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Nov 05, 2026
US stocks plunged on Thursday as AI and chip stocks sold off, erasing the gains from Wednesday's post-election rally.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) tumbled 3.4%, or more than 1,800 points. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 4.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) dropped 5.5%, with the tech-heavy index closing in correction territory.
The Nasdaq-100 (^NDX) fell 6.3%, erasing $2.3 trillion in market value.
The PHLX Semiconductor index (^SOX) plummeted 12% as Nvidia (NVDA), Micron (MU), and other chip names sank. Wall Street unloaded this year's AI winners, while large-cap tech stocks saw the worst day since the COVID-19 pandemic sell-off.
Investors
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Nov 05, 2026
Democrats continue to celebrate one of the most lopsided midterm election victories in modern U.S. history, routing their Republican rivals to gain control of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and statehouses across the country.
In the Senate, Democrats flipped seven seats and now hold 54 to the Republican Party's 44. Two seats — nail-biting contests in Alaska and Mississippi — remain undeclared.
To do so, Democrats won a series of key battleground contests. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers in one of the most closely watched races of the midterms. James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, becoming the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in the Lone Star State since 1988. Annie Andrews beat Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina to flip a Senate seat. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, putting an end to her three-decade tenure. Sen. Jon Ossoff comfortably won reelection in Georgia. Other Senate seats to flip to the Democratic Party included Roy Cooper in North Carolina, Sherrod Brown in Ohio, Josh Turek in Iowa and Adam H
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Nov 05, 2026
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a rally at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunday. (Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)Gov. Gavin Newsom told the California Supreme Court Thursday that he will commute the death sentences of all 548 state prisoners awaiting execution, reducing their punishments to life in prison without parole.
Newsom can commute about 40% of the death sentences with the stroke of a pen, but the rest will require the high court's approval in order to be finalized.
The mass commutation would apply to inmates convicted of some of the most heinous acts in the state's history. Newsom and other opponents of capital punishment have long argued that the process is costly, cruel and discriminatory, with death sentences disproportionately handed down to defendants of color.
"I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values, undermines the foundation of our legal system, and diminishes each of us," Newsom wrote in a letter to Californians explaining his decision. "I know we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values, first among them justice and human decency."
The move comes in Newsom's final months as governor and as he considers a run for president. Reducing the death sentences could help him in a primary with a Democratic base of like-minded liberal voters, but pot
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Nov 05, 2026
Washington — Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, resigned on Thursday, Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
"Today, I accepted the resignation of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Civil Rights Division with conviction the past 18 months," Blanche wrote in a post on X. "She has defended the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favor. The Department is grateful for her dedicated public service, and we wish her every success in her future endeavors."
Dhillon oversaw a mass exodus from the Civil Rights Division last year, with more than 75% of its staff departing. She upended many of the division's traditional priorities that focused on combating discrimination against some of the nation's most vulnerable and historically marginalized groups.
Since taking over the division, often lauded as being the "crown jewel" of the DOJ, she has reoriented it to focus instead on other priorities that have included protecting gun owners' rights, curbing the use of equity, diversity and inclusion policies at universities, and adopting legal positions that oppose civil rights protections for transgender people.
During her tenure, the Justice Department closed many of its cases involving discrimination targeting Black Americans and announced it had dismissed more than 50 decades-old consent decrees with public schools, many in the Deep South, that were in place to protect Black students from unlawful discrimin
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Nov 05, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration held secret talks with Iran on deporting Iranians even as the war there dragged on, court documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
The court documents unsealed Thursday show the Republican administration as recently as mid-October said it had plans to deport the Iranians through an unnamed third country, although it was unclear when it intended to do so. The judge in the case ordered the government to give the court 24-hour notice of any finalized plans to deport Iranians to Iran or to any other country and five days' written notice before any such deportation is carried out.
The documents show that the administration maintained contacts with Iranian officials during the war over the removals, specifically for submitting travel documents and figuring out "possible avenues for removal."
"We are at war with a country where the President of the United States has said, as recently as two or three days ago, if not yesterday, that it is essentially lawless ... A country that is an enemy of the United States, according to the current president. A country that, according to our president, murdered tens of thousands of protestors," Judge Ana Reyes said according to the Oct. 15 transcript.
"And what you're telling me is that the United States of America is going to send individuals back to that region, facing what you and I and everyone who would ever look at this would know would be, at a minimum, a serious threat of certain death."
"Yes, your honor," Justice Department attorney Dimitar Georgiev-Remmel said. "The government is executing lawful orders of removal."
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The development emerged from
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Nov 05, 2026
US stocks fell suddenly on Thursday as AI and chip stocks sold off, erasing the gains from Wednesday's post-election rally.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) tumbled 2.2%, or over 1,200 points. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 3.3%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) dropped 5%, putting the index on track to close in a correction.
The PHLX Semiconductor index (^SOX) dived 11% as Nvidia (NVDA), Micron (MU), and other chip names sank.
Investors continued to process the Democrats' sweeping victory on Tuesday and its implications for markets and the economy. Amid relief that election
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Nov 05, 2026
Comedian Russell Brand at Southwark Crown Court in London.Anadolu via Getty ImagesA jury in London found comedian and actor Russell Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
The actor had been charged on seven counts: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Following Thursday's verdict, London's Metropolitan Police Service told Yahoo that Brand, 51, is facing further allegations of rape from two women.
"The suspect has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations," the force said in a statement. "Files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to both complainants." Brand has not been charged in relation to these claims.
Following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, the jury found Brand guilty on four of the charges. He was acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault.
During the trial, the court heard tearful and forceful testimony from the six complainants, wh
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Nov 05, 2026
Meghan Markle's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., is a "person of interest" in an investigation by police in the Philippines into alleged child sexual abuse material linked to their father, Thomas Markle, the country's interior secretary said Thursday.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told reporters at a press conference in Manila that authorities were examining whether Markle Jr., 60, was involved but that he was not currently considered a suspect. "We will know in the next week," he said in a video shared by Reuters.
"There are signs that point that the son is involved in the crime as well, but only as a person of interest so far," he said, adding that "he is not currently considered a suspect."
Thomas Markle, 82, has been under investigation since October in the Philippines over allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse material. He has not been charged.
The Sun first reported that Markle Jr. told Philippine police that after his father left the Philippines in May, he discovered images of child sexual abuse material among boxes at his father's former home in Cebu.
Remulla told AFP on Oct. 24 that police inspected Markle Sr.'s former home in Cebu following a report from his son and found a "trove" of suspected child sexual abuse material and a laptop.
Markle Sr. has vehemently denied the allegations against him, telling the British newspaper the
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Nov 05, 2026
US First Lady Melania Trump called for a new ceasefire in Ukraine after the expiry of a temporary truce in the ruined town of Oleshky (SAUL LOEB)US First Lady Melania Trump called for a new, "more enduring" ceasefire in Ukraine as she hosted officials from the war-torn country and its invader Russia at the White House on Thursday.
Trump earlier helped negotiate a six-day ceasefire in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, which ended on Sunday. The brief pause was one of the most notable instances of Russian-Ukrainian cooperation since Moscow invaded its neighbour in 2022.
"I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace. Every significant transformation begins with a small spark," Trump told reporters at a joint press conference with Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Ukrainian ceasefire negotiator David Arakhamia.
"Now we must use the courage we brought to Oleshky to find common ground through a shared concern for the suffering of innocent people," Trump added. "Together, we can create something more enduring than a temporary ceasefire."
She concluded by saying that she had written personal letters to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
"The ceasefire in Oleshky would not be possible without President Putin and President Zelensky. Their cooperation establishes a meaningful precedent for advancing peace throughout the region," she added.
Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets presented Melania Trump with a national award for her role in brokering the Oleshky ceasefire that enabled the evacuation of civilians.
Dmitriev said that "on behalf of President Putin, on behalf of people of the Russian Federation, we would like to thank First Lady Melania Trump for her distinguished humanitarian role
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Nov 05, 2026
Comedian Russell Brand at Southwark Crown Court in London.Anadolu via Getty ImagesA jury in London has found comedian and actor Russell Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
The actor had been charged on seven counts: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault.
After the verdict, London's Metropolitan Police Service told Yahoo that Brand, 51, is facing further allegations of rape from two women.
"The suspect has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations," the force said in a statement. "Files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to both complainants." Brand has not been charged in relation to these claims.
Following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, the jury found Brand guilty on four of the charges. He was acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Brand is due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, Nov. 9. The judge said he should
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Nov 05, 2026
By Tim Reid
WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - With the US midterms over, Democrats are turning to what could become one of their most crowded and unpredictable presidential primaries in decades, a 2028 contest likely to expose the party's divide over how to win back the White House.
No Democrat has emerged as a clear favorite in a field that could attract dozens of contenders, while Republicans ?have a smaller group of widely discussed candidates, led by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to succeed President Donald Trump, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.
Potential Democratic ?candidates, including sitting governors and senators, have spent months cultivating donors, visiting states with early nominating contests and raising their national profiles, positioning themselves for a race that strategists expect to begin in earnest now that the midterms are over.
The sweeping victories by Democrats on Tuesday, when voters ?delivered a sharp rebuke to Trump and his agenda, will intensify discussions within both parties about how to win over an electorate unhappy with the country's direction.
Despite their resounding victories on Tuesday, Democrats enter the 2028 campaign still divided over whether to tack to the center or move further left on issues ranging from healthcare and taxes to policing and foreign policy.
Republican candidates will face a different challenge - how to distance themselves from Trump after Tuesday's repudiation of his policies. They need to broaden their appeal beyond the president's base while avoiding a break with the populist Make America Great Again movement that has come to define the party.
Trump, who has dominated the political landscape for a decade, may be reluctant to yield center ?stage, and his continued influence with MAGA followers could complicate the path of ?the party's next standard-bearer.
LOOMING DEMOCR
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Nov 05, 2026
A complex mission lies ahead for investigators trying to determine why a Learjet dove into the ground and exploded in South Florida, killing nine people, including two children.
How did the pilots lose control of the aircraft? Did the jet go into a "Mach tuck," its nose suddenly pitching downward in a trajectory nearly impossible to recover from? What role did icing play in the fatal fall from the sky?
Investigators will scrutinize the towering and turbulent storm the jet encountered, every aircraft piece recovered and every word the co-pilot spoke to air traffic controllers in the final minutes of her life, expert pilots told USA TODAY. Those experts said pilots of the mid-sized high-altitude Learjet may have faced little margin for error in difficult flying conditions, raising concerns about "Mach tuck," an infamous nose-down flying condition.
"Every single one of those pieces will be a clue in putting this whole picture together," said Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation.
The Nov. 1 crash killed the
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Nov 05, 2026
President Donald Trump hopes to win approval Thursday for his planned 250-foot-tall triumphal arch, which he calls a necessary addition to Washington. He may end the day with work finally underway - or blocked by a federal judge.
The National Capital Planning Commission, which Trump has stocked with allies, on Thursday afternoon will review final plans for the arch, proposed near Arlington National Cemetery. The commission is expected to approve the project - after extensive public testimony and debate - and administration officials say they could begin construction immediately.
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The project's opponents have beseeched U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan to stop work before it starts. "The Court should not allow this lawless project to evade scrutiny," Brian Schwalb and Jay Jones, the attorneys general for D.C. and Virginia, wrote in a joint court filing Wednesday.
Trump has spent more than a year touting plans for the arch, which he says is needed to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary. The monument would rise in Memorial Circle, a traffic roundabout tucked inside Washington's boundaries. The current Congress has not authorized the project, and opponents argue it would violate multiple federal laws, overwhelm the site and wrongly overshadow the national military cemetery.
The Trump administration says building the arch will complete a century-old vision for the site that Congress had authorized. The president extolled the arch again Wednesday while touring another of his projects, a new W
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Nov 05, 2026
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, on July 21. - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
President Donald Trump may have made the decision to launch the war that tanked voters' support for the GOP and dealt them a midterm shellacking. But the historic losses are accelerating a push for someone else to take the fall: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
And the House could vote as soon as next week to impeach the Pentagon's top leader.
Many Republican lawmakers and allies alarmed by Tuesday's wipeout are moving swiftly to pin blame for the election results on Hegseth, arguing behind the scenes that he played a chief role in convincing Trump to attack Iran with no exit strategy — and no plan for managing the inevitable political fallout.
The knives-out campaign comes despite private acknowledgement from House and Senate GOP strategists that the party's problems extended far beyond the war, triggering 2008-level losses that will take years to reverse. But for now, party leaders - and many in their ranks - remain unwilling to directly blame Trump for their woes.
