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Julia Carrie Wong (now), Amanda Holpuch, Tom McCarthy and Erin Durkin (earlier) in New York

Republicans warn Trump not to shut down Russia inquiry – as it happened

Interactive
Live results

Summary

It’s been another wild day in Washington as Donald Trump and his embattled White House lashed out in response to major electoral setbacks.

Here’s where things stand:

Updated

The White House Correspondents’ Association president Olivier Knox has issued a statement responding to the revocation of Jim Acosta’s press credentials.

Calling the White House’s action “out of line to the purported offense” and “unacceptable”, Knox “urge[d] the White House to immediately reverse this weak and misguided action”.

House Democrats have picked up another seat in New Mexico, where the AP has just declared Xochitl Torres Small the victor over Republican Yvette Herrell.

Herrell, who was described by the Las Cruces Sun News as a “realtor and big Donald Trump supporter”, gave a victory speech Tuesday night, when she lead in the polls. But Torres Small took and maintained the lead Wednesday as absentee ballots came were counted.

Torres Small was a first time political candidate. She had previously worked for Senator Tom Udall and as a water attorney.

CNN: "Press Secretary Sarah Sanders lied"

Following the White House’s revocation of Jim Acosta’s press credentials, CNN has issued a strong response accusing White House press secretary Sarah Sanders of making up “fraudulent accusations”.

The full statement reads:

The White House announced tonight that it has revoked the press pass of CNN’s Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta. It was done in retaliation for his challenging questions at today’s press conference. In an explanation, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders lied. She provided fraudulent accusations and cited and incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better. Jim Acosta has our full support.

The White House’s allegation that Jim Acosta “placed his hands” on a female intern is being met with derision and disbelief by the DC press corps.

White House retaliates against CNN reporter

Hours after a CNN reporter questioned Donald Trump over his baseless claims calling a migrant caravan an “invasion”, the Trump administration retaliated against the reporter by suspending his access to the White House “until further notice”.

Jim Acosta, a White House correspondent for CNN, was questioning the president about his rhetoric when Trump tried to brush him off. Acosta continued asking questions into a microphone provided by the White House. A female staffer appeared to try to take the microphone from Acosta’s hand, but he held on. The staffer later successfully grabbed the microphone.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders accused Acosta of “placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job” in a statement announcing the revocation of Acosta’s “hard pass”.

“This is a lie,” tweeted Acosta.

Only journalists who have been accredited with a “hard pass” can enter White House grounds swiftly through security.

Acosta could theoretically apply for a day pass to continue doing his job, but the process is slow and impractical for any journalist who needs to move freely in and out of the White House.

Kemp declares victory in Georgia, but Abrams fights on

Brian Kemp, the Republican candidate for governor in Georgia, declared victory on Wednesday afternoon, arguing that his current lead of about 63,000 votes was insurmountable.

But Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams has vowed to fight on until every vote is counted – and the Associated Press have not called the race.

The vote count is particularly fraught because Kemp oversaw the election as secretary of state – and drew widespread criticism over allegations of voter suppression.

Abrams’ campaign is holding out hope for two possible scenarios: an outright victory or a runoff election. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a second round will be held on 4 December.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Kemp is currently 13,071 votes ahead of the threshold for a runoff, with about 25,000 absentee and provisional ballots remaining to be counted.

The firing of Jeff Sessions has (perhaps intentionally) drawn attention away from the actual midterm elections, but it’s worth recalling that three senate races remain undecided: Arizona, Florida and Mississippi.

The Mississippi race will be decided by a runoff, while Florida may or may not require a recount. Meanwhile in Arizona, it could take another week before we know whether Republican Martha McSally or Democrat Kyrsten Sinema prevailed, Reuters reports.

McSally currently leads by about 15,000 votes, but about 600,000 votes remain to be counted. The uncounted votes are mail-in ballots that have to be processed by hand, a process that could take a week or more.

Whittaker was part of firm accused of massive scam by feds

Acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker – currently the highest ranking law enforcement officer in the country – sat on the advisory board of a company that was ordered to pay a $26m settlement to federal authorities over allegations of running a massive scam, the Guardian’s Jon Swaine reports.

