Tuesday's US midterms dominate the hour. Decision Desk HQ gives Democrats an 83 percent chance to retake both chambers ¹, and more than 50 million Americans have already voted ². The recurring explanation across items is affordability: voters have a stable job market and bigger paychecks but are frustrated with living costs and Trump's handling of the economy ³, Rep. Rosa DeLauro predicts a wave on those concerns ⁴, and Latino voters are reported moving back toward Democrats ⁵. In the final weeks, the administration also rolled out $15 billion in initiatives and payment promises for farmers and ranchers . The sharpest flashpoint is Alaska. Attorneys there called Trump's demand to set aside Senate ballots "meritless" and "disturbing and impossible" ⁶. Sen. Dan Sullivan says he will accept the result even if Democrat Mary Peltola wins ^7,8, while the Justice Department investigates a same-named ballot candidate ⁷ whom Peltola aides reportedly recruited to siphon his votes ⁸. Democrats are already arguing over what a win would mean: a POLITICO poll found them split 37% to 35% on whether a smaller-than-expected victory calls for more progressives or more moderates ⁹. In California, voters also decide Proposition 40, a one-time 5% tax on the assets of an estimated 260 billionaires ¹⁰. The election date also appears in foreign-policy reporting. Reports say a new bombing campaign against Iran could follow Tuesday's vote, and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei put the military on heightened alert Saturday, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is ready for serious diplomacy ¹¹. In Ukraine, the Kherson-only truce brokered by Melania Trump is set to expire with no extension announced ¹². Russian strikes left twelve settlements in Ternopil Oblast fully or partially without power ¹³, and a drone hit a vocational school dormitory in the Vinnytsia region, killing two people ¹⁴. Europe saw street unrest. France's Interior Ministry counted 320,000 demonstrators Saturday and 565 arrests, and a Molotov cocktail set a gendarme alight in Paris ¹⁵. Riots also broke out in Frankfurt after a demonstration ¹⁶, where the German protest initiative opposed the return of military conscription ¹⁵. In crypto, nearly $3.8 billion left Binance within 10 hours of its reopening ¹⁷, and Trump said he would discuss North Korea's possible role in the $6.3 billion cyberattack on the exchange if it is confirmed ¹⁸. Separately, October crypto liquidations totaled $12.5 billion, with leveraged longs hit hardest ¹⁹.