Even among House Republicans who survived Tuesday's onslaught, there's zero expectation they will suddenly break from the president with two years left in his term. Yet that fealty does not extend to Hegseth, the combative defense secretary who has made few friends on Capitol Hill since taking over command of the Pentagon.
House Republicans are expected to vote to directly repudiate the defense secretary in a matter of days. Rep. Thomas Ma
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Nov 05, 2026
Democrats celebrated sweeping successes in the midterm elections as the party regained control of the House, Senate and statehouses across the country.
Democrats flipped seven Senate seats to hold 54 seats to the Republican Party's 44 in one of the most lopsided recent midterm performances. Two seats — nail-biting contests in Alaska and Mississippi — remain undeclared.
Mississippi is unexpectedly competitive, and with 96% of the votes counted, Democrat candidate Scott Colom leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by 0.1%, according to the Associated Press.
As Republicans licked their wounds, President Trump signaled he would work with Democrats, but indicated he wouldn't hesitate to use his veto powers. The president also acknowledged Wednesday that the eight-month-long Iran war had hit the Republican vote, but defended his actions. "If I had to do it again, I'd have to do it again," he said, adding, "you can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon."
Vice President JD Vance had earlier blamed the scale of GOP losses on the war with Iran in a post on X, "The real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone," he wrote. "The reason we lost is the war."
Democrats won a series
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Nov 05, 2026
A Ryanair flight which landed in Sofia on Thursday [Reuters]
Several flights across Europe have been targeted by bomb threats for the second time this week.
Flights bound for Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Austria and Czechia have been affected, including an Aer Lingus plane which departed Dublin for Rome but was forced to divert to Evreux air base in northern France on Thursday morning.
Italian fighter jets escorted a Finnair flight travelling from Helsinki to the Italian capital, where it landed as scheduled.
It comes just days after eight European flights, including two departing from the UK, were targeted by suspected bomb threats. No explosives were found on any of the planes after searches.
A statement from Aer Lingus confirmed that flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome "diverted to Normandy this morning as a security precaution."
It added: "The flight landed safely and Aer Lingus will work to re-accommodate customers to their final destination as soon as possible."
The following flights have been affected on Thursday:
Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome diverted to a French airbase after a bomb threat
Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome was targeted by a bomb threat and landed as normal, the airline said. It was was escorted into Fiumicino airport by Italian Air Force fighter jets, a spokesperson for Aeroporti di Roma told the BBC
Second Finnair flight travelling from Helsinki to Vienna faced a bomb threat and landed as normal in Austria
Wizz Air flight from Milan, Italy, to Warsaw, Poland, issued an emergency
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Nov 05, 2026
Democrats celebrated sweeping successes in the midterm elections as the party regained control of the House, Senate and statehouses across the country.
Democrats flipped seven Senate seats to hold 54 seats to the Republican Party's 44 in one of the most lopsided recent midterm performances. Two seats — nail-biting contests in Alaska and Mississippi — remain undeclared.
As Republicans licked their wounds, President Trump signaled he would work with Democrats, but indicated he wouldn't hesitate to use his veto powers. The president also acknowledged Wednesday that the eight-month-long Iran war had hit the Republican vote, but defended his actions. "If I had to do it again, I'd have to do it again," he said, adding, "you can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon."
Vice President JD Vance had earlier blamed the scale of GOP losses on the war with Iran in a post on X, "The real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone," he wrote. "The reason we lost is the war."
Democrats won a series of key battleground contests.
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Nov 05, 2026
(Bloomberg) -- Americans handed Democrats a thumping midterm victory on Tuesday, and with it, a mandate to fix their money problems. In survey after survey, voters voiced their anger over the state of the US economy, especially the cost of essentials like food, gas and housing.
Most Read from Bloomberg
Morgan Stanley Offers $2.3 Billion Debt for Dell Family DealDemocrats Clinch Huge Wins on Inflation Anger, Trump FatigueWhat the Democrats' Sweep of Congress Means for TrumpDemocrats Sweep to Control of Congress in Rebuke of TrumpTrump Now Has to Govern Through a Midterm Meltdown of His Own MakingMany voters now expect their newly elected leaders to do something to lower the cost of living and help them save. But it's rarely that simple. Congress can't control markets and GDP growth, much less gas prices and groceries. And while candidates have pledged to push back on tariffs and the Iran war, much still lies in President Donald Trump's control. Nevertheless, elections mat
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Nov 05, 2026
By Tim Reid
WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - With the US midterms over, Democrats are turning to what could become one of their most crowded and unpredictable presidential primaries in decades, a 2028 contest likely to expose the party's divide over how to win back the White House.
No Democrat has emerged as a clear favorite in a field that could attract dozens of contenders, while Republicans have a smaller ?group of widely discussed candidates, led by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to succeed President Donald Trump, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.
Potential Democratic candidates, including sitting governors ?and senators, have spent months cultivating donors, visiting states with early nominating contests and raising their national profiles, positioning themselves for a race that strategists expect to begin in earnest now that the midterms are over.
The sweeping victories by Democrats on Tuesday, when voters delivered a sharp rebuke to Trump ?and his agenda, will intensify discussions within both parties about how to win over an electorate unhappy with the country's direction.
Despite their resounding victories on Tuesday, Democrats enter the 2028 campaign still divided over whether to tack to the center or move further left on issues ranging from healthcare and taxes to policing and foreign policy.
Republican candidates will face a different challenge - how to distance themselves from Trump after Tuesday's repudiation of his policies. They need to broaden their appeal beyond the president's base while avoiding a break with the populist Make America Great Again movement that has come to define the party.
Trump, who has dominated the political landscape for a decade, may be reluctant to yield center stage, and his continued influence with MAGA followers could complicate the path ?of the party's next standard-bearer.
LOOMING DEMOCRAT
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Nov 05, 2026
A single ticket in New Jersey won the $847 million Powerball Wednesday night, one of the 10 biggest jackpots in the lottery's history.
The ticket holder matched the winning numbers, 15, 34, 41, 53 and 56, as well as the red 21 Powerball, to take the prize.
The winner can either take a one-time payment of $363.1 million before taxes, or they can choose an annuity that is paid out over the next 29 years.
A total of 25 people won $50,000 in the draw, while four Power Play winners boosted their prizes to $100,000.
The win ends the three-month Powerball jackpot drought, after the last grand prize winner claimed $1.04 billion in Illinois, which was the eighth-largest win in the game's history.
While the jackpot is one of the biggest ever, the winner may never disclose their identity. Under New Jersey state law, the winner has the right to remain completely anonymous indefinitely.
The next Powerball drawing on Nov. 7 will offer players a chance to win $20 million.
What are the biggest Powerball wins?The latest win is the ninth largest Powerball prize.
The largest jackpot ever won, $2.04 billion, went to Edwin Castro, who bought the winning ticket at Joe's Service Center in Altadena, Calif., in 2022. Castro has generally kept a low profile, but the
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Nov 05, 2026
A customer holds a number slip for Powerball lottery tickets in Hawthorne, California, on August 25, 2025. - Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
A single Powerball ticket in New Jersey has won an estimated $847 million after matching all six numbers in Wednesday's drawing, the company said Thursday.
The winning numbers were 15, 34, 41, 53, 56, and red Powerball 21, with a Power Play multiplier of 2x.
The winner has the option to take a one-time payment of $363.1 million or an annuity paid out over 29 years.
There were no winners for the $2 million and $1 million Match 5 prizes.
Wednesday's jackpot was the ninth-largest prize in game history and the second-largest prize so far this year, according to game officials. Powerball updated the jackpot from $835 million, raising it from being the tenth-largest prize in game history.
The last time the Powerball jackpot was won was August 12, when a lucky player claimed a $1.04 billion jackpot in Illinois.
Powerball drawings take place three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, at 10:59 p.m. ET. The jackpot will reset to $20 million for Saturday's drawing.
The odds of winning Wednesday's jackpot were extremely slim, at an estimated 1 in 292.2 million, according to the lottery.
This jackpot cycle was the first in which players in the United
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Nov 04, 2026
District Attorney and U.S. Senate candidate for Mississippi Scott Colom speaks as he gives an update on state of Senate race against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Jackson, Mississippi, on Nov. 4, 2026. —Rogelio V. Solis—Getty ImagesAs Democrats are celebrating a historic blue wave, eyes are on the Senate race in deep-red Mississippi, where the Democratic candidate led the Republican incumbent by a razor-thin margin of 1,138 votes as of Wednesday evening.
The Associated Press has not yet called the race because it is so close, with Democratic challenger Scott Colom ahead by about 0.1%—he has so far earned 49% of the vote compared to Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith's 48.9%, with 96% of votes counted. It's a stunning nail-biter of a race that, in the weeks leading up to Election Day, polls had suggested would likely be won by the Republican incumbent by a narrow margin.
"I can't recall the last time it's been this close for a statewide Senate contest—or a statewide election in general," says Aaron Hitefield, an assistant professor of political science at Mississippi State University. "It's unprecedented for [Mississippi] to be this competitive for Democrats particularly, certainly in the last 40 years."
Read More: What Democrats' Midterm Gains Reveal About Trump's Voter Coalition
Political experts say it co
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Nov 04, 2026
Hours before Indiana was poised to carry out its first execution of the year, set for Thursday before sunrise, lawyers and supporters for the condemned man rallied to spare his life after new details emerged about the state's secretive process of obtaining lethal injection drugs.
Attorneys for Jeffrey Weisheit, 50, called on Indiana Gov. Mike Braun to halt his lethal injection execution and order an independent review of the state's procedures over allegations that the state obtained its chemicals from a pharmacy currently on probation and facing suspension of its license.
"Laid bare, the apparent conduct here is patently unworthy of the public's confidence in the solemn exercise of state power in taking a human being's life in the name of the people," Joe Perkovich, an attorney for Weisheit, said in a statement Wednesday.
Jeffrey Weisheit. (Indiana Department of Correction via AP)Weisheit, who was convicted in the 2010 murders of two young children in a house fire, did not contest his guilt but sought clemency from Braun for his sentence to be commuted to life in prison without parole. His attorneys are citing Tennessee's failed lethal injection execution of Christa Pike on Sept. 30 in his new application to the governor seeking a reprieve, saying Indiana's protocol is "more susceptible to catastrophic failures such as the one that
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Nov 04, 2026
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would remain on the job, even as he acknowledged that the war with Iran had contributed to Republicans' sweeping midterm losses and as Democrats prepare to use their new congressional majority to potentially investigate the Pentagon chief.
Trump dismissed the possibility of replacing Hegseth, telling reporters he was "doing a great job." When asked about speculation that Hegseth is eyeing Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn's soon-to-be-vacated Tennessee seat, Trump predicted the defense secretary would be "very popular" in the state.
Blackburn, who won Tennessee's gubernatorial race Tuesday, declined to weigh in on who might be picked to fill her Senate seat. Asked about who would be appointed, she said, "It's not a conversation for today."
Hegseth says War Powers deadline doesn't apply because of ceasefire with IranTrump's remarks come as Republicans grapple with the political fallout from the eight-month war with Iran, which has driven up gas prices and fueled voter frustration over the cost of living. The war and its economic consequences are widely seen as a major factor in Republicans' crushing midterm defeat.
"The Iran thing we had to do, and we continue to do it," Trump told reporters, adding that he believes the war will be worth it in the long term.
In April, Hegseth declared a "historic and overwhelming victory" over Iran. But fighting has continued for months, killing and wounding American troops, driving up energy costs and consuming expensive U.S. munitions that could take years to replace.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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Nov 04, 2026
Midterms tend to be backlash elections, and the president's party almost always loses seats when voters return to the polls to judge his performance in office.
But not all midterms are created equal.
On Tuesday, Democrats comprehensively routed their Republican rivals, regaining control of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and statehouses across the country. Along the way, they shattered a series of decades-long Republican winning streaks and notched several historic firsts.
So just how big was this year's blue wave (or "
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Nov 04, 2026
By Nandita Bose, Jarrett Renshaw and Bo Erickson
WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump faced pressure from Republicans on Wednesday to change course after a midterm election rout handed Democrats control of Congress and voters rejected his handpicked candidates in key ?races.
Republican allies and strategists called for Trump to shake up his White House personnel, restore discipline and scrap policies they blamed ?for the losses, including the Iran war and tariffs, as his presidency enters its final years.
Veteran Republican strategist John Feehery called the results a "huge disaster" for Trump.
"He needs to clean house," ?Feehery said. "Every day from this point forward, he's becoming more and more lame."
But Trump showed little indication that he viewed the election outcome as a reason to change direction.
"I don't view it as a hit on me," he told Fox News late on Tuesday.
Democrats will now have the power to block Trump's legislation, investigate his administration and challenge his nominees. That is expected to push Trump, who has already used executive authority aggressively, toward an even greater reliance ?on unilateral action.
