November 6, 2024

U.S. ELECTIONS | With the race in Wisconsin having been called this morning, Donald Trump has surpassed the 270 Electoral College votes needed and has been elected the 47th president of the United States. Trump is the oldest person ever elected to the U.S. presidency and is only the second former president, after Grover Cleveland in 1892, to return to power. [full election results] [more]

MORE U.S. ELECTIONS | With six races yet to be called, the Republican Party is projected to regain control of the Senate following yesterday’s elections. Control of the House of Representatives remains unclear with 57 races yet to be called. [AP full Senate and House results and news]

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• More than a year into Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant yesterday in a surprise move that sparked large-scale protests in cities across Israel. [more]

U.S. ABORTION | Abortion rights amendments and ballot measures passed yesterday in seven states – Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and New York – but failed in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota. [more]

MISSOURI | At least five deaths have been blamed on flash flooding in Missouri since Monday following days of torrential rain that affected large portions of the state. [more]

HURRICANE RAFAEL | After rapidly intensifying, Hurricane Rafael – the 17th named storm of the 2024 hurricane season and currently a Category 2 storm– is expected to make landfall later today in eastern Cuba, where more than 37,000 people are under related evacuation orders. The storm is expected to bring heavy rains and storm surges of 1-3 feet to portions of southern Florida in the coming days. [more]

SPAIN | A week after deadly flash floods in eastern Spain, authorities say at least 89 people in the region remain unaccounted for and that 62 bodies recovered by emergency personnel remain unidentified. [more]

PAKISTAN | Primary schools have been closed for the week and health officials have warned some 14 million residents of health risks due to heavy and persistent smog in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore, which health officials say is the most polluted city in the world today. [more]

RUSSIA AND NORTH KOREA | Amidst the ongoing deployment of North Korean troops to Russia for anticipated participation in the war against Ukraine, the upper house of the Russian parliament ratified a new strategic partnership treaty with North Korea today that obliges both countries to provide immediate military assistance in the event that the other is attacked. [more]

MOZAMBIQUE AND SOUTH AFRICA | Amidst ongoing violent protests following Mozambique’s disputed election last month, South Africa temporarily closed its main border crossing with Mozambique today, citing safety concerns. [more]

INDIA | Following last month’s elections that saw the region’s first vote in more than 10 years, the regional legislature of the disputed and Indian-controlled Kashmir region passed a resolution yesterday calling on India’s federal government to restore the region’s semi-autonomy that was repealed in 2019. [more]

MEXICO | Seven of Mexico’s 11 Supreme Court justices voted yesterday to support a measure aimed at rolling back the country’s sweeping judicial reform law passed in September – one vote short of the eight required to pass it. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | The first college football playoff rankings under the new 12-team format were released yesterday, with No. 1 Oregon followed by Ohio State, Georgia, Miami, and Texas. [full playoff rankings] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States. Lincoln led the Union through the American Civil War to defend the nation as a constitutional union and succeeded in defeating the insurgent Confederacy, abolishing slavery, and expanding the power of the federal government. [more history]