A França registrou, nesta quinta-feira (22), o primeiro caso humano do vírus Shamonda, normalmente encontrado em animais de criação, em um paciente que morreu posteriormente. As autoridades informaram que, neste momento, não há risco para a população em geral.
Transmitido por mosquitos e mais comumente encontrado em bovinos, o vírus Shamonda também já foi detectado em cavalos, alpacas, ovelhas e cabras, informou a Organização Mundial de Saúde Animal (WOAH, na sigla em inglês).
“O Centro Europeu de Prevenção e Controle de Doenças (ECDC) está monitorando cuidadosamente a situação, após as autoridades francesas terem anunciado o primeiro caso já registrado de infecção humana pelo vírus Shamonda, uma doença que, até agora, afetava apenas animais”, afirmou o ECDC, com sede em Estocolmo, em comunicado.
O ECDC está em contato com autoridades francesas e parceiros europeus para investigar as possíveis implicações para a saúde pública.
O anúncio francês indicou que a hipótese principal é que o paciente tenha sido infectado no leste da França, onde o vírus circulou entre animais nesta primavera e verão.
“Com base no conhecimento disponível sobre esse vírus, nenhum risco à saúde da população em geral foi identificado até o momento”, afirmou o comunicado.
O ECDC informou que o paciente morreu no início de outubro e lembrou que a vítima vinha recebendo tratamento para uma doença grave que a tornava mais suscetível à infecção do que a população em geral.
“Estão em andamento investigações para determinar se o vírus causou ou contribuiu para a morte do paciente e como a infecção foi contraída”, disse.
Atualmente, não há vacinas comercialmente disponíveis contra o vírus Shamonda, informou a WOAH.
Identificado na Nigéria em meados da década de 1960, o vírus Shamonda foi confirmado pela primeira vez na Europa no final de julho, após testes genômicos em bovinos doentes no sul da Alemanha, na Suíça e no leste da França.
Um relatório do boletim semanal de vigilância sanitária animal da França indicou que o vírus também havia sido detectado na Áustria, Bélgica, Irlanda, Itália, em Liechtenstein, Luxemburgo, na Holanda, em Portugal, na Eslovênia, Espanha e na ilha de Jersey, no Reino Unido.
Um estudo feito em nove fazendas leiteiras francesas constatou que a produção de leite caiu em até 75% nos rebanhos afetados.
*(Reportagem adicional de Makini Brice e Jennifer Rigby)
Several government, school and hospital websites across Europe and beyond were taken offline on Wednesday as organizations rushed to protect themselves from two critical security flaws in PHP, a programming language that powers a large share of the internet. Cybersecurity agencies across the world warned that organizations unable to apply fixes in time should consider taking affected sites offline. PHP's developers said a set of new updates fixing two previously identified critical vulnerabilities was available. Here are some major websites and services taken offline or otherwise affected: Germany A spokesperson for the German digital ministry said on Wednesday the federal IT service provider ITZBund had taken several websites offline due to the discovery of PHP vulnerabilities. The temporary deactivation was purely preventive and no security incidents were known to have occurred, the spokesperson said. France The Interior Ministry said it had temporarily taken offline the websites of prefectures, which are local government administrative offices, while awaiting a security fix for the PHP
Several government, school and hospital websites across Europe and beyond were taken offline on Wednesday as organizations rushed to protect themselves from two critical security flaws in PHP, a programming language that powers a large share of the internet. Cybersecurity agencies across the world warned that organizations unable to apply fixes in time should consider taking affected sites offline. PHP's developers said a set of new updates fixing two previously identified critical vulnerabilities was available. Here are some major websites and services taken offline or otherwise affected: Germany A spokesperson for the German digital ministry said on Wednesday the federal IT service provider ITZBund had taken several websites offline due to the discovery of PHP vulnerabilities. The temporary deactivation was purely preventive and no security incidents were known to have occurred, the spokesperson said. France The Interior Ministry said it had temporarily taken offline the websites of prefectures, which are local government administrative offices, while awaiting a security fix for the PHP
An earthquake of magnitude 7 struck China's southwestern region of Tibet at around 10:33 p.m. (1433 GMT) on Thursday, the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said. It was not immediately known if there were any casualties or damage. The epicentre was in a high-altitude county in Nagqu, northern Tibet, at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), and the average elevation within 5 km of the epicentre is about 4,864 metres, CENC data showed. The quake, the strongest to hit China since January 2024, was clearly felt in the local area, CENC said. The epicentre was around 400 km from the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. In 2010, a magnitude 7.1 tremor struck Yushu, around 280 km away in neighbouring Qinghai province, killing at least 2,698 people and leaving nearly 300 people missing.