He will also have to decide whether ?to double down on an agenda that some Republicans fear has become a political liability, particularly for potential successors eyeing White House bids in 2028.
Vice President JD Vance, who is viewed as Trump's likely political heir, appeared to put some ?distance between himself and the president on Wednesday, blaming the Iran war for the midterm losses. Such breaks could become more common if Republicans conclude Trump's longtime grip on the party's voters is weakening, strategists and party officials said.
WHITE HOUSE BRACES FOR STAFF SHAKE-UP, INVESTIGATIONS
Inside the White House, senior aides were bracing for ?staff departures, ?possible Cabinet changes and Democratic
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Nov 04, 2026
An illustration of NASA's Swift Observatory in space - NASA
NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory met a fiery end on Wednesday morning, nearly 22 years after it launched to study the most powerful explosions in the universe.
Data from the US Space Force estimates the 3,200-pound spacecraft plunged into Earth's atmosphere over Indonesia around 7:39 a.m. ET.
While most of the observatory was expected to burn up as it blazed through the thick inner band of Earth's atmosphere, NASA predicted some pieces of the vehicle would survive.
It was not immediately clear whether any surviving debris hit land. Previously, NASA had predicted that the "risk of harm coming to anyone on Earth is unlikely, approximately 1 in 2,100."
The Swift Observatory launched atop a Delta II rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on November 20, 2004. - NASA
A risky reentry
If Swift were launched today, it would likely have to adhere to far stricter safety guidelines regarding end-of-life planning, according to The Aerospace Corporation, which is a federally funded research and development center.
Current orbital debris mitigation standards, which were updated in 2019, mandate that "uncontrolled reentries
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Nov 04, 2026
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Alaska Dan Sullivan, left, and Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, right. Photos: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff / Flickr / CC BY 2.0, Arctic Warrior / U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Moises Vasquez / Flickr / Public Domain(The Center Square)—The outcome of a tightly contested and controversial U.S. Senate race in Alaska may not be known until the end of the month or later.
U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, a Republican, is making a bid for a third six-year term. As of 2:20 p.m. EDT, he trails former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, by 626 votes with 77% of ballots counted. He has 102,075 votes to her 102,701. The race has been the focus of controversy after The New York Times reported that Peltola's campaign helped recruit a candidate with the same name as Sullivan in an apparent attempt to confuse voters. She has denied doing that.
Twenty-three percent of votes have yet to be tallied. Even when they are, the narrow margin separating the candidates means that the outcome may be decided not at the state's polling sites but through the mail via absentee and questioned ballots.
In the previous midterm congressional election four years ago, Alaska officials said they received 9,143 in-person absentee ballots and 8,009 questioned ballots. Two years
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Nov 04, 2026
Over 800 gold and silver coins have been found from the Ann Francis wreckage.
Archaeologists have finally cracked the code to the famed Ann Francis shipwreck's brass combination treasure lock. However, the 16th century relic didn't open after hours of painstaking trial-and-error. Researchers at Cardiff University and Amgueddfa Cymru, the National Museum of Wales, relied on highly detailed CT scanning equipment to peer inside the mechanical device and learn the code without touching the lock itself.
"It's not every day you get to solve a 400-year-old mystery," David Williams, a Cardiff University biomechanics engineer, said in a statement.
The lock's combination was lost on December 28, 1583, when the merchant ship Ann Francis sailed into a powerful storm during a return voyage from Spain. The exact crew number is unclear, but all of them (around 14 sailors) reportedly drowned after veering off-course and wrecking along the coast of southern Wales. Unfortunately, at least one other death is likely directly tied to the Ann Francis. Archival evidence suggests locals later accused a "detestable woman" named Mother Gabley of being an "execra
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Nov 04, 2026
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) speaks with reporters during an election night watch party in Washington on Nov. 3, 2026. (Tom Brenner / Getty Images)Democrats in Congress gained the power Tuesday night to more forcefully investigate President Trump and rein in his agenda, setting up confrontations that are likely to define the final two years of his presidency.
As party leaders on Wednesday celebrated retaking the House and Senate, they vowed to put Trump and his administration on the defensive with subpoenas and hearings, a role that voters made clear they want them to play. But they also said the top priority would be the issue that swept them to power: making life more affordable.
"We are going to work hard to drive costs down with the president or without him, period," Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is poised to become Senate majority leader, said at a news conference.
Schumer's fellow New Yorker and the House Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, echoed those priorities on CNN: "We ran on affordability, we won decisively on affordability, and now we have a responsibility to govern on affordability."
With power split between the legislative and executive branches, to what degree Washington avoids gridlock will depend on how Trump wields his veto pen and how the Democrats negotiate with him — and how they follow through on pledges to investigate what they called a corrupt administration.
"Make no mistake, whenever Trump defies the will of the American people or the law, we w
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Nov 04, 2026
By John Kruzel
WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The US midterm election landslide that gives Democrats control of Congress starting in January is fueling questions about the longevity of the Supreme Court's two eldest justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, and the durability of its conservative majority.
As Republicans prepare to cede control of the Senate to Democrats for the next two years or ?more, some conservative commentators already are expressing concerns about the health prospects of Thomas, 78, and Alito, 76, placing renewed focus on their continued service on the top US judicial body.
The US Constitution ?assigns the Senate the power to confirm a president's judicial nominations. With a Senate majority, Democrats can block any nominations that Republican President Donald Trump would make to fill potential Supreme Court vacancies, just as Republicans blocked Democratic President Barack Obama from filling one in ?2016.
Thomas has given no public indication of wanting to step down. Alito said last month he would remain for the duration of the current nine-month term, which began in October, even if Democrats were to retake the Senate. Thomas and Alito did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters about whether they are considering retiring.
Thomas and Alito are the court's two most conservative justices and have reliably backed Trump policies in major rulings during his second term in office. The court's 6-3 conservative majority, which has steered American law in a sharply rightward direction on issues from abortion to gun rights to presidential powers, includes three justices Trump appointed during his first term as president.
Alito's comment about remaining ?through the current term followed speculation that he might quickly retire in the ?event Democrats captured the Senate in order to ensure that Trump could get a successor confirmed with Republicans still in control.
Unt
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Nov 04, 2026
US stocks jumped on Wednesday after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in a seismic midterm election, paving the way for a divided government.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose 3%, or around 1,500 points, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) climbed 1.7%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) traded up by 1.8% as Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) stocks touched record highs.
Markets swiftly repriced a Democratic sweep of the House and Senate — and the potential for ballot measures and newly elected officials to restrict data center construction. Chip stocks, including Nvidia (NVDA) and Micron (MU), fell m
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Nov 04, 2026
The battle for control of Congress got the lion's share of the attention on Tuesday, but there were a lot of other consequential measures on the ballots that could have a direct impact on voters' lives.
Ballot measures often don't receive much national focus, but every two years, voters across the country decide whether to adopt policies that have major implications for their states. This year was no different.
There were more than 140 measures on the ballot across 40 states. Many touched on some of the biggest issues in U.S. politics, including abortion, transgender rights, voting and the democratic process itself.
Ballot measures can give the people a way to directly alter the laws in their states instead of relying solely on their elected representatives to create policy on their behalf. In some cases, they provide an opportunity for voters to endorse or reject something their state legislature wants to do. In others, regular citizens can get their preferred policy on the ballot directly through a signature-gathering campaign.
Here's a rundown of the results of some of the major measures on statewide ballots this year.
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Nov 04, 2026
Former President Bill Clinton on April 28, 2007 (left); Abdul El-Sayed on Nov. 4, 2026 (right)
Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio; Sarah Rice/Bloomberg via GettyNEED TO KNOWBill Clinton crossed paths with Abdul El-Sayed nearly 20 years agoBoth gave speeches at the University of Michigan commencement in 2007"I just wish every person in the world could have heard you speak today," Clinton told El-Sayed at the timeBill Clinton was a fan of Abdul El-Sayed years before he became Michigan's senator-elect.
In a resurfaced video, the former president praised El-Sayed while giving an address at the 2007 University of Michigan commencement.
"I don't want to embarrass your senior speaker," Clinton said moments after El-Sayed delivered a speech as class valedictorian. "But I wish every person in the world who believes that we are fated to have a clash of civilizations, and cannot reach across the religious divides, could have heard you speak today."
Clinton added, "I just wish every person in the world could have heard you speak today."
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim elected t
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Nov 04, 2026
California's proposed billionaire tax appeared headed for defeat on Wednesday in one of the final verdicts from voters in an election week that saw a wave of anti-billionaire sentiment elsewhere.
The latest results on Wednesday afternoon showed California's Proposition 40 down by over 11 percentage points, with 60% of votes counted but the race not yet formally called.
The referendum would amend California's constitution and impose a one-time 5% tax on California residents and trusts with assets over $1 billion on Jan. 1, 2026. The revenue would primarily go toward healthcare, as well as food assistance and education.
Some assets, such as real property and certain retirement accounts and pensions, were excluded.
The measure was estimated to impact about 200 billionaires in the state. It faced fierce opposition from many in Big Tech and lost steam with voters as Election Day neared.
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Nov 04, 2026
Steve Kornacki is back to give viewers some closure after his epic midterms marathon.
The network's chief data analyst went live for a whopping 10 straight hours for NBC News' coverage of the midterm elections Nov. 3. Throughout the evening, Kornacki regularly appeared on the NBC television network to discuss the election results as they came in. But NBC also hosted a "Kornacki Cam" livestream that stayed with Kornacki all night long.
The stream ended a bit abruptly, though: After impressively staying on for more than 10 hours with virtually no breaks, Kornacki told viewers he'd be taking five minutes and would be "right back," only to never return.
In an early morning X post on Nov. 4, Kornacki explained he had planned to be live for 13 hours but had to dip out a bit earlier than anticipated.
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Nov 04, 2026
Democrats on Tuesday comprehensively routed their Republican rivals, regaining control of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and statehouses across the country.
It was one of the most lopsided midterm performances in modern U.S. history.
Coming into the night, Republicans held 53 of the Senate's 100 seats; Democrats held 45. To wrest back control of the Senate, Democrats needed a net gain of at least four seats. As at 11:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, the Democrats had won 54 Senate seats to the GOP's 44 — and they could wind up winning as many as 56 once all the votes are counted in Alaska and Mississippi, where key races have yet to be called.
In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers in one of the most closely watched races. James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, becoming the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in the Lone Star State since 1988.
Annie Andrews beat GOP Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina to flip a Senate seat. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins, putting an end to her three-decade tenure. Sen. Jon Ossoff comfortably won reelection in Georgia. Other Senate seats to flip to
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Nov 04, 2026
US stocks jumped on Wednesday after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in a seismic midterm election, paving the way for a divided government.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose 2.8%, or around 1,400 points, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) climbed 1.7%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) traded up by 1.8% as Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) stocks touched record highs.
Markets swiftly repriced a Democratic sweep of the House and Senate — and the potential for ballot measures and newly elected officials to restrict data center construction. Chip stocks, including Nvidia (NVDA) and Micron (MU), fell
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Nov 04, 2026
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's social media company and meme coin both plunged after Democrats won a decisive victory in the midterm elections, dinging the multibillion-dollar fortune of a president whose slew of new business ventures became a defining feature of his second term.
Most Read from Bloomberg
Morgan Stanley Offers $2.3 Billion Debt for Dell Family DealDemocrats Sweep to Control of Congress in Rebuke of TrumpWhat the Democrats' Sweep of Congress Means for TrumpDemocrat El-Sayed Wins Michigan Race in Boost to ProgressivesDemocrats Clinch Huge Wins on Inflation Anger, Trump FatigueTrump Media & Technology Group Corp., the parent company of social media platform Truth Social, touched an all-time low of $5.03 on Wednesday. $TRUMP, the virtual token that Trump introduced days before his second inauguration, slid more than 10% in the past 24 hours, according to data provider CoinMarketCap.
The simultaneous drop in both assets — which trade heavily on retail spe
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Nov 04, 2026
CVS Health Corporation (CVS) announced plans on Wednesday to separate into two independent, publicly traded companies, reshaping one of the largest healthcare companies in the US.
Shares of CVS dropped more than 10% on Wednesday. The company also reported quarterly results.
CVS Health intends to separate its insurance, pharmacy benefit management, and healthcare services operations from its retail pharmacy and community healthcare segments.
The planned split marks a major shift from CVS Health's long-term strategy to bring together insurance, pharmacy benefit management, and healthcare services under one single structure.
Under the proposed plan, one company will retain the CVS Health name and house Aetna, CVS Caremark, CVS Specialty, Oak Street Health, and Signify Health.
