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It’s Election Day in Florida LAKELAND — Donald Trump’s sagging public approval numbers have led to an expectation that Democrats will have a big night around the country on Tuesday. But the essential question in Florida is whether any sort of “blue wave” makes its way to the Sunshine State? https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/03/its-election-day-in-florida/? As a potential Democratic wave looms, Trump’s DOJ angles for last-minute power over midterms American democracy faces one of its biggest stress tests of the modern era, as President Donald Trump’s sprawling campaign for power over elections encounters a firewall of judges, state election workers and voting rights leaders heading into Election Day. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/02/repub/as-a-potential-democratic-wave-looms-trumps-doj-angles-for-last-minute-power-over-midterms/? FSU gets feds’ support to prevent sexual assault Florida State University is a recipient of a $400,000 federal grant to “combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/02/fsu-gets-feds-support-to-prevent-sexual-assault/?

Child in New York dies after contracting measles A child in Lewis County, New York, has died after contracting measles, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Monday. It is the state’s first measles-related death in 30 years. This comes as more than 4,800 measles cases have been reported across the US this year — the most since 1991 — and as the Trump administration continues to retreat from longstanding efforts to encourage vaccination. + Read more: Child in New York dies after contracting measles + Analysis: For more parents, ‘vaccine refusal’ is becoming vaccine delay, but it’s no less dangerous

Crypto scammers are capitalizing on Islamophobia Anti-Muslim rhetoric is on the rise as the US heads into the midterms, and foreign scammers are looking to capitalize. Researchers have identified hundreds of X accounts, largely based in Africa, spreading hateful content about Muslims in an apparent effort to lure users into financial scams. + Read more: Crypto scammers are capitalizing on anti-Muslim bigotry + Video: Another AI scam is trying to make you cry

Gas prices hit historic Election Day high Gas and diesel prices are the highest they have ever been on Election Day in US history, a persistent reminder of the economic toll of President Trump’s war with Iran. The national average for regular gas stands at $4.15 a gallon, according to AAA. Prices have eased in recent weeks, but remain well above the previous Election Day record of $3.80 set in 2022. For comparison, gas averaged just $3.10 a gallon during the 2024 presidential election. + Visual: See how gas prices compare nationwide + Meanwhile: US conducts strikes against Iran on election eve

Poll closing times by state CNN will begin projecting winners this evening after polls close, but several key races may remain too close to call for days. Vote-counting procedures vary by state, meaning some results will come quickly while others could take longer. At the same time, a storm that brought historic flooding to the Southwest is moving into the central US, where even less severe conditions could potentially affect voter turnout. + Election night: When polls close — and when to expect results + Video: Can a little rain make a big difference on Election Day? + For subscribers: Nearly 60 million have already voted. Here’s what the early stats tell us

Now, the voters decide A poll worker hands out stickers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) After months of buildup, millions will cast ballots today that could reshape the balance of power in Washington. Democrats enter the day with a 9-point lead on the generic congressional ballot, according to CNN’s Poll of Polls, as election forecasters have increasingly shifted competitive seats in their favor. NYT/Siena polls also show Democrats leading in five key Senate races, fueling hopes of gains in North Carolina and potentially historic victories in Texas and Michigan. But nationally, the midterm elections are widely seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s first two years back in office. After a campaign blitz through red states, Trump delivered his closing message Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where he devoted considerable attention to his renovation projects rather than the elections themselves. He then struck a reflective note about his party’s prospects: “For some reason, the sitting president doesn’t win the midterms,” he said. “But we gave this a very strong shot.” + Live updates: Polls open as US decides control of Congress + Video: Which midterm candidates could make history? + The process: How mail-in ballots get counted

North Korea denies involvement in Binance hack and criticizes FBI probe as ‘a trite provocation’ SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Tuesday denied its involvement in the recent cryptocurrency heist at Binance, dismissing as “a trite provocation” a U.S. announcement that North Korean hackers were behind the incident. https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-binance-cryptocurrency-heist-01c9b80d938dd67c747e268c410f265d?

