Merz expects Trump to keep bypassing Congress despite midterm losses

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Democrats win House and Senate in midterms; Vance blames Iran war for Republican losses

On Wednesday, reports said Vice-President JD Vance publicly blamed the Iran war for the Republican midterm defeat, which BBC News described as one of the sharpest breaks with a sitting president in recent memory. Democrats won the House and the Senate in Tuesday's vote, and President Trump conceded they had done well while saying the Iran war may have played a role, without taking personal responsibility. The Alaska and Mississippi Senate races remain uncalled.

• Al Jazeera reports Democrats won a House majority, and Democrats also regained the Senate. Senate wins included Troy Jackson over Susan Collins in Maine, Sherrod Brown in Ohio, James Talarico over Ken Paxton in Texas, Annie Andrews in South Carolina and Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan.
• Democrats won governorships in Texas (Gina Hinojosa over Greg Abbott), Ohio (Amy Acton over Vivek Ramaswamy), California (Xavier Becerra), Georgia (Keisha Lance Bottoms) and New Mexico (Deb Haaland). Republican Byron Donalds won in Florida.
• The Guardian reports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces pressure over the losses and that Thomas Massie has filed eight articles of impeachment. Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly will not seek the House minority leader post.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he expects Trump to keep sidestepping Congress, and European leaders have voiced hopes for a reset in relations with Washington.