Midday Brief: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026

Featured: Election

State · Election · Money DeSantis Says a Special Session Will Put Amendment 3's Property Tax Cut in Place by Jan. 1
The governor says lawmakers will pick the dates. He wants a schedule for more homestead relief, limits on local workarounds and grant money for small counties and rural sheriffs. He also called Tuesday's national results a "worst-case scenario" for Republicans.

Election · Special report Election 2026 Results: Florida and National (AP projected, updated 12:29 PM ET)
Live map, ticker, every Florida race and the House and Senate balance of power, using AP's projected counts and calls, with the state's own unofficial count shown separately. Results aren't final; Florida certifies Nov. 16.

Nation · Election Democrats Win a Majority of Governorships for the First Time Since 2010, Flipping Texas, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Nevada
AP's tally shows 28 Democratic governors to 20 Republicans, with Alaska and Kansas still uncalled. Gina Hinojosa beat Texas Gov. Greg Abbott 52.8% to 45.7%. In Florida, Republican Byron Donalds won.
Nation · Election Trump Says He's 'A Little Bit Surprised' by Midterm Losses and Vows Vetoes; Vance Blames the Iran War
The president says Democrats "did a good job" and he'll work with them, but he posted a red "VETO" hat. Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that "the reason we lost is the war."

World Hackers Raised Temperatures in French Blood-Plasma Cold Stores; Alarms Caught It Before Anything Was Lost
France's national blood service says three cold-storage sites run by contractors were hit, with no blood products lost. It's the latest in a wave of attacks on refrigeration systems across Europe, and no one has claimed responsibility.

Crime & War · Nation · Election Oklahoma Man Charged in Hundreds of White-Powder Letters Sent to Election Officials, Congress and the FBI
Prosecutors say more than 700 mailings tied to the same sender went out before the 2026 election. Tests so far found flour or yeast. One was addressed to a Miami news outlet, and a 2024 letter to Florida election officials was never found.

Money · Election Dow Jumps 1,500 Points and Oil Drops 8% After Democrats Win Congress
Investors cheered divided government and pressure to end the Iran war. Solar and consumer stocks rose; data-center, defense and Musk-linked shares fell. Florida's average gas price is $3.84, down about 17 cents in a week.

Science & Technology · Money SpaceX Picks Qualcomm to Build Starlink Mobile's Nationwide 5G Network, With Towers Starting in 2027
The multiyear deal covers "tens of thousands" of U.S. cell sites that would work alongside Starlink's satellites. Musk says it'll mean "one network with good signal everywhere." Early Starlink customers can also get a free new dish.

Liftoff · Comics Liftoff Comics Issue 1: Hi Hungry, I'm Dad (Updated Art)
Snoopy, Rocky and Linus have been redrawn to match their model sheets across Issue 1's strips. The stories and dialogue are the same.

State · Weather Troopers, Wildlife Officers and State Teams Run Flood Rescues on Election Day as More Storms Head for South Florida
Update: River flood warnings continue, with the St. Johns River near Cocoa forecast to reach major flood stage, and the state emergency team posted tips for returning home safely. Updated 12:31 PM.
State · Election Florida Election Results: Donalds Wins Governor, Moody Keeps Senate Seat, Republicans Sweep the Cabinet
Update: AP's 12:27 p.m. count has Donalds ahead of Jolly by 107,721 votes. Gov. DeSantis plans a special session on Amendment 3. Updated 12:31 PM.
State · Election Five Florida U.S. House Races Still Too Close to Call; Democrats Win Seats in Tampa, Broward and Palm Beach
Update: As of 12:28 p.m., AP still hadn't called Districts 7, 9, 13, 26 or 27. Updated 12:31 PM.
State · Money · Election Amendment 3 Property Tax Cut Passes With 62%; Amendments 1 and 2 Fall Short
Update: Gov. DeSantis says lawmakers will meet in a special session so the new exemption takes effect by Jan. 1. Updated 12:31 PM.

Nation · Election Democrats Win Control of Both the U.S. House and Senate, AP Projects
Update: AP called Michigan's 10th District for Democrat Christina Bertrand Hines, putting Democrats at 229 House seats as of 12:29 p.m. Updated 12:31 PM.

Crime & War · World Death Toll Rises to 40 After Russian Bombs Hit a Ukrainian School Used as an Aid Center
Update: President Zelenskyy says 40 people are dead and more than 30 may still be trapped under the rubble. Updated 12:31 PM.

State · Election Polls Close at 7 p.m. Here's When Florida's Results Start Coming In, and When They're Final
Recap: Unofficial county returns are due by noon Nov. 7, and the state certifies Nov. 16.
State · Election More Than 5.4 Million Floridians Voted Before Election Day
Recap: 5,465,190 votes were cast by mail and early in person before Election Day.

World Spain's Transport Minister Resigns Over the Urda High-Speed Train Crash That Killed 69
Recap: Óscar Puente resigned and dropped out of Spain's Nov. 29 election; rail unions plan strikes Nov. 10 and 12.

Crime & War · Nation Former Federal IT Contractor Pleads Guilty to Spying for Ethiopia
Recap: Abraham Teklu Lemma agreed to 120 to 262 months; sentencing is April 14, 2027.

We'll keep the results page current as AP calls the last races and Florida's counties finish counting. Next up: the Evening Brief.