Ukraine’s rescuers deal with grim aftermath of aid shelter bombings as Moscow pounds energy targets KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Rescuers worked for a second night in a desperate search for survivors Tuesday at an aid distribution site destroyed by a series of Russian attacks in a village in southern Ukraine. The death toll reached 31 as they removed bodies throughout the day and looked for dozens of people still missing. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-humanitarian-attack-drones-power-264da8725dc2bb1f0039a698a59af9fc?

November 3, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. It’s Election Day. See when the polls close where you are. Yesterday, we told you how today’s midterm elections could play out, based on the latest polling. This morning, let’s look at what that might mean for the Senate. (All our politics coverage is free to read, by the way, even if you’re not a subscriber. Follow our live updates all day.) Alex Kent/The New York Times Majority rules Whichever party wins, the Senate majority is likely to be narrow. Maybe neither party will have a majority! Carl Hulse, our chief Washington correspondent, lays out the possibilities and the consequences. There are a number of them that could change how the Senate functions during the second half of President Trump’s term in office. A slim majority empowers senators in the middle. Democrats have 47 seats, and they’re likely to pick up more. With a majority, Democrats would make legislation impossible for the Republican leadership, but anything close to 50 could embolden Republicans who are willing to break with Trump and the party at large. That’s Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine (should Collins win her re-election race). A slim majority for the Republicans could also put pressure on a potential party-switcher like Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, who has quarreled with Democratic leadership but who has said that he does not intend to switch. A 50-50 tie is bad news for JD Vance. A split down the middle means a Republican Senate, given the vice president’s power to break deadlocks with a vote as the chamber’s “presiding officer.” But a tied Senate also leaves both parties in a situation where even a single defection could alter the outcome of a vote. And a single-member absence could make it impossible to move ahead with a bill. It would also mean that Vice President JD Vance, who is expected to be a leading Republican candidate for president in 2028, couldn’t leave Washington to campaign while the Senate is in session. He’d have to be nearby to break tie votes. In that scenario, Democrats would likely lobby Murkowski to flip her party affiliation, though she’s unlikely to do so because she’d lose her powerful committee positions by changing sides. But it has happened before, Carl reminds. In 2001, Jim Jeffords, a Republican senator from Vermont, became an independent and started caucusing with the Democrats. That gave them a Senate majority. Independents could scramble the picture. There are two independents currently in the Senate: Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine. Both caucus with Democrats. But at least three more are running, and they say they wouldn’t support the leadership of either party. The idea is, their independence would give them leverage over both parties. You have to get into the way-back machine to see the last time that happened, Carl reports: The Senate has not faced such a situation since 1952, when Senator Wayne Morse, Republican of Oregon, declared himself an independent, later moving a folding chair into the center aisle of the Senate. He was denied committee seats and ultimately joined the Democratic Party. This could all take a while. Challenges to election results could mean it takes time to seat new members. For example, Republicans may contest the results of the race in Alaska, where the Democrats recruited a candidate to siphon votes from the Republican incumbent. If the seat remains open during litigation, it would leave the balance of power in the Senate in question. For how long? In 2008, it took more than eight months for Senator Al Franken, the Minnesota Democrat, to gain his seat amid a protracted recount and court battle. When will we have results? These charts show what time we had the answers in 2024: Vote count data from The Associated Press. Alicia Parlapiano/The New York Times Source: Race calls from The Associated Press. Alicia Parlapiano/The New York Times Don’t forget to vote today! More midterm news The Supreme Court rejected a Trump administration request to require California to set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots that the administration claims went to noncitizens. Trump said he was willing to issue pre-emptive pardons to aides and allies, including Elon Musk, if Democrats won back control of Congress. See the top donors pumping $2 billion into federal races in these elections. Top Justice Department officials have refused to acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 election. They’re now part of an intense effort to intercede in states’ election administration. The campaign is ending, as it began, with Democrats fighting about Israel. One feud in Michigan may be a preview of more conflict to come. THE LATEST NEWS Politics The Trump administration is preparing to scale back workplace accommodations for women related to pregnancy and reproductive health. A judge threw out charges against two former F.B.I. officials, saying the case was a rushed pre-election political prosecution ordered by the White House. The administration is dismantling America’s scientific research machine. Immigration