World Patent Marketing and its founder, Scott Cooper, were sued by the Federal Trade Commission in March last year. The government said it had “operated an invention-promotion scam that has bilked thousands of consumers out of millions of dollars”.

The company was accused of tricking hopeful inventors into paying it thousands of dollars to obtain patents and licensing deals for their inventions. In fact, they “failed to fulfill almost every promise they make to consumers”, the complaint said.

Emails filed to federal court show that in August 2015, Whitaker cited his former role as a federal prosecutor in a threatening email to a customer of World Patent Marketing who had complained about the company to the Better Business Bureau.

Read the full report here.

A third Republican senator, Jerry Moran of Kansas, has fired a warning shot about interference with the Mueller investigation, though in guarded terms.

While former attorney general Jeff Sessions – architect of the family separation crisis at the US Mexico border and the man the ACLU has called the “worst attorney general in modern American history” – is no hero of the #Resistance, his firing has inspired some Democratic activists to call for protests tomorrow.

Groups like MoveOn and Indivisible, which have long been planing “rapid response” protests in the event that Trump tried to fire Mueller, announced their intention to hold marches across the country tomorrow, Thursday, at 5pm local time.

Republicans warn Trump not to shut down Russian inquiry

Hello all! This is Julia Carrie Wong in San Francisco, taking over the liveblog from Amanda Holpuch.

As Capitol Hill reels from Donald Trump’s surprise firing of attorney general Jeff Sessions, a handful of Republican senators are warning the president not to get any ideas about shutting down the Mueller investigation.

“The one thing this does make certain is that the Mueller investigation into Russian meddling in elections will continue to its end, as it should, because no new Attorney General can be confirmed who will stop that investigation,” said Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in a statement (emphasis mine).

Senator Susan Collins, the Maine Republican who cast a deciding vote to place Trump’s pick on the Supreme Court last month, also expressed concern over deputy AG Rod Rosenstein’s removal from his role overseeing the Mueller probe.

Senator-elect Mitt Romney also weighed in on the importance of the Mueller investigation.

Updated

Summary

It’s been a busy afternoon. Following a 1.5 hour press conference about the midterm elections that gave Democrats control of the House, Donald Trump fired attorney general Jeff Sessions.

Here’s where things stand:

What does Jeff Sessions’ firing mean for Mueller and the Trump-Russia inquiry?

The Guardian’s Tom McCarthy writes:

A sense of alarm over the Sessions firing and what it could mean for the Mueller investigation was widespread in national security circles. The special counsel’s office is nested inside the justice department, which is headed by the attorney general.

“Not a drill,” tweeted Susan Hennessy, the editor of the Lawfare blog and a Brookings Institution fellow. “This is a frontal assault on the Mueller investigation. Trump sees a window and he’s taking it.”

Trump’s precise plan for Mueller was unclear from the immediate news of the Sessions firing, the latest in a long series of high-profile firings and resignations from the highest echelons of the Trump administration. While Trump’s loudest complaints about Sessions centered on the attorney general’s decision to recuse himself from oversight of the Russia inquiry, Trump has voiced displeasure with Sessions for many other reasons.

Former US attorney general Jeff Sessions has left the building.

Justice department employees were invited to watch Sessions leave the building this afternoon in an office-wide email. “Please join us for this special department wide event!” the email said.

Footage of the exit shows crowds clapping in and outside the Justice department building as a smiling Sessions walks out, pauses in front of the crowd, shakes hands with a few people, then steps into a black car.

Iowa representative Steve King, a Republican, said his “head is bloodied but unbowed” after winning his ninth election.

King faced an unexpected challenge from Democratic opponent JD Scholten in the final days of the campaign.

“I’m going to march through this. I’m going to take on all charges, take on all challengers. We’re going to fight to put this record in order,” King told the Associated Press.

More from the AP:

King said unexpected attacks began after news reports surfaced in September and October about his stance on immigration he was described in one as “the most anti-immigrant member of Congress” and a trip he took to Austria and his meeting there with members of the Freedom Party, which is associated with a man once active in neo-Nazi circles.

