In today\u2019s newsletter: A thumping night for the Democrats has seen the party take control of Congress, altering the course of Trump\u2019s second presidency<\/p>\n
Good morning. While you were sleeping, a political earthquake hit the United States and it\u2019s still climbing up the Richter scale. Voting in Alaska and Hawaii wrapped up only hours ago, but early midterm results streaming in from across the US are making history for the Democrats<\/a>, as they cash in on Trump\u2019s plummeting popularity.
Democrats have taken control of the Senate<\/a> and<\/em> the House of Representatives, and the scale of their successes are far larger, and the speed at which they\u2019ve materialised far quicker, than had been expected. Some of the most hotly contested races of the night have already been called, with Democrats flipping seats in Texas, Ohio and Kansas.
Donald Trump has, with characteristic grace, already blamed the results on the fact that he wasn\u2019t on the ballot, saying if he was \u201cwe would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!\u201d. That\u2019s despite the fact he spent the campaign telling voters to pretend it was<\/em> his name on their paperwork. Later, he appeared on a social media post wearing a hat emblazoned with the word \u201cVETO\u201d.
Today\u2019s First Edition has all you need to know this morning: the latest results, a guide to what comes next, and insights from our senior politics reporter for Guardian US, Chris Stein<\/strong><\/em>, in Washington. That\u2019s after this morning\u2019s other headlines.
EU trade deal <\/strong><\/em>| Andy Burnham is preparing to announce billions of pounds of trade deals with the EU<\/a> covering everything from youth visas to pet passports under his vision of a much closer relationship with the bloc.
UK news <\/strong><\/em>| A \u201cwell-known individual\u201d has failed<\/a> in his bid to stop two media organisations from publishing allegations of inappropriate sexual activities, the high court has ruled.
UK politics <\/strong><\/em>| Reform UK\u2019s leader on Hampshire county council has been charged with 12 counts of rape<\/a> and one of distributing indecent images of a child.
UK news <\/strong><\/em>| King Charles has said that deepening his understanding of the horrors of slavery has made him more determined<\/a> to address the wrongs of the past, as Caribbean leaders and campaigners intensified demands for an apology and reparations from Britain.
Climate crisis <\/strong><\/em>| Countries can start to break their dependence on fossil fuels now without needing to wait<\/a> for new technologies or economic changes, Brazil\u2019s government has said ahead of a global climate summit.
The results you\u2019re waking up to mark a major turnaround for Republican rule. Since the start of Trump\u2019s second presidential term, the party has controlled both chambers of Congress, the US legislative body. This, along with the conservative majority in the supreme court, has given the right free rein over all three branches of the US federal government. Just two years ago, the Democrats looked to be a party with no clear route back to power in Washington DC. Now, a swell of victories has seen them take control of Congress.
Some Democrat gains would have been par for the course: in 90% of midterm elections in the past 80 years, the president\u2019s party has lost House seats. But these wins are massive. In the last couple of hours, results have come in thick and fast \u2013 with historic Senate wins for the Democrats in Texas<\/strong>, Iowa<\/strong>, Kansas<\/strong>, Maine,<\/strong> Ohio <\/strong>and South Carolina <\/strong>\u2013 where Democrat Annie Andrews made a shock win in a seat where a Democrat hasn\u2019t been elected to the Senate since 1998. That means the party now has (at least) 53 seats, a clear majority in the 100-member house, and more victories expected.
It\u2019s been a big night of firsts too \u2013 in Minnesota<\/strong>, Peggy Flanagan has become the first Native American US senator, in Wisconsin<\/strong>, Democrat David Crowley won the gubernatorial race, making history as the state\u2019s first Black governor, and in Kansas<\/strong>, Adam Hamilton has become the first Democrat to win a US Senate<\/a> seat in the state in nearly a century. The House is poised to have its first ever Black speaker in Hakeem Jeffries, who has declared that \u201cAmerica is back\u201d. He said: \u201cToday begins the great American comeback. The American people have spoken all across the land.\u201d
All eyes on the East<\/strong>
Results from states on US Eastern Time have been making headlines already.