The second entity will operate under the name CVS Pharmacy. It will include approximately 9,000 retail pharmacy locations and MinuteClinic locations, among other services.
Management believes separating the businesses will allow each organization to operate with greater independence while maintaining the ability to pursue partnerships across the healthcare industry.
The planned separation is expected to be completed in the first half of 2028.
On Wednesday, CVS also reported third quarter results with total revenue increasing 5.4% year over year to $108.4 billion, compared with $102.9 billion in the prior-
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Nov 04, 2026
Washington — President Trump has been asking advisers around him and on the phone whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should stay in his job, following Republicans' catastrophic losses Tuesday night, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CBS News.
Some White House aides have predicted some of the blame for GOP midterm losses will be trained on Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, who both played big roles in guidance on the Iran war.
Still, other sources said the president hasn't decided to replace Hegseth. Before the election, Democrats were already trying to impeach Hegseth, and the likelihood of an impeachment effort could increase with Democrats holding strong majorities in both chambers.
Vice President JD Vance is blaming the war for the GOP defeat. "The reason we lost is the war," he said in a lengthy post on X Wednesday morning.
One source told CBS News that GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is being floated as a possible replacement for Hegseth, arguing DeSantis could go through Senate confirmation in the lame-duck period and then take the post when his term as governor expires Jan. 5.
Asked for comment about reports that Hegseth's future as defense secretary, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement that Mr. Trump "has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth." In the statement, Kelly also praised the military operations in Iran and Venezuela and Hegseth's efforts to reverse the Biden Pentagon's prioritizing of "DEI and woke ideology."
This article originally appeared on CBS News at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-hegseth-midterm-election-losses/
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Nov 04, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump gave extended comments Wednesday, not about the Republican Party's midterm election wipeout but instead justifying his building a sprawling White House ballroom.
Trump invited reporters into a cavernous construction site and talked about the building project for nearly 20 minutes without mention sweeping Republican defeats around the country the night before.
"This has been a structure the likes of which has never been seen anywhere," Trump said before watching crews erect what he said would be the project's last beam and even signing what was being built.
The president had no public events on his schedule originally, but called reporters together at the last minute. He also briefly took questions, insisting, "If I were on the ballot I would have won."
He said a series of rallies he held leading up the election featured a lot of love from his supporters that "we weren't able to transfer love to the candidates."
Trump's continued heavy focus on the building project comes as midterm voters said they thought he was concentrating on the wrong issues during this year's campaign.
About two-thirds of voters said Trump does not have the right priorities, according to The AP Voter Poll survey — and the overwhelming majority of these voters supported Democratic House candidates. Roughly one-third of voters said Trump has the right priorities.
Even as Trump evaded blame for the election fallout, he had used a flurry of late campaign rallies to implore supporters to pretend that
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Nov 04, 2026
The ScoopAs soon as Republican Sen. Darline Graham won the GOP nomination to replace her late brother in August, Democrat Annie Andrews made her move.
Andrews immediately began spending more than $5 million on advertising in South Carolina's Senate race at a moment when she largely had the airwaves to herself as her new opponent struggled to raise money. At the time, Republicans were racing to prioritize other competitive races across the country — and most people in both parties still saw South Carolina as a pipe dream for Democrats.
But by October, when the rest of the country began tuning into South Carolina — and spending money — Andrews quietly became the frontrunner, according to internal campaign details shared with Semafor following her victory on Tuesday.
On Oct. 5, the Andrews campaign received a poll showing her with a 3-point lead over Graham. But the Democrat's campaign decided against publicly releasing the poll — or any subsequent internal poll — showing Andrews with a lead over Graham, wary of drawing too much attention from national Republicans and jeopardizing a peak at the right time, according to Chas Goldman, a strategist for Andrews.
That Republican attention did come, but not in time to save Graham in a state where Democrats hadn't won a Senate race since 1998. On a Senate map filled with shocking GOP losses, South Carolina stands out: It's the home of the National Republican Senatorial Committee chair, Tim Scott, and territory on which Democrats tried to compete statewide in 2020 — and lost handily.
Former GOP Rep. and Gov. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., told Semafor on Wednesday that he could feel the anti-Graham sentiment building on the state's coast but that most Republicans still felt that Graham could "nose it out" elsewhere. Ultimately, though, he said President Donald Trump's backing of Graham in a crowded primary which included Sanford and Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry "never sat well wi
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Nov 04, 2026
Vice President JD Vance blamed Republicans' sweeping midterm losses on the war with Iran on Wednesday, arguing that voters who backed President Donald Trump in 2024 turned against the Republican Party over the conflict.
"The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night," Vance wrote in a lengthy social media post.
The remarks represent a striking acknowledgment from the vice president that the administration's handling of the Iran conflict has become a political liability for Republicans, even as his boss has defended the approach to the war.
Vance also suggested that Republicans who supported the war should concede the political costs rather than look for alternative explanations for the Tuesday results.
"To the people who are pissed off and want to say, ‘I told you so': you're right, you did tell us so," he wrote in his lengthy post. "Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview."
Vance's assessment of the GOP wreckage quickly gained praise from some close to Trump. Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, reposted Vance's autopsy, adding: "Every word of this is ??????."
The vice president argued that Republican turnout was strong Tuesday but that many voters who supported his ticket two years ago instead cast ballots for Democrats.
"Our voters did show up," Vance wrote. "But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026."
Vance pointed to four answers an unnamed trusted pollster gave him about what voters said would win their votes back: ending the war, focusing on cost of living, putting "America First" and changing the U.S. relationship to Israel.
Vance — who was initially one of the least supportive members of the administration on the war in Iran but ultimately took on a public-facing r
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Nov 04, 2026
The results of the 2026 midterm elections have delivered a series of historic wins, with candidates across the country breaking barriers — and glass ceilings — at the ballot box. The results come amid a sweeping Democratic victory in a battle for control of Congress, with both chambers shifting from Republican to Democratic majorities starting in January.
Among the headline-making victories are the nation's first Black woman governor, the first Native American woman governor, the first Muslim U.S. senator and the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.
Here's a closer look at the historic wins of the 2026 midterms.
U.S. SenateAbdul El-Sayed
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Nov 04, 2026
US stocks glided higher on Wednesday after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in a seismic midterm election, paving the way for a divided government.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose 2.1%, while those on the S&P 500 (^GSPC) climbed 1.5%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) traded up by 2%.
AMD (AMD) stock fell slightly following the company's Q3 earnings beat.
Markets swiftly repriced a Democratic sweep of the House and Senate — and the potential for ballot measures and newly elected officials to restrict data center construction. Chip stocks, including Nvidia (NVDA) and Micron
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Nov 04, 2026
Capitals from Kyiv to Tehran were closely watching the U.S. midterm elections for clues about the direction of Washington's foreign policy after two erratic years that have put many leaders in conflict with President Donald Trump.
Those eager to see the president put on his back foot woke up Wednesday to find Republican losses even greater than they expected. But with Democrats set to control both houses of Congress, U.S. allies and foes alike are now wondering whether Trump - weakened and stymied at home - will act more aggressively or unpredictably on the world stage, where the executive has far more unilateral muscle, as he strives to secure a legacy in his remaining two years in office.
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A Democratic Congress could attempt to rein Trump in on several fronts, from imposing war powers restraints on Iran and further cutting back weapons sales and other aid to Israel, to constraining his tariff policies and resuming direct aid to Ukraine.
Implications for war in the Middle East
Tehran, which was hoping for a blow to Trump, now faces the question of whether the president - after such a resounding rebuke of his war policy at the ballot box - will still feel emboldened to resume strikes, as he has threatened in the run-up to the midterms.
On Wednesday, Iranian officials portrayed the Republican defeat as a public verdict on an unpopular and costly war.
"Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message. If the US govt betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian parliamentary speaker, said on X.
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Nov 04, 2026
Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX (SPCX) stock fell on Wednesday after Democrats took control of both houses of Congress in a "Blue Wave" that flipped Texas, home to both companies, with potential implications for CEO Elon Musk.
Musk spent $224 million backing Texas Republicans, including $158 million in September alone, per The New York Times, part of at least $446 million he gave to Republican candidates and groups before the vote. Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated Gov. Greg Abbott to become the first Democratic governor of Texas since 1990, and Democrat James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton for the Senate seat.
Tesla and SpaceX both dropped by over 2% despite the broad market rally, which includes Big Tech.
"Both of these stocks have major headline risk if we get a blue sweep," Vikram Rai of FirstNew York told Bloomberg ahead of the election.
Tesla's Austin gigafactory, its robotaxi service in multiple Texas cities, and SpaceX's Starbase launch site all sit under a Democratic governor. SpaceX moved its headquarters from California to Texas in
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Nov 04, 2026
LONDON (AP) — World leaders who have sparred with the "America first" President Donald Trump greeted the rout of his Republican Party in the U.S. midterm elections with a measure of relief Wednesday, allowing themselves to hope for a less combative U.S. foreign policy.
But that hope was seasoned with the expectation that American voters' rebuke would not necessarily end the U.S. conflict with Iran or change Trump's policies on tariffs or his lukewarm-at-best support for Ukraine and America's European allies.
Progressive politicians cast the results as part of a trend of liberal comebacks around the world, following recent defeats for populists on the right in Hungary, Brazil and Serbia.
Spain's social democratic Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X that Americans had voted "Against hate. Against machismo. Against climate denialism and against the privileges of the elites."
"It happened in Brazil. It just happened in the US. And it will happen soon in Spain," wrote Sánchez, who faces an election Nov. 29.
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Nov 04, 2026
NEW YORK (AP) — A reopened criminal investigation into gang rape allegations at Cornell University will be led by a former Manhattan federal prosecutor who oversaw high-profile sex crimes cases against music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs and fashion executive Peter Nygård, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Wednesday.
Jacqueline Kelly, a Cornell alumna and partner at the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, will serve as outside counsel for James' investigation, which was spurred by a former student's allegations in a September lawsuit that several men raped her at a fraternity party in October 2024.
Kelly and a team of lawyers and investigators from her firm and the attorney general's office will be responsible for gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, reviewing investigative records and reports, and analyzing the facts and applicable law, James said.
They will report to James, who was appointed last month by Gov. Kathy Hochul as a special prosecutor overseeing the Cornell probe. James, a Democrat, made the announcement a day after winning election to a third term.
Separately, two men named as defendants in the former student's lawsuit are want the attorney general removed from the investigation. They argue James is biased because of a social media post she made before her appointment that expressed support for the accuse
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Nov 04, 2026
A strong showing by Democrats in Texas swept Gina Hinojosa into office as the state's first Democratic governor since 1990 in a contest closely watched by Big Tech companies.
Texas is considered a bellwether for government restrictions on AI data centers and was just one place where deep voter unease over the build-out was on display. Voters across the country passed a series of local ballot measures aimed at restricting construction in the years ahead.
Hinojosa, Texas's first Latina governor, has pledged to impose a moratorium on data center construction in Texas, which accounts for more than 25% of planned US capacity by 2030.
"I want to say something to the powerful people who have gotten very comfortable running this state," she told supporters in her victory speech. "The voters have delivered a mandate for change, and it is change they will get."
Her victory was one of a series of wins for Democrats in Texas. The party is also on track to take control of the Texas House, which would give Hinojosa more power to follow through on restrictions even as the state Senate appears set to remain under Republican control.
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Nov 04, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are riding their sweep of Congress into a new era, eager to meet voter demands for change with plans to tackle high costs of living and confront President Donald Trump's final years in the White House.
In a nationwide romp, Democrats ousted Republicans from coast to coast, with many surprising places in between, as voters rejected the president's party for the promise of something different for the country. Their majorities will be padded by wide margins in both the House and the Senate.
The results set up a divided government, with Congress poised to reassert itself as a coequal branch ready to challenge Trump and reverse course after two years of unified GOP control.
"We hear you," said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who would make history as the first Black speaker of the House if his colleagues elect him to the job when the new Congress begins on Jan. 3, 2027.
"We're going to work hard to deliver on the dramatic change that you deserve," he said.
The tally was decisive, at times bewildering, for the staggering scope of Democratic gains and the depth of Republican losses. The swelling margins underlined a deep sense of voter anger and concern over
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Nov 04, 2026
Democrats have regained control of Congress, winning back the U.S. House and Senate as Republican midterm losses mount.
Coming into the night, Republicans held 53 of the Senate's 100 seats, compared with 45 held by Democrats. To wrest back control of the Senate, Democrats needed a net gain of at least four seats. As at 6 a.m. ET on Wednesday, the Democrats had won 54 Senate seats to the GOP's 44.
Democrats won a series of key Senate seats. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers in one of the most closely watched races. James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, becoming the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in the Lone Star State since 1988.