Immigration agents have arrested Ukrainian truck drivers who fled the war, Ukrainian officials said. Some remain in detention. On TikTok, people deported by the United States are finding an audience. Watch one video. Iran The U.S. military struck Iran’s Qeshm Island in what American officials described as a small-scale defensive measure. They said it was a limited action, with no immediate plans to escalate. Iran said it was prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz soon if the United States agreed to demands including the lifting of sanctions and the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets. Plane Crash One of the pilots of a private jet that crashed in Florida, killing all nine people on board, was a 20-year-old who received her pilot’s license at 17, her mother said in an interview. Read more about the pilots and passengers who died. Investigators believe ice and severe weather were key factors in the crash. (A story about the crash was the most clicked in The Morning yesterday.) Other Big Stories Russia, which has long reviled the prime minister of Poland for staunchly supporting Ukraine, is backing hard-right Polish protesters. El Niño has triggered devastating flash floods across the Southwest. A child in upstate New York died from measles, the state’s first death from the disease in 30 years. William Nordhaus, the Nobel-winning economist who pioneered the study of climate change’s economic impact, has died at 85. THE MORNING QUIZ The New York Times This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.) Pinyo Pukpinyo, a fireman in Bangkok, catches about 20 snakes a day when people call the force to report sightings of them. What does he do with his quarry? He wok-fries the meat and sells it at a hawker stand. He trains the snakes to perform at children’s birthday parties. He spends $300 of his own money every month to feed them. He wears them on walks around the city’s parks. OPINIONS Insurance premiums are going up, but a major market overhaul might take years. A Yale economist recommends a few changes that can help people today. As voters head to the polls today, America is in its fourth great crisis, Ken Burns writes. The Midterms are here. Understand their impact with savings on The Times. Benefit from unlimited coverage of the elections — and what they mean for you going forward. Sale: $1/week for you first year. Subscribe now. MORNING READS Karl Bushby in London last month. Sam Bush for The New York Times Walking home: A man spent 28 years crossing four continents on foot. He ended his odyssey at his mom’s house. Read the full story of his decades on the road. Martha Stewart: She apologized for dressing up as a homeless person for Halloween. Metropolitan Diary: Seeing her reflection sitting down as she herself stood on the 4 train. TODAY’S NUMBER Alamy 71 — That is how many years Disneyland has used gas engines to power the cars in its Autopia ride. By one estimate, more than 210 million people have driven the track, belching exhaust into the California sky. Now the cars are going electric. SPORTS Soccer: A 30-year-old striker, Jesus de Miguel, has died in a hospital after colliding with an opponent while playing for CD Tenerife. N.F.L.: The Detroit Lions said Jack Campbell, a linebacker and team captain, is still in the hospital after a neck injury but that his recovery looks “positive.” College football: The North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, 74, refused to comment on his romantic relationship with Jordon Hudson, 25, which reportedly ended. Read more here. RECIPE OF THE DAY Armando Rafael for The New York Times A version of this soup recipe — navy beans simmered with ham hocks, butter and onion — has been served in the dining room of the United States Senate for more than 100 years. As voters across the country choose who will get a chance to order Senate Bean Soup in Washington, make it yourself at home. RISING SPEED IShowSpeed in Las Vegas. Malike Sidibe for The New York Times Jon Caramanica, one of our pop critics, spent the last 18 months following IShowSpeed, real name Darren Watkins Jr., one of the most influential livestreamers in the world, who has 62 million subscribers on YouTube. Folks aren’t watching Speed play video games or hang out at home. Each of his streams, Jon writes, “is a one-man play, with improvisational work contributed by umpteen secondary characters who flock from their homes to see him, sometimes by the thousands, or watch from home, sometimes up to a million at a time.” And he’s everywhere, traveling the world to find adventures and spread chaos while livestreaming on YouTube 24 hours a day. Jon told me he thinks Speed is the person most likely to change the shape of media in the next decade. Get to know the guy. More on culture The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced this year’s recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors yesterday. They include Paul Anka, Andy Garcia, David Mamet, Barbara Mandrell and David Foster. The ceremony won’t be at the center. Late-night hosts covered Trump’s speech at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Buy or borrow Annie Proulx’s new, career-spanning collection of short fiction. “Reading it is like opening the hall closet and having the contents of an antique junk shop, laced with spiky and rusted farm implements, spill out and maim your dog,” writes Dwight Garner in his review. “I mean this as praise.” Scrub your stainless steel with help from the studious kitchen porters at Wirecutter, who have found the very best cleaning powder. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was excavated. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

