Breakfast News Recap: US midterms flip Congress as Hormuz tensions and Ukraine war escalate

Democrats have seized control of both chambers of the US Congress in a sweeping midterm result that marks a major rebuke to President Donald Trump, with projections showing wins in the Senate and House and a string of surprise state level gains. The party’s haul includes flips in Texas, Georgia, Maine, Kansas, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina, while Republicans held Florida and other key races.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

The Senate picture was transformed by several high profile contests, including James Talarico’s victory in Texas, Troy Jackson’s win in Maine, Adam Hamilton’s upset in Kansas, Sherrod Brown’s return in Ohio and Jon Ossoff’s re election in Georgia. Democrats also picked up surprise seats in North Carolina and South Carolina, strengthening their grip on the upper chamber and underscoring a broader shift in the political map.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

In the House, Democrats regained control after a tight count in several districts, while Florida Republicans fended off a series of challenges and the state elected its first Black governor. The night also delivered historic milestones for minority representation, including Keisha Lance Bottoms becoming the first Black woman elected governor in the United States.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

Election officials had been bracing for possible federal interference as polls opened and closed across the country, with the first results trickling in after voting began and later rounds of polls closing in six states including Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. Separately, the Justice Department expanded its probe into Alaska’s Senate race, sending target letters to several people, while state officials warned of disruption risks.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

In the Middle East, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz deepened after reports that four oil tankers were destroyed by naval mines, following an earlier US strike on an Iranian target near the waterway. Iran said Washington’s response to its proposal on reopening the strait was not convincing, while indirect talks continued and Qatar tried to keep channels open. Yemen’s internationally recognised government also accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah of sending 21 experts to help the Houthis.  🔗  🔗  🔗

Ukraine reported another deadly Russian attack, saying at least 33 people were killed in a double tap strike on a school being used as a humanitarian aid centre in Zaporizhzhia. Kyiv also said its security service had identified around 100 people involved in unrest outside a National Guard linked building near the capital, and the EU said Ukraine had aligned itself with a sanctions decision on Russia.  🔗  🔗  🔗

Elsewhere in Europe, bomb threats disrupted at least seven flights and an Israel bound cruise ship, prompting emergency searches and temporary delays. In the Balkans and wider EU accession debate, Montenegro rejected any idea of second class membership, while Georgia’s prime minister offered no clear way out of the deadlock over EU talks. Greenland’s parliament meanwhile approved a trilateral security deal with the United States and Denmark.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

In Asia and the Pacific, North Korea fired several missiles into the Sea of Japan as it denied any role in the Binance crypto theft, and Australia’s Northern Territory police arrested a second teenager in a terrorism material investigation. Hong Kong activists also faced continuing punishment long after release, with one former protester describing open ended consequences from 2019 conviction related restrictions.  🔗  🔗  🔗

In other international developments, South Africa’s local elections were under way in a test of ANC support amid anger over services and corruption, the UN elected five judges to the International Court of Justice after several rounds of voting, and the UN warned that deadly drone strikes were hitting civilian infrastructure across Sudan. In the United States, a former contractor pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified intelligence to Ethiopian officials, while the White House highlighted Trump and JD Vance travel and said the president signed H.R. 1744 and H.R. 8205 into law.  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗  🔗

#USmidterms #Iran #Ukraine #markets #Congress #breakingrecap #recapbreakfast