The ranting right is winning, from the US to Israel | Simon Tisdall

US Democrats and leftwing parties around the world have failed to come up with a compelling narrative to counter the lies and distortions of extremists

Unless polls, pundits and precedents are wildly wrong, Democrats will crash and burn in this week's US midterm elections. Given the problems he inherited, Joe Biden's presidency was always likely to end in tears. Expected Republican gains on Tuesday herald a descent into bareknuckle political fisticuffs and legislative gridlock before the 2024 White House race.

The Democrats appear odds-on to lose control of the House of Representatives. They could possibly cling on in the Senate but that, too, looks increasingly uncertain. Biden has had less than two years to implement his policies. Now his domestic agenda may be stymied at every turn. Internal party recriminations have already begun.