Summary

  1. 'It could happen!': Trump floats possible Iran deal on midterms evepublished at 22:29 GMT 2 November

    In the last couple of hours, both Donald Trump and his vice president have been speaking about the US-Iran war, which has sent oil prices soaring since it began in February.

    "Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!" Trump writes in a post on Truth Social, after claiming that "Oil Prices are DROPPING LIKE A ROCK".

    Vance echoed that sentiment, telling reporters earlier in the day that he and the president "both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement".

    As a reminder: the price of fuel and its attendant cost of living concerns are among the topmost concerns for voters ahead of the midterm elections.

    This Flourish post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.

  2. Crawfish, bulls and peaches: What some states feature on voter stickerspublished at 22:18 GMT 2 November

    Have a look at some of the unique stickers that some voters have been given after casting early ballots in the US midterm elections.

    Wildlife seen on the stickers in Alaska, where an important Senate race is being decidedImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Wildlife seen on the stickers in Alaska, where an important Senate race is being held

    A halloween themed sticker in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los AngelesImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A Halloween-themed sticker in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles

    Stickers in San Francisco, California, feature the famous Golden Gate BridgeImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Stickers in San Francisco, California, feature the famous Golden Gate Bridge

    An I Voted Sticker showing city hall in PhiladelphiaImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    An "I Voted" sticker showing City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Tasty red crawfish seen on the sticker in New OrleansImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A tasty red crawfish is seen on the sticker in New Orleans, Louisiana

    Ballots in Georgia, aka the Peach StateImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Stickers in Georgia - aka the Peach State - aptly include the pitted fruit

    A rather sassy sticker at an elementary school voting centre in South CarolinaImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A rather sassy sticker at a voting centre in South Carolina

  3. Trump to appear on Fox News as part of his final campaign blitzpublished at 22:12 GMT 2 November

    Donald Trump wears a white baseball capImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Trump held a rally in Washington DC for Republican candidates on the day before the US midterm elections

    We've just heard from US President Donald Trump, who says in a Truth Social that he intends to appear on the Sean Hannity Show on Fox News tonight.

    Trump's public schedule shows he is also participating in a host of virtual rallies for Republican candidates.

    The president says that he plans to appear on the Fox programme at 21:00 EST (02:00 GMT).

  4. In Florida, Cubans who voted for Trump feel blindsided by his immigration policiespublished at 21:49 GMT 2 November

    Will Grant
    Reporting from Miami, Florida

    Ismael Labrador sits in his Miami office
    Image caption,

    Ismael Labrador sits in his Miami office

    While reporting in Miami, there were a couple of striking things among the Cuban Americans I spoke to about deportations.

    The first was the acute sense among many Trump voters of having been deceived over the issue.

    Yes, they accepted that Trump spoke openly and often as a presidential candidate in 2024 about launching the “largest mass deportation in American history”. But some, like Cuban American immigration lawyer Ismael Labrador, still felt “blindsided” by the president.

    “I wanted to get criminals out of the country,” the now repentant Trump voter told me. “But we never thought that he was going to go after everybody.”

    The other striking thing was the number of Cuban Americans who remain loyal to Trump on this divisive issue. Particularly among wealthier demographics, many people talked about these deportation policies as being “necessary” after years of softer measures under Biden.

    For the midterms, Florida will provide a fascinating referendum on the question among a group which voted overwhelmingly in favour of President Trump two years ago.

    Read more of my reporting from Florida and learn why some Cuban Americans are souring on the Republicans.

  5. Candidates out for final campaign push todaypublished at 21:37 GMT 2 November

    With the campaign season drawing to a close, candidates from both parties have been making their final pitches to voters.

    Here is a round up of some last minute campaigning from Alaska to Maine.

    A woman stands in a grocery store holding a large plastic bag of russet potatoes, wearing a red sweater.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Republican Senator Susan Collins bought potatoes at a campaign stop at a market in Patten, Maine earlier today

    Two people hold hands and raise them in the air. To the left is an older woman with a peach sweater and to the right is a middle aged man wearing a black long sleeved shirt.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Michigan Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed was joined by Senator Elizabeth Warren at a campaign rally at Eastern Michigan University

    A man holds his thumb up and smiles as he holds a sign that says 'Sullivan' on it.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Republican Senator Dan Sullivan campaigns on a street corner in Anchorage, Alaska

    Adam Hamilton, Democratic Senate candidate for Kansas, greets attendees during a campaign event in Topeka, Kansas, USImage source, Bloomberg via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Adam Hamilton, Democratic Senate candidate for Kansas, campaigning in Topeka

  6. Some Nebraska farmers say they feel betrayed by Trumppublished at 21:24 GMT 2 November

    Sheila Flynn
    Reported from Nebraska

    Rancher is seen with horses

    I arrived in Nebraska weeks before the midterms to talk to farmers and ranchers - a key demographic for Trump - about how they felt his administration was doing.

