Daily Recap: Politics — 3 November 2026

Election Day dominates the politics agenda, with control of Congress and the integrity of voting taking center stage as polls open across the United States. At the same time, high-stakes power struggles unfold abroad and in key legal fights at home, from coalition maneuvering in...

Americans vote in the 2026 midterm elections, with control of Congress and a range of gubernatorial and state legislative races on the line. Poll closing times differ across the country, in some cases by time zone within the same state, as election officials and news organizations track turnout and results through the day and night.

The Justice Department sends about 1,000 election monitors and observers to polling sites in all 50 states for the midterms, calling it the largest deployment of its kind in department history. The effort is meant to watch for voting-rights issues and support federal oversight as ballots are cast nationwide.

Michigan’s Senate race reaches its final hours with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers competing in a closely watched contest that could help decide control of the chamber. In a major swing state, the candidates make contrasting appeals as both parties focus on one of the cycle’s most consequential battlegrounds.

Rep. Haley Stevens triggers a backlash among Michigan Democrats by endorsing Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers after previously backing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. The reversal exposes internal party tensions at a critical moment in a race with national stakes, and Stevens publicly defends the move despite sharp criticism from fellow Democrats.

Israel’s opposition bloc unites behind former military chief Gadi Eisenkot as its preferred candidate to try to form the next government after the Knesset elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu counters that the vote still supports his leadership, while opposition leaders coordinate strategy before presenting their recommendation to President Isaac Herzog.

The United States, Ukraine and Russia prepare for talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, with Moscow confirming the meetings after an announcement from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. The discussions are set at a working level rather than between national leaders, signaling a technical round of diplomacy rather than a summit.

A federal judge dismisses the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking individual Harvard admissions records, blocking the government from obtaining the documents through that case. The ruling turns on procedural grounds and does not resolve the underlying question of whether Harvard discriminated in its admissions process.

Reform UK councillor George Madgwick is charged with 35 offences, including 12 counts of rape, over allegations involving four victims who were aged 16 and 17 at the time. The alleged offences span 2008 to 2021 and are said to have taken place in Portsmouth and Wales.