More stories

  • in

    Deep-red Kansas votes for change as patience wears thin with Trump: ‘The economy is really taking a beating’

    Bills have soared in rural state buffeted by tariffs and war in Iran – and Democrat Adam Hamilton’s stunning upset shows how deep economic frustrations runLinda Olson always does her homework before voting – a trait she inherited from a family invested, and interested, in politics. Her father was a photographer who took portraits of political leaders in Washington, while her grandparents were farmers who cared deeply about their industry.In 2024, Olson’s research led her to Donald Trump. She trusted that the then-former president would improve their economic realities in Junction City, Kansas – where she was born and raised – if he returned to the White House. Continue reading… More

  • in

    Trump is soothing the midterms loss with what he loves best: interior design | Arwa Mahdawi

    The president seems to accept this is his last White House stint and is focused on renovating whatever he can get his little hands onAs you’d expect, the right is in a shambles right now. Elon Musk is making jokes about his “election-interfering space lasers” and pretending that he really, really doesn’t care that he threw away nearly half a billion dollars trying to influence the midterms. JD Vance is writing long essays on social media about how he agrees the Iran war was a bit of an oopsie.Donald Trump, meanwhile, seems to be going through his own idiosyncratic grieving process about the Republicans’ historic midterm beating. The president has skipped all the way past shock, denial and anger and landed at the “admiring my beautiful renovations” stage of grief. Continue reading… More

  • in

    US midterm voters responded in a thunderous voice. This is just the beginning | Betsy Reed

    A note from our US editor: A reckoning is coming, but make no mistake: Trump is still president – we’ll need a free press in 2027 as much as we did in darker days. Please help today if you are ableBetsy Reed is US editor of the GuardianOver the past two years, millions of people all over the world have watched Donald Trump’s destructive reign unfold with one question in their minds: Is there no check on his power?This week, voters deciding who controls Congress responded in a thunderous voice: there must be a check on the president’s power. From Texas to Ohio to South Carolina, Americans surged to the polls to register their opposition to Donald Trump – and to show their support for the kind of leaders who will look out for the interests of everyday people rather than those of a corrupt ruling elite. And now many people are looking at politics with a new and unfamiliar feeling of hope. Continue reading… More

  • in

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

    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

  • in

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

    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

  • in

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

    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

  • in

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

    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