🇺🇸Week of November 2

California Governor Gavin Newsom commuted the death sentences of all 548 people on the state's death row, converting them to life without parole. The New York Times reported that the inmates represent about a quarter of death sentences nationwide, and that California has not executed anyone for 20 years.12

Newsom, who is considering a run for president, called capital punishment morally objectionable. The commutations prevent the prisoners from being executed under future governors, and the decision came after Christa Pike's failed execution in Tennessee.13

The Guardian's Austin Sarat wrote that emptying California's death row saves hundreds of lives and signals a national shift in the death penalty. He called it a truly remarkable moment in the history of capital punishment in the United States.4

Attributed claim: Outlets differed on how to count the commutations. The Guardian and Al Jazeera reported more than 500 death sentences, while the New York Times, BBC and CNN put the figure at 548 death row inmates.31256

Vice President JD Vance blamed the Republicans' steep midterm election losses on the Iran war, breaking with President Donald Trump. The New York Times reported that Vance offered his striking critique of the administration's agenda and messaging with Trump's apparent approval.12

Crude oil prices tumbled Wednesday, with a barrel falling below $90, after Vance's remarks. The midterm result was a historic rebuke for Republicans, and the Washington Post traced the groundwork for it to Republican missteps.13

Attributed claim: Outlets described Vance's move in opposing terms. CNN, a centre-left outlet, cast it as Vance tossing Trump under the bus to keep his 2028 hopes alive, while the New York Times, also centre-left, reported that he made the critique with Trump's apparent approval.42

Democrats are set to take control of the Senate in January, a shift that will let them block President Donald Trump's Supreme Court and judicial appointments. The incoming majority follows Democratic gains in the midterm elections, which also left the party with full control of Congress.123

Justice Samuel Alito has told friends he does not plan to step down before the end of the court's term, even with Democrats poised to seize the Senate. The New York Times reports his decision despite the election outcome, which had put the court's conservative justices in the spotlight.42

The Democratic sweep locks in Justices Clarence Thomas and Alito for an uncertain Supreme Court stretch, MS NOW reports, while Politico describes the result as the end of Trump's most potent legacy. Reuters frames the same outcome around the two conservative justices now under scrutiny after the Democratic landslide.532

Election Day 2026 sees Republicans defending slim majorities as early voting shatters records with over 54 million ballots already cast nationwide.1

Attributed claim: The New York Times: The political winds are blowing in Democrats’ direction.2

Attributed claim: DW.com: Midterm elections 2026: what time do the polls close today?3

Attributed claim: The Guardian US: <p>Here’s an hour-by-hour rundown of when polls close around the US, and some of the key races taking place</p><p>In the 2026 US midterm cycle, there are 35 Senate seats up for election, 36 governors’ races and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives up for grabs.4

President Donald Trump said the United States will stop providing $4 billion in funding to Israel at the end of 2026. The announcement was reported by Reuters and carried by Bloomberg, which described it as a cutoff of $4 billion in aid by year-end.123

Trump said Israel will stop receiving the $4 billion in US aid by year's end but can still buy weapons, Fox News reported. The statement leaves open continued arms purchases even as the direct funding ends.4

Financial markets moved on the announcement: stocks erased losses and oil prices tumbled after Trump said the US would end the $4 billion in funding to Israel.53

The aid announcement landed on the day of the US midterms, when queues were building at polling stations and Trump was posting on social media, Sky News reported.36

A Learjet carrying nine people nosedived into a roadway in Greenacres, Florida, and erupted in flames, killing everyone on board. The jet came down in a South Florida neighborhood, leaving a fiery crater. One of the pilots was 20 years old.1234

The aircraft had made a stop in Little Rock days before the crash. The descent was 'incredibly fast,' and a witness described the jet coming down 'like a missile.'567

The pilot's final distress calls were captured before impact, including the words 'We're out of time.' Investigators are probing what caused what CNN called a 'cataclysmic plane crash,' and questions remain about the cause.819

Residents near the crash site described the damage: 'Debris hit my house. Everything was on fire.' Dashcam video captured the moment the jet went down.1011

New York Times/Siena polls of likely voters in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas found Democrats ahead in Michigan, Texas, Kansas, Maine and Ohio, holding an edge in Alaska and effectively tied with Republicans in Iowa. The surveys were released the day before the midterms, with Senate control the central question on the ballot.12

Forbes summarized the same polling round as Democrats leading nearly all key Senate races. CNN framed the closing day around the top 11 Senate seats most likely to flip, and NBC News described the Senate battle as "a genuine tossup" that comes down to red states and Republican voters.345

Attributed claim: The Washington Post's analysis called the Senate an uphill battle for Democrats even with the wind at their back, a less favorable reading of the same polling than Forbes' lead-based summary. The New York Times and Siena Poll released the state-by-state numbers that both readings draw on.632

The final polls cover seven states: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. The New York Times reported the Democratic advantage in five of them and a tie in Iowa, with Alaska still leaning Democratic.12

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut is in the hospital after suffering a stroke, his office said. The New York Times reported that Murphy is "awake and alert" and that the BBC said he is expected to recover.123

Murphy, 53, felt numbness in his arm while attending his son's hockey game and was taken to Johns Hopkins, The Guardian US reported. He had been campaigning for fellow Democrats, and the New York Times reported he has been viewed as a potential candidate for president in 2028.14

Fox News reported that Murphy was hospitalized on Saturday for the stroke, while the first accounts from his office and other outlets appeared on Monday.563

An attempt at Democratic unity in Michigan's Senate race collapsed after an endorsement involving Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens, throwing the contest into open chaos. The rupture drew national attention to the state's Senate race and to the two figures at its center.12

President Donald Trump invited Haley Stevens to join the Republican Party as Democrats condemned what was described as her betrayal. The invitation widened the fight inside the party over the Michigan contest.3

The fallout is testing Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, who now face the consequences of the failed effort to settle the race. The dispute has become a measure of their control over the party's Senate map.4

Days later, personal insults flew in a heated Michigan Senate debate, part of a round of debates that also took in Georgia and Maine. Candidates traded the words "con man" and "cowardly" on stage.5

Hackers breached the emergency alert apps used in Ukraine and Russia and posted false warnings of a nuclear attack, the cyberattacks hitting both countries' systems. The fake alerts reached millions of Ukrainians and Russians on the same day.1234

In Ukraine, the false nuclear threat alerts were sent to mobile phones after hackers gained access to the emergency alert system. Ukrainian and Russian authorities both said the alert apps were hit by apparent cyberattacks.54

The breach hit the air alert apps that both countries rely on to warn civilians, and the fake warnings were issued through those hacked apps.126