THIS DAY IN HISTORY November 3 2014 One World Trade Center opens in New York City, on the site of the Twin Towers The gleaming glass skyscraper, along with the rest of the World Trade Center complex, replaced the Twin Towers, which were destroyed by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Read More Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1979 Communists and Klansmen clash in Greensboro Arts & Entertainment 1844 William Makepeace Thackeray completes his novel ‘Barry Lyndon’ 1962 The Crystals earn a No. 1 hit with “He’s A Rebel”—which they did not sing Cold War 1957 Soviet Union launches a dog into space Crime 1883 Black Bart makes his last stagecoach robbery Latin American & Caribbean History 1903 Panama declares independence from Colombia Middle Eastern History 1982 Massive truck explosion in Afghanistan’s Salang Tunnel Sports 1998 Former wrestler Jesse “The Body” Ventura is elected governor of Minnesota 2016 Chicago Cubs win first World Series title since 1908, snapping “curse” U.S. Government and Politics 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater for presidency 1964 D.C. residents cast first presidential votes since 1800 1948 Newspaper mistakenly declares “Dewey Defeats Truman” Vietnam War 1969 President Nixon calls on the “silent majority” Women’s History 1992 Dianne Feinstein elected California senator in the “Year of the Woman” World War I 1918 Central Powers face rebellion on the home front

Trump's campaign ad vanishing act Data: AdImpact. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Republicans on the ballot this cycle have all but stopped mentioning President Trump in their campaign ads, according to an Axios analysis of broadcast advertising data from AdImpact. Why it matters: Trump has tried to make the 2026 midterms a referendum on his presidency. His party has run the other way, Axios' Sara Fischer writes. 🧮 By the numbers: Trump appeared in 66% of House Republicans' primary ads but shows up in just 3% of their general election ads. In Senate races, Republican ads mentioning him fell from 77% to 22%. 👓 Between the lines: This year's drop-off stands out given how hard Trump has pushed to tie himself to the midterms. He has urged voters to pretend he's on the ballot and essentially demanded ads running during the Republican midterm convention in September feature him. Keep reading ...

Inside Pentagon's leak probe Former Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia pictured at Camp Swift, a small coalition base 45 miles southeast of Mosul, Iraq, in 2016. Photo: Susannah George/AP The Pentagon's former top military planner is under federal investigation and may face a court-martial for allegedly leaking to reporters from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, Axios' Marc Caputo reports. Why it matters: Former Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week after being accused of misconduct as part of the department's war on leaks. Sylvia failed four polygraphs and admitted to the incidents during two interviews on video that totaled more than two hours, according to details from an internal Pentagon report shared with Axios. He allegedly shared classified information about Ukraine and Iran, which the Justice Department is investigating. Neither reporter is suspected or accused of doing anything illegal, improper or unprofessional in their reporting. Keep reading.

🎯 Elon's next target Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Win McNamee and Eric Thayer/Getty Images Elon Musk is looking to shake up America's wireless industry — potentially bringing the first major new competitive threat in years to a business dominated by three companies, Axios' Ina Fried writes. Why it matters: The cellular industry has seen enormous technological change, but relatively little disruption to its competitive structure. Musk has the money, wireless spectrum and satellite network to attempt something different — though he faces daunting obstacles. SpaceX is assembling the pieces to become a major U.S. wireless carrier, potentially building its own terrestrial network and buying available spectrum. Musk may have reason to move quickly while the current administration and its regulatory appointees remain in place. 🔭 Zoom in: SpaceX has held talks about acquiring Boost Mobile or gaining access to its network arrangements, according to a Washington Post report yesterday. The Post reported that Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have all rebuffed Musk's efforts to gain access to their networks. Between the lines: Musk also has a path to maneuver around them. The company could build its own network with towers and smaller rooftop antennas, though doing so would require substantial investment and time. Keep reading.