An earthquake of magnitude 7 struck China's southwestern region of Tibet at around 10:33 p.m. (1433 GMT) on Thursday, the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said. It was not immediately known if there were any casualties or damage. The epicentre was in a high-altitude county in Nagqu, northern Tibet, at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), and the average elevation within 5 km of the epicentre is about 4,864 metres, CENC data showed. The quake, the strongest to hit China since January 2024, was clearly felt in the local area, CENC said. The epicentre was around 400 km from the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. In 2010, a magnitude 7.1 tremor struck Yushu, around 280 km away in neighbouring Qinghai province, killing at least 2,698 people and leaving nearly 300 people missing.
South Korea's international aid agency has decided to bring back one of its two staff members from its office in Ukraine's capital on safety grounds, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday. Kyiv has come under increasingly heavy Russian drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, more than 4-1/2 years after Moscow's invasion of its neighbour. South Korea has also been caught up in a diplomatic dispute with Ukraine and withdrew its ambassador this month after accusing Kyiv of breaching a confidentiality agreement over the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to the South. The decision by the Korea International Cooperation Agency to repatriate the aid agency staff member was made after a safety meeting, Yonhap said in its report. It cited an official from the agency who did not mention the dispute over the prisoners of war. The other staff member would stay in Kyiv, it added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the UN General Assembly in September that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to the South. He said the men had been sent there after be
South Korea's international aid agency has decided to bring back one of its two staff members from its office in Ukraine's capital on safety grounds, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday. Kyiv has come under increasingly heavy Russian drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, more than 4-1/2 years after Moscow's invasion of its neighbour. South Korea has also been caught up in a diplomatic dispute with Ukraine and withdrew its ambassador this month after accusing Kyiv of breaching a confidentiality agreement over the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to the South. The decision by the Korea International Cooperation Agency to repatriate the aid agency staff member was made after a safety meeting, Yonhap said in its report. It cited an official from the agency who did not mention the dispute over the prisoners of war. The other staff member would stay in Kyiv, it added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the UN General Assembly in September that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to the South. He said the men had been sent there after be
NEW YORK — Oil prices climbed about 2 percent to a five-month high on Thursday after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked concerns of further disruption to energy supplies from the key exporting region. Brent futures rose $2.42, or 2.2 percent, to $111.24 a barrel at 10:45 a.m. EDT (1445 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.14, or 1.2 percent, to $98.29. That drove Brent into technically overbought territory for a third time in a week and set for its highest close since May 18. Saudi Aramco has told staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran on the Gulf near Bahrain, Reuters reported, as fighting between the world's largest crude exporter and Yemen's Houthis intensifies. Clashes between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition that backs Yemen's internationally recognised government have raged since the Iran-aligned group pushed towards Bab el-Mandeb, a shipping chokepoint at the Red Sea's mouth. "Reports of Middle East crude oil exports exceeding pre-conflict levels are more than countered by attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the Houthi strikes on Sa
NEW YORK — Oil prices climbed about 2 percent to a five-month high on Thursday after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked concerns of further disruption to energy supplies from the key exporting region. Brent futures rose $2.42, or 2.2 percent, to $111.24 a barrel at 10:45 a.m. EDT (1445 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.14, or 1.2 percent, to $98.29. That drove Brent into technically overbought territory for a third time in a week and set for its highest close since May 18. Saudi Aramco has told staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran on the Gulf near Bahrain, Reuters reported, as fighting between the world's largest crude exporter and Yemen's Houthis intensifies. Clashes between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition that backs Yemen's internationally recognised government have raged since the Iran-aligned group pushed towards Bab el-Mandeb, a shipping chokepoint at the Red Sea's mouth. "Reports of Middle East crude oil exports exceeding pre-conflict levels are more than countered by attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the Houthi strikes on Sa
A Blackstone, a maior gestora de ativos alternativos do mundo, divulgou nesta quinta-feira uma queda nos lucros do terceiro trimestre, já que o ambiente turbulento do mercado prejudicou sua capacidade de obter retorno sobre os investimentos.