Organizations and individuals stirred by the allegations poured money into the Scholten campaign, giving it millions of dollars for television ads.

“I don’t know if anybody in America has taken that kind of nasty, negative, dishonest attack and withstood it,” King said.

King also vowed he’ll no longer passively allow news media or opponents mischaracterize his statements or take them out of context.

“That’s something I’m changing,” King said. “I have refused all these years to defend myself of these baseless charges. I will be defending myself.”

Sanders warns shutting down Mueller investigation would be 'impeachable offense'

More reaction to Sessions’ firing from the Democrats.

“Trump love plays the media,” Sanders told the Guardian in a phone interview from Burlington moments after the news broke. “It’s not an accident that as the media is discussing last night’s defeats for him and the progress that Democrats have made he wants to change that discussion immediately by firing Sessions.”

“I think that it is absolutely imperative that the Mueller investigation looking at possible Trump campaign collusion with the Russians must be allowed to proceed unimpeded,” he continued. “If it is not allowed it would constitute an obstruction of justice and that would, in fact, be an impeachable offense. My hope is that Trump is smart enough to understand that.”

Senator Diane Feinstein, Democrat from California, says its clear Trump will “take any action he can to undermine the Mueller investigation.” Feinstein is the top Democrat on the senate judiciary committee.

By firing Attorney General Sessions, the president has made abundantly clear that he’ll take any action he can to undermine the Mueller investigation.

Rod Rosenstein has been capably overseeing Robert Mueller’s work and should continue in that role. No one who lacks Senate confirmation should be placed in charge of this investigation, especially Matthew Whitaker who publically criticized Robert Mueller’s work just last year.

Whitaker should come before the Senate Judiciary Committee as soon as possible and make a firm commitment not to interfere in the investigation, to include restricting the investigation or making changes in personnel. The special counsel’s work is critical and important. It must not be touched, abated or changed in any way.

The Guardian’s Jon Swaine writes that the firing of Sessions “will conclude a bitter public dispute between the attorney general and his president that is unprecedented in recent times.”

In August, Trump sharply criticised Sessions in a television interview the day after the president’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and his former campaign manager Paul Manafort was convicted of fraud – both cases having stemmed from the Mueller investigation.

Trump said: “I put in an attorney general that never took control of the justice department.”

Sessions struck back with a statement that said: “I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in … While I am attorney general the actions of the department will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.”

More on Matthew Whitaker, the new acting attorney general.

In 2014, he did an interview with the blog Caffeinated Thoughts.

In the interview, he says he opposes same-sex marriage, the Affordable Care Act and raising taxes.

Of climate change, he said:

I don’t believe in big government solutions to a problem that doesn’t appear to be that significant or quite possibly isn’t man made.

On the US tax collection agency, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), he said:

As someone who was quite possibly targeted for my political beliefs via the IRS, I went through an audit not long after the first year of my business represented some conservative groups. The politicization and targeting of groups is so against the America I believe in.

And on the federal government’s role in education, he said:

I think the Department of Education should be disbanded and the resources either returned to the taxpayers or put into the schools. Bureaucrats in Washington D.C. shouldn’t know how to better educate my kids than I do.

This is interesting re: blue wave.

Of the sixty House races in eight northeastern states, including New York and New Jersey, not a single Republican is on pace to top 57% of the vote, according to the New York Times.

The party lost six of their seats and of the nine that they still hold, three incumbents led with less than 50% of the vote.

“Not long ago, Republicans held half of New Jersey’s 12 Congressional seats; now they are possibly down to just one,” the Times said.

It was only a few hours ago that Trump gave his first remarks since the midterm elections. Here are some highlights:

Schumer calls on Whitaker to recuse self from Mueller investigation

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, has called on acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

“Given his previous comments advocating defunding and imposing limitations on the Mueller investigation, Mr Whitaker should recuse himself from its oversight for the duration of his time as acting attorney general,” Schumer said in a statement.