In Georgia<\/strong>, Democrat senator Jon Ossoff, who has been cited as a potential presidential contender in 2028, fought off a challenge<\/a> from Mike Collins, a Trump-backed congressman. Ohio<\/strong> saw Democrat Sherrod Brown, who represented the state for 18 years before losing in 2024, returning to the US Senate.
If that\u2019s not enough drama, turn your focus to Maine<\/strong>. Republican senator Susan Collins has been in office since 1997, despite the state itself often turning blue in presidential races. An hour ago, she lost her seat to Democrat Troy Jackson. In Mississippi<\/strong>, the US Senate race is on a knife\u2019s edge with 97% of votes counted \u2013 it\u2019s a seat that even the most optimistic of Democrats didn\u2019t predict could be in reach.
Michigan<\/strong>, a swing state that has been one of this election cycle\u2019s mostly fiercely contested, is also looking likely to be taken by the Democrats, according to projections. The senate seat here was already in Democratic control, though the state (narrowly) backed Trump in 2024. There are two key races here with Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official firmly on the left of the Democratic party, hoping to win a Senate seat. If successful, he\u2019ll have fought off not just his Republican rival, former congressman Mike Rogers, but efforts by his former Democratic primary opponent, Haley Stevens, to secure a Republican victory.
And there\u2019s Michigan\u2019s 7th congressional district, where progressive candidate and co-founder of climate activist organisation the Sunrise Movement, William Lawrence, is taking on a Republican incumbent in a seat that oscillates red and blue by the finest of margins. \u201cIf they win, the left will argue that progressives and policies like Medicare for All can win in swing territory,\u201d says Chris. \u201cIf they fail, centrists will blame left-wingers and the Democratic Socialists of America for hurting the party.\u201d
Middle ground<\/strong>
In Texas<\/strong> Democratic state representative James Talarico executed an impressive campaign<\/a>, and has beaten sleaze-and-scandal laden<\/a> Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton \u2013 giving a clear signal of American inclinations. \u201cEvery billionaire mega donor, every trillionaire mega donor \u2026 power belongs to the people,\u201d Talarico declared on his victory.
Texas also has 38 seats in the House of Representatives being contested, and the state has been a focal point for gerrymandering in recent years, with district boundaries redrawn to benefit Republicans<\/a>. It was previously predicted these changes could hand the Republicans five extra seats but these gains looked not to have materialised. \u201cIt\u2019s another sign Latino voters who broke Republican in 2024 won\u2019t do so again,\u201d says Chris.
It took 22 days for Iowa<\/strong> to announce its final results in 2024, but we have its results far sooner this time. The midwestern state hadn\u2019t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008, but a Dem running on centrist platforms has won here<\/a>, along with the governorship and three House districts. Much like success in Michigan will be a progressive talking point, victories here will be central to the moderate Democrat narrative.
Go West<\/strong>
The west coast is solid ground for the Democrats. Nevada<\/strong> in particular saw Democrats target House seats they viewed as ripe for flipping. In California<\/strong>, redrawn district boundaries (a tit-for-tat response to Texas gerrymandering) will probably see Democrats pick up extra seats.
But really, it\u2019s the Alaska<\/strong> Senate race where your attention should be focused later. Both seats are Republican, something Democratic candidate and seasoned politico Mary Peltola hopes to put an end to. Her chances looked good, entering the race hoping to capitalise on Alaskans anti-Trump sentiments<\/a>. In the final stretch, however, she has faced allegations of mistreating staff<\/a> and ballot stacking<\/a>. And if this one\u2019s close, we\u2019ll be waiting a while: Alaska accepts ballots up to 15 days after the polling day.
The scale of success<\/strong>
All eyes are on the size of the majorities Democrats can now clock up. The Republican majority in the House is wafer thin, so it was widely expected to flip blue. \u201cA good night for Democrats would have been a House majority in the double digits,\u201d says Chris, alongside any size of Senate majority. It\u2019s looking increasingly like both will come to pass.
The consequences could prove pivotal. Control of the Senate will now allow Democrats to reject Trump\u2019s nominees for cabinet positions, ambassador posts and judicial appointments, including to the supreme court, just as two of its conservative justices are thought to be gearing up for retirement. Taking the House, meanwhile, will stymie the Republican agenda, ensuring legislation can only pass through the chamber with Democratic support. Dems will now also have the power to launch investigations into the Trump administration and to impeach federal officials. Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> has already promised to \u201chold the crooks accountable\u201d.
