Election results not good for Republicans, says Trump

 

Election results not good for Republicans, says Trump, after Mamdani wins New York mayoral race

An election poster sits on a bar counter

 

An election poster sits on a bar counter at the venue for Democratic candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani's election night rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

New Jersey and Lieutenant governor

U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for New Jersey and Lieutenant governor-elect Dale Caldwell react on stage at her election night rally after U.S. media projected that she won, in East Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S., November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Segar 

Wining governor Richmond, Virginia

Democrat Abigail Spanberger walks onto stage with her family before giving her victory speech over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia's race for governor in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jay Paul

Celebrates with her family after winning

Democrat Abigail Spanberger celebrates with her family after winning Virginia's race for governor. REUTERS/Jay Paul 

NYC NEW mayor Zohran Mamdani

Democratic candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks after winning the 2025 New York City Mayoral race, at an election night rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Zohran Mamdani with his mother Mira Nair

 Democratic candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani waves next to his mother Mira Nair onstage after winning the 2025 New York City Mayoral race, at an election night rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 4, 2025.

Democrats sweep first major elections of second Trump term

WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Democrats swept a trio of races on Tuesday in the first major elections since Donald Trump regained the presidency, elevating a new generation of leaders and giving the beleaguered party a shot of momentum ahead of next year's congressional elections.

In New York City, Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, won the mayoral race, capping a meteoric and unlikely rise from an anonymous state lawmaker to one of the country's most visible Democratic figures. And in Virginia and New Jersey, moderate Democrats Abigail Spanberger, 46, and Mikie Sherrill, 53, won their elections for governor with commanding leads, respectively.

"If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him. And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power," Mamdani told a raucous crowd of supporters. "So Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up."

Tuesday's contests offered a barometer of how Americans are responding to Trump's tumultuous nine months in office. The races also served as a test of differing Democratic campaign playbooks ahead of 2026, with the party locked out of power in Washington and still trying to forge a path out of the political wilderness.

That said, the midterm election is a year away, an eternity in the Trump era, and opinion polls show the Democratic brand remains broadly unpopular, even as Trump's own approval rating has declined. The most closely watched contests on Tuesday also unfolded in Democratic-leaning regions that did not support Trump in last year's presidential election.

Perhaps the biggest practical boost to Democrats on Tuesday came out of California, where voters approved a plan to redraw the state's congressional map in the party's favor, expanding a national battle over redistricting that will shape the race for the U.S. House of Representatives.

The winning candidates on Tuesday could reenergize and inspire more engagement from Democratic voters, many of whom have clamored for fresh faces at the vanguard of the party. Turnout in the New York City mayoral race was the highest since at least 1969.

All three Democratic candidates emphasized economic issues, particularly affordability, an issue that remains top of mind for most voters. But Spanberger and Sherrill hail from the party's moderate wing, while Mamdani used a viral video-fueled insurgent campaign to present himself as an unabashed progressive in the mold of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Mamdani, who will become the first Muslim mayor of the biggest U.S. city, outlasted former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, who ran as an independent after losing the nomination to Mamdani earlier this year. Cuomo, who resigned as governor four years ago after sexual harassment allegations that he has denied, portrayed Mamdani as a radical leftist whose proposals were unworkable and dangerous.

Mamdani has called for raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy to pay for ambitious left-wing policies such as frozen rents, free childcare and free city buses. Wall Street executives have expressed concern about putting a democratic socialist at the helm of the financial capital of the world.

Republicans have already signaled they intend to present Mamdani as the face of the Democratic Party. Trump has incorrectly labeled Mamdani a "communist" and vowed to cut funding for the city in response to Mamdani's ascension.

Item 1 of 14 Democratic candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani reacts after winning the 2025 New York City Mayoral race, at an election night rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Democratic candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani reacts after winning the 2025 New York City Mayoral race, at an election night rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

In a social media post on Tuesday night, Trump blamed the losses on the fact his name was not on the ballot and on an ongoing federal government shutdown.

TRUMP LOOMS OVER RACES

Spanberger, who beat Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, will take over from Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin in Virginia. New Jersey's Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli and will succeed Democratic Governor Phil Murphy.

Both Sherrill and Spanberger had sought to tie their opponents to Trump in an effort to harness frustration among Democratic and independent voters over his chaotic tenure.

"We sent a message to the world that in 2025 Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship," Spanberger said in her victory speech. "We chose our Commonwealth over chaos."

Trump gave both candidates some late-stage grist during the ongoing government shutdown.