Updated

In Florida, razor thin margins in the races for both the Senate and governorship may trigger a recount, giving Democrats fresh hopes that all is not yet lost.

Bill Nelson, the state’s incumbent Senate Democrat, refused to concede to Republican Rick Scott even as the latter declared victory on Tuesday night. Latest projections showed Nelson narrowly trailing Scott, the outgoing Florida governor, by about 34,000 votes of 8.1 million ballots cast.

While candidates cannot petition for a recount in Florida, state law requires that a recount be automatically triggered if the margin is less than one-half-a-percent of the total vote. As Scott’s shrunk to only 0.4 percentage points, Nelson declared in a statement: “We are proceeding to a recount.”

Scott’s campaign suggested Nelson, who was first elected in 2000, was acting out of desperation. An electronic recount would need to be ordered by Florida’s Secretary of State, Ken Detzner, who was appointed by Scott, after unofficial results are delivered on Saturday.

The closely watched Florida governor’s race also moved closer to recount territory, as Republican Ron DeSantis’s lead over Democrat Andrew Gillum stood at just over 0.6 percentage points on Wednesday. Gillum conceded to DeSantis on Tuesday in what marked one of the Democratic Party’s biggest upsets of the night.

A small glimpse into the mind of the new acting attorney general, Matt Whitaker, is available on his Twitter feed.

Most of the posts are about the University of Iowa’s football team, which he played on (#GoHawkeyes):

Whitaker is also fluent in bitmoji:

There is also a peak into his personal life:

~~ Sessions break ~~

California’s 49th congressional district has been called. Democrat Mike Levin wins the seat.

A lot can happen in a year …

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, told reporters last year there would be “holy hell to pay” if Sessions is fired.

Now that the moment has arrived (though instead of being fired, Sessions resigned at the president’s request), Graham has said in a statement: “I look forward to working with President Trump to find a confirmable, worthy successor so that we can start a new chapter at the Department of Justice and deal with both the opportunities and challenges our nation faces.”

Graham’s office is also telling reporters he won’t take the newly vacated job.

Leading constitutional lawyer, Laurence Tribe, warns the “rule of law crisis has been a slow-motion train-wreck for a long time,” in an email to the Guardian.

Matt Whittaker is on record about the ways to clip Mueller’s wings and the alleged need to do so. And I suspect that very few ordinary people will care that this Wednesday afternoon massacre has quietly taken place. Even though Whittaker is only ‘acting’ AG now that Sessions is out, it looks like Whittaker will become Mueller’s minder effective immediately. That could mean the effective termination by an abusive president of the principal investigation into his abuses of power. Arguably an impeachable offense, but in circumstances where impeachment wouldn’t lead to removal.

Former attorney general Eric Holder, who held the post for six years under Barack Obama, weighs in on Sessions’ resignation.

The incoming chair of the House judiciary committee, Democrat Jerry Nadler, asks the top question of the moment: “Why is the President making this change and who has authority over Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation?”

ACLU says Session: 'worst attorney general in modern American history'

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been in combat with Sessions since he took up the attorney general post.

ACLU executive director, Anthony Romero, was blunt in his assessment of Sessions’ tenure.

“Jeff Sessions was the worst attorney general in modern American history,” Romero said in a statement.

Romero continued:

He was an egregious violator of civil rights and civil liberties. From his plot to deport Dreamers, remove police and law enforcement accountability, discriminate against trans people, perpetuate and expand senseless enforcement of racist drug laws, use of religion to discriminate against LGBTQ people and undermine reproductive rights, abandon protections for women against violence, and even lie to the Senate to cover up Trump campaign contact with Russian officials, his tenure as the highest chief law enforcement officer was a complete disgrace to our nation’s constitutional protections. Sessions allowed the Department of Justice to function as the political arm of the Trump administration to undo fundamental rights that protect each of us, disregarding years of legal precedent and settled law.

