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Six fires were set in Jackson on Tuesday, the day of the midterm elections, but authorities say attacks not politically motivatedPolice in Mississippi’s capital have arrested a 23-year-old man accused of setting fire to at least six buildings – including two churches – on Tuesday near the campus of Jackson State University, a historically Black college.Though the fires were set on the same day as the midterm elections, the assistant chief of the Jackson fire department told media outlets that investigators had no immediate reason to believe the blazes were politically motivated. Continue reading...

Democrats appear to have surprised even themselves, though a Republican majority in the House still seems likely

Republican governor sweeps to victory in Florida while former president condemned for failure of anticipated ‘red wave’

The state elected the Democrat military veteran – who has never run for office – by a landslide

Vermont, Michigan and California add protections to state constitutions while Kentucky rejects anti-abortion measure

Secretary of state Jocelyn Benson condemns ‘conspiracy theorists and election deniers’ after being re-elected over Kristina Karamo

Crowd in Tampa chant encouragement to run for president as Florida governor revels in big win and even channels Churchill

Democrat Becca Balint won the race on Tuesday for Vermont’s single seat in the US House, becoming the first woman and first out gay person to represent the state in Congress. Balint, the president of the Vermont state senate and a former middle school teacher, beat the other major party candidate, Liam Madden, an independent who won the Republican primary. Three independents and one libertarian candidate were also in the race. During her victory speech, Balint gave supporters her word that she would not back down from tough fights in Washington

Democrat Maxwell Frost, 25, defeated Republican in Florida congressional race as a number of candidates are making history

Half-cocked plan thwarted by quick-thinking TSA agents who spied pistol-packed poultry in carry-on bagThe US Transportation Security Administration has caught an air traveler who had allegedly stashed a firearm inside a raw chicken in a bid to get the weapon through security at a Florida airport.In a pun-laden post to its Instagram account, the TSA said the bizarre attempt had been foiled at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood international airport when eagle-eyed agents spied the handgun wrapped in tape and placed inside the bird’s cavity. Continue reading...

Tropical Storm Nicole is forecast to make landfall as a category 1 storm as state still reeling in aftermath of damage from IanA late-season hurricane is expected to make landfall in eastern Florida on Wednesday night, hitting a state still reeling in the aftermath of the damage wrought by Hurricane Ian last month.Tropical Storm Nicole is gathering strength just east of the north-west Bahamas, and is forecast to make landfall in Florida as a category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. Continue reading...

What Indianapolis’ new leader lacks in top-level head coaching experience, he makes up for with his connections in the game. What is the endgame?As acts of organizational sabotage go, it doesn’t get more flagrant than what Jim Irsay inflicted on the Indianapolis Colts this week.No, you didn’t eat a weed brownie. Yes, Jeff Saturday, an ESPN analyst with no experience as a coach at college or NFL level, is the man who will lead the Colts – at least on an interim basis. “This is for eight games, hopefully more,” Irsay, the Colts owner, said of his new head coach at the bizarre introductory press conference for Saturday. Continue reading...

Democrats have reason for cautious optimism, but Republicans still have narrow advantage in battle for House

The sports both evolved from the same ancestry, and threads link the American ‘national pastime’ to cricket fandomAt first, it’s likely to be some surface-level inclination. Maybe the way an evening ballpark illuminates the hyper-greens and the browns that it sits next to. Maybe the way the floodlights bounce off the hitter’s helmet, pronouncing a ghostly stillness each time the pitcher sets up to throw. Maybe it’s the first sight of a short stop receiving the ball drilled towards them, skipping while transferring it from mitt to throwing hand and – stretching time to their will in the same elasticated stride – throwing out a runner at first base.Honestly, it could be any of the motor skills sunk into a player’s being – unthinking, sweet execution borne of the repetition of a lifetime, hiding any actual competition and instead presenting a kind of alpha ballet of all the pleasing ways a body moves. Maybe it’s just the clothes that do it for you. A walking, breathing map of implied American history. Or the sound – the congregated conversation behind the gently pleasing way a ball lands in a mitt. It could be as trivial as the breathtaking amount of chewing and spitting on view. Continue reading...