Os mercados globais têm sido abalados pelo aumento dos rendimentos dos títulos, pelas expectativas de taxas de juros mais altas por mais tempo e pela elevada volatilidade do mercado decorrente da guerra no Irã.
Como resultado, muitos negócios em potencial estão sendo suspensos, levando a uma desaceleração nas transações e nas IPOs (ofertas públicas iniciais) no primeiro semestre do ano.
A atividade global de fusões e aquisições (M&A) caiu 41% em relação ao trimestre anterior no terceiro trimestre, de acordo com dados da LSEG.
As realizações líquidas da Blackstone, que acompanham os recursos provenientes da saída de investimentos, caíram 34%, para cerca de US$332 milhões, prejudicadas por uma queda de quase 50% em seus negócios de private equity.
O lucro distribuível, ou lucro disponível para os acionistas, caiu 13%, para US$ 1,32 por ação. Analistas esperavam em média US$ 1,26, de acordo com dados compilados pela LSEG.
Os resultados da Blackstone, no entanto, foram amenizados por entradas líquidas de mais de US$ 63 bilhões, elevando os ativos sob gestão para US$ 1,37 trilhão e impulsionando os lucros relacionados a comissões em 6%.
Seus negócios de crédito e seguros representaram a maior parcela dos novos influxos, gerando quase US$ 36 bilhões, seguidos pelo private equity, com US$12,6 bilhões.
Os lucros relacionados a comissões provenientes da gestão de investimentos em seus fundos de private equity saltaram 26%, para US$ 619 milhões.
As gestoras de ativos alternativos estão enfrentando uma queda nos preços de suas ações este ano, à medida que os investidores se tornaram cautelosos diante das perspectivas de um crescimento futuro mais lento e de possíveis perturbações causadas pelos avanços da IA nas empresas de suas carteiras.
O crédito privado, em particular, tem sido alvo do nervosismo dos investidores, com grandes gestoras relatando um aumento nos pedidos de resgate nos últimos trimestres.
A Blackstone informou no mês passado que os pedidos em seu fundo BCRED permaneceram elevados no terceiro trimestre, mas afirmou que os fundamentos da carteira continuam sólidos.
Suas ações despencaram quase 30% este ano, em linha com o desempenho de outras gestoras de ativos, em comparação com um ganho de 13% no mercado como um todo e de cerca de 2% no índice S&P 500 Financials.
Os principais índices de Wall Street abriram em queda nesta quinta-feira (22), com as ações de crescimento sofrendo novas pressões depois que os resultados financeiros das megacapitalizadas Tesla e Meta pouco contribuíram para dissipar as dúvidas sobre as perspectivas da IA, enquanto uma recuperação nos preços do petróleo aumentava o nervosismo do mercado.
O Índice Dow Jones Industrial Average caiu 0,13%, para 52.788,41 pontos na abertura. O S&P 500 recuou 0,81%, para 7.694,62 pontos, enquanto o Nasdaq Composite recuou 1,48%, para 26.308,407 pontos.
O Barclays anunciou que cortará cerca de 5.000 empregos, ou 5% de sua força de trabalho, este ano, à medida que utiliza tecnologias como a inteligência artificial para reduzir custos fixos e melhorar a rentabilidade geral.