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> Kennedy Center announces 49th class of honorees, including Andy Garcia, David Foster, Paul Anka, David Mamet, and Barbara Mandrell (More) | See key moments in the Kennedy Center’s history (More, w/photos) > Love Affair lead singer Steve Ellis dies at age 76 due to complications from an unspecified chronic illness (More) | Listen to the British band's hit 1967 cover of "Everlasting Love" (More via YouTube) > Jake Paul, the influencer-turned-boxer, will face former kickboxing world champion Cédric Doumbé on Dec. 24; bout marks Paul's first fight since suffering a broken jaw in a loss to Anthony Joshua last December (More)

He is an ALL LOVING God. Everyone will be saved. And my friend (now deceased) was a very smart guy. I am sure God wants everyone to be saved. But there must be hundreds of bible passages about the unsaved. Maybe thousands.

Webster’s Dictionary accidentally had a word that didn’t exist in it for five years – “Dord.” James

How to know a red or blue wave when you see one The 2026 midterm elections are around the corner. How will it compare to recent midterms? https://usafacts.org/articles/how-to-know-a-red-or-blue-wave-when-you-see-one/? Just the Facts on how states run elections In the latest Just the Facts video, USAFacts President Lauren Woodman traces how a system designed in 1787 transformed into myriad ways to vote. Join her as she follows voters through the process, from registering to casting a ballot to waiting on the final count. She’ll explain why no two states run elections the same way, discuss who turns out to vote, and reveal why results can take days to finalize. Fewer Americans now vote on Election Day than decades ago. About 79% of the votes were cast on Election Day in 2004, compared with 40% in 2024. Early in-person voting reached a record 31% in 2024, up from 8% in 2004, and mail voting rose from 13% to 29% after peaking at 43% during the 2020 pandemic. In 2024, 73.6% of eligible citizens were registered to vote, the highest share in data going back to 2000. Of nearly 48 million mail ballots received in 2024, 1.2% were rejected, and just over half of those rejections were due to signature problems. Voters also cast 1.7 million provisional ballots, which require additional verification before being counted. Seventy-four percent were counted; 25% were rejected. Most states require counties to finish counting within two weeks. California and West Virginia allow up to 30 days. Aside from automatic recounts, 41 states and Washington, DC, let a candidate or voter request a recount. Courts are responsible for ordering recounts in Illinois, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Want more? We have visuals and facts for the 2026 midterms gathered for you here. One last fact The $949.2 billion spent on Medicaid in fiscal year 2024 was 3.0% higher than the year prior after adjusting for inflation. States began expanding Medicaid to all low-income adults in FY 2014. Spending has risen 45% since.

📸 America's natural wonders Photo: Bruce Bosse Axios reader Bruce Bosse of Knoxville, Tenn., and his wife, Sharon, recently spent 10 days visiting Utah's "Mighty 5" national parks: Zion (pictured above), Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands (below). "While we love our international travels, the national parks we have in the United States are true gems!" Bruce writes. Photo: Bruce Bosse 🏜️ Here's Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, photographed just after sunrise.

US has conducted defensive strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, US official says WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has conducted defensive strikes on some Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official said Monday, on the eve of crucial midterm elections. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-trump-netanyahu-israel-war-b4519ef86bafe2672e0855d7a48ce309?

