More than 43 million ballots cast in US midterms early voting surge

■ Steady

Over 43 million ballots cast early as US midterms near on November 3

Early voting has surged ahead of the November 3 midterms, with more than 43 million ballots cast, helped by Hispanic voters, and turnout appears to outpace previous elections in some battleground counties. On Wednesday, Obama and Trump traded barbs at rallies in Georgia and Ohio over the Iran war, tariffs and the White House ballroom. Security concerns have also featured: the Federal Election Commission said a 'bad actor' tried to breach its systems, and a leak site released data on more than 40,000 Department of Homeland Security employees.

• Distributed Denial of Secrets says it released data on more than 40,000 DHS employees, the third such government data disclosure in the last month; DHS did not immediately comment.
• An FEC email said a 'bad actor' tried to breach its systems as the US prepares for its most expensive elections ever.
• Trump says he will respect the midterm results if the elections are 'honest'.
• A Washington grand jury declined the justice department's request to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.