    I wanted to discuss how the decision to import foreign beef had affected the cattle market and their bottom lines. As I spoke to locals in some of the top beef-producing counties, however, they explained how many other factors were also hitting them (and their wallets) incredibly hard.

    The war in Iran and tariffs have made costs soar for their daily operations - everything from diesel to barbed wire to fertiliser. The cumulative effect, they said, has been devastating.

    Farmer Don Batie and rancher Yvette Mannon say they feel betrayed - and believe many of their contemporaries will show that dissatisfaction at the ballot box.

    Others in the industry, like Jake Wolfinger, were hesitant to place all the blame at the president’s feet. But they also didn't shy away from airing frustrations at Trump's perceived meddling in an industry they feel he knows nothing about.

    Continue reading more of my reporting on American ranchers and how they’re wrestling with soaring costs - and their loyalty to Trump.

  7. In downtown Austin, Texas, the Democrats are excitedpublished at 21:13 GMT 2 November

    Gary O'Donoghue
    Chief North America correspondent, in Austin

    Two women in front of a brick wall

    They’re crammed into a small room at party HQ, spilling out onto the sidewalk, waiting to welcome Gina Hinojosa – the party’s candidate for Governor.

    Rosario Torres is a first time voter and a fashion student at the University of Texas. She tells me she’s one of the 7.7 million people who have already voted in Texas.

    “I really wanted to vote last year. I couldn't because I wasn't old enough. So now being able to vote and being able to be here, it's so exciting for me.”

    Fifty-year-old mechanic, Willie Lopez, says Hispanics in Texas are frightened to go out, scared that immigration agents will stop them. That’s why he’s voting Democrat right down the ticket.

    “Ninety percent of the people immigration stops - they're people going to work. Not like criminals, so yeah, we need to change.”

    Man in white t-shirt
  8. What I heard on the ground in Texaspublished at 20:59 GMT 2 November

    Gary O'Donoghue
    Chief North America correspondent

    Voters queueing up for early votingImage source, Bloomberg via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    An early voting queue in Texas

    A couple of weeks ago I travelled through Texas, from the Rio Grande Valley up to the countryside around San Antonio.

    What struck me most was the anxiety and unease among Republicans on the ground.

    In the Valley, Hispanic voters gave Donald Trump a huge boost in 2024.

    Many still back his border crackdown, but not the way ICE is detaining and deporting Latinos.

    Mario Guerrero voted for Donald Trump three times. This time, he tells me he's voting Democrat.

    Further north, in the new 35th district – drawn to be safe for Republicans but now rated a toss-up – I met rural Republicans worried about the price of gas. Several were unhappy with Ken Paxton as their party's pick for Senate.

    Jesse, a lifelong Republican, said he wasn’t sure if he’d vote for Paxton “I can’t believe I’m saying that’, he adds.

    Some conservatives won't vote at all.

    That may be the party’s biggest problem - as one young Republican volunteer put it to me, the midterms are "purely a game of turnout".

  9. What are the key states to watch for Senate?published at 20:47 GMT 2 November

    Susan Collins and Troy Jackson shake hands at the end of a debateImage source, Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Susan Collins, who has held her seat in Maine for almost 30 years, faces close competition from Democrat Troy Jackson

    While 35 Senate seats are up for grabs, seven have been identified as crucial toss-ups that could go either way.

    Of these, six are currently held by Republicans and one by Democrats.

    Republican state Alaska is considered by analysts to be one of the tightest in the midterms. The race features two candidates named Dan Sullivan (one Republican and one independent) - a similarity which sparked a lawsuit.

    Iowa is traditionally a Republican stronghold, but Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is facing a tougher-than-expected challenge in her race against Democrat Josh Turek.

    Megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton is looking to become the first Democrat to win Kansas since 1932. Although the state was once considered reliably Republican, a recent CNN survey put Hamilton in front of incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall.

    In Maine, Republican Senator Susan Collins has been reelected continuously for roughly three decades. However, recent polling suggests Collins is neck-and-neck with her Democrat rival, Troy Jackson.

    In Michigan, a blue state, Republican Mike Rogers is taking on Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. However, El-Sayed's campaign was a rocked yesterday when Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed Rogers.

    Jon Husted is defending his Ohio seat against a comeback bid by former Senator Sherrod Brown. Polls suggest the race is tight between Brown and Husted, who was appointed to JD Vance's seat last year after Vance became vice president.