Soul searching<\/strong>
With their wins stacking up, there\u2019ll be spin aplenty from both left and right within the Democratic party looking to shape the narrative, as its identity crisis continues. Yesterday\u2019s vote was by all accounts a stonking success, but what next for the party is far from certain. \u201cTheir electoral coalition had fallen apart since the Obama years,\u201d says Chris. The party has no clear leader, and remains unpopular, with low favourability ratings. An ideological skirmish will continue into next year\u2019s Presidential primaries.
But, Chris adds, \u201cthis resounding victory shows how weak the Republicans<\/a> are. For the Democrats, these wins are beyond their wildest dreams. Yes, they still have to find a leader, and yes, they have their unpopularity to deal with. Yes, they\u2019ll have to deliver on their governing promises and it\u2019s going to be a messy two years with Trump in the White House still.\u201d But, \u201cthis is proof Dems can<\/em> still win even in the reddest places.\u201d
For Republicans, meanwhile, as the president enters lame-duck territory, the question of what the party looks like post-Trump will need to be answered. \u201cThis midterm was fundamentally a test of whether Americans are still behind Trump,\u201d says Chris. By all accounts, they aren\u2019t. \u201cThese results take the lustre off of his presidency. It\u2019s a terrible night for him and the Republicans.\u201d And that\u2019s a reality no amount of Truth Social posting can hide.
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\u201cPM to reveal EU youth visa pact and trade deals worth billions\u201d, is the Guardian<\/strong>\u2019s front page today.
The Times<\/strong> splashes \u201cSlavery was evil but we helped end it, says King\u201d, the Mail<\/strong> writes \u201cBritain has leading role in ending the slave trade, says Charles\u201d, and the i Paper<\/strong> has \u201cKing says slavery was \u2018monstrous\u2019 \u2013 but stops short of offering apology\u201d. The Express<\/strong>\u2019s take is \u201cAndy\u2019s plan to say sorry for slave trade will cost us\u201d.
Elsewhere, the Telegraph<\/strong> leads on \u201cCalls to scrap \u2018chilling\u2019 trans law\u201d, the FT<\/strong> says \u201cNvidia demands cut in clients\u2019 China dealing to protect American AI lead\u201d, the Sun<\/strong> splashes \u201c\u2018Sex pest\u2019 loses gag big\u201d and the Mirror<\/strong> writes \u201cSex claim star loses bid to hide name\u201d. Lastly Metro<\/strong>, on the fridge cyber-attack, says \u201cEven our spooks are spooked\u201d.
Why are fridges being hacked and what could be next?<\/strong>
Supermarket fridges and freezers in several European countries have malfunctioned after a reported cyber-attack, with their thermostats remotely cranked up. It is unclear who is behind the latest apparent attack but the EU has condemned what it said was \u2018a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply\u2019. It comes as the UK\u2019s cybersecurity body warns AI-powered malicious software is \u2018highly likely\u2019 to be used in hacking attacks against the UK\u2019s power stations, airports and hospitals by 2028. Lucy Hough speaks to global tech reporter Aisha Down<\/a>.
A bit of good news to remind you that the world\u2019s not all bad<\/em>
After years of being terrified to move, one bike ride<\/a> changed Patty Azzarello\u2019s life. When Azzarello was 10 years old she was diagnosed with scoliosis, severe lordosis, where the spine is excessively curved, and spondylolisthesis, meaning a vertebrae was out of place.
She was told that a simple bump or fall could sever her spinal cord, leaving her paralysed. This led to years of anxiety about exercising.
When she moved to Colorado in her 30s, a co-worker invited Azzarello on a bike ride and she accepted, not realising it was a 20 mile ride. Azzarello realised that her body was stronger than she thought. Since then, she\u2019s hiked the Alps and cycled for entire days. Today, at 60, Azzarello remains incredibly active. \u201cI am no longer ashamed of my body,\u201d she says. \u201cIt has become my ally.\u201d
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