Democrats’ decisive victory in the midterm elections saw them make gains in 99 per cent of US counties as part of a historic sweep that caused Republican strongholds to crumble.
The party increased its vote share among almost all measured demographics in age, gender, income, and ethnicity, and currently leads the national popular vote by a 13-point margin, the largest for either party in decades.
With dozens of House races still uncalled, Democrats are on course to secure their largest majority in Congress in more than three decades, while the party’s map of Senate seats will expand to new locations such as Kansas, Texas, and North and South Carolina.
But even on such a successful night for the party, some standout victories shone through, with some notable double-digit swings since the last time the seats were contested: generally 2020 for Senate seats, 2024 for House seats, and 2022 for the governor races – apart from a few specific exceptions.
Democrats were strongly tipped to take the swing state of North Carolina but candidate Roy Cooper delivered a landslide for the party’s first Senate flip of election night. Cooper faced an untested opponent after the previous incumbent, Thom Tillis, retired. But his long career in local politics – including as state governor until 2025 – was also a factor in a standout victory.
Dr David Andersen, a professor of US politics at Durham University, said: “Cooper is a very popular official in the state – he’s a very well-liked and respected former governor with widespread name recognition.” With anti-Trump anger and other national factors also playing in his favour, Cooper was able to rack up huge margins across the state.
James Talarico has rocketed to national prominence as the first Democrat this century to win a Senate seat in Texas. He won plaudits for a stellar campaign that mobilised youth voters while also reaching out to the state’s traditional constituents. But he was also fortunate to have scandal-plagued Ken Paxton as his opponent, Andersen believes.
“Ken Paxton will go down as one of the worst Republican candidates in history,” said Andersen, noting that he was impeached by his own party over corruption allegations. Paxton was endorsed by President Donald Trump in his primary victory over the longtime incumbent John Corbyn, who many analysts believe could have kept the seat Red.
The Midwestern state of Kansas sending a Democrat to the Senate for the first time in 94 years ranked among the biggest shocks of the night, and it depended on one of the largest swings. The winning candidate, Pastor Adam Hamilton, proved a more effective campaigner than his Republican rival, Roger Marshall, a doctor tainted by a record of suing patients over medical bills.
Louis Bromfield, a political researcher at Swansea University and founder of the forecasting site Horse Race Politics, suggested that “placing faith strongly at the heart of his campaign” – like Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian – in Texas – “helped in a state where faith is at the forefront of many communities”.
Andersen also pointed to the economic damage of Trump’s policies in the largely rural state, with tariffs hitting farmers’ exports, and ICE raids targeting undocumented migrants that provide labour for many farms.
Darline Graham lasted less than six months in a Senate seat her brother Lindsey, who passed away in July, held for more than 20 years. Bromfield believes Trump’s fingerprints are all over the shock defeat.
“She was appointed to finish her brother’s term, and Trump himself pushed heavily for her to run again, despite a lack of political experience,” he said. “She also aligned herself with Trump’s tariffs, which is second only to backing his war in Iran when it comes to ways to anger voters in your constituency.”
Andersen also believes that choosing Graham was a decisive factor. “South Carolina should never be competitive, you really should not see a Democrat win there,” he said. “But in this electoral environment, when you put up a bad candidate – on the debate stage, she admitted not knowing a lot about foreign policy – you have the unlikely scenario of a Democrat winning.”
Some of the largest House swings were recorded after Republican gerrymandering redrew the borders of congressional districts. Democrats still won seats in areas designed to reinforce Republicans, and ran up huge scores in other parts of states that were not, such as Texas’ 15th district, where the singer Bobby Pulido won by 25 points in a previously red seat.
Andersen points to the Latino population turning on Trump over issues such as deportations, after swinging behind him in 2024.
Democrats scored a 36-point swing in deep-red Kentucky after the sixth district Republican incumbent Andy Barr vacated his seat to a new candidate in order to run for the state’s Senate seat. The Democrats also flipped Indiana’s fifth district with a massive 22-point turnaround over the three-term veteran Victoria Spartz.
The blue wave also saw massive swings to hand governor races to Democrats. Amy Acton engineered a 33-point swing to defeat Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio, with analysts pointing to a controversial ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother as one of several failings in his campaign.
“This form of gutter politics from Ramaswamy, coupled with a few utterly bizarre moments – like saying ‘my generation will be fine’ when discussing the cost of living – really exposed him as a terrible candidate,” said Bromfield.
By contrast, Democrat Rob Sand won praise for his successful campaign for governor in Iowa in a 29-point turnaround, after resisting Republican waves to win down-ballot races in previous elections in the state.
“He was a one-of-a-kind candidate,” said Andersen. “People knew him and liked him, and he was always going to do well in this contest.”
us news
The left-wing firebrands about to make trouble for Trump (and the Democrats)
At a bar in New York City’s Harlem neighbourhood on Tuesday night, Democrats celebrated what some called not just a victory, but a revolution.