    Polls also suggest Democratic candidate James Talarico may be on the verge of turning a Texas senate seat blue for the first time since 1988. He is looking to beat the Republican Party's Ken Paxton.Stay with us for exclusive ground reporting from our correspondents who are spread across these toss-up states.

    This Flourish post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.

  10. Will Supreme Court intervene on Trump's California ballot demands?published at 20:38 GMT 2 November

    David Willis
    Reporting from Los Angeles

    A view of the US Supreme CourtImage source, AFP via Getty Images

    After two lower courts rejected a request by the Trump administration to set aside 20,000 ballots that it alleges may have been issued to non-American citizens in California, the US Justice Department is taking the matter to the Supreme Court.

    In a 22-page brief reviewed by the BBC, the Department maintains that ballots cast by non- citizens could "debase or dilute valid votes".

    On Friday, a federal appeals court declined the government’s request to segregate the ballots.

    Election officials here have questioned the accuracy of the government’s claims, and have expressed concern that eligible voters could be disenfranchised.

    They have also said that segregating ballots whilst voting is underway is infeasible. President Trump has repeatedly voiced opposition to mail-in voting, which got underway here in early October.

    California is the most populous state in America with 23 million people on its voting register. CBS News – quoting figures from the California secretary of state’s office - reports that by Sunday night more than 6 million mail-in ballots had already been received.

    Coming on the eve of the midterm elections it remains to be seen whether the Supreme Court will agree to the Justice Department’s request to intervene in the matter.

  11. How the AI data centre backlash is reshaping American politicspublished at 20:24 GMT 2 November

    Kali Hays
    Reported on data centres across the US

    An aerial view of an AI data centerImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    An aerial view, a portion of the Meta Prometheus Campus, an AI data center and supercluster project, in Ohio

    Like my colleague just pointed out, rarely have I done reporting for a story in which essentially every person I spoke to about it mostly agrees. The backlash to data centres has turned into that sort of story.

    Simply put, no one seems to like them, regardless of political affiliation. And people are willing to fight to keep them away from the places they call home.

    Speaking this year about data centres with people from Oregon to Pennsylvania, I heard the same worries: utility bills rising, miles of farming land being bought up, the noise concern, and pollution.

    Then there is the inextricable link between data centres, technology billionaires, and artificial intelligence (AI). As the conversation about AI risks started this summer to leave tech circles and hit the mainstream, people I spoke to often wondered aloud why they would welcome such a massive physical intrusion that would in the end benefit AI.

    Just because tech CEOs say they need it? So they can make more money on tech they keep saying may get us all killed?

    Those were not questions people found tough to answer.

    This Flourish post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.

  12. As well as soaring prices, data centres are a hot topicpublished at 20:13 GMT 2 November

    Tom Bateman
    Reporting from Ohio

    Next to a corn field in rural Ohio I’ve just been chatting to Patty Spillman, 63, a farmer from Pleasant Township.

    Her family’s connection to the land here goes back generations. Her husband’s forebears bought the farm in 1861, says Patty, who tells me she’s a conservative who voted for Trump in the last three presidential elections.

    But in Pleasant Township, things are feeling increasingly unpleasant for Patty. Alongside the soaring price of diesel, the biggest local issue has been the growth of data centres, and she says she’s still undecided whether to keep backing Republican candidates tomorrow.

    A vast new data centre is planned for the fields opposite her home; I put it to her that Trump backs the business investment the centres bring.

    “If he wants them here, I have a really good place for him - it’s Mar-a-Lago,” says Patty. “I don’t want them here at all”.

    Patty Spillman speaks to the BBC
    Image caption,

    Patty Spillman says she doesn't want data centres "here at all"

  13. Trump touts economic progress in closing pitchpublished at 20:10 GMT 2 November

    Trump has wrapped up his speech in Washington DC with a pledge to boost the US economy, after long remarks about his efforts to clean up the US capital and drive down crime rates.

    Polls have shown that the economy is at top of mind for most American voters. Prices on most goods remain elevated, something which many voters blame on the war against Iran.

    The US economy is growing, however, but this is something that many Americans may not feel as they see their grocery prices shooting up everyday.Read more: How is the US economy really doing under President Trump?

  14. Trump moves toward policy topics - but little is newpublished at 19:50 GMT 2 November

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    White House reporter

    President Donald Trump looks on during an event at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting PoolImage source, Getty Images

    President Trump eventually moved on from the Reflecting Pool and the administration's DC projects to policy topics, including immigration, the economy and the war in Iran.

    Trump's comments are familiar ones for those who follow him closely day-to-day, and he mentions them often in the Oval Office or speaking to reporters at the White House or on Air Force One.

    In three campaign speeches I've personally attended in recent weeks, he touched on all the points he has made today, but without a long portion of ths speeches being dedicated to projects in the Washington DC area.