Os cortes de pessoal foram apresentados quando o Barclays divulgou lucro no terceiro trimestre de 2,3 bilhões de libras (3,08 bilhões de dólares), acima do registrado no ano anterior, mas abaixo das previsões dos analistas, devido ao desempenho abaixo do esperado do negócio de negociação de renda fixa.
O banco informou ter realizado mais 201 milhões de libras em “medidas de redução de custos estruturais” no terceiro trimestre, como parte de seu plano de longo prazo para reduzir despesas, como custos com pessoal, por meio de maior uso de tecnologia.
Cerca de 60% do total de cortes de pessoal afetará funcionários em funções de apoio, como desenvolvedores, disse a diretora financeira Anna Cross aos repórteres, em um dos sinais mais claros até agora, vindo de um grande banco, de como a IA está permitindo que as empresas reduzam o quadro de funcionários nessas funções.
Cross disse que 1.000 cargos já foram eliminados, com o restante a ser cortado até o final do ano.
As ações do Barclays caíam 2,5% no início do pregão, apresentando desempenho inferior ao de outras instituições financeiras.
As ações do banco caíram 14% neste ano, em linha com os pares europeus, que sofreram correção após anos de alta, à medida que as taxas de juros mais elevadas impulsionaram os lucros.
A Shore Capital afirmou em uma nota que os resultados ficaram abaixo do esperado devido ao desempenho decepcionante do banco de investimentos.
O banco de investimentos do Barclays registrou receita total no terceiro trimestre de 3,1 bilhões de libras, abaixo das previsões de 3,3 bilhões de libras.
Os resultados do terceiro trimestre dos concorrentes do Barclays em Wall Street, divulgados no início deste mês, mostraram a natureza cíclica da receita dos bancos de investimento, à medida que as negociações desaceleraram e as mesas de renda fixa apresentaram desempenho abaixo do esperado, com apenas a negociação de ações mantendo o forte ímpeto observado no primeiro semestre do ano.
A farmacêutica suíça Roche superou as expectativas de vendas do terceiro trimestre nesta quinta-feira, impulsionada pela demanda constante por medicamentos-chave, como o Ocrevus, para ganhar tempo enquanto busca no exterior reabastecer seu pipeline diante de expirações iminentes de patentes.
A receita do grupo cresceu 7% a taxas de câmbio constantes, atingindo 16,13 bilhões de francos suíços (US$19,61 bilhões), superando a previsão consensual elaborada pela empresa, de 15,75 bilhões de francos (US$19,15 bilhões).
No entanto, o trimestre trouxe um sinal precoce de pressão competitiva — as vendas do medicamento Xolair ficaram abaixo das previsões do mercado após o lançamento do primeiro genérico mais barato, gerando vendas de 848 milhões de francos (US$ 1,03 bilhão) contra expectativas de 925 milhões de francos (US$1,12 bilhão).
As ações caíam 1,1% no pregão da manhã.
Com vários medicamentos de grande sucesso mais antigos se aproximando do vencimento das patentes, a Roche aposta em seus principais produtos para impulsionar o crescimento no curto prazo, ao mesmo tempo em que intensifica as negociações externas para tratamentos de última geração.
A empresa fechou um acordo no valor de mais de US$ 15 bilhões com a chinesa Hansoh Pharma, segundo notícia divulgada na segunda-feira.
Com foco no ecossistema de biotecnologia da Europa, o presidente-executivo Thomas Schinecker afirmou na quinta-feira que cerca de 50% dos acordos de licenciamento externos do grupo nos últimos quatro anos foram firmados nos EUA e os outros 50% na China e na Ásia.
“Isso mostra um pouco a situação em que a Europa se encontra em termos de inovação”, disse Schinecker.
A administração também observou que o impacto negativo das reformas nos preços dos serviços de saúde na China estava diminuindo, apesar das quedas de dois dígitos no país, com a divisão de diagnósticos — que cresceu 5%, para 3,54 bilhões de francos — devendo retornar a um crescimento “normal” na faixa de um dígito médio a alto no próximo ano.
A Roche também se beneficiou da estabilização do dólar em relação ao franco suíço, aliviando o impacto prolongado das taxas de câmbio no mercado norte-americano, que responde por quase metade da receita do grupo.
