The polls are now open and we're expecting results to start rolling out later today.
asserted
results → expect → ?
In the meantime, let's get you up to speed with what's happened overnight!
asserted
what → let → speed
Click here to see how popular Trump is today, and click here for a quick breakdown on what the midterms are all about.
asserted
midterms → click → what
Here's what you need to know today
-
asserted
you → need → what
Surprise announcement: Trump announced he made a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would stop $US4 billion ($5.7 billion) in annual funding to Israel after this year.
asserted
Washington → announce → year
He said the move was partly meant to take away a "bad talking point" used by left-wing Democrats over US support for Israel.
asserted
move → say → Israel
He did not provide details or explain how the funding would be stopped, given that the Memorandum of Understanding that provides $3.8 billion in US military aid to Israel each year does not expire until September 2028.
asserted
that → provide → September
- Court steps in:
asserted
Court → step → ?
In the hours before polls opened, a federal appeals court restricted the Trump administration's unprecedented efforts to pressure state election officials over alleged noncitizen voting.
asserted
court → open → voting
It comes after the US Supreme Court this week rejected an emergency request by the Trump administration to intervene in a case where it sought to block California from counting thousands of ballots.
asserted
it → come → ballots
The US Department of Justice said it was deploying 1,000 election observers to all 50 states in what it said was the largest election day monitoring effort in history.
asserted
it → say → history
Department officials said areas with a history of voter access issues and places with competitive races that could be targets of voter intimidation were prioritised.
uncertain
that → say → intimidation
The Democracy Docket, which is run by Democratic elections attorney Marc Elias, said the published list of locations showed observers would be "concentrated in Democratic strongholds and minority communities".
asserted
observers → run → strongholds
"The DOJ has sent election monitors to polling places with a pattern of voter suppression since the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, but this is the first time the department has deployed monitors in all 50 states," Natalie Note wrote for the site.
asserted
Note → send → site
What are we watching today?
asserted
we → watch → What
There are going to be a lot of numbers to keep track of when the counts begin.
asserted
counts → be → track
So what exactly should you focus on?
asserted
you → focus → what
I messaged Americas editor John Lyons for his tips.
asserted
I → message → tips
The polls are officially open across the country! Which races will you be watching closely tonight?
asserted
you → watch → races
Texas has of course long been a Republican stronghold, which is why Democrat James Talarico's challenge is creating so much interest.
asserted
challenge → create → interest
The Democrats have not won a Senate seat in Texas since 1988.
asserted
Democrats → win → 1988
The polls predicting a Talarico win could, of course, all be wrong.
uncertain
polls → predict → course
But based on recent polls from a range of media companies Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian and a former school teacher, has a strong chance of "flipping" the seat from Republican to Democrat by defeating Republican Ken Paxton.
asserted
Talarico → base → Paxton
The other seat to watch is of course Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed has gained much attention.
asserted
Sayed → watch → attention
Trump has directly targeted the fact that El-Sayed is a Muslim, saying that if he's elected El-Sayed would be the only US Senator who needs to go through a metal detector as he enters the Senate.
asserted
he → target → Senate
While this sort of Islamophobia has appealed to some of the MAGA base, others have been appalled by it.
asserted
others → appeal → it
The Democrats have not won a Senate seat in Kansas for 94 years.
asserted
Democrats → win → years
The fact that they have any chance of winning it is extraordinary.
asserted
they → win → it
The last time they won, in 1932, Herbert Hooper was president, Prohibition was in place in the US and the Great Depression was happening.
asserted
Depression → win → US
That shows the depth of the political problems facing Trump.
asserted
That → show → Trump
As to key words to listen for, if Trump over the next 48 hours alleges that "there has been massive fraud" or "widespread cheating".
asserted
Trump → listen → hours
If Trump claims that, then he may look at various options to challenge the election.
uncertain
he → claim → election
That is something many people in Washington are nervous about, as it could lead to instability.
uncertain
it → lead → instability
Election forecasters have been tipping a blue wave will see the Democrats regain control of both the House and the Senate.
asserted
Democrats → tip → House
But should we count the Republicans out just yet?
asserted
we → count → Republicans
We've seen that many times in Australia, the US and other countries.
asserted
We → see → Australia
Many people don't decide who they're going to vote for until they walk into a polling booth.
asserted
they → decide → booth
And polling is imperfect — it cannot pick up every trend or differences within a household.
asserted
it → pick → household
One of the interesting things though about the recent polls in the US is that polls from a range of organisations have been pointing to the same thing — for the Democrats to take the House of Representatives from the Republicans and possibly to take the Senate as well.
uncertain
Democrats → point → Senate
We will know the reality soon!
You can watch John break down more of the day's key races here.
asserted
John → know → races
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