    The president's remarks, however, do not reflect current public opinion. Polls show that many Americans - including many Republicans - disapprove of his handling of the econony, and the war in Iran remains unpopular.

    He has often urged Republican voters to imagine that he were on the ballot, even if he isn't.

    But his approval ratings are historically low, hovering in the 30% range, and it remains an open question whether his presence alone will be enough to motivate voters enough to propel Republicans to victory.

    Some Republican strategists will likely wonder what this speech sought to accomplish and why the midterms seemed to be the secondary topic, rather than its focus.

  15. Trump says personal incomes the 'highest in history'published at 19:42 GMT 2 November

    As we mentioned earlier, poll after poll has shown that the economy, particularly high prices, is the primary issue on the minds of voters as they head to the polls.

    Trump is now addressing the issue saying personal incomes are the "highest in history" and that the poverty rate is at an "all time record low".

    He says that if the Republicans win the election, every adult in the US will get $5,000 that they're only allowed to spend in the US.

    Tomorrow is election day, Trump says, and "we have to keep our Congress strong, free, a little bit of apple pie".

    "I have travelled all across the country," he says "America is ready to go, ready to vote"

  16. Trump touts his second term record as he attacks Democratic candidatespublished at 19:35 GMT 2 November

    Trump now touts his record during his second term.

    Trump says he and his administration have done much more than promised during the first two years of his second term.

    "I kept every single promise I made," he says.

    He tells the crowd he made 29 rally stops for the midterm elections - and is attacking several Democratic candidates and what he calls the corrupt "dumbocrat" party.

    He accuses Democrats of putting a "fake" Dan Sullivan on the ballot in Alaska to confuse voters in what he called a "fraudulent election".

    Daniel J Sullivan, the little-known candidate running with no party affiliation, is on the ballot, as well as Senator Dan S Sullivan, the incumbent Republican, whose allies have accused the Democrats of trying to confuse voters.

  17. Trump calls Democratic candidates 'most dangerous' in American historypublished at 19:31 GMT 2 November

    After dedicating nearly 25 minutes of his speech to Washington DC's renovation, the president has now pivoted to midterm elections.

    "The Democrat Party has nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history," Trump says. "These are the most dangerous candidates ever put up."

    He goes on to accuse Democrats of pursuing a radical agenda and "dangerous ideologies", pointing to their positions on migration and transgender rights.

    "We will defend our country, our culture and our heritage for generations to come," he says.

  18. Hard to see how this speech wins any votes at allpublished at 19:23 GMT 2 November

    Sarah Smith
    North America editor, at the Reflecting Pool

    President Donald Trump speaks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DCImage source, Getty Images

    This is utterly bizarre. The day before crucial midterm elections, President Trump is showing us pictures of the details of the renovation of the Reflection pool in Washington DC.

    He is continuing to blame vandalism for the earlier problems this summer - which is not true. There were no vandals - all court cases have fallen apart.

    Why does he think voters across the country want to hear about this when they are focused on the cost of living and trying to make ends meet - that’s what they want him to focus on, not rebuilding Washington.

    It’s hard to see how this wins any votes at all.

  19. An unusual start to a midterms messagepublished at 19:17 GMT 2 November

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    White House reporter

    As we mentioned in our earlier post, the beginning of Donald Trump's speech at the Reflecting Pool has focused largely on the renovation project undertaken by his administration.

    It is a topic near and dear to President Trump's heart, and he mentions it - along with the White House ballroom and planned "Triumphal Arch" in the city - extremely often.

    However, it is a topic that is not particularly relevant to tomorrow's midterms. Poll after poll has shown that the economy, particularly high prices, as being the primary issue on the minds of voters as they head to the polls.

    Earlier today, a White House official described today's speech as one that will "highlight the administration's achievements to make the country safer and wealthier" while also "drawing a clear contrast" between Republican and Democratic policy priorities.

    Many Republican candidates will be hoping that a last minute pitch by President Trump will help move the needle in hotly contested battle ground states.

    But his approval rating is, at the moment, historically low - and it is very much unclear how much his pleas have resonated with voters who are concerned about the cost of living and other economic issues.

  20. Trump continues focusing on construction projects on eve of Election Daypublished at 19:14 GMT 2 November

    Daniel Bush
    Washington correspondent

    President Donald Trump has drawn criticism throughout the midterms for focusing more on his construction projects in Washington than on helping Republicans in the midterms.

    His remarks today at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool will surely fuel more criticism on the eve of Election Day.

    Trump is clearly proud of the work done to renovate the reflecting pool. But it’s unclear how focus on the project that will help Republican candidates as they make their final argument to voters.

    In the first few minutes of the speech, the president has not mentioned the midterm elections but instead talked about pipes and algae.