Os medicamentos mais vendidos impulsionaram a unidade farmacêutica, liderada pela injeção para esclerose múltipla Ocrevus, cuja receita cresceu 9% em moedas constantes, atingindo 1,84 bilhão de francos.
A Nestlé divulgou nesta quinta-feira (22) um crescimento orgânico das vendas no terceiro trimestre acima do esperado e informou que excluiu sua unidade russa das demonstrações financeiras consolidadas após Moscou ter confiscado o negócio.
A diretora financeira da Nestlé, Anna Manz, disse que o negócio na Rússia, que contribuía com cerca de 2% das vendas do grupo, não estava mais sendo consolidado nos resultados financeiros a partir do final de setembro, sem impacto nas vendas orgânicas, nos volumes e nos preços.
No entanto, a medida afeta as vendas reportadas, o lucro operacional subjacente e o fluxo de caixa livre a partir do quarto trimestre, disse Manz, observando que o desreconhecimento dos ativos líquidos teria um impacto negativo na dívida líquida de aproximadamente 900 milhões de francos suíços (US$ 1,09 bilhão) para 2026.
A Nestlé informou que estava desreconhecendo ativos na Rússia no valor de 1,6 bilhão de francos e reconhecendo um encargo não monetário de cerca de 1,4 bilhão de francos referente a ajustes cumulativos de conversão cambial.
As ações da Nestlé registraram alta de 1,3% nas negociações pré-mercado.
Crescimento do volume impulsiona vendas orgânicas
A fabricante dos cubos de caldo Maggi e do café Nescafé manteve sua perspectiva de vendas orgânicas para o ano inteiro de 2026 em um crescimento de 3% a 4% e registrou um aumento de 4% nas vendas orgânicas trimestrais, acima das expectativas dos analistas, que apontavam para um aumento de 3,4%.
Os aumentos de preço de 1,1% da Nestlé ficaram abaixo da estimativa média dos analistas, de 1,9%. O crescimento interno real (RIG) — ou volume de vendas — foi de 2,8%, superando as expectativas de um aumento de 1,5%.
O RIG, um indicador-chave na estratégia da Nestlé, tem melhorado constantemente desde que Philipp Navratil assumiu o cargo de presidente-executivo em setembro de 2025.
“Estou contente com o nosso progresso”, disse Navratil. “Mas não estou satisfeito. Ainda há muito mais a ser feito para concretizar o potencial do negócio.”
Lorraine Scott se ha gastado al menos 300 dólares en arreglar pantalones y vaqueros desde que perdió 27 kilos durante el último año gracias a medicamentos para adelgazar.
O papa Leão XIV não precisará de mais nenhum tratamento após ter sido submetido a uma cirurgia de câncer de pulmão na semana passada. A informação foi dada por seus médicos nessa quarta-feira (21), indicando que o tumor não havia se espalhado.
O anúncio foi feito no momento em que ainda não estava claro se o papa, nascido nos Estados Unidos, seguiria adiante com a viagem planejada ao Uruguai, à Argentina e ao Peru, marcada para o período de 6 a 17 de novembro.
O pontífice, de 71 anos, passou por uma cirurgia em 13 de outubro para a remoção do lobo inferior do pulmão direito e foi diagnosticado com adenocarcinoma pulmonar, a forma mais comum de câncer de pulmão.
Exames histológicos finais e análises de biologia molecular do tecido removido confirmaram o diagnóstico, com a doença permanecendo localizada, afirmaram os médicos em comunicado divulgado pelo Vaticano.
“Uma avaliação oncológica posterior confirmou que não é necessária nenhuma terapia adicional”, afirmaram o cirurgião-chefe do papa, Stefano Margaritora, e seu médico pessoal, Luigi Carbone.
Leão recebeu alta do hospital no sábado (17) e está retomando gradualmente suas atividades. Ontem, ele voltou à Praça de São Pedro para sua audiência semanal com os peregrinos.