The dismissal of the nation’s top law enforcement official is a huge step, one that should not be based on political motives – and certainly should not be done to protect the president or his cronies from the law. While the constitution grants the president the authority to dismiss his cabinet members, we will be keeping a close watch on the future of the special counsel’s investigation and the impact of the appointment of a new Attorney General. The Senate must demand that any nominee for attorney general must commit to not interfere in the special counsel investigation, and continue to have Robert Mueller operate under the special counsel regulation.”

Updated

New acting AG said in 2017 Muller investigation was going "too far"

Last year, the new acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, wrote a CNN opinion piece arguing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Trump “is going too far.”

“Mueller has come up to a red line in the Russia 2016 election-meddling investigation that he is dangerously close to crossing,” Whitaker wrote in the August 2017 piece.

He continued:

This information is deeply concerning to me. It does not take a lawyer or even a former federal prosecutor like myself to conclude that investigating Donald Trump’s finances or his family’s finances falls completely outside of the realm of his 2016 campaign and allegations that the campaign coordinated with the Russian government or anyone else. That goes beyond the scope of the appointment of the special counsel.

In fact, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s letter appointing special counsel Robert Mueller does not give Mueller broad, far-reaching powers in this investigation. He is only authorized to investigate matters that involved any potential links to and coordination between two entities -- the Trump campaign and the Russian government. People are wrongly pointing to, and taking out of context, the phrase “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation” to characterize special counsel’s authority as broad.

The word “investigation” is clearly defined directly preceding it in the same sentence specifically as coordination between individuals associated with the campaign of Donald Trump and Russia. The Trump Organization’s business dealings are plainly not within the scope of the investigation, nor should they be.

“At your request, I am submitting my resignation,” begins Sessions’ resignation letter.

In the letter, Sessions touts the Justice department’s work in immigration enforcement, the opioid epidemic and prosecuting gangs.

“I am particularly grateful to the fabulous men and women in law enforcement all over this country with whom I have served,” Sessions wrote. “I have had no greater honor than to serve alongside them.”

John Cornyn, the second-ranking senate Republican, already has a statement on Sessions’ departure:

Attorney General Sessions has selflessly dedicated more than 40 years to serving the people of Alabama and the nation. As our country’s top law enforcement official, he has been integral in fighting the opioid epidemic, keeping violent criminals off our streets, and supporting victims. Those who know him understand his commitment to the rule of law, and his deep and abiding concern for our country.

I’ve had the honor of working closely with Jeff since I came to the Senate, and I’m proud to call him a friend. I wish Jeff and Mary the best of luck in their next chapter, and I hope everyone will join me in honoring his public service to the country.

Jeff Sessions has submitted his resignation at the president’s request, according to the New York Times.

Sessions has been in Trump’s firing line since the attorney general recused himself from the Russia inquiry in March 2017.

“He took the job and then he said, ‘I’m going to recuse myself.’ I said, ‘What kind of a man is this?’” Trump told Fox News in August. “I wanted to stay uninvolved. But when everybody sees what’s going on in the Justice Department — I always put ‘justice’ now with quotes.”

Attorney general Jeff Sessions exits Trump admin

Trump just announced on Twitter that Sessions is being replaced by his chief of staff Matthew Whitaker, who will serve as the acting attorney general.

“We thank attorney general Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! “Trump said. “A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.”

What do midterm results mean for the Trump-Russia inquiry, climate change, immigration and other key issues?

Guardian reporters have some answers:

US senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, has attacked the media for their behavior at the press conference this afternoon.

“Certain members of the press cannot stand the fact that President Donald Trump and Republicans defied expectations in the midterm elections – actually growing our Senate majority,” he continued. “The mainstream press are not – in my opinion – ‘Enemies of the People’ but rather ‘Allies of the Democratic Party’ playing an activist role in support of their agenda.”

Graham did not provide examples of how the media is supporting the Democratic agenda through their questions, which included asking what the president learned from the election result.

Trump himself appeared upset by a question asking whether he characterized migrants in Central America as an “invasion” to score political points.