His administration threatened to fire federal workers — a move with an outsized impact on Virginia, a state adjacent to Washington, D.C., and home to many government employees. He froze billions in funding for a new Hudson River train tunnel, a critical project for New Jersey's large commuter population.

In interviews at Virginia polling stations on Tuesday, some voters said Trump's most contentious policies were on their minds, including his efforts to deport immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally and to impose costly tariffs on imports of foreign goods, the legality of which is being weighed by the U.S. Supreme Court this week.

Juan Benitez, a 25-year-old restaurant manager and self-described independent voting for the first time, backed all of Virginia’s Democratic candidates, citing his opposition to Trump’s immigration policies and the government shutdown he blamed on the president.

For Republicans, Tuesday's elections served as a test of whether the voters who powered Trump's victory in 2024 will still show up when he is not on the ballot.

But Ciattarelli and Earle-Sears, both running in Democratic-leaning states, faced a conundrum: criticizing Trump risked losing his supporters, but embracing him too closely could have alienated moderate and independent voters who disapprove of his policies.

Reporting by Joseph Ax in Washington, Maria Tsvetkova in New York and Tim Reid in Stafford, Virginia; Additional reporting by Bo Erickson, Jasper Ward, Jonathan Allen, Costas Pitas, Ismail Shakil, Andrea Shalal, Kanishka Singh, Ashraf Fahim, Julia Harte and Andrew Hofstetter; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Howard Goller

Trump ordered Pentagon to potential attack on Nigeria

  

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he has asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible "fast" military action in Nigeria if the West African nation fails to crack down on the killing of Christians.

The U.S. government will also immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and top oil producer, Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

If the United States sends in military forces, it would go in "'guns-a-blazing,' to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities," Trump wrote, without providing any evidence of specifics about the treatment of Christians in Nigeria.

Trump called Nigeria a "disgraced country" and warned its government must move quickly. "If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!" he wrote.

Abuja had no immediate reaction to Trump's threat of military action. The White House also had no immediate comment on the potential timing of any U.S. military action.

Although the U.S. Department of Defense referred Reuters to the White House for comment on Trump's threat, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a social media post of his own.

"The Department of War is preparing for action," Hegseth wrote on X. "Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities."

Trump's post on Nigeria came a day after his administration added Nigeria back to a "Countries of Particular Concern" list of nations that the U.S. says have violated religious freedom. Other nations on the list include China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia and Pakistan.

Before Trump posted his attack threat, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu earlier on Saturday pushed back against claims of religious intolerance and defended his country's efforts to protect religious freedom.

"The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians," Tinubu said in a statement, citing "constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths."

Nigeria's Foreign Ministry, in a separate statement, vowed to keep fighting violent extremism and said it hoped Washington would remain a close ally, saying it "will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion. Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength."

The U.S. military footprint in West Africa was significantly diminished when about 1,000 troops withdrew from Niger last year. While the U.S. sometimes has small groups of troops in the region to take part in drills, the largest U.S. military base on the continent is in East Africa in Djibouti, which hosts over 5,000 troops and is used for operations in the region.

TRUMP PUT NIGERIA ON 'CONCERN LIST' DURING FIRST TERM

Trump had designated Nigeria a country of concern during his first term in the White House. His Democratic successor Joe Biden removed it from the U.S. State Department list in 2021.

On Friday, Trump said "thousands of Christians" were being killed in Nigeria by radical Islamists, but offered no details.

Nigeria, which has 200 ethnic groups practicing Christianity, Islam and traditional religions, has a long history of peaceful coexistence, but it has also seen flare-ups of violence among groups, often exacerbated by ethnic divisions or conflict over scarce resources.

The extremist Islamist armed group Boko Haram has also terrorized northeast Nigeria, an insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of people over the past 15 years. Human rights experts have said most Boko Haram victims have been Muslims.

U.S. lawmakers such as Representative Tom Cole, a Republican who chairs the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, hailed Trump's move on Friday, citing what they called "the alarming and ongoing persecution of Christians across the country."

The committee's fiscal 2026 national security appropriations bill included increased funding for international religious freedom programs and support for programs supporting communities in Nigeria targeted by extremist violence.

Trump's re-designation of Nigeria as a country of concern opens the door to a range of policy responses such as sanctions or waivers, but they are not automatic.

Some religious groups pressed Trump for the re-designation in a letter last month, according to a copy on the Hudson Institute think tank's website.

"Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter," Trump wrote without offering any specifics. He also called on the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee to investigate.

Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey and Idrees Ali in Washington, Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Camillus Eboh in Abuja; Editing by MacDonald Dzirutwe, Andrea Ricci, Sergio Non and Lincoln Feast.

Trump hits H-1B visas with $100,000 yearly fee

US President Donald Trump on Friday ordered an annual $100,000 fee be added to H-1B skilled worker visas, creating potentially major repercussions for the tech industry, where such permits are prolific.

The new measure, which could likely face legal challenges, was announced alongside the introduction of a $1 million "gold card" residency program that Trump had previewed months earlier.

"The main thing is, we're going to have great people coming in, and they're going to be paying," Trump told reporters as he signed the orders in the Oval Office.

H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialized skills --- such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers -- to work in the United States, initially for three years, but extendable to six years.

The United States awards 85,000 H-1B visas per year on a lottery system, with India accounting for around three-quarters of the recipients.

Large technology firms rely on Indian workers who either relocate to the United States or come and go between the two countries.

Tech entrepreneurs -- including Trump's former ally Elon Musk -- have warned against targeting H-1B visas, saying that the United States does not have enough homegrown talent to fill important tech sector job vacancies.

"All the big companies are on board," said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who joined Trump in the Oval Office.

Trump has had the H-1B program in his sights since his first term in office, but faced court challenges to his earlier approach, which targeted the types of jobs that qualify. The current iteration has become the latest move in the major immigration crackdown of his second term.

According to Trump's order, the fee will be required for those seeking to enter the country beginning Sunday, with the Homeland Security secretary able to exempt individuals, entire companies, or entire industries.

The order expires in a year, though Trump can extend it.

The number of H-1B visa applications has risen sharply in recent years, with a peak in approvals in 2022 under Democratic president Joe Biden.

In contrast, the peak in rejections was recorded in 2018, during Trump's first term in the White House.

The United States approved approximately 400,000 H-1B visas in 2024, two-thirds of which were renewals.

Trump also signed an order creating a new expedited pathway to US residency for people who pay $1 million, or for corporate sponsors to pay $2 million.

"I think it's going to be tremendously successful," Trump added.

Canada recognizes Palestinian state

 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference in Berlin on August 26.

Annegret Hilse/Reuters

Canada has announced that it recognizes the State of Palestine, in a move expected to be mirrored by the United Kingdom later today, and France and others at the UN General Assembly this week.

“Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the state of Palestine and the State of Israel,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a post on X.

Carney had said in July that his country intended to recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly. At the time the plan drew condemnation from Israeli officials, who painted the decision as a “reward to Hamas.”

“The Palestinian Authority has renounced violence, has recognized Israel and is committed to the two-state solution,” a senior Canadian government official told CNN shortly before Sunday’s announcement. “We are recognizing the State of Palestine in order to empower those who seek peaceful coexistence and marginalize Hamas.”

Ahead of Carney’s statement, senior Canadian officials pushed back on Israel’s negative reaction to the decision, telling CNN that recognizing Palestine is “not being done to confront or punish Israel.”

“Our sincere communication efforts are to explain this and do everything in our power to prevent the voices that are trying to make this a confrontational gesture from gaining the day,” one senior Canadian official said.

Canadian officials added that they believe recognition keeps a two-state solution in play despite Israel’s open opposition to the prospect of a Palestinian state.

Carney’s announcement in July also provoked criticism from US President Donald Trump, who promptly suggested that the move would hurt Canada in any trade talks with the United States.

UK set to recognize Palestinian statehood today

• The UK is set to recognize a Palestinian state later today after Israel failed to meet conditions set out by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, including agreeing to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

• The announcement will come despite pressure from US politicians and the families of hostages held by Hamas. Israel says recognizing a Palestinian state is tantamount to rewarding terror.

• Canada and France also plan to recognize a Palestinian state at next week’s UN General Assembly as international pressure builds on Israel over the ongoing war and starvation crisis in Gaza.

• Elsewhere today on the ground, dozens of people have been reported killed as the Israeli military presses on with operations in the Gaza City area.

-CNN

Australia announces formal recognition of Palestinian state

Australia has just followed Canada’s lead in officially recognizing the “independent and sovereign” State of Palestine.

“In doing so, Australia recognises the legitimate and long held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong said in a joint statement.

Australia’s recognition of Palestine is part of a “co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution, starting with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken in the atrocities of October 7, 2023,” the statement added.

-CNN