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Voters are deciding all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats today, with Republicans defending narrow majorities in both chambers. Fox News Power Rankings heading into Election Day point to Democrats favored to retake the House, while the Senate is rated a pure toss-up. First poll closings hit at 6 p.m. Eastern in parts of Kentucky and Indiana; the last close at 1 a.m. Eastern.
Cost of living dominated voter concerns going into today, with a Fox News survey finding six in ten voters naming it their top economic worry. CPI inflation has climbed from 2.4% in January to 3.7% year-over-year as of September, well above the Fed's 2% target. The Fed voted 11-1 to hold the benchmark rate at 3.5% to 3.75%, its second straight pause after three cuts last year.
Investigators now believe parts of the Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County separated in midair before the aircraft slammed into a South Florida neighborhood, killing all nine aboard. The crew reported icing and an overspeed condition; data shows a dive accelerating from 10,000 to 30,000 feet per minute, past the jet's design limits. Victims included 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras and a family of four.
Mary Peltola insists she "knew nothing" about an alleged scheme to recruit a second Dan Sullivan onto the Alaska ballot to siphon votes from the incumbent Republican senator. Sen. Dan Sullivan says she is "still lying," the DOJ has an open inquiry, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy has launched a state investigation. A federal judge already tossed a DOJ lawsuit seeking to delay the election.
American forces hit radar installations and missile launchers on Qeshm Island after Iranian crews fired surface-to-air missiles at a US aircraft, with Iranian state media reporting five explosions in succession. Officials describe the action as limited and defensive, not an escalation, and say peace talks continue. President Trump called the standoff a "very soft war" while warning more targets could be hit "in one hour."
Russian bombs destroyed a school in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, that was being used as a humanitarian aid distribution point and shelter. Crews are still digging for more than 45 missing residents, and the regional administrator called it one of the worst civilian death tolls in the region since the full-scale invasion began. Overnight strikes also hit power plants and damaged hospitals nationwide.
In an Election Day morning interview, the president confirmed the United States will stop its roughly $4 billion yearly military assistance to Israel at year's end, saying the country is "thriving" and no longer needs it. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the idea himself and that the two had discussed it for years. Israel can still purchase American weapons — "they can buy whatever they want."
Grocery chains in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Italy, Estonia and beyond reported refrigeration systems remotely hijacked and cranked as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit, spoiling tons of food and sparking fires. Investigators blame internet-facing controllers running end-of-life firmware with default passwords, pointing at legacy modules from Danfoss and Copeland. Authorities are examining whether it connects to unexplained freezer failures at US military bases in August.
Astronomers using the newly operational Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile spotted 2026 ED138, an object that may measure up to 930 miles across — potentially among the largest dwarf planet candidates ever found in the outer solar system. It had been hiding in a star-dense patch of sky near the Milky Way that defeated earlier telescopes. Separately, NASA announced three new lunar missions targeting launch by the end of this year.
Promoting his new golf docuseries on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Bill Murray abruptly asked National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett to say "my dog just died" — a stunt to test whether Hassett's permanent smile could survive it. Hassett deadpanned "Oh, well, is it your dog or my dog?" then delivered the line with a flat face. He also declared "Groundhog Day" one of the top five movies ever made.