Margaritora afirmou, na semana passada, que não havia “nenhuma razão clínica” que impedisse o papa de viajar para a América do Sul, mas o secretário de Estado do Vaticano indicou que o pontífice talvez precise ajustar o ritmo de sua agenda para facilitar a recuperação.
The Philippines is exploring deeper cooperation with Taiwan on protecting undersea cables and addressing "gray-zone" activity, despite Manila's one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing and not Taipei, a Philippine diplomat said on Wednesday.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday forecast a sharp drop in economic output in Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa this year due to the US-Israeli-led war against Iran, followed by a rebound to 6.6 per cent growth in 2027, while warning that further energy production disruptions could worsen the outlook.
The IMF said the region’s output was expected to contract by 1.3pc as a result of the war’s impact on energy production, shipping, tourism, trade and confidence. Economic output would increase sharply in 2027, but output in those economies would generally stay below pre-war projections.
The war’s impact had been substantial, but uneven, with oil-exporting economies directly affected by disruptions to energy production and shipping hit harder, and oil importers proving to be more resilient, the IMF said in its regional outlook released Thursday in Dubai.
The IMF said its baseline assumed that the conflict would abate in early 2027 and that trade would gradually normalise during the year, but it said the outlook remained clouded by “exceptionally high uncertainty.”
“The main risks derive from further disruption to energy production and trade routes that could drive energy prices higher,” the IMF said in a statement outlining its key messages, noting external financial conditions could also tighten.
External financial conditions could also tighten if investors reassess AI-driven productivity gains and interest rates rise further amid heightened concerns about inflation and fiscal positions, it said.
Oil importers had proven more resilient, with domestic demand supported by remittances and tourism flows, favourable financial conditions, and prompt policy responses that safeguard consumers from higher commodity prices, the IMF said.
Growth in the Caucasus and Central Asia was moderating toward a more sustainable pace, the IMF said, forecasting a 5.2pc rise in economic output in 2026 and 5pc in 2027.
The IMF underscored the mantra it delivered during last week’s annual meetings, urging policymakers to prioritise maintaining price stability, while preserving fiscal sustainability, maintaining central bank independence and enacting structural reforms to boost productivity and create jobs.
NEW YORK — Elon Musk's public endorsement this week of a potential $3.5 trillion merger between SpaceX and Tesla has rattled some insiders involved in the discussions, who worry his comments could invite shareholder scrutiny and delay the process by several weeks, according to a person with direct knowledge of the talks. The disclosure created a "mess" for the process, as it could lead to questions about how well Tesla shareholders' interests would be represented, the person said. The concerns reflect similarities some participants see with Tesla's 2016 acquisition of SolarCity, which sparked years of litigation over Musk's role in the deal. Musk, who serves as CEO of both SpaceX and Tesla and owns significant stakes in each company, this week told investors that the two companies were examining what would be the largest corporate transaction in history and revealed that both had formed special committees to evaluate it. The backlash to those remarks is reported here for the first time. The parties have hired advisers, but discussions are at an early stage, three sources familiar with
NEW YORK — Elon Musk's public endorsement this week of a potential $3.5 trillion merger between SpaceX and Tesla has rattled some insiders involved in the discussions, who worry his comments could invite shareholder scrutiny and delay the process by several weeks, according to a person with direct knowledge of the talks. The disclosure created a "mess" for the process, as it could lead to questions about how well Tesla shareholders' interests would be represented, the person said. The concerns reflect similarities some participants see with Tesla's 2016 acquisition of SolarCity, which sparked years of litigation over Musk's role in the deal. Musk, who serves as CEO of both SpaceX and Tesla and owns significant stakes in each company, this week told investors that the two companies were examining what would be the largest corporate transaction in history and revealed that both had formed special committees to evaluate it. The backlash to those remarks is reported here for the first time. The parties have hired advisers, but discussions are at an early stage, three sources familiar with
Early voting has been underway for weeks ahead of the November 3, 2026, midterm elections, when US voters will elect members of the House of Representatives and Senate and governors in states across the country.
