I'll pull together today's top headlines for you — gathering the latest on world, U.S. and breaking news.
Most important news today - Tuesday, November 3, 2026:
1. US Midterm Elections - Election Day
Today is Election Day for the 2026 US midterm elections. Voters will decide:
•all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, 36 governorships, and public utility commissioners in 9 states
•Every seat in the US House of Representatives and roughly one-third of US Senate seats are up for grabs, as they are every two years
•It falls on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
Three dozen governors' races will be decided, with President Donald Trump's unpopularity and the cost of living at the top of voters' minds
Republicans hold narrow majorities in both chambers (53–47 in the Senate); Democrats need a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats. Forecasts favor Democrats - a Democratic sweep of both chambers is the leading scenario, with a 63% probability, and prediction markets put Democrats winning the Senate at over 60 percent and the House at around 90 percent.
Key sub-topics around the election:
•Trump approval near record low: President Donald Trump's approval rating held near a record low as a broad swath of the US electorate saw their vote as a way to oppose the Republican president, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday. Some 32% approved of Trump, just above his record-low reading of 31% two weeks ago.
•Generic ballot: Voters preferred Democrats over Republicans - 46% to 38%. That 8-point advantage was narrower than the 11-point lead a week earlier.
•Top issue is cost of living: Some 78% of voters said the rising cost of living would be very important or the most important issue. Voters picked Democrats over Republicans 43% to 32% on the issue. Enthusiasm gap: 49% of Democratic voters said they are "very enthusiastic" vs 33% of Republicans.
•Legal battles: The Trump administration pressed a criminal investigation into Alaska's pivotal US Senate race and said it would likely take its fight over thousands of California mail-in ballots to the Supreme Court, as the midterm campaign entered its final weekend. Federal prosecutors are investigating whether aides to Democratic challenger Mary Peltola helped recruit a retired schoolteacher, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., because his name is similar to Republican incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan. The Justice Department asked a judge to block Alaska from certifying results if the spoiler candidate could change the outcome.
•White House planning: President Donald Trump's White House has spent months preparing for a possible Democratic takeover of Congress, developing plans to keep advancing major parts of his agenda through executive power, with senior officials including Stephen Miller and Russell Vought working since April to identify executive actions on immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending.
•Economy as backdrop: The U.S. economy delivered a split verdict before the vote: third-quarter GDP growth beat expectations, but inflation accelerated in September, and the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. With Election Day set for Tuesday, November 3, polls consistently show prices and cost of living central to voters' decisions. U.S. producer price inflation has hit a four-year high, largely driven by the ongoing war between Iran and Israel.
•Markets: Stocks ended mixed after hopes for U.S.-Iranian negotiations caused a slide in the price of oil, while concerns about a potential AI bust weighed on the technology sector. Australian shares are set to edge up following gains on Wall Street as local investors eye a historic rate cut and the world holds its breath ahead of the US election
Other scheduled economic events today: RBA Policy Announcement, Swiss CPI, US JOLTS job openings- US JOLTS forecast 7.11 million vs previous 7.08 million.
2. US - Iran War and Diplomacy
Dominant theme remains the ongoing war with Iran, now in its second month.
•Iranian negotiators were in Doha on Sunday for a third consecutive day of talks with Qatari mediators aimed at pushing for a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran. Iranian negotiators were in Doha on Sunday for a third consecutive day of talks with Qatari mediators.
•The talks come amid concerns that the conflict could escalate again after the November 3 US midterm elections. President Donald Trump has said the United States will not launch new attacks on Iran before the vote and that talks have been productive, though he has not ruled out further military action thereafter.
•The US has warned several Gulf Arab countries to prepare for a short but intense military campaign against Iran after the November 3, US mid-term elections. The warnings reportedly indicate that Israel is also preparing to participate in renewed combat operations.
•Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday said there was growing interest by the international community in facilitating a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea to ensure unfettered energy and grain shipments - separate but linked to broader diplomatic efforts.
Also in Middle East news:
•Israeli strikes killed at least eight Palestinians, including five police officers, in the Gaza Strip in two separate attacks on Sunday - three killed in Gaza City, five in western Khan Younis.
•Houthis advance to within 80 km of Aden, sources say Reuters and discussed Qatari mediated talks about reopening Strait of Hormuz within two days of an agreement.
3. Ukraine - Russia War
•Russian strikes left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without power on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, while Russian authorities reported major damage to an industrial site following Ukrainian drone attacks on Nizhny Novgorod region.
•Diplomatic track: US to mediate trilateral talks with Ukraine, Russia in Abu Dhabi next week, on Nov. 10-11. Ukraine resumes strikes on Russian refineries noted as part of Nov 2 global news summary.
4. Other Top World News
•France: Scuffles broke out in Paris and other French cities on Saturday evening at the end of nationwide demonstrations driven by anger over living costs and strained public services, continuing for a third weekend after riots and looting on October 17.
•Germany: Hooded rioters looted stores in Frankfurt late on Saturday after tens of thousands demonstrated across Germany's biggest cities to demand better education and lower living costs, part of Gen Z-led protests under campaign "Gen Z regelt".
•Brazil: When buses in northeastern city of Salvador inexplicably stopped running last Sunday, voters were helped by get-out-the-vote drive that helped power leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to an unprecedented fourth term.
•Bulgaria: Bulgarians went to the polls on Sunday to elect a president after a tight first round failed to produce an outright winner - incumbent Iliana Iotova led over ex-caretaker PM Andrey Gyurov but fell short of 50%.
•China: China's ruling Communist Party put the demand for loyalty front and centre in an official resolution on toughening internal discipline, and vowed to keep waging its high-pressure anti-corruption campaign.
•India: Thousands protested in Delhi on Sunday to demand resignation of India's election chief over a revision of voter lists, led by Rahul Gandhi. Five people were killed in two separate incidents in Manipur as fresh ethnic violence erupted. PM Modi inaugurates Bharat Renewable Energy Summit and Expo 2026 noted as top national news for Nov 3.
•Portugal: Police moved into Lisbon's Rossio Square on Sunday to clear a tent camp erected after thousands marched demanding withdrawal of a rental bill amid housing crisis where house prices have more than doubled since 2017.
•Vatican: Pope Leo XIV cast a ballot by mail in the US midterm elections, the Vatican said Friday, a historic first for the American-born pontiff - hoping cooperation between Russia and Ukraine in implementing a ceasefire in Oleshky would pave the way for broader peace efforts.
5. US Domestic & Business Headlines Also Trending
•US will suspend immigrant visa processing from 75 countries over public assistance concerns.
•US approves $2.1 billion Patriot missile sale to Ukraine for 500 PAC-3 missiles.
•Fed officials on Friday made case for more rate hikes amid ongoing inflation concerns, calling inflation above 2% "unacceptable".
If you want a deeper dive on any single topic - US election results, Iran negotiations, or markets - let me know.