Sunday, November 1, 2026 · Morning Edition

Today

By StaffNews Desk

Good morning. Polls close today on midterms that will decide control of Congress, and the president goes into them deeply underwater in four national polling trackers. Donald Trump told voters to "Pretend I'm on the ticket", then baselessly accused a Muslim candidate of being a terrorist. Where it cannot win the vote, the administration tries to rig it: a [DOJ list of alleged California noncitizen voters so sloppy that 42% of names weren't on the state's current rolls](https://www.salon.com/2026/10/31/trump-dojs-california-noncitizen-voter-list-riddled-with-errors), and a Friday demand to set aside Alaska Senate ballots that the state's own attorneys call meritless and not even possible.

In New York, [Zohran Mamdani became mayor on a platform of fast and free buses, universal childcare, cheaper groceries, and a rent freeze](https://www.businessinsider.com/zohran-mamdani-reshaping-nyc-economy-2026-11) — a concrete workers' program. Campaign filings show where money's loyalty lies: [progressive donors rally behind Democratic nominees while establishment cash vanishes, or moves to Republicans, when the nominee is a populist](https://www.levernews.com/the-lefts-donors-dont-hold-grudges-the-establishments-do). And Senator Roger Marshall [may have broken federal campaign finance law by paying a top aide with leadership PAC funds that cannot finance his own campaign](https://www.rawstory.com/roger-marshall-2678178667), per a complaint filed Friday with the FEC.

Abroad, the administration's imperial reach is naked: Marco Rubio has made a public plea for Cubans to work with the CIA as Washington eyes its next conquest. In Germany, [mass demonstrations that passed largely peacefully Saturday turned violent after dark, with rioters facing police in Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-01/german-protests-turn-violent-as-activists-clash-with-police). India's Congress party is calling for one of the biggest demonstrations yet in a string of rallies that has racked India since the summer.

On the West Coast, record-breaking high tides are soaking the region while storms force flood rescues in Arizona. And the Golden State Valkyries won their first WNBA title in just their second season, beating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 behind Gabby Williams's 30 points.