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      The Guardian view on the midterms and foreign policy: American voters spoke, and now the world waits anxiously | Editorial

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      The Democrats have gained new powers to constrain Donald Trump. But the drubbing that Republicans received could yet prompt him to new excessesDonald Trump is a president without parallel, but history can still be instructive. Lame duck presidents often focus on foreign policy to escape domestic discontent and establish a legacy in an area where a hostile Congress offers less of an obstacle. Mr Trump, who was stunningly rebuffed by voters in Tuesday’s midterms, might seek satisfaction in construction projects, the 2028 presidential race and his family’s future. Or, amid the humiliation and with Republican critics growing louder, he could distract attention with fresh adventurism – perhaps escalating against Cuba – or more likely a vengeful new offensive against Iran.Mr Trump won’t put in the legwork or attention to detail demanded by, say, Bill Clinton’s push for lasting peace in the Middle East. But he loves the glitz of state visits, spectacular military action, hobnobbing with strongmen and (unearned) credit for dubious “peace deals”. With a potential three-way meeting with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping mooted for the Apec summit in China this month, Ukraine, Taiwan and others have reason to be nervous.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading… More

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      ‘Sick to my stomach’: trans Americans on politicians who spent $183m attacking them for votes

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      Republicans spent big on midterms ads about transgender issues – and some Democratic candidates parroted anti-trans messaging, tooQ&A: Ask your questions about Democrats’ win in the midtermsMetal Hennessy, a 19-year-old trans man who lives in Kansas, quoted one of his state’s most enduring exports – The Wizard of Oz – when describing the defeat of Roger Marshall, the incumbent Republican senator, on Tuesday: “Ding dong, the witch is dead.”This US midterm season, Kansans like Hennessy were subjected to a wave of anti-trans attacks as Marshall attempted to fight off a challenge from Democratic and Methodist megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton. The AP reported that Republicans pumped $7m into related ads, which aired 7,000 times in the state. Continue reading… More

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      How Democrats used the midterms to turn affordability concerns into ‘green populism’

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      From energy prices to datacenters, climate became a cost-of-living issue – and a winning oneQ&A: Ask your questions about Democrats’ win in the midtermsClimate-forward Democrats swept into power on Tuesday night as a blue tsunami flipped the Senate, House and several governor’s races. Voters were laser-focused on affordability, and experts said Democrats succeeded in linking cost-of-living concerns with rising energy prices, datacenters and, to some extent, the climate crisis. They may have even created a path for a “new climate politics”.The results delivered a sharp rebuke of Donald Trump, who started a war with Iran that raised gas pump prices across the country and exposed the fragility of fossil fuels, all while the US oil industry earned $130bn in profits since the war began. Household energy costs soared, driven by various factors including constraints on renewables, climate disasters and a datacenter boom. Continue reading… More

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      Abdul El-Sayed’s victory has laid bare a truth about America’s view on Israel | Peter Beinart

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      In Michigan, support for Israel was a kind of political hologram. But the media often made it seem realAmong the things that Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in the Michigan Senate race revealed is this: the debate over US policy toward Israel does not primarily pit the left versus the right. It pits the top versus the bottom.There was no grassroots enthusiasm in the state for maintaining US military aid and weapons sales to Israel. That view no longer commands support even among ordinary Republicans. There was instead a massive infusion of pro-Israel money, mostly from extremely wealthy people. Continue reading… More

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      How did Republicans lose a Senate seat in fireball-red South Carolina?

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      Bitter postmortem under way as party comes to terms with Darline Graham’s stunning loss to Annie AndrewsQ&A: Ask your questions about Democrats’ win in the midtermsIt’s not that Shane Brown somehow didn’t know about the US Senate election in South Carolina. Nor was he unaware that the outcome of the race between Senator Darline Graham and her Democratic challenger, Annie Andrews, was shockingly competitive when he refrained from voting on Tuesday.The campaigns would not let him forget it. Continue reading… More

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      Was Elon Musk the US midterms’ biggest loser? – Stateside with Kai and Carter

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      The tech industry spent big on the midterms, but it turned out to be a poor investment. Elon Musk poured a staggering $446m dollars into Republican-aligned political action committees (Pacs) and groups since last year, but his efforts didn’t pay off. Democrats won every one of the five Senate races where Musk’s America Pac spent the most money backing Republican candidates. Carter Sherman and Kai Wright are joined by the Guardian’s US tech editor, Blake Montgomery, to ask what the ‘blue tsunami’ will mean for Musk and the wider tech industry. Will this spell the end of AI datacenters? And if so, what could this mean for the US economy? Continue reading… More

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      US midterm elections 2026 live: Democrats eye historic upset in Mississippi Senate race as Republican blame game begins

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      Democrat Scott Colom is leading Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in the southern state; JD Vance pointed to the war in Iran as the ‘obvious’ culprit for Republicans’ lossLive results | How do you feel about the results?Sign up for Breaking News US emailAnalysis: Is this the beginning of the end for Trump?Dozens of Republican candidates directly endorsed by Donald Trump lost their US midterm election races, according to analysis by the Guardian, raising questions over the power of the president’s support.In past elections, Trump’s endorsements have been coveted. In the final stages of this year’s campaign, he actively urged voters to act as though he were on the ballot. Continue reading… More

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      A Democratic-controlled Congress will likely try to constrain Trump’s foreign adventures

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      But the president still has veto power, which he can wield to dictate policy over tariffs, the war in Iran or aid for UkraineIn a rare occurrence, a US election may have actually been decided by foreign policy. Donald Trump’s war in Iran and international tariffs are seen as playing a key role in the inflationary pressures that drove so many Americans to vote against his party on Tuesday in what has been described as a “generational wipeout” for the Republicans.And in the coming months, the president is going to face severe headwinds on those policies as Democrats storm back into control of Congress, threatening investigations of some of his top envoys and Pentagon contractors, big fights over budgets linked to the Iran war, and greater scrutiny of US relationships with allies such as Israel. Continue reading… More