Democrats projected to win both chambers
Democrats won control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to media projections, delivering a major electoral setback to U.S. President Donald Trump. Their gains included traditionally Republican strongholds and the Texas Senate seat.
An earlier count in Michigan showed Democrat Abdul El-Sayed leading by three percentage points with approximately half the votes counted.
NYT reports U.S. contingency plans for an Iran strike
U.S. Central Command has prepared plans for a possible strike on Iran as early as Wednesday, November 4, following the midterm elections, The New York Times reported, citing American officials.
The reported operational window involves three U.S. aircraft carriers in the region and particularly dark nights favored for military strikes. The window would be brief, with one carrier needing to return to its home port after early November.
The reported timing concerns contingency planning, not confirmation that a strike will occur.
Israel has also shared intelligence asserting that Iran is considering using chemical weapons against its adversaries, according to the Times. Some American officials received the information with alarm, while others expressed deep skepticism.
Officials taking the warning seriously pointed to recent warnings about Iranian preparations to attack U.S. interests. Other U.S. officials viewed the intelligence as part of a pressure campaign by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to persuade the Trump administration to resume major combat operations against Iran.
Israel also shared some information with Gulf officials. Several questioned whether Iran was planning chemical attacks and believed Israel was seeking to draw Washington and its partners into a more intensive phase of the war.
These remain disputed intelligence assessments, not an established Iranian decision to use chemical weapons.