A growing force
The DSA was founded more than four decades ago and opposes both the Republican Party and moderate Democrats.
On Tuesday, several members celebrated victory, including the LA mayor elect and another eight elected into Congress.
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Why is the DSA becoming popular?
The election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City in 2025 brought more attention to the DSA. Now, it claims to have more than 120,000 members.
Many of the candidates share views on the war in Gaza, healthcare and immigration.
The Democratic Party must undergo fundamental and immediate reform. With a return to power, it can no longer continue to ignore the major economic and political crises facing the majority of our people or that return to power will be shortlived.
Bernie sanders, us senator for vermont
DSA politicians to look out for
- : Elected into New York’s 13th congressional district. She is also the first Afro-Latina woman to represent the region.
- : Elected into Colorado’s 1st congressional district.
- : Elected into New York’s 10th congressional district.
- : Elected into New York’s 7th congressional district.
- : Elected into Pennsylvania’s 3rd congressional district.
Will Trump be impeached?
Many on the Democratic Party’s left want to aggressively go after Trump and it will be a hot topic when the Democratic caucus convenes next week.
From January, the Democrats will have a majority in the House to impeach, but not the two-thirds strength in the Senate needed for conviction and removal from office. However, Republicans may waver if the process gains momentum.
Italian chef sacked after refusing to put pineapple on pizza
Davide Tamburella was fired from the now-closed restaurant La Costa in Queensland, Australia, in May as he believed pineapple topping was an “insult to his culture”.
This occurred a fortnight after a meeting with his management, who voiced a string of complaints about the chef’s behaviour, reports claim.
What you need to know
La Costa stood as an Italian hub in the heart of Brisbane before it closed.
On Tuesday, a Fair Work Commission ruling heard that Tamburella was sacked on 20 May after he was called upon to “address performance concerns”.
One of the chief concerns was his refusal to put pineapple on pizza.
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The Italian was more than three years into a 186 visa process – an employer sponsored pathway to permanent residency in Australia.
However, his application had not been approved before he was sacked, and he now must start the process again.
Elliot Ingram, his boss, admitted that while pineapple on pizza was neither his own preference, 17 years in hospitality has taught him to “pick your battles”.
A frustrated boss
Do I go and buy a ham and pineapple pizza? It’s not my favourite but I’m not going to turn my nose up at it – that’s for sure.
The commission heard that Tamburella acknowledged this was the third time he refused Ingram’s direction. He had requested his boss to “check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on pizza”.
La Costa closed in July when its lease expired, with Ingram citing the high costs of running a business as a contributor.
How worried should you be about Ebola in the UK?
A British man is being flown back to the UK for treatment after testing positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The patient, who is thought to be a healthcare worker, is expected to be brought back later on Thursday.
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First confirmed case of a UK national
There have only ever been four confirmed cases of the virus in the UK.
The first was in 1976, resulting from a laboratory incident. The latter three involved health workers responding to an outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2015.
The current outbreak centred in the DRC is fueled by the Bundibugyo variant of the virus.
A closer look at the detail
25-90%
Ebola has a high fatality rate, with past outbreaks causing death in 25-90 per cent of infected people.
People with the disease tend to fall ill two to 21 days after contact with an orthoebolavirus.
- Early symptoms include fever, aches, pains, and fatigue, but they can then progress to diarrhoea, vomiting and unexplained bleeding.
What this means for the UK
The UK has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this, and those processes have been activated. Further information will be shared in due course. The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low
Government official
Channel 4 axes Married At First Sight UK after review following misconduct claims
Channel 4 has cancelled Married At First Sight UK following an external review triggered by “serious allegations of wrongdoing”.
What led to this?
Earlier this year, two women who participated in the show made allegations of rape and a third of sexual misconduct by their on-screen husbands, speaking in a BBC documentary which aired in May.
- In June, a cast member was arrested on suspicion of rape. All three men deny the claims.
- Channel 4 has now confirmed the series will not be returning.
What will happen to season six?
Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra confirmed season six of the show, filmed this year, will not be broadcast.
Second Married at First Sight, a spin-off set to bring contestants from the UK and Australian versions of the show for a second chance at love, was in pre-production with CPL before being paused during the review. It will not resume.
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What the production company said:
“CPL has always put contributor welfare at the heart of its programme making and will continue to do so,” CPL said.
“CPL have worked closely with Channel 4 for many years and throughout the review process, and we look forward to working with them again in the future.”
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Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football
Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football.
Here is everything we know so far about his decision.
What did he say?
The day has come back for me to hand back the number 7 shirt of our national team…It was not an easy decision. Because some decisions are not made with the mind alone. They are also made with the heart. A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The background
- The 41-year-old has made 234 appearances for Portugal and scored 146 goals.