Annie Andrews beat GOP Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina to flip a Senate seat. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins, putting an end to her three-decade tenure. Sen. Jon Ossoff comfortably won reelection in Georgia. Other Senate seats to flip to the Democratic Party included Roy Cooper in North Carolina and Sherrod Brown in Ohio.
In the 435-seat House, the GOP held 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. To retake control of the House, Democrats needed a net gain of three seats — and the AP said early Wednesday that the party had exceeded that figure.
There were also
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Nov 04, 2026
What to know about the Iran war today:Iran's chief negotiator said Wednesday that the U.S. midterm election results reflected Americans' rejection of the war President Trump launched against his country. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf added a warning that if Mr. Trump does not heed the message from American voters, it will bring "a Nightmare."President Trump acknowledged Tuesday night that the war with Iran was partially to blame for the GOP's resounding midterm elections losses. But Mr. Trump told The Wall Street Journal he didn't regret the conflict and added he "would have done it again."Despite signs of a diplomatic push to reach a peace deal, ships continue to come under attack in the Strait of Hormuz. Four oil tankers caught fire after hitting mines while transiting the waterway, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Wednesday.
Iranians take to streets of Tehran for pro-regime rally
People marched through central Tehran Wednesday in a major pro-regime rally to mark the 47th anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy in the Iranian capital, chanting anti-U.S. and Israel slogans.
Some held signs calling for revenge for the killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the outset of the ongoing war, while others mocked President Trump.
"We are not happy about the surge in oil prices," said one woman, who gave AFP only her last name, Mahmoudkhani.
"But there is some satisfaction in knowing we are no longer living this torment alone. We, alone, have been suffering under sanctions for so many years," she added.
Some echoed Iranian officials doubts' that the election results would change much
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Nov 04, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — At the urging of President Donald Trump, Republicans in eight states redrew the boundaries of dozens of congressional districts over the past year while angling for an edge that could help them hold onto a slim House majority in a tough midterm election.
Ultimately, it didn't work.
Republicans lost most of the Democratic-held seats they had targeted to flip, lost others they had banked on retaining and got swept out of power by a Democratic surge fueled by voter dissatisfaction with Trump, the economy and the war with Iran.
The Republican redistricting plan fell flat in Alabama, Florida and Texas. It got scuttled by courts in Missouri and then firmly defeated by its voters Tuesday. And it got offset in California, where a retaliatory
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Nov 04, 2026
Democrats retook power in Washington on Tuesday after flipping key House and Senate seats to command majorities in both chambers of Congress.
The party secured control of the Senate after winning a series of races in historically red states including Texas, South Carolina, and Kansas to take control of at least 54 seats in the 100-seat chamber.
The party was also took control US House with that win becoming official early Wednesday morning after the party won key races from Pennsylvania to New Jersey to Colorado.
The power shift creates a new platform for Democrats to launch investigations of President Trump's economic allies — Elon Musk to name one — and pass bills that may be unlikely to become law but will mark a sharp change in the political climate for business leaders and economic issues after two years of unified Republican control.
The change also appears set to elevate figures like Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren and others to prominent positions with oversight over economic policy.
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Nov 04, 2026
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A U.S. cruise ship that forced all its passengers to disembark in Cambodia after suspending its operations last week has departed the Southeast Asian nation with only crew aboard, Cambodian officials said Wednesday.
The MV Odyssey, owned by Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, had been on an around-the-world cruise when it suspended its planned three-year voyage due to the sharp rise in fuel costs.
It had been docked for a scheduled stop at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand, when on Oct. 28 its 203 passengers were suddenly told they had to disembark within a few hours.
The ship left Sihanoukville late Tuesday with only crew and other personnel on board, said Tang Sochetkresna, director of the Tourism Department of Preah Sihanouk province. He said he didn't know the ship's next destination.
He said that nearly 100 passengers remained in Sihanoukville, while others were visiting other parts of Cambodia or had traveled on to other countries. Most of the ship's passengers were Americans.
The ship, with its 650-passenger capacity, had 156 crew members on board, but it was not clear how many departed with the ship.
There has been no official announcement of future plans for the cruise ship. Media reports suggested that a creditor had taken over its management and was having it sailed to Singapore, Southeast Asia's main maritime hub.
The abrupt end to the ship's voyage has drawn widespread attention because it had touted itself as a floating home, combining long-te
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Nov 04, 2026
President Donald Trump's allies on Wednesday tiptoed their way toward once unthinkable territory: blaming the president.
The unusual candor followed sweeping GOP defeats across the country, a repudiation of the president that matched some of the party's worst fears. Some pointed to the Iran war and its effect on gas and grocery prices. Others pointed to the president's demeanor.
"There's a little bit of a reckoning in the Republican Party about where they go," said Matt Dole, chair of the GOP in deep red Licking County, Ohio. "I think you're going to see a part of the Republican Party advocate for a return to normalcy, which is not repudiating Trump's ideology and policies, but will repudiate Trump's style."
"It sounds a little ironic," failed Maine Republican Gov. candidate Bobby Charles told POLITICO. "but I am nevertheless optimistic for the future because Trump's going to be gone in two years."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump and his advisors, meanwhile, blamed a myriad of factors, including Fox News, RINOs and "lazy" candidates — even as the party resoundingly lost both chambers of government and the blue wave rolled through deep red Texas, South Carolina, Iowa and Kansas.
Trump singled out Texas GOP governor Greg Abbott, who he called a "RINO," and absolved himself of blame, claiming Republicans would have won "in a landslide" had he been on the ballot.
Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump's adviser Alex Bruesewitz blamed the GOP's poor performance on candidates he described as "uninspiring, lazy and thoroughly ineffective communicators" — explicitly calling out Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), who struggled throughout the
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Nov 04, 2026
President Donald Trump spent two months urging Americans to pretend he was on the ballot. On Tuesday, they did just that.
Voters delivered a stunning rebuke to Trump's party that rivaled anything Republicans had suffered in 50 years, defeats on ruby-red turf that Trump won handily just two years ago, where he has dominated politics for nearly a decade and against candidates he had in some cases handpicked.
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Not only did Democrats flip Senate and governor seats in red states, but at times by eye-popping margins.
"The message is very clear and very simple here. It was a complete repudiation of the party as defined by Donald Trump," said Mike Murphy, a Los Angeles-based Republican consultant who worked for candidates in the pre-Trump GOP, including Jeb Bush and John McCain.
"We have a little saying in show business, 'box office poison,' and that's what Donald Trump has become."
More than 41 times in recent weeks, The Washington Post found, Trump told voters to act this November as if the midterms were a referendum on him - a bold dare for a president whose approval ratings had reached historic lows as a growing number of Americans reported opposing his policies and his behavior in office.
In just two years since Trump's remarkable presidential victory campaign, in which he vowed to lower consumer prices, he has generated deep resentment of his policies. Voters blamed his decision to go to war against Iran and his tariff policies for raisi
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Nov 04, 2026
Elon Musk contributed nearly half a billion dollars to Republican political efforts this cycle (Kent NISHIMURA)Tech billionaire Elon Musk joked on Wednesday about Republicans' defeat in US midterm elections after spending hundreds of millions of dollars to help the party.
Democrats seized control of the US Congress on Tuesday, capturing both the Senate and House of Representatives in a stunning rejection of President Donald Trump's political agenda.
"Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn't work this time," Musk said on X, including the shrug emoji.
Musk contributed nearly half a billion dollars to Republican political efforts, making him the largest individual contributor in a federal election cycle since unlimited election spending was allowed in 2010, according to campaign finance tracker OpenSecrets.
His donations have mostly gone to his Republican-leaning America PAC, as well as to the Republican Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) super PAC.
The SLF used Musk's $158 million in donations in September to support Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate candidate in Texas.
The Texas Senate election topped the list in terms of expenditure, with Paxton's Democrat challenger James Talarico facing more than $200 million in opposition from outside spending groups.
Talarico defeated Paxton, a close ally of Trump, to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas since 1994.
He took aim at Musk at a victory rally in Austin.
"In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths. The richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world and the entire Washington, DC establishment," Talarico said.
He also targeted billionaires "who own the social media algorithms, who own the cable news networks, who own the politicians fighti
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Nov 04, 2026
The 2026 midterm elections made history for several candidates, as voters are projected to have elected the country's first Black, Native American and Latina female governors and more major firsts.
All eyes were on the results Tuesday night in the high-stakes election, in which House and Senate races will determine the balance of power in Congress.
But the midterms have also seen an expansion of representation among America's lawmakers, with several candidates celebrating groundbreaking wins.
This story will be updated as more wins are projected.
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms is projected by ABC News to become the next governor of Georgia -- beating billionaire Rick Jackson in the closely watched race.
The projected win for Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, flips the Georgia governor's mansion blue in a state that President Donald Trump won in 2024.
In the closing stretch of the race, Bottoms often repeated on the campaign trail that Jackson "may have the money, but the people still have the power." Before the end of the cycle, Jackson had spent more than $200 million of his personal fortune on his campaign.
Megan Varner/Getty Images - PHOTO: Georgians Cast Their Votes In State's Primary Midterm ElectionsGeorgia hasn't elected a Democrat for governor since 1998. The seat is currently held by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who was term-limited this year.
This is a major win for Georgia Democrats, who have targeted this seat for years, falling short in 2018 and 2022 with Democrat Stacey Abrams. In 2018, Abrams lost to Kemp by a 1.4-point margin.
Deb Haalan
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Nov 04, 2026
It was a blue wave big enough to become a blue tsunami.
On Tuesday, the Democratic Party shattered a series of decades-long Republican winning streaks, notched several historic firsts and flipped both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as Americans in states and districts that voted to reelect President Trump just two years ago delivered a harsh judgment on the steep tariffs, rising gas prices, aggressive immigration raids and unresolved war in Iran that have so far dominated his second term.
"We didn't win this race by alienating our neighbors or shaming our neighbors or ridiculing our neighbors," Democrat James Talarico said after winning the Senate election in Texas. "We embodied a new kind of politics. A politics rooted in a deep love for our state, for our country and, most importantly, for all of our neighbors."
U.S. Sen.-elect James Talarico speaks during a midterm election night event at the Long Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas.Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesVotes were still being tallied and key races remained uncalled as Election Day came to an end. But as of 1 a.m. ET on Wednesday, when the last polls closed in Alaska, Democrats were
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Nov 04, 2026
It was a blue wave big enough to become a blue tsunami.
On Tuesday, the Democratic Party shattered a series of decades-long Republican winning streaks, notched several historic firsts and flipped both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as Americans in states and districts that voted to reelect President Trump just two years ago delivered a harsh judgment on the steep tariffs, rising gas prices, aggressive immigration raids and unresolved war in Iran that have so far dominated his second term.
"We didn't win this race by alienating our neighbors or shaming our neighbors or ridiculing our neighbors," Democrat James Talarico said after winning the Senate election in Texas. "We embodied a new kind of politics. A politics rooted in a deep love for our state, for our country and, most importantly, for all of our neighbors."
U.S. Sen.-elect James Talarico speaks during a midterm election night event at the Long Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas.Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesVotes were still being tallied and key races remained uncalled as Election Day came to an end. But as of 1 a.m. ET on Wednesday, when the last polls closed in Alaska, Democrats were
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Nov 04, 2026
It was a blue wave big enough to become a blue tsunami.
On Tuesday, the Democratic Party shattered a series of decades-long Republican winning streaks, notched several historic firsts and flipped both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as Americans in states and districts that voted to reelect President Trump just two years ago delivered a harsh judgment on the steep tariffs, rising gas prices, aggressive immigration raids and unresolved war in Iran that have so far dominated his second term.
"We didn't win this race by alienating our neighbors or shaming our neighbors or ridiculing our neighbors," Democrat James Talarico said after winning the Senate election in Texas. "We embodied a new kind of politics. A politics rooted in a deep love for our state, for our country and, most importantly, for all of our neighbors."
U.S. Sen.-elect James Talarico speaks during a midterm election night event at the Long Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas.Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesVotes were still being tallied and key races remained uncalled as Election Day came to an end. But as of 1 a.m. ET on Wednesday, when the last polls closed in Alaska, Democrats were
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Nov 04, 2026
Democrats have regained control of Congress, winning back the U.S. House and Senate as Republican midterm losses mount.
Coming into the night, Republicans held 53 of the Senate's 100 seats, compared with 45 held by Democrats. To wrest back control of the Senate, Democrats needed a net gain of at least four seats. Before the clock struck midnight on the East Coast, the Associated Press said the party would gain at least that amount.
Democrats won a series of key Senate seats. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers in one of the most closely watched races. James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, becoming the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in the Lone Star State since 1988.
