US midterm election night dominated the hour. Polls first closed in parts of Indiana and Kentucky ^1,2 after more than 57 million early ballots , with Republicans defending a 218–214 House majority and a 53–47 Senate majority ³. Polymarket gave Democrats a 96% chance at the House and 74% at the Senate, where they need a net gain of four seats and Cook rates seven races pure toss-ups ⁴. Early returns from only a couple of states show substantial swings in Indiana, possibly putting Victoria Spartz's R+8 seat in play ⁵. The AP Voter Poll frames the mood: about six in ten voters disapprove of Trump's handling of the presidency and favor more congressional checks on him ⁶, about 4 in 10 name the economy as the top issue ⁷, and roughly half call corruption and the cost of living crucial to their vote ⁸. The contest over the vote itself is the thread not to miss. Trump suggested he could use 'tremendous powers' if Democrats win ⁹. An appeals court restored the administration's power to seek removal of ballots suspected of being cast by noncitizens ¹⁰, even as courts have so far stopped nearly all of the DOJ's push for federal control over state-run elections ¹¹. Voting was disrupted by floods and machine glitches ¹², including temporary polling sites in eight Florida counties ¹³, though officials called the technical problems minor ¹⁴. Separately, an Oklahoma man was charged with mailing white-powder hoaxes to election officials ¹⁵, and Susan Collins' office was vandalized with a 'blood on your hands' message ¹⁶. Iran sits alongside the vote. Tehran rejected Washington's response to a peace proposal after fresh US strikes ¹⁷, and advisers reportedly said new attacks could follow soon after the midterms ¹⁸. Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz drove up US gasoline prices . Oil was subdued amid hopes for US-Iran diplomacy and Trump's halting of Israel aid ¹⁹, a move Marjorie Taylor Greene said shows how bad the polling is ²⁰. In markets, S&P 500 futures edged up on AMD's strong earnings as traders awaited results ²¹. AMD's data center revenue surged 97% ²², and the company forecast about 50% annual server CPU market growth through 2030 ²³. PIMCO's CEO, by contrast, warned the AI spending spree could end in a downturn ²⁴. Corporate news included CVS Health's plan to split its drugstores from its insurance and pharmacy-benefit operations ²⁵ amid political pressure on PBMs ²⁶. Canva is cutting 22% of staff, or 1,271 employees, after its first growth slowdown in a decade ^27,28. The large batch of insider filings was routine.