- He holds the all-time record for international appearances and for international goals.
“When I look back at everything with the national team, I don’t just see the matches, goals, records or trophies,” he added. “ I see the Portuguese people living abroad who, for 90 minutes, felt a little closer to home.”
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong jailed for 10 years
Joshua Wong, 30, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to “foreign collusion” under the region’s national security law.
Wong is among hundreds of campaigners arrested under the law, which was enforced in 2020 following pro-democracy protests against Beijing’s control in Hong Kong.
Who is Joshua Wong?
Wong rose to fame as the face of Hong Kong’s 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations and “Umbrella Movement”.
He rallied more than 100,000 people to protest against Hong Kong’s plans to implement mandatory “patriotic education”.
In 2020, Wong stayed in Hong Kong and tried to run for a seat in its legislature – but was barred due to his opposition to the national security law.
The charges he faces
The activist has already spent the last six years in jail for subversion and was due to be freed in January – but will now spend another decade in prison.
Now, prosecutors have claimed he conspired with other campaigners to lobby for foreign sanctions and blockades against Beijing between July and November 2020.
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Wong not only severely undermined national sovereignty, security, and development interests, but also directly prejudiced the wellbeing of the general public and the stability of society.
john lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive
Opponents hit back
Cruel and unjust.
Critics argue that the national security law has completely silenced political opposition and debate.
Elaine Pearson, director of Human Rights Watch in Asia, believes this ruling serves “to keep Hong Kong society subdued”.
“The government appears to have adopted the tactic of stacking charges against influential pro-democracy leaders,” she said.
The 2.4 million households that could have energy debt wiped
Plans published alongside Chancellor John Healey’s Budget last week reveal a new strategy to help homes that have fallen behind on their gas and electricity bills.
The Government and energy regulator Ofgem’s new plan vows a one-off Debt Relief Scheme.
Ofgem estimates around 2.4 million customers have debt that could be considered for the scheme and help Britons “get back on top of their finances and make a fresh start”.
However, the exact figures on how many people will receive help and the amount of debt written off will be finalised next year.
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What has led to this new scheme?
- In 2022, energy costs soared after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed up wholesale gas prices.
- At the peak of the conflict, a typical household’s annual bill was capped at £2,500 – double the previous year.
- Great Britain’s household energy debt stood at £5bn in the middle of 2026 – three times that of 2021.
- Now, more than 2 million households are in debt with their suppliers.
- While Ofgem first proposed a debt-tackling scheme in November 2025, the plan never went ahead until its current revival.
- The strategy has expanded and is now aimed at the debt built up during the peak of the crisis.
- Government analysis suggests the expanded scheme could save households £130 over the next decade.
What makes people qualify?
Britons in “genuine financial need” will be prioritised under latest plans. This covers those on universal credit or pensioners.
People with little realistic prospect of paying back the sums of debt on their own will be helped.
It is also dependent on how willing households are to negotiate with suppliers on repayment plans and future bills.
Who pays for the scheme?
While the Government has not exactly outlined who will exactly fund the strategy yet, Ofgem is expected to announce this later in the year.
The i Paper understands it will add a small upfront cost to bills, but the Government expects to pay for it itself within two years.
Government analysis suggests the new scheme should prevent more than £5bn of new energy debt building up by 2036. The Budget promised that no new government costs would be added to energy bills until a new framework is in place.
What happens next?
- Ofgem will publish a fresh consultation on the scheme shortly.
- In early 2027, it will make a final decision on the scheme.
- In spring 2027, it is scheduled to go live, depending on the consultation.
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Typhoons batters East Asia as El Niño grows
In recent months across the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Japan, intense and volatile storms, worsened by the climate phenomenon El Niño, have destroyed major airports, ruined infrastructure and killed dozens.
What is El Niño?
El Niño is a naturally occurring complex weather phenomenon that transpires over the Pacific Ocean roughly every two to seven years.
It can increase global temperatures, as it weakens trade winds and allows warmer water to spread across central and eastern parts of the tropical Pacific.
- : Typhoon Mekkhala and Storm Higos forced 1 million people to evacuate Japan.
- : Storm Narra submerged villages along China’s southern coast and displaced tens of thousands.
- : Super Typhoon Dolphin triggered heavy floods and dozens of casualties in China over 16 days.
- : Typhoon Saudel made landfall in three Chinese cities in just one week, shutting transport and forcing evacuations.
The impact in pictures
East Asia vs El Niño
- Typhoon Champi cut off 15,000 Japanese homes from power at a speed of 295kph.
- Hundreds of flights were forced to cancel in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.
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How are countries preparing?
Stockpile food, essentials and secure outside furniture that could become deadly when typhoons hit.
Local officials will identify vulnerable areas and upgrade warning and monitoring systems.
In lieu of food production disruption, farmers receive increased support.
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