Annie Andrews beat GOP Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina to flip a Senate seat. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins, putting an end to her three-decade tenure. Sen. Jon Ossoff comfortably won reelection in Georgia. Other Senate seats to flip to the Democratic Party included Roy Cooper in North Carolina and Sherrod Brown in Ohio.
In the 435-seat House, the GOP held 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. To retake control of the House, Democrats needed a net gain of three seats — and the AP said early Wednesday that the party had exceeded that figure.
There were also 36 gubernatorial races
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Nov 04, 2026
Former Wayne County and Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed, a child of Egyptian immigrants who ran on a progressive platform and has withstood an unprecedented level of attack ads against him and a campaign where he was unfairly described as a "jihadist" and sympathizer to terrorism, made history Nov. 4 by winning Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat.
Decision Desk HQ and Fox News called the race for El-Sayed by 2 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4.
He will become the nation's first Muslim U.S. senator when the next Congress takes office in January, having defeated Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers in a hard-fought race that saw incredible levels of outside spending and in-state intrigue right up to Election Day.
El-Sayed, 42, of Ann Arbor, replaces Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters who is stepping down after two six-year terms.
With 70% of the vote tallied, El-Sayed led Rogers 52%-46% and hadn't trailed in the count all night.
Rogers, a former FBI agent and staunch conservative making his second attempt in two years to win an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, was trying to overcome historical trends, political headwinds and the polls to become the first Republican to win a Senate seat in the state in 32 years.
El-Sayed will join a new Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate, that party having already been projected to flip Republican-held seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. Michigan had been widely looked at as Republicans' best chance of flipping a Democratic-held seat. Democrats, riding a wave nationwide, also took control of the U.S. House headed into President Donald Trump's final two years in office.
"You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates. This is all yours. Michigan, I cannot wait to serve you," El Sayed said in a speech to supporters in which
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Nov 04, 2026
Democrats have regained control of the U.S. Senate, winning races in several key states, and appear poised to win back the House as Republican midterm losses mount.
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff won reelection, easily defeating his Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins. In North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley to flip a Senate seat there. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews beat GOP Sen. Darline Graham to flip another. In Ohio, former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown defeated incumbent GOP Sen. Jon Husted, another flip. And in Texas, James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in the Lone Star State since 1988.
Coming into the night, Republicans held 53 of the Senate's 100 seats, compared with 45 held by Democrats. There are two independents — Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine — who caucus with the Democrats. To wrest back control of the Senate, Democrats needed a net gain of at least four seats. Before the clock struck midnight on the East Coast, the Associated Press said the party would gain at least that amount — with several other key races still to be decided.
In the 435-seat House, the GOP held 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. To retake control of the House, Democrats needed a net gain of three seats — and early returns suggest they are on their way to exceeding that figure.
There are also
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Nov 04, 2026
Democrat James Talarico defeated the state's attorney general Ken Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump who survived impeachment and years of scandal (ALEX WONG)Democrat James Talarico, a former schoolteacher and Presbyterian seminarian who campaigned on a "politics of love," on Tuesday won the US Senate race in Texas, dealing a historic blow to Republicans that could reshape American politics.
Talarico defeated the state's attorney general Ken Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump who survived impeachment and years of scandal, US media projected.
The result was a major setback for Trump, who threw his weight behind Paxton and made the state a campaign priority.
In another political earthquake for the deeply conservative southern border state, Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated incumbent Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Talarico and Hinojosa are the first Democrats to win statewide office in Texas since 1994.
Hinojosa, a 52-year-old attorney and state lawmaker, is part of a new generation of Democrats who are seeking to attract independents and voters disillusioned by Trump's unpopular war in the Middle East and skyrocketing prices for gas and everyday goods.
Thousands of supporters gathered at a watch party in Austin erupted in joy as the results came in, many of them crying and hugging.
Some chanted "Si se puede" ("Yes we can" in Spanish), while drivers passing by honked their horns in celebration.
"It's a huge win for Texas, but it's a giant win for the United States, having James Talarico in the Senate to try to wrest control of this government that's out of control," said Kathy Jackoway, an Austin resident in her 60s, who shouted and cried when the results were announced.
"Everybody is suffering. Everybody is hurting, and
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Nov 04, 2026
Democrat Troy Jackson has defeated Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, flipping a long Republican-held seat and giving his party a crucial win as they seek to flip the U.S. Senate, according to projections by CNN and Fox News.
Collins called her opponent to concede, Jackson campaign spokesperson Maggie Amjad confirmed to USA TODAY.
Jackson had just a few months to run his Senate campaign after oyster farmer Graham Platner dropped out of the race following accusations of sexual assault, which he denies. Platner's charisma and anti-establishment messaging had inspired a grassroots movement that helped him overtake Maine's Democratic Gov. Janet Mills in the Democratic primary.
Platner's exit from the race prompted worries about the Democrats' chances of defeating Collins, who has been in office for 30 years and is the only Republican to represent a state won by Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. The race remained in a dead heat through much of
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Nov 03, 2026
By Yasmeen Abutaleb
WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Democrat Annie Andrews won a US Senate seat in conservative South Carolina on Tuesday, according to media projections, ousting Republican Darline Graham in a state President Donald Trump carried by 18 percentage points just two ?years ago.
Andrews, a pediatrician, is the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in South Carolina in 28 years, a striking ?gain for a party that needed a net four seats to overturn Republicans' 53-47 majority.
Andrews' win in a state that neither Democrats nor Republicans considered competitive until recent weeks embodies ?the broader rejection of Trump and his handling of the economy during the first two years of his term.
The South Carolina Senate race attracted national attention after Darline Graham's brother, US Senator Lindsey Graham, died suddenly in July. Trump lobbied Governor Henry McMaster to appoint his sister — a little-known state employee who had never held elected office — to fill the late senator's seat and publicly encouraged her to run for the full term.
She defeated US Representative ?Ralph Norman for the Republican nomination in an August ?runoff, but divisions lingered. Norman told local media that he would vote for her but his family would not, and he declined to campaign with her.
Graham's inexperience was on display during a Republican runoff debate in August, when ?she said she was not "that informed on national security" and that national security was "not my thing." Senate Majority Leader John Thune did not endorse Graham but said she was a strong candidate. Former Republican Governor David Beasley and former Democratic Governor Jim Hodges jointly endorsed Andrews.
Republicans had privately worried that Graham was a ?weak ?candidate, according to a party strategist who spoke on condition of anonymity, and grew ?increasingly frustrated when the national party had to divert ?resources to prop her
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Nov 03, 2026
President Donald Trump sought to distance himself from Republicans' mounting midterm losses Tuesday, declaring in his first remarks on the election results that his party would have been victorious had he been on the ballot.
"I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" Trump wrote on social media.
Trump's efforts to sidestep blame for the growing blue wave came as Republicans were dealt stunning losses in deep red states and districts, with Democrats flipping Senate seats in Texas, South Carolina, Kansas and Ohio. Republicans also lost Senate races in North Carolina and Georgia, and are trailing in other key contests.
Trump told the New York Times that he is "absolutely willing to accept" the election results.
"We'll work with the Democrats, and we'll, you know, look forward to working with them. We'll pro
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Nov 03, 2026
Dr. Amy Acton speaks at a campaign rally in Toledo, Ohio, on Oct. 29, 2026. —Michael M. Santiago—Getty ImagesDr. Amy Acton will be Ohio's next governor, defeating her Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy in a heated race that has gained national attention in recent weeks over a controversial attack-ad against the Democrat.
On Tuesday evening, AP called the race for Acton, who previously served as the director of the state's health department during the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting that she won 50.8% of the vote with 86% of votes counted. Ramaswamy, who was backed by President Donald Trump, earned 45.9% of the vote, according to AP.
Acton's victory marks the first time in two decades that Ohioans have elected a Democrat to the governorship. It represents a significant blow to Republicans, who initially liked their chances in a state that the President won by double digits in the 2024 election.
Ramaswamy attack ad sparks widespread controversyThe race, which was an open battle since current Republican Gov. Mike DeWine was restricted from running again because of term limits, took a striking turn in the lead-up to Election Day. The Cook Political Report had previously rated the race as "Lean Republican," but later adjusted its analysis and marked it a "Toss Up." On Oct. 23, though, the Cook Political Report shifted the race slightly in Democrats' favor to "Lean De
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Nov 03, 2026
Election night is here. And with polls continuing to close across the country, Democrats have picked up several early victories, but it's still too early to tell if they'll regain control of Congress from Republicans, who are seeking to retain it.
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff won reelection, easily defeating his Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins. In New Hampshire, Democrat Chris Pappas defeated Republican John Sununu to become the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate. In North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley to flip a Senate seat there. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews beat GOP Sen. Darline Graham to flip another.
In the 100-seat Senate, Republicans currently hold 53 seats compared with 45 held by Democrats. There are two independents — Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine — who caucus with the Democrats. To wrest back control of the Senate, Democrats would need a net gain of four seats.
In the 435-seat House, the GOP currently holds 218, compared with 214 held by Democrats. To retake control of the House, Democrats would need a net gain of three seats — and they were well on their way to doing so.
There are also
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Nov 03, 2026
Democratic candidate for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, speaks at a rally with former President Barack Obama and Sen. Jon Ossoff in south Atlanta on Oct. 28, 2026. Alander Rocha/Georgia Recorder
Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, will be the first Democrat to occupy Georgia's top office in more than two decades and the first Black woman governor anywhere in the country.
Bottoms defeated her Republican opponent, healthcare executive Rick Jackson, who was endorsed by both outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp and President Donald Trump and who spent $200 million of his own money on the race.
The Associated Press called the race just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Bottoms will be the state's first Democratic governor since former Gov. Roy Barnes lost his bid for reelection in 2002. Republicans have had a grip on state government since Sonny Perdue won that election. Kemp has strong approval ratings but is term-limited and can't run again.
Bottoms, who served in the Biden administration after leaving city hall, ran a centrist campaign focused on pocketbook issues. In response to concerns over the massive growth of data centers and their impact on Georgians' power bills, Bottoms proposed a pause on their
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Nov 03, 2026
By Parisa Hafezi and Jana Choukeir
DUBAI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Iran and the United States are still far from a deal to end their war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump declined to rule out a resumption of US combat operations after the elections in the United States.
Trump made his comments in separate interviews as Americans voted in ?pivotal midterm elections in which the unpopular Iran war has been a key factor and as mediator Qatar stepped up efforts to avert a renewed escalation.
Overnight, the United States carried out "defensive" strikes on Iran's ?Qeshm island, targeting surface-to-air missiles used against US assets, a US official said. Another official said the strikes appeared limited and did not signal a return to major combat operations.
Trump on Tuesday renewed warnings of military action in an interview with the Fox News Channel. "I'm not looking ?to ... kill lots of people," he said. "If we have to, we'll have to."
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump suggested he was content with the state of the stand-off with Iran.
"We seem to be getting everything we want," the paper quoted him as saying in a six-minute telephone interview.
The FT said it asked Trump about what it called "strong hints" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there would be an attack later this week.
"I'm ready, we're ready. We're locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it," he replied.
Trump told the FT indirect negotiations with Iran about its stockpile of enriched uranium were ongoing. "We're having discussions, and we'll see how that all works out," ?he said.
Also on Tuesday, Trump made a surprise announcement of a deal with ?Netanyahu under which Washington would stop $4 billion in annual funding to Israel after this year, but would sell weapons to its close Middle East ally. The remar
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Nov 03, 2026
Election night is here, with polls beginning to close across the United States as voters cast their ballots in the 2026 midterms. And with control of Congress up for grabs, the stakes are high for both parties as President Trump heads into his final two years in office.
Democrats are seeking to regain control of both the House and Senate, while Republicans, who have held narrow majorities in both chambers since January 2025, are seeking to retain control.
In the House, there are 435 seats. And while all of them are technically up for grabs, roughly 80% (or about 350 seats) are not considered competitive. The GOP currently holds 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. To retake control of the House, Democrats would need a net gain of three seats.
In the Senate, there are 100 seats, with 35 up for grabs and 12 or so considered competitive. Republicans currently hold 53 seats compared with 45 held by Democrats. There are two independents — Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine — who caucus with the Democrats. To wrest back control of the Senate, Democrats would need a net gain of four seats. To maintain Senate control, Republicans could still lose a net of three seats, since a 50-50 split would give Vice President
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Nov 03, 2026
Just two miles short of the finish line of the 2026 New York City Marathon on Nov. 1, 24-year-old runner Rachel Apa collapsed. She died of a rare and potentially life-threatening illness that can be brought on by excessive exertion, the New York Times reported.
It's called rhabdomyolysis, and while there are relatively few cases nationwide each year, it can strike during endurance or intensive exercise, including marathons.