Held in the middle of each four-year presidential term, the midterms by definition do not involve the president. But for anyone who thinks they lack drama or importance this year, consider these two statistics: More than 100 million people likely will cast ballots in this year’s midterm voting, if turnout is anything like the previous midterm in 2022; and as of October 12, a record $3.8 billion had been spent on political advertisements that have been aired so far.
Top spending is in battleground US Senate races in Texas, Ohio and Michigan, according to AdImpact, which tracks the activities.
Elon Musk alone has spent about $366m to support Republicans, according to campaign finance records.
Still, midterms generally attract fewer voters than the higher-profile presidential races. More than 155m votes were cast in the 2024 presidential election, for example.
Control of Congress at stake
Plenty is at stake in this midterm election as Democrats try to win majority control of the US Congress.
Currently, Republicans hold a 218-214 majority in the House, where there are two vacancies and one independent who caucuses with Republicans. Democrats must win a net gain of four seats to win control.
Democrats are also fighting to win the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. They must net four additional seats to get control. Ten races, including those in Maine, Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa and Georgia, could decide the outcome.
Can midterms affect the presidency?
Midterm elections generally are dangerous territory for the political party that holds the White House and/or Congress. For 2026, that means that President Donald Trump and his Republicans controlling the US Senate and House of Representatives are in perilous political positions.
The midterms can be an opportunity for voters to, in effect, grade the president’s performance, and possibly trigger White House course corrections if they receive low marks.
Midterm election results can also give aspiring presidential candidates hints on how to tailor their messages to voters in the next presidential campaign, which in this case will be in 2028.
What are polls showing?
Approval of Trump’s performance is at an all-time low of 32 per cent, according to a September Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Domestic issues like rising consumer prices are likely to have an impact on the outcome of many races and could erode support for Republicans.
At the same time, there is evidence that Democrats are more enthusiastic about voting this year than Republicans. If early voting trends continue, it could point to a Democratic win in November.
There are also signs that Latino voters who veered to Trump in 2024 might be returning to Democrats because of frustration over the economy and some of Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics.
However, a landslide for the Democrats is far from assured. Republicans could benefit from continued scepticism towards Democrats, a Republican spending advantage on campaigns, and fears from moderate voters over some primary wins by left-wingers.
Recent midterm history
Recent history tells the story of the shockwaves a midterm election can produce.
In the 2010 midterms, during the Democratic presidency of Barack Obama, Republicans scored major victories, winning 63 additional House seats amid an underperforming US economy and weak support for Obama’s landmark healthcare reform legislation. Democrats lost their majority. In the Senate, they held onto control despite losing six seats.
The Republican wave was a “shellacking,” Obama lamented at the time. He subsequently faced Republican demands for significant reductions to non-defence spending.
Democrats returned the favour in 2018, with Trump in the White House. They gained a net total of 40 House seats, but lost a net two Senate seats.
This year’s elections also have races for governors in 36 of the 50 states and voting in nearly every state for seats in their state-level legislative bodies. Currently, Republicans control 55pc of state legislative seats across the country, while Democrats hold 43.8pc, according to Ballotpedia.
Who will be speaker?
If Democrats manage to win the House, the next speaker second in line for the presidency after the vice president is likely to be Democratic Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York. He is currently the House Democratic leader.
Jeffries, who would become the first Black American to hold the powerful office, would be in a position to direct House committees to launch investigations into a range of controversial activities by Trump and his associates. Jeffries repeatedly has said Democrats would look into what he has called “unprecedented levels of corruption” during the Trump administration.
Jeffries also would steer Democrats’ legislative priorities through the House. He has said Democrats would focus on making healthcare, groceries, housing, energy and other costs more affordable.
A Republican win, on the other hand, would ensure that the speaker’s gavel remains in that party’s hands, either with current speaker Mike Johnson or whichever Republican prevails if he is challenged for the job. Republican priorities are likely to be focused on additional tax cuts, huge increases in defence spending, and deeper social safety net reductions, building on Trump’s 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Marquee races
Among the most-watched House races are Republican Representative Mike Lawler’s bid for reelection to a New York district that Democratic candidate Kamala Harris won in her 2024 presidential campaign and an open seat in a Nebraska swing district where farmers and truckers face sharply higher fuel prices as a result of the US war against Iran.
