Hour in Review — 2026-11-04 04:00 UTC 25 sources
The hour belonged almost entirely to the US midterms, which broke decisively toward Democrats. Decision Desk HQ projected Democrats will win the House, with Hakeem Jeffries expected to become speaker 1. That would retake the chamber for the first time in four years 2 and set up a clash with the Trump administration over congressional oversight 3. The depth of the swing shows in where seats fell. Zach Dembo won Kentucky's 6th District 52.7% to 43.3%, a district Trump carried by 15 points 4. Paige Cognetti unseated Rob Bresnahan in a Pennsylvania district Trump won by almost 9 5. Democrats also took three of the four Florida districts Republicans had redrawn earlier in the year 6. In the Senate, Roy Cooper's North Carolina win gave Democrats their first flip 7. The night's biggest upset came in South Carolina, where pediatrician Annie Andrews beat appointed Sen. Darline Graham 51.1% to 47% 8. Graham was the sister of the late Lindsey Graham, and Trump held two rallies for her in the final two weeks 9. Outlets reported it as the first Democratic Senate win in the state since 1998 10,11. Republicans entered the night defending a 53-47 Senate majority 12, and overall Senate control was still unclear 2. The White House response was to blame weak GOP candidates and insist Trump was not on the ballot 13,14. Some administration officials had reportedly begun seeking lawyers before the vote to preempt Democrat-led investigations 13. Ballot measures could also reshape future maps and budgets. Maryland passed Question 3 by 59.5% to 40.5%, opening a path to redraw its congressional map before 2028 15. Virginia enshrined a right to reproductive freedom 16, and Florida voters approved sweeping property tax cuts that challenge local funding 17. Markets traded the results directly. The dollar had its worst day in a month while the franc and yen surged 18, and gold rose as yields fell 19. Nasdaq futures slid on regulatory fears for AI-linked stocks 20, South Korean chipmakers dragged down the Kospi on the same concern 21, and global solar shares jumped 22. Outside the US, the item not to miss is Europe's supermarket refrigeration cyberattacks. The EU says they span at least 11 countries and are not isolated 23. One security CEO said the activity could be attributed to a Russian state-sponsored actor 24, while a Romanian official suspects no state actor was involved 23. Separately, the European Commission's 2027 work plan would scrap the 2021 energy taxation reform and withdraw the long-stalled European Deposit Insurance Scheme proposal 25.
Sources