What happened to Rachel Apa? Apa was running her first marathon to raise money for Parkinson's disease in honor of her late grandfather, according to the New York Times. But Apa was no stranger to athletics, having played Division I field hockey in college. Her family said Apa had been in "perfect health." Plus, she'd been training for the race for months.
But at mile 18, Apa texted her father, Steve, who'd been checking in at each mile: "Ow." At the end of the next mile, she wrote, "Ow ow." She stopped responding after that. Apa's mother, Michelle, was at the race and had watched her daughter run by earlier on. Her parents noticed on the marathon tracking app that Apa stopped moving after mile 24.
Apa collapsed just after running past hospital social worker Michaela Nichols, who was cheering on participants. Nichols ran over and checked Apa's pulse, but couldn't find one. Three other people — two of whom said they were physicians — ran over to give Apa CPR. Marathon medical staff tried to revive her with a
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Nov 03, 2026
ASHEVILLE - A decade of control over North Carolina's coveted U.S. Senate seat ended after a campaign plagued by gaffes, scandals and self-inflicted wounds.
Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina's closely watched U.S. Senate race Nov. 3, flipping a seat held by Republicans since 2015 and delivering one of the nation's most consequential Democratic victories as Democrats battle for control of the U.S. Senate.
Cooper's win means North Carolina will send a Democrat to the Senate for the first time since Kay Hagan, who lost her reelection bid to Republican Thom Tillis in 2014. Tillis announced his retirement in 2025 after breaking with President Donald Trump over major budget legislation.
The victory also gives Democrats a critical pickup in their effort to overturn the Republicans' 53-47 Senate majority, a task requiring a net gain of four seats.
Cooper, who served two terms as governor after 16 years as attorney general, entered the contest with formidable name recognition and a history of statewide victories. His ca
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Nov 03, 2026
Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Chris Pappas meets with volunteers during a visit to a campaign field office on October 24, 2026 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
(John Tully/Getty Images)
In New Hampshire, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas defeated former Sen. John Sununu, a Republican backed by President Donald Trump, according to projections by Decision Desk HQ. Pappas will be the first out gay man to serve in the upper chamber.
This race, which had no incumbent, is one of a handful of competitive elections that will determine which party ultimately takes control of the Senate. Pappas' win protects a vulnerable seat for Democrats, who need to gain four seats to clinch a majority.
Pappas' win marks only the third time in history that an out LGBTQ person has been elected to the Senate. The first was Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who took office in 2013. The second was former senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned independent from Arizona. Laphonza Butler, the country's first Black lesbian senator, was not elected: California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her to the position in 2023 for a 14-month term.
Pappas' identity as a gay man was not central to his campaign, but he didn't shy away from sharing his life with voters, either. In his campaign announcement video, while promising voters that he can help get the country "back on track," Pappas and his husband hold hands and share a loving look.
Pappas previously represented New Hampshire's 1st Congressional Dist
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Nov 03, 2026
Election night is here, with the first polls beginning to close as voters across the United States cast their ballots in the 2026 midterms. And with control of Congress up for grabs, the stakes are high for both parties as President Trump heads into his final two years in office.
Democrats are seeking to regain control of both the House and Senate, while Republicans, who have held narrow majorities in both chambers since January 2025, are seeking to retain control.
In the House, there are 435 seats. And while all of them are technically up for grabs, roughly 80% (or about 350 seats) are not considered competitive. The GOP currently holds 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. To retake control of the House, Democrats would need a net gain of three seats.
In the Senate, there are 100 seats, with 35 up for grabs and 12 or so considered competitive. Republicans currently hold 53 seats compared with 45 held by Democrats. There are two independents — Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine — who caucus with the Democrats. To wrest back control of the Senate, Democrats would need a net gain of four seats. To maintain Senate control, Republicans could still lose a net of three seats, since a 50-50 split would give Vice
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Nov 03, 2026
"I have the ultimate power — it's called 'veto,'" President Trump told CBS News in an exclusive phone interview before polls closed across the country in this year's midterm elections, when asked about the prospect of a Democratic-controlled Congress next year.
Mr. Trump says he is prepared to veto Democratic legislation if necessary, and he welcomes the moniker "Mr. Veto," in terms of describing his approach to Democrats, should they win a majority in the House or Senate.
Pollsters have been predicting some GOP losses and in late October, CBS News' polling suggested Republicans could be on track to lose control of the House.
Still, Mr. Trump remained optimistic on Tuesday when asked about the Republican Party's chances during the phone interview. And he said that regardless of the results and the makeup of Congress next year, he feels confident about his ability to pursue his agenda in the coming two years. He remarked that recent Supreme Court decisions have empowered him and his administration to wield expansive executive powers inside the federal government even if Congress tries to block him.
In the interview, Mr. Trump cited Trump v. Slaughter, a Supreme Court decision from earlier this year that allowed him to fire Rebecca Slaughter, a member of the Federal Trade Commission, and said that 6-to-3 decision enables him to exert sweeping control over many federal agencies, boards and commissions, regardless of who holds majorities in the House and Senate.
"We won the Slaughter case and the Slaughter case gives the president tremendous powers that it never had before," Mr. Trump said.
The president
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Nov 03, 2026
Three states are planning to carry out a rare triple execution this week on Nov. 5.
Indiana is set to execute Jeffrey Weisheit, 50, by lethal injection for the 2010 murders of his girlfriend's two children, 8-year-old Alyssa Lynch and her 5-year-old brother, Caleb. The children were burned alive in their home.
Weisheit's attorneys are asking Gov. Mike Braun to pause his and all other executions in the state because of Christa Pike's botched lethal injection in Tennessee. Indiana uses the same single drug, pentobarbital, as Tennessee does for its executions.
Also Thursday, Alabama is set to execute Michael Shannon Taylor, 55, by lethal injection for the 1991 beating deaths of an elderly couple. Taylor repeatedly used an iron bar to hit 83-year-old Ivan Moore and 79-year-old Lucille Moore before stealing their wallets and car and going on a shopping spree.
The other state putting an inmate to death on Thursday is Florida, which is set to execute Jesse Guardado, 64, by lethal injection for the 2004 stabbing and beating death of a 75-year-old community activist named Jackie Malone
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Nov 03, 2026
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — As federal investigators continue their probe of Sunday's Learjet 60 crash in Palm Beach County amid rainy weather challenges, key pieces of evidence have been found, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Tuesday.
The jet's left tail elevator was found in three pieces Monday within a range of 1.3 miles to 3.8 miles away from the site of impact on South Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, NTSB member Tom Chapman said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
The elevator controls the up and down pitch of the plane. Chapman did not have further details on exactly where the pieces were found but said they are being kept for analysis.
Shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday, the private business jet encountered bad weather and turbulence above Palm Beach County and nose-dived, violently crashing into a major road and gouging a large crater in some of the lanes. All nine people aboard were killed, among them co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras, who attended West Boca High School when she earned her private pilot license at age 17.
The recovery of the elevator pieces is significant because it shows "some pieces of the aircraft, important pieces of the aircraft, separated before the impact," Chapman said.
"What that means exactly, in terms of what caused the aircraft to lose control or whether the loss of this piece was a result of the forces on the aircraft — we don't know yet … But finding that piece is a very, very significant bit of evidence," he said at the news conference.
On Tuesday, public works teams were working with NTSB to drain water from the crater, and an unstable utility pole was removed from the site, which Cha
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Nov 03, 2026
Investigators continue to work to "gather critical evidence" of what caused a Bahamas-bound Learjet to crash in Palm Beach County, Fla., on Nov. 1.
At a Nov. 3 National Transportation Safety Board press conference, spokesperson Tom Chapman called the investigation a "big puzzle to try to put together," with work at the impact site hampered by severe storms. The NTSB will be working with local public works teams this week to remove water from the crater caused by the plane's impact, where investigators expect to find airplane components that will help determine what went wrong.
Chapman had one notable development to share: The aircraft's left elevator — a control surface on the tail that controls the up-and-down pitch of the plane — was found in three pieces between about 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the crash site. Investigators believe it separated from the plane before impact. Chapman urged members of the public who find wreckage not to touch it and to call authorities.
Weather remains a key focus of the investigation, Chapman said. He also appeared to rule out a connection between the crash and the plane's proximity to President Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club.
Earlier in the day, Jeff Gregory, 55, of Gilbertsville, Penn., was identified as the plane's pilot. The crash killed all nine people aboard, including his copilot, Nathalia Filgueiras, and seven passengers,
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Nov 03, 2026
The Justice Department in recent days has continued moving at an aggressive clip in ramping up its criminal investigation into the Alaska U.S. Senate race, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News, with prosecutors in the process of issuing more than 100 subpoenas and at least twenty target letters and preservation notices alerting individuals they are targets of the probe.
The investigation began accelerating last week after The New York Times detailed alleged efforts by Democrats and some in Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, to be on the ballot with incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan.
Peltola denies knowledge of 'any other candidate' on Alaska Senate ballot besides herself and incumbent Dan SullivanThe target letters, which are being issued to Democrats whom investigators believe were involved in the recruitment effort, are an unusual step in such an early juncture in the investigation.
Among the recipients are Marc Elias, sources said, an attorney frequently attacked by Republicans over his extensive involvement in election-related litigation on behalf of Democrats.
"No one should be surprised that President Trump's Department of Justice is targeting me and my law firm on Election Day," Elias said in a statement. "This administration has repeatedly weaponized the DOJ against the President's political enemies despite zero evidence of wrongdoing, and we are the latest targets. We will not be intimidated by a sham investigation."
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Nov 03, 2026
Two people were killed -- one of whom died in a vehicle -- and hundreds of others were rescued since Sunday as a storm brought severe flooding in Palm Bay, Florida, according to Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina.
The deceased victims have been identified by Florida officials as Joshua Bennett, 34, and Archie Richards, 78
Emergency crews rescued hundreds of people from flooded areas using boats and special high-water vehicles, Medina said in a press conference Tuesday.
Port St. Lucie Police Department - PHOTO: In this screen grab from a video posted to social media, a truck travels through flood waters in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Nov. 3, 2026.Greg Lovett/USA Today Network via Reuters - PHOTO: Workers from A1 Moving move a voting machine out of Magnolia Park Town Hall polling precinct after flooding in the parking lot forced them to move to another location during the US midterm election in Magnolia Park, Fla., on Nov. 3, 2026. Some homes suffered major damage. One family reported that 38 inches of water had filled their living room, Medina told reporters.
"That is devastation within our city," Medina said.
Officials warned that flooding could continue even after the rain stops because water may take several days to drain. They urged residents to stay away from flooded roads, fast-moving water and downed power lines.
Election 2026 live updates: Americans cast their votes
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Nov 03, 2026
Featuring one of the most diverse slates of both Democratic and Republican candidates in recent years, this midterm election has set up a possible wave of historic leadership firsts across the country.
Voters on Tuesday could propel into office the first Native American female governor and Native women senators, the first Black female governor,the first openly gay U.S. senator and the first Muslim U.S. senator, among other milestones. Most are Democrats, but the GOP could also break ground.
While some of these candidates have avoided focusing on the inherent historic value of their race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, some voters' rights advocates are celebrating how the electorate has expanded.
"These firsts show how our country is changing," Alexis Anderson-Reed, president and CEO of State Voices, a network of advocates for civic engagement and equity in democracy, said via e-mail.
"For years, people of color and LGBTQ communities have organized, knocked on doors, talked to voters, held conversations, and done the hard work of saving our democracy," Anderson-Reed said. "These wins are because of them."
Here are some
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Nov 03, 2026
Authorities have captured a convicted murderer who evaded law enforcement for more than a week after escaping from a Tennessee prison. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday that Jacob Morley was back in custody. He was arrested near Kansas City, Missouri, investigators said.
"Thank you to the public for your assistance, vigilance, and the tips provided during this investigation," the bureau said in a statement. "We also thank all of our law enforcement partners for their continued efforts to safely bring this search to a successful conclusion."
Missouri State Highway Patrol said it handled Morley's arrest alongside multiple partner agencies, after Tennessee authorities reported that Morley may be traveling through Missouri, based on footage obtained through Flock cameras. The arrest at around 11:30 a.m. local time near Norbone, a small city about an hour's drive from Kansas City, the state agency said.
Little information about the inmate's escape, and the multi-state search for him, have been made available since Morley broke out of prison. But investigators said more will be released as it becomes available.
Morley, 28, was serving a life sentence at the Northwest Correctional Complex in an isolated part of Tiptonville, a town roughly 90 miles from Memphis in northwestern Tennessee. He had been convicted of killing a coworker four years ago, according to the Tennessee
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Nov 03, 2026
LONDON (AP) — Mysterious cyberattacks on European supermarket fridges have sent officials around the continent scrambling to figure out the cold, hard facts.