Fetterman clinches crucial Senate seat for Democrats in Pennsylvania while a slew of election-denying Republican candidates failed to win – although Republicans may still take the House. Plus, the drug that is Hollywood’s worst-kept secret

The ‘green wave’ expanded to Maryland with voters opting for recreational cannabis while California voted to enshrine abortion rights

Although the report focuses on drivers in Denver, gig worker drivers across the US face similar issues, experts sayDrivers for platforms like Lyft, Uber and DoorDash in Denver, Colorado, on average make significantly less than minimum wage when accounting for expenses and time spent on the app, a new study found, the latest research to highlight the struggles of such workers across the US.Research from workers’ rights group Colorado Jobs with Justice, in partnership with Gig Workers Rising, surveyed hundreds of gig workers in the Denver area regarding their work between 1 November 2021 and 31 January 2022, and found drivers on average took home $5.49 (£4.75) an hour after expenses. That average is roughly 35% below Denver’s 2022 minimum wage of $15.87, and falls significantly below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Continue reading...

Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams conceded the gubernatorial race to Republican Brian Kemp in a rematch of Georgia's close 2018 election, saying she ran for election to 'fight to save Georgia'. 'I may no longer be seeking the office of governor, but I will never stop doing everything in my power to ensure that the people of Georgia have a voice,' she told her supporters.Abrams, a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, became a national Democratic figurehead after losing a hard-fought governor's race to Kemp in 2018 by just 55,000 votes. Her voter registration efforts are credited with helping President Joe Biden win Georgia in 2020 and two Democrats capture the state's US Senate seats in 2021

This live blog has now closed, you can find all the latest results and reaction in our new US midterms live blogThe Republican candidate for governor in Arizona, Kari Lake, told reporters earlier she will be their “worst fricking nightmare for eight years” if she defeats the Democrat Katie Hobbs.Lake has been talked up as a running mate for Donald Trump in his widely expected run for the Republican presidential nomination. Continue reading...

The normally talkative former president appears uneasy at Mar-a-Lago election night event

John Fetterman has defeated the Republican candidate Mehmet Oz, flipping a Senate seat in the highly competitive swing state of Pennsylvania. 'We bet on the people of Pennsylvania and they never let us down,' Fetterman said in his acceptance speech after a hard-fought campaign during which concerns about Fetterman's health were raised by Oz's team.Fetterman, who had a stroke this year, said: 'Healthcare is a fundamental human right. It saved my life and it should all be there for you.'The win raises Democratic hopes that the party can retain a slim majority in the Senate

Democrat Wes Moore has made history after becoming the first Black governor of Maryland. He replaces Republican Larry Hogan, a moderate who managed to twice win election in what is otherwise a solidly blue state.The newly elected official assured the electorate 'I hear you' and 'this is our time' in his victory speech. Referencing his time in the army, Moore said 'leave no man behind'. Joe Biden joined Moore in a pre-election rally in Maryland the evening before election day

Ultra-conservative Republican Ron DeSantis defeated Democrat Charlie Crist in the midterm elections, granting him a second term as Florida's governor. DeSantis's win could serve as a launchpad for a White House bid in 2024, after being hailed as a rising star in the Republican party. The US midterms have been seen largely as a referendum for Biden's presidency with Democrats beating expectations since voting closed

Democratic candidate Tim Ryan concedes the Ohio US Senate race to Republican JD Vance in the midterm elections, telling his supporters it was a privilege to do so. 'We can't have a system where if you win, it's a legitimate election and if you lose, someone stole it. That is not how we can move forward in the United States,' Ryan said.With polls closed across the country, Republicans were still favoured to wrest control of the US House of Representatives from President Joe Biden's Democrats based on early returns, though the prospects of a 'red wave' in which they picked up dozens of seats appeared to have dimmed

Victory overturns a Republican-held Senate seat and increases his party’s chances of retaining control of chamber

The midterms brought less drama than expected, but anchors had to fill the airwaves with something

What’s the point of being filthy rich if you can’t be petty? If I ever do scoop the US’s Powerball jackpot, my nemesis will learn to fear my racoon-based revengeThere was a one in 292m chance of it happening and it turns out … I didn’t beat the odds. I regret to inform you that I have not won the $1.9bn (£1.7bn) Powerball jackpot, the largest lottery prize in US history, despite splashing out on three $2 tickets.Some people may be of the opinion that not winning the jackpot is a blessing of sorts. There are, after all, lots of stories about people who win the lottery and find it ruins their life. Friends and family harass them for money; they burn through their winnings; life loses its meaning. While that’s all very sad, let me tell you right now: winning almost two billion dollars would not ruin my life. I wouldn’t be one of those people who squanders their money on fast cars (I can’t drive) and vintage champagne (OK, maybe I’d buy some champagne). I would use the cash wisely. Continue reading...