Summary

Here’s a summary of where things stand:

  • The extent of the Democratic victory Tuesday night came into focus as the party flipped seven governor’s mansions and 333 state legislative seats, and gained full control of government in six states.
  • That was in addition to advancing successful ballot initiatives on criminal justice reform and voting rights, and to the big prize – winning a robust majority in the House of Representatives.
  • Donald Trump declared “complete victory” for Republicans and claimed that the loss of uniform Republican control of Congress would ease gridlock and was a success “from the standpoint of dealmaking.”
  • Trump warned that he would reply to oversight attempts by Democrats with retaliatory investigations that would cause governmental gridlock which he would then blame Democrats for.
  • In a pugnacious, interminable news conference, Trump nastily attacked an African American reporter for a question about whether his rhetoric emboldens white nationalists, calling it a “racist question.”
  • Trump also said “I am a great moral leader,” “This is a hot White House” and “I think people like me.”
  • The extent of Republican gains in the senate were unclear, with Democrat Bill Nelson calling for a recount in Florida, the Arizona race too close to call and Mississippi headed for a runoff.
  • In a sign of rejection of Trump, significant Democratic gains came in suburban and wealthier non-rural areas including in right-leaning cities and suburbs that had voted heavily for Trump.
  • Likely incoming majority leader declared that “health care won” in the election. Both Pelosi and Trump said they would try to work together on issues such as drug prices and infrastructure.

Updated

Pelosi: 'health care won'

What did you think of that news conference?

The PBS reporter attacked by Trump for her question about white nationalism and the Republican party says “I’m simply asking the questions the public wants to know.”

Updated

Trump news conference ends

Trump concludes by saying “hopefully the tone can get a lot better but I really believe it begins with the media. We used to call it the press.”

Last question from the media: does it begin with you Mr President?

“I do have the right to fight back... I’m fighting back not for me, I’m fighting back for the people of this country.”

Earned media.

On the deployment of the US military to the Mexican border announced by the president on the eve of the election: mission accomplished?

Trump says voting was 'very efficient in Georgia'

Trump is asked about barriers to voting in Georgia, long lines to vote and other voting access issues in the state.

Trump denies there were access issues.

“I heard it was very efficient in Georgia. I heard it was very efficient. But again you’re going to have to ask the state governments.”

New question for Trump about his former aide Michael Cohen saying Trump repeatedly used racist remarks.

“I don’t use racist remarks, and if I did, you people would know about it... I have never used racist remarks,” Trump says.

The reporter points out that Trump’s claim of great popularity among African Americans is false: it’s 8%.

Updated

Trump is asked whether the Republican party has supported white nationalists. He says “it’s a very racist question” and calls the reporter a “terrible person.” Nice.

Update: the reporter was Yamiche Alcindor of PBS Newshour, an African American reporter.

Updated

Tester holds Montana

The AP has called the Montana senate race for Jon Tester. As Trump brags about his political Midas touch, he fails to eject a senator he would have most liked to dispatch.

Trump said he was not kidding when he said Nancy Pelosi deserves the Speaker gavel.

“She’s fought long and hard, she’s a very capable person.”

“If she has a problem, I think I would very easily be able to supply her with the necessary votes.”

“I think we’ll get a lot done.”

Trump says he thinks bipartisan comity will happen. “Now the election’s over. Now everybody is in love. But it’s a very hostile room.”

Trump: 'I think I am a great moral leader'

A question about the rise in hate crimes and anti-semitic incidents during the Trump presidency.

Trump replies that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called him a great friend of Israel. “Nobody has done more for Isreal than Donald Trump.”

An irrelevant answer. The reporter tries again: What about divides in US?

A second irrelevant answer. Trump says the strong economy will help then starts dispensing economic statistics. “China would have superseded us in two years as an economic power, now they’re not even close.”

Then he riffs on China.

The reporter tries again: How do you see yourself as a moral leader?

I think I am a great moral leader, and I love our country.

Trump: “I’d be very good at a low tone, but when things are done not correctly about you... you have to defend yourself...when you’re not treated fairly you really have no choice.”

Trump seems to be enjoying himself. Reflecting on his job, mixing it up a bit with reporters, taking question after question. Soaking up the attention, presidenting.

A Japanese reporter asks