Huge GOP streaming bet Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios The top Senate GOP super PAC has nearly tripled its spending on streaming and social media platforms this election cycle to more than $200 million, we scooped today. Why it matters: In a record cycle for ad spending, more political money is shifting to streaming, where super PACs have greater freedom to target voters, bargain and experiment — but platforms have more power to set the rules. In some states, streaming and social media have swallowed half of the Senate Leadership Fund budget, according to a source familiar with the group's spending. SLF's $200M+ total for the 2026 cycle (up from $71M in 2024) includes tens of millions of dollars funneled through the SLF-linked Texas PAC and its affiliated nonprofit One Nation. The other side: The top Senate Democratic super PAC declined to disclose how much it spent on streaming. "Senate Majority PAC invested more this cycle in digital communications than any previous cycle, running digital campaigns in 12 states," SMP communications director Lauren French told us. Zoom in: Streaming and social platforms let campaigns target more specific audiences than traditional broadcasts, and make it easier to measure the impact. But platforms can also set their own rules for which types of ads they accept. Some, like Netflix and TikTok, don't allow any candidate or issue ads. Between the lines: SLF works with platforms like SiriusXM, Paramount, Hulu and YouTube to lock in discounts based on their overall spending plans, according to the source. Groups can also experiment with lengths and formats for ads online, breaking the 30-second broadcast mold. The bottom line: It's just the beginning of maneuvering on streaming and coordinated buys. "That is definitely going to be the story of 2028," Kenny Day, senior vice president at IQM Corporation, told us. He said the Supreme Court decision on coordinated spending "was too late for either party to really take advantage of the allowance of coordinated spending" in the 2026 cycle. — Stef Kight

👉👈 Inside the blame game Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios Republicans don't know if they'll lose big or small tomorrow, but they're already bracing for an epic blame game. Why it matters: Returning Republican senators aren't likely to publicly blame President Trump — or Trump to shoulder the responsibility. But privately, Republicans acknowledge it's not a complicated version of Clue. The leading suspect: Mr. President, in the Oval Office, with an assortment of weapons — and one war. Trump is more likely to point the finger at Senate Republicans, whom he's never been shy about criticizing. The irony of Trump's second midterm: With Republicans privately resigned to losing the House, Trump can still credibly claim victory if they hold the Senate. "It's Donald Trump's midterms. He gets all the credit if we win. He gets all the credit if we lose," one national GOP strategist told us. 💣 The big picture: From Alaska to Maine, Trump's decision to go to war with Iran — and the resulting spike in gas and diesel prices — has become a major political liability for Republican Senate nominees. "The war with Iran needs to end, and end quickly," former Rep. Mike Rogers said in September. He trails in Michigan by more than the margin of error in the final N.Y. Times/Siena poll. "It's not tariffs … it's the war, it's gas prices, it's diesel," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said at a closed-door fundraiser in September, we reported last month. Paxton also trails by more than the margin of error. But Trump's trade policies compounded Republicans' affordability problems, particularly in farm country, where producers have faced higher costs and uncertainty over export markets. 👇 Trump's preferred nominees are also drawing blame, GOP strategists tell us. Paxton in Texas and Darline Graham in South Carolina have forced Republicans to spend heavily defending races that should have been easier — and where the party had other options. Trump's political operation amassed an enormous war chest, but some Republicans complain the money arrived too late to rescue vulnerable candidates. 🫵 But Senate Republicans themselves shoulder some burden. Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) are facing accusations of "arrogance" and "laziness" from Republicans frustrated that their once-safe seats have become late-breaking battlegrounds — exactly the complacency NRSC Chair Tim Scott warned against. Recruitment failures: Republicans couldn't persuade Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to run for Senate, and in New Hampshire settled for their second-choice Sununu — former Sen. John Sununu — instead of his brother, former Gov. Chris Sununu. Underperforming gubernatorial nominees in Iowa, Michigan and Ohio also threaten to drag down Republican Senate candidates. Vivek Ramaswamy, for example, saw his polling crater in the final weeks. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer landed marquee candidates in Alaska, Ohio and Iowa — though Michigan and Maine proved more difficult. The bottom line: Trump's focus on D.C. construction projects, the Kennedy Center, Sen. Jon Husted's backside and the SAVE Act has frustrated Republicans desperate for a closing message focused on the economy. "Reflecting Pool presser was an interesting choice for closing message," another national GOP strategist said of Trump's news conference today. — Stef Kight and Hans Nichols

Iliana Yotova wins runoff to become Bulgaria’s first elected female president Acting President Iliana Yotova won the runoff election to become Bulgaria’s first elected female head of state and said she will work for national consensus by bridging political rifts. Read More.