Doug Mastriano, extremist Republican candidate whose hardline positions failed to gain ground, was a favorite of the ex-president

While much remains unclear about Tuesday’s elections, we know that Democrats did much better than expectedIt was not supposed to be this close. Midterms are always hard for the party in power. In the past, when Democrats have faced a midterm election when they controlled both the White House and Congress, the Republicans had a blowout.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnistCas Mudde is a Guardian US columnist and the Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor in the school of public and international affairs at the University of Georgia Continue reading...

There was no Republican ‘red wave’ after all. And abortion might be the reason whyMany known unknowns remain in the US congressional elections, including the critical question of who will hold the majority in the Senate.But it’s already clear that Republicans are going to perform far worse than the typical out-party in a midterm election. Democrats appear to be on track for a result that, while certainly not spectacular if viewed in isolation, is the best midterm performance for any incumbent party since 2002. There’s nothing like the massive “wave” elections of 1994, 2006, 2010 or 2018 here, or the steady opposition gains of 2014. In 1998, Democrats did break with precedent and actually gain seats in the House and Senate, despite holding the White House. But that was a question of shrinking existing Republican majorities.Matthew Yglesias is a political commentator. He runs the SlowBoring Substack Continue reading...

Current attorney general is state’s first Democratic governor in eight years

The Twittersphere was quick to see the Times’ tweet as a sign of liberal fear and reacted with glee

The gubernatorial candidate has mirrored Trump in attacking the mainstream media despite having thrived as a career anchor

Former president says he will tell reporters unflattering ‘things’ about the Florida governor should he run

Inflation and the state of the economy are at the front of voters' minds when going out to vote in the closely fought US midterm elections, the results of which threaten to rob the Democrats of control of Congress. Abortion and the threat to democracy also figure highly.The final results, which will determine control of Congress for the remainder of Biden’s first term as president and possibly further constrain his legislative agenda, could take days or even weeks in some tight Senate races

Millions across the country vote while Florida state department tells DoJ that federal election monitors won’t be permitted

Down-ballot voting could also determine drug legalization, gun rights and education funding, even ‘involuntary servitude’

Voters across the US described a range of urgent concerns, from reproductive rights to anxieties about the economy and crime

Prominent Republican party figures have signalled they would aim to reduce military support for UkraineUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has urged the US to stay united in its support amid worries about the consequences of a Republican win in Tuesday’s midterm elections.If the US Democrats lose control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the colossal financial and military support provided to Ukraine under the Democrats could falter. Continue reading...

Winner of $2.04bn Powerball prize – $400m greater than previous record – not identified by nameThe largest ever lottery prize in history, the $2.04bn Powerball jackpot, has been won.The US lottery’s official website on Tuesday showed a ticket holder in California had matched the winning numbers, hours after an early Tuesday drawing that had been marred by delays. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak reportedly poised to announce deal as Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens gas suppliesRamblers taking a stroll along the coastline of north-west Europe and the Iberian peninsula are met with a strange sight: huge tankers floating just offshore.The ships are carrying vast quantities of liquified natural gas (LNG), and are awaiting the optimum time to dock. Amid the unprecedented tumult in the gas markets, energy traders hope the more than 30 tankers – carrying a combined $2bn (£1.7bn) of LNG according to the shipping analytics firm Vortexa – can unload when the high prices of recent months return. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak is reportedly close to signing a deal with the US to import more gas, largely extracted via fracking from its shale reserves. Here, we analyse the situation. Continue reading...

From abortion and gun control to white supremacism and the economy, these matters are top of mind in midterms

From women’s rights to the economy, hear what’s driving voters in Georgia, Nevada and Ohio to the polls

Control of the Senate could hang on results in a handful of states while votes for governor and secretary of state could affect the conduct of future elections

College-aged woman found John R Tyson, 32, asleep in her bed at her home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, police reports sayThe chief financial officer of America’s largest meat processing company is facing accusations that he drunkenly broke into the home of a woman he didn’t know and passed out in her bed over the weekend.According to reports that police provided to local media, a college-aged woman found John R Tyson – the 32-year-old CFO of Tyson Foods – asleep in her bed at her home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at about 2.05am Sunday. She called police and told them that she didn’t know Tyson, who may have gotten in through the front door, which she may have left unlocked. Continue reading...

Timothy Griffin is at least the sixth American to die in war against Russia despite US advice to stay awayAnother American volunteer has died in combat in Ukraine, a spokesperson for the country’s International Legion confirmed on Monday, bringing the number of US fighters killed in the war against Russia to at least six.Timothy Griffin, from New York state, had been fighting alongside Ukrainians as part of their counteroffensive on the eastern front when his unit came under attack. The legion’s spokesperson, identified as “Mockingjay” to NBC News, said that Griffin was “killed in action”. Continue reading...