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Diana and Jonathan Toebbe sentenced to 22 and 19 years for posing ‘great danger’ to US securityA federal judge has handed lengthy prison sentences to a US navy engineer and his wife for a plot to sell secrets about nuclear submarines to a person they thought was a representative of a foreign government, citing the “great danger” they posed to US security.The US district judge Gina Groh sentenced Jonathan Toebbe to more than 19 years and his wife, Diana Toebbe, to nearly 22 years. In August she had rejected earlier plea agreements that had called for reduced sentencing guidelines. Continue reading...

Full live results of the Congressional midterms, seat by seat, as electors across the US vote to decide whether the Democrats or Republicans will control the Senate and House of RepresentativesUS midterm elections 2022 – latest live news updatesAll 435 seats in the lower chamber of the federal congress, the House of Representatives, are re-elected every two years. (There are no term limits, and incumbents are often returned, so there is substantial continuity in the membership). House seats are broadly proportional to population, so California has lots of seats but Montana only a few. Continue reading...

Gregg Berhalter suppressed his preference for youthful dynamism by picking old-timer Tim Ream. Given the overall youth of the roster, adding a veteran can’t hurtGregg Berhalter has made his first big tactical move of the World Cup – a reverse Landon.Remember the shocking 2014 squad, when Jurgen Klinsmann picked Aron Jóhannsson but not Landon Donovan? For 2022, the US men’s head coach suppressed his preference for youthful dynamism by picking old-timer and apparent international has-been Tim Ream rather than a younger option. Continue reading...

America is returning to an era of divided government and two years of grinding trench warfareIt was a result that, Joe Biden said on Wednesday, gave everyone a “whew! sigh of relief” that Make America Great Again (Maga) Republicans are not taking over the government again.Biden won and Donald Trump lost in midterm elections to decide control of Congress. But just as in 2020, a collective exhalation is not enough to spell the end of political dysfunction in America. Things are about to get messy. Continue reading...

The unconventional senator-elect who ‘bet on the people of Pennsylvania’ and won will now head to Washington and sit in a deeply divided Congress

Casting so many Iranians into exile is one of the worst acts of these terrorists masquerading as leaders. But it could also be their downfallBeing an Iranian woman is a heavy birthright. It comes with knowing a true, deep, feminism, while also knowing violent oppression at the hand of the government ruling our homeland.And for millions of us, it means displacement. Continue reading...

Latest updates and results as Democrats perform better than expected and Georgia Senate race heads to runoff

Georgia, Nevada and Arizona’s hotly contested races run neck and neck

A Republican House could still upend the trajectory of the presidency, with a decision to re-run looming in the distanceWith the next two years of his presidency on the line and Congress in the balance, Joe Biden picked up the phone on Tuesday night and began placing a series of congratulatory calls.At first, the president offered well-wishes to candidates widely expected to win their races, like Wes Moore, who soundly defeated his far-right opponent to become Maryland’s first Black governor. But soon the president was congratulating Democrats in more competitive contests, like Virginia congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, whose political fate was seen as a bellwether of Republicans’ fortunes. He ended what one prominent forecaster declared “the craziest election night I’ve ever seen” with an early morning text to Pennsylvania lieutenant governor John Fetterman, who defeated celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in one of the most fiercely contested Senate races that had become a proxy battle between Biden and Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Biden expresses hopes that Russia might be more open to a prisoner swap to end basketball star’s ‘wrongful’ detentionJoe Biden pledged on Wednesday to secure the return of US basketball star Brittney Griner, who, it emerged earlier in the day, had been transferred last week from a detention center outside Moscow and was on her way to a Russian penal colony.“I’m telling you I’m determined to get her home and get her home safely,” the US president said on Wednesday afternoon during a press conference at the White House that focused chiefly on the results of the midterm elections. Continue reading...

Storm Nicole picks up strength after striking the Bahamas and is forecast to hit the state already devastated by Hurricane Ian

Joe Biden took a cautious victory lap following the 2022 midterm election results, describing Democratic successes despite expectations of large Republican gains. 'While the press and the pundits were predicting a giant red wave – it didn’t happen,' the US president said, adding that many results in key races were still being tallied.With ballots still being counted, Democrats were hopeful about holding the Senate while Republicans felt they were on course to win the House – but by a much narrower margin than widely predicted

Pence also seems to blame anti-Trump Lincoln Project for angering former president with political ad, fueling Capitol attackShortly before the January 6 insurrection, Donald Trump warned Mike Pence he was “too honest” when he hesitated to pursue legalistic attempts to stop certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory and would make Trump’s supporters “hate his guts”, the former vice-president writes in his memoir.Pence also seems, bizarrely, to blame the anti-Trump Lincoln Project for enraging Trump with a political ad, thereby fueling the anger that incited the Capitol attack. Continue reading...

President says ‘giant red wave didn’t happen’ as Senate still in balance and race for House control much closer than predicted

Support from Bernie Sanders and other leaders and key turnout by Gen Z voters led to victories in Texas, Florida and other states

The margin of votes between the Democratic congresswoman and billionaire developer remains too close to callA billionaire real estate developer and a Democratic congresswoman are still locked in a tight race to become the next mayor of Los Angeles, in a record-breaking campaign where political spending topped $120m.On Wednesday morning, the margin of votes between Rick Caruso and Karen Bass was still too close to call, with the candidates virtually tied, the Associated Press reported. Continue reading...

Republicans will be wondering how polling got it so wrong. As John Fetterman wins that all-important Pennsylvania seat and Democrats keeps more seats in the House than expected, it is clear the former president doesn’t have the pull analysts once thought. Donald Trump faces another problem, a party rival in Florida king, Ron DeSantis.Jonathan Freedland is joined by Lauren Gambino, Tara Setmayer and David Shor to discuss the ramifications for Washington and beyond of what the votes are telling us Continue reading...

Trumpers fared badly in swing states as Biden bucked the historical trend and avoided heavy defeats in his first termUS midterm elections – latest newsAnd the loser is … Donald J Trump. The identity of the winners of America’s midterm elections was not clear the morning after the night before – even at lunchtime on Wednesday the TV anchors could not tell their audiences whether Democrats or Republicans would be in control of the House of Representatives or Senate – but there was no such ambiguity over the fate of the man who continues to loom over US politics, even two years after his removal from the White House. Trump took a beating.True to form, the former president had wanted this election to be all about him. His rallies, nominally staged to boost support for Republican candidates in whichever state he had landed in, were instead intensely focused on himself. At an outdoor event in Latrobe, Pennsylvania on Saturday night, for example, he spoke only fleetingly of the men running for governor or senator, devoting most of his two-hour speech either to relitigating the past – insisting, against all evidence, that the 2020 election was stolen from him – or hinting at a glorious future, talking up his prospects for retaking the presidency in 2024. Continue reading...

Win by longtime state representative Tony DeLuca, who died last month, triggers special election that will be held on a later dateA longtime Pennsylvania state representative was re-elected in a landslide – even though he died last month.Democrat Anthony “Tony” DeLuca, Pennsylvania’s longest-serving state representative, was the choice in more than 85% of votes cast. Continue reading...

The ex-president’s support dragged author from the back of the primary field – but other outlandish candidates went down in flames

Several avid participants in efforts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential contest fell short in the midterm elections

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