Supermarkets in a number of European countries reported this week that their fridges and freezers warmed up after they were remotely taken over, resulting in tons of spoiled food at a total cost of millions of dollars (euros).
One Swedish supermarket said its fridges and freezers had been hacked and set to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
It's a repeat of an earlier incident that struck refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores across France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Here's a closer look:
What happened and who was affected
Supermarkets in at least half a dozen European countries, including Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Italy and Estonia, reported problems on Monday.
It wasn't just big chains.
The owner of a butcher shop in Athens told private Greek Skai TV Tuesday that someone hacked into the temperature control of a refrigeration unit, raising the temperature to 150 degrees Celsius (302 degrees Fahrenheit).
George Boubas said his employees who start their shift at 4 a.m. at the shop in the Kifisia suburb first noticed the problem. It took a technician two hours to wrest back control of the unit's temperature settings, although the meat products weren't affected, he said.
Boubas said the technician told him that an area supermarket and a fast-food restaurant experienced the same issue.
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Nov 03, 2026
Violence at parties and other festivities marred the Halloween weekend, as police in multiple cities across the country investigated shootings and other mayhem that left at least 124 people shot, 17 fatally, authorities said.
"This is not normal," Delaware Gov. Matt Meyers said after shootings erupted at Halloween events in two cities in his state over the weekend. "We must never accept gun violence as part of life in Delaware."
KXTV - PHOTO: In this screen grab from a video, first responders are shown at the scene of a shooting at a Spirit Halloween store inside the Solano Town Center in Fairfield, Calif., on Oct. 30, 2026.Shootings occurred over the weekend at Halloween house parties and street parties in at least 15 cities, from California to Delaware, and the victims included a 5-year-old girl still in her Halloween costume, a pregnant woman and a college student, according to law enforcement officials. One shooting even occurred at a Halloween supply store.
15 shot, three fatally, in Chicago over Halloween weekendThe Chicago Police Department said officers responded to multiple shootings that left 15 people shot, three fatally.
Police said the victims who were killed included a 35-year-old man who was shot during an argument in the Mayfair neighborhood. One person of interest was taken into custody, police told ABC Chicago station WLS.
A 29-year-old man was killed and three others were shot in the North Lawndale neighborhood, when a two gunman exited a car and opened fire as the victims stood on a sidewalk.
A 41-year-old man died early Sunday after being shot and transporting himself to Holy Cross Hospital. No further information was released on the shooting.
2 shootings in Delaware leave girl dead and 8 other
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Nov 03, 2026
Election Day is here. Today, voters across the United States are heading to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2026 midterms. And with control of Congress up for grabs, the stakes are high for both parties as President Trump heads into his final two years in office.
Democrats are seeking to regain control of both the House and Senate, while Republicans, who have held narrow majorities in both chambers since January 2025, are seeking to retain control.
In the House, there are 435 seats. And while all of them are technically up for grabs, roughly 80% (or about 350 seats) are not considered competitive. The GOP currently holds 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. One seat is occupied by an independent (Rep. Kevin Kiley of California), and there are two vacancies (seats formerly held by GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas and Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, who each resigned). To retake control of the House, Democrats would need a net gain of four seats.
In the Senate, there are 100 seats, with 35 up for grabs and 12-or-so considered competitive. Republicans currently hold 53 seats compared with 45 held by Democrats. There are two independents — Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine — who
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Nov 03, 2026
Prediction markets and pollsters both say Democrats are favored to take both the US House and Senate in the midterms. Prediction markets have been a little less certain about it, though traders' odds jumped on Tuesday on the chances of Democrats taking control of the Senate.
That's setting up what could be another chapter in the burgeoning rivalry between prediction markets and polls following 2024's closely watched results.
The differences have been most evident in the upper chamber. A small but consistent gap has been evident for months in the odds of Democrats winning control of the Senate. The gap has averaged about 7.3 percentage points since Sept. 1, according to a Yahoo Finance analysis.
But the gap has narrowed approaching Election Day, closing to 2.9 percentage points on Tuesday morning. Three prediction markets place a 77.3% chance of Democrats taking control, while two polling-based models put the chances a bit higher at 80.2%.
The odds have been a bit more evenly matched around the House of Representatives, with an average gap of less than a percentage point in recent months.
The latest read on Tuesday showed a 2.2-percentage-point gap, with prediction markets suggesting a 94% chance of Democrats flipping the chamber, versus 96.2% odds from polls.
This analysis was conducted by averaging the daily odds from three leading prediction markets, Kalshi, P
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Nov 03, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will stop providing $4 billion in aid each year to Israel in 2027 but will sell arms to its closest ally in the Middle East, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.
The Republican president told Fox News Channel during a phone call on Election Day for the midterms that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approached him about the idea and that they have been talking about it for a couple of years.
Trump said Israel doesn't need the aid and it's a lot of money for the U.S. to spend. But Trump also said that U.S. aid to Israel has become a Democratic talking point for candidates such as Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a vocal critic of Israel.
"You can consider it barter. You can consider military aid or cash," Trump said. "Look, we give them $4 billion of things and money, and they don't need it. And I was approached by Bibi Netanyahu, and we've been talking about it for a couple of years because it's a lot of money."
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu's office.
Tens of billions of dollars have gone to Israel
The United States has sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel over the last few years.
In 2016, President Barack Obama, a Democrat, signed an unprecedented security agreement with Israel to give its military $38 billion over 10 years, amounting to $3.8 billion a year. Under the agreement, I
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Nov 03, 2026
The private jet, bound from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, plummeted into the ground Nov. 1 near Greenacres and exploded into a fireball. All nine people onboard were killed.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were occurring in the area at the time the jet went down, forecaster AccuWeather said in a statement.
Moments before the crash, a person in the cockpit said the crew was "managing the ice," encountering "moderate" turbulence and seeking "better rides," according to audio posted by LiveATC, a website that broadcasts air traffic control communications. That dramatic audio led to significant online criticism of the 20-year-old co-pilot, Nathalia Filgueiras, from Boca Raton. The pilot has not been identified.
"Let people investigate, learn, and share the facts," Isaacman wrote on X. "Be respectful to those who perished and the families who carry their memories. God bless them and their loved ones."
— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) November 2, 2026
NASA Administrator defends Learjet copilot
"Writing this in my personal capacity, but I have been flying these types of ai
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Nov 03, 2026
Election Day is here. Today, voters across the United States are heading to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2026 midterms. And with control of Congress up for grabs, the stakes are high for both parties as President Trump heads into his final two years in office.
Democrats are seeking to regain control of both the House and Senate, while Republicans, who have held narrow majorities in both chambers since January 2025, are seeking to retain control.
In the House, there are 435 seats. And while all of them are technically up for grabs, roughly 80% (or about 350 seats) are not considered competitive. The GOP currently holds 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. One seat is occupied by an independent (Rep. Kevin Kiley of California), and there are two vacancies (seats formerly held by GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas and Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, who each resigned). To retake control of the House, Democrats would need a net gain of four seats.
In the Senate, there are 100 seats, with 35 up for grabs and 12-or-so considered competitive. Republicans currently hold 53 seats compared with 45 held by Democrats. There are two independents — Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine — who
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Nov 03, 2026
Months before the high-stakes Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, Jason Turkish took such a hands-on role in Rep. Haley Stevens's campaign that her senior staff called a meeting without her to devise how to restrict his role, according to multiple people familiar with the meeting.
Turkish was seen as relatively new to Stevens's orbit. Most of the congresswoman's senior staff knew him as a top donor some had met earlier in the campaign, which launched in 2025.
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By early June, Stevens and Turkish were said to be secretly engaged, according to multiple former campaign staffers who said the one-time donor had become Stevens's most important adviser. Stevens soon added him to private campaign text chains, one of the reasons staff called a meeting to figure out how to curtail his interactions with the team, according to one of the people familiar with the meeting.
Tensions between staffers and a candidate's spouse or significant other are not uncommon in a campaign's intense atmosphere. They tend to erupt in crisis moments, and Stevens was facing tough polling in her race with Abdul El-Sayed.
Now questions about Turkish's role in Stevens's primary campaign have been revived in the general election's closing hours, after the Democratic congresswoman's 11th-hour reversal of support for El-Sayed, the progressive Democrat who won the primary. This account is based on interviews with more than a dozen former Stevens campaign aides and other people familiar with the campaign.
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Nov 03, 2026
It has been a busy few days for Changpeng Zhao in the wake of the hack on the enormous crypto platform he co-founded, Binance.
"It's been a pretty hectic process," Zhao, better known in crypto circles as CZ, told Yahoo Finance. "But the good thing is right now the withdrawals have been restored, the systems back to normal. People are free to use the platform without any issues now. And then all user funds are covered. The users did not suffer any loss."
Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency trading platform and holds approximately $171 billion in total assets on its platform. The company is led by co-CEOs Richard Teng and Yi Le.
Hackers recently drained roughly $6.3 billion worth of digital assets from Binance on Oct. 29.
Blockchain intelligence firms and the FBI attributed the 20-minute raid with high confidence to TraderTraitor, an elite state-sponsored cyber unit tied to North Korea.
North Korea reportedly denied involvement.
Rather than cracking private cryptographic keys, the attackers reportedly breached internal automated transaction workflows via a Binance employee's laptop.
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Nov 03, 2026
By Erin Banco and Jonathan Landay
WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - US intelligence sharing on Iran and other global threats with Congress and across the federal government has slowed and, in some cases, temporarily stopped during President Donald Trump's second term, according to eight current and former officials and people briefed on the matter.
Former officials and outside experts said the disruptions risk leaving policymakers with an incomplete picture of threats facing ?the country, echoing intelligence failures exposed after the Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks. The slowdown comes as the administration weighs whether to resume strikes on Iran after the midterm elections on Tuesday.
The problems emerged during ?Tulsi Gabbard's tenure as director of national intelligence, amid deep tensions between her office and the CIA. While those tensions have subsided since her resignation in June, problems stemming from the clash persist, according to two US officials familiar with the matter.
The CIA has stopped co-authoring assessments with the National Intelligence Council (NIC), ?an analytical group within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the officials said, reducing the number of reports that pull together the intelligence community's views for decision-makers on subjects including Iran.
Lawmakers and their staffs also briefly stopped receiving intelligence reports from Gabbard's office in the days after the US military intervention in Iran in June 2025 and again after the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, according to two people familiar with the matter. Gabbard's team had accused lawmakers of leaking to the press.
The disruption in intelligence sharing has not been previously reported.
CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons said the CIA "participates fully" in the process of providing intelligence assessments through the Presidential Daily Brief,
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Nov 03, 2026
Election Day is here. Today, voters across the United States are heading to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2026 midterms. And with control of Congress up for grabs, the stakes are high for both parties as President Trump heads into his final two years in office.
Democrats are seeking to regain control of both the House and Senate, while Republicans, who have held narrow majorities in both chambers since January 2025, are seeking to retain control.
In the House, there are 435 seats. And while all of them are technically up for grabs, roughly 80% (or about 350 seats) are not considered competitive. The GOP currently holds 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. One seat is occupied by an independent (Rep. Kevin Kiley of California), and there are two vacancies (seats formerly held by GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas and Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, who each resigned). To retake control of the House, Democrats would need a net gain of four seats.
In the Senate, there are 100 seats, with 35 up for grabs and 12-or-so considered competitive. Republicans currently hold 53 seats compared with 45 held by Democrats. There are two independents — Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine — who
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Nov 03, 2026
Bob Page, the Orange County registrar of voters, speaks to journalists last week at the ballot facility in Santa Ana. (Apu Gomes / Getty Images)Americans are heading to the polls Tuesday in a historic set of midterm elections that will determine which party controls the chambers of Congress for the remainder of President Trump's time in office.
Democrats appear poised to make significant gains, with polling showing the party up between 7 and 11 points on the generic ballot. Republicans are braced for losses but hoping to hang on to Senate control.
The night's big question is whether a true wave will materialize for Democrats and how sizable it might be — how many U.S. House seats the party can flip, whether it can secure a Senate majority and whether Democrats take control of a majority of governorships.
The first polls close at 3 p.m. PST in parts of Kentucky and Indiana, and more Eastern states follow at 4 p.m. Here's a rundown of the possible outcomes and what to watch as Tuesday unfolds.
Who could control Congress? Democrats could win a House majority — either substantial or modest — while Republicans retain the Senate.
Split control of Congress would give House Democrats the ability to launch investigations into the Trump administration and block Republican legislative priorities. Senate Republicans would be able to scuttle legislation coming out of the House and continue approvi
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