Also high on Democrats’ list of House seats they hope to take from Republicans are two in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey.
Hovering over all of this are questions over whether Trump will try to meddle in the elections, which are administered by the 50 individual states.
Since 2020, he has repeatedly insisted there is widespread cheating in US elections, despite a lack of evidence. State election officials and Democrats in Congress have been preparing for possible legal challenges to any moves by his administration to try to intervene.
Meta Platforms has struck a deal with Mark Zuckerberg to keep him living in California after the CEO warned he was considering leaving the state that houses the company's headquarters if voters pass a wealth tax proposal next month. Under the deal, Zuckerberg will get non-voting shares he can sell to potentially foot a multi-billion-dollar tax bill in the event the proposal is approved, in exchange for a commitment to remain a resident of California, or wherever Meta maintains its headquarters, for eight years, Meta said on Wednesday. Zuckerberg, the world's sixth richest person according to Forbes, told Meta he was considering moving his primary residence outside California because Proposition 40, a ballot measure dubbed the "California wealth tax," could expose him to a massive tax liability, potentially forcing him to sell voting shares to pay it. Proposition 40, which asks Californians whether to impose a one-time 5% tax on the state's billionaires, is far from certain to pass, political analysts say. The state is home to as many as 250 billionaires collectively worth upwards of $2
Meta Platforms has struck a deal with Mark Zuckerberg to keep him living in California after the CEO warned he was considering leaving the state that houses the company's headquarters if voters pass a wealth tax proposal next month. Under the deal, Zuckerberg will get non-voting shares he can sell to potentially foot a multi-billion-dollar tax bill in the event the proposal is approved, in exchange for a commitment to remain a resident of California, or wherever Meta maintains its headquarters, for eight years, Meta said on Wednesday. Zuckerberg, the world's sixth richest person according to Forbes, told Meta he was considering moving his primary residence outside California because Proposition 40, a ballot measure dubbed the "California wealth tax," could expose him to a massive tax liability, potentially forcing him to sell voting shares to pay it. Proposition 40, which asks Californians whether to impose a one-time 5% tax on the state's billionaires, is far from certain to pass, political analysts say. The state is home to as many as 250 billionaires collectively worth upwards of $2
ST PETERSBURG, Russia — Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a retired US schoolteacher in custody since 2022, from prison on Wednesday and took him to St Petersburg to fly back to the United States, after talks that Washington said were a step toward ending the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin made the announcement at a meeting in St Petersburg with US envoy Steve Witkoff, who later said the talks will continue toward planned technical-level discussions involving the US, Russia and Ukraine. Witkoff called Putin a "humanitarian" in thanking him for the move, a remark that drew sharp rebuke from Republican and Democratic lawmakers given Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The prisoner release comes as President Donald Trump's recent gestures toward Moscow, including a deal to buy Russian diesel and a waiver of new sanctions, have already sparked bipartisan pushback in the US Congress and worry in European capitals. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Putin had freed Hubbard, 74, at Trump's request, and that he had also taken into account the American's poor heal
ST PETERSBURG, Russia — Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a retired US schoolteacher in custody since 2022, from prison on Wednesday and took him to St Petersburg to fly back to the United States, after talks that Washington said were a step toward ending the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin made the announcement at a meeting in St Petersburg with US envoy Steve Witkoff, who later said the talks will continue toward planned technical-level discussions involving the US, Russia and Ukraine. Witkoff called Putin a "humanitarian" in thanking him for the move, a remark that drew sharp rebuke from Republican and Democratic lawmakers given Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The prisoner release comes as President Donald Trump's recent gestures toward Moscow, including a deal to buy Russian diesel and a waiver of new sanctions, have already sparked bipartisan pushback in the US Congress and worry in European capitals. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Putin had freed Hubbard, 74, at Trump's request, and that he had also taken into account the American's poor heal
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