing them to be monitored and controlled remotely. A single technician can often oversee equipment across several stores at once.

Gaining entry may have been straightforward. Many of these systems are believed to have been protected by “default credentials” — preset passwords such as “admin” or “1234” that are included in instruction manuals freely available online.

“It’s a preconfigured password,” said Daniel Des Santos, vice president of research at cyber security firm Forescout. “It’s not a matter of guessing: they’re publicly available.”

After gaining access, the attackers were able to switch the units into “defrost” mode, sending temperatures rapidly upwards. They also appear to have blocked supermarket staff from controlling their own equipment. The manager of one affected store in southern Sweden said: “We can’t adjust the temperatures… Hot air is blowing into the freezers. Everything is ruined.”

Normal operations resumed only after the refrigeration systems were cut off from the digital network and switched to manual control.

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‘People traditionally think about laptops and smartphones being connected to the internet,’ Dos Santos explains. ‘But there are numerous other devices also connected, including refrigeration systems, door locks, fire alarms, security cameras – the list goes on. And ever since the war in Ukraine, we have noticed an increase in attacks against these sorts of devices.’

It’s not difficult to see why refrigeration units were an appealing target. Empty supermarket shelves impact on the public directly and are a glaring sign of supply-chain vulnerability. But perhaps more importantly, these systems were low-hanging fruit: as explained, the security on the units was often exceptionally poor.

‘This attack was enabled by very poor security design, not high-end exploitation,’ James Lyne, CEO of leading cybersecurity organisation The SANS Institute told the Daily Mail. ‘It is frankly a little embarrassing.’

Why hadn’t the passwords been changed? Likely, explains Dos Santos, because the systems were built decades ago, often without proper communication between the supermarket security team and the installer.

As well as entering a default password to gain access to some systems ‘through the front door’, the hackers are believed to have identified vulnerabilities in computer code to access other systems.

Until the start of this year, finding such vulnerabilities in software was ‘very manual work’, says Dos Santos. His team would spend ‘hours, days and weeks’ reading source code and finding flaws. Today, AI can do these tasks automatically.

As Britain’s NCSC chief executive Richard Horne explained yesterday: ‘Vulnerabilities that have been tolerated for far too long can now be discovered and exploited at a scale that was once unimaginable.’ Britain’s cyber chief concluded that Britain had done ‘tech on the cheap’ for too long and that the country is increasingly vulnerable to AI-enabled cyber warfare.

As for who precisely might have been responsible, this remains unknown – although there are several suspects.

Gerome Billois, of cybersecurity and tech company Wavestone, says the attacks appeared ‘designed to convey the message to populations that they are not safe, to convey the impression that the government is falling apart, and ultimately to instil fear. Currently there are two international actors known for doing this sort of thing: Iran and Russia.’

But Ciaran Martin insists the mystery is only deepening: ‘For the first time since I started heading up what became the NSCS 13 years ago, there’s been a globally significant cybersecurity incident, and neither I nor anybody I know in the profession has a clue who’s behind it.’

One theory Martin does raise is that the hack could be an experiment ahead of further planned attacks. And when it comes to broader tech infrastructure across the UK, he is particularly concerned about healthcare.

‘The area that worries me most and most deserves national prioritisation is healthcare. Cyber attacks won’t necessarily cause the power to fail in the middle of an operation, but if hospital administration can’t process data properly, then hospitals will be forced to turn away ambulances. You cancel operations. You cancel diagnostic appointments.’

Indeed, in the summer of 2024 Russian hackers attacked a number of British hospitals including London’s King’s College and Guy’s and St Thomas’ which led to the cancellation of operations and emergency patients being diverted to other healthcare centres.

Martin adds that the most dangerous threat to any country – including the UK – is not some sort of ‘cyber spectacular’, for example taking out the entire national grid, but what the former head of the US Cyber Defence Agency Jen Easterly called: ‘everything, everywhere, all at once’.

Martin, who stepped down from NCSC in 2020, explains: ‘Hundreds of low-level disruptive attacks that would seriously mess up the economy and society. Think what happened last year in the UK with Marks and Spencer and Jaguar Land Rover [JLR], and then multiply that by 100.’

The Russian hack on JLR in August last year was widely acknowledged to be the most financially damaging in British history, costing just under £2billion and having a knock-on effect to 5,000 companies. The M&S hack in April last year led to empty shelves, a pause on online orders and the theft of customer data.

But the recent sabotage of European refrigeration systems was different – and in some ways more ominous. For unlike JLR and M&S, the refrigeration attacks were not for profit, but to sow chaos and disorder. The target was not public money, but the public itself.

Tomorrow it might not be the freezers but the train signals could fail, planes may lose direction in the sky, taps stop running, plug sockets lie dead, as a crisis happens everywhere, all at once.

Canva is cutting more than 1,000 jobs as the design software company attempts to return to its start-up roots, with billionaire co-founder Melanie Perkins saying the business needs to be “refounded”.

In a letter to employees on Wednesday, Canva’s co-founder and chief executive said 1,271 workers would be affected—equivalent to 22 per cent of the company’s workforce. Some employees will lose their jobs, while others will be asked to move to centralised hubs.

The cuts follow the $44billion company’s admission that its growth had slowed for the first time in a decade. The Sydney-based business is also facing growing concerns that artificial intelligence could disrupt established software companies.

“This is without doubt the hardest moment in our thirteen-year history,” Ms Perkins wrote.

“After exploring a wide range of alternatives, I’ve come to the difficult conclusion that small changes won’t be enough.

“To set ourselves up for the next decade, we need to refound Canva, getting back to our roots of small, empowered teams with the freedom to make decisions, take ownership and focus on what matters most for our community.”

Daily Mail understands that Canva will combine its product, growth and platform teams into one product organisation and reduce management layers in the company’s first-ever redundancy round.

“We’re simplifying layers, consolidating overlapping responsibilities, and ensuring teams have the right mix of skills and experience for the chapter ahead,” Ms Perkins said.

Employees leaving the company will receive at least six months’ salary, along with 12 months of healthcare coverage where Canva provides it. They will also be allowed to keep their work MacBooks.

Staff who “want to pursue an idea” will also be able to apply for grants worth $14,500.

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Sydney will serve as the main base for Canva’s product teams, while hybrid employees will be required to work in the office two to three days each week from January.

The job losses come as AI reshapes the software sector and contributes to a series of major redundancy rounds across Australia’s technology industry.

Earlier this year, logistics software company WiseTech Global announced 1,700 job cuts, Atlassian reduced its workforce by 1600 roles and Block, the owner of Afterpay, laid off 4,000 employees, citing productivity gains from AI.

Canva was also forced to postpone the launch of several new products in August.

At the time, Blackbird Ventures, Canva’s biggest Australian backer, lowered the company’s valuation while reaffirming its confidence in Canva’s long-term strategy.

“We back Canva’s judgment to think long term,” Blackbird partner Rick Baker said.

‘This will unlock the ability to deliver AI at real scale with unit economics that actually stack up. The Canva AI product is looking great and early signs from users are strong, and that gives me a lot of optimism in what’s next.’

Canva is one of Australia’s most successful start-ups, with its co-founders Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams worth more than $20billion combined.

It was founded in 2013 and has become one of the most popular graphic design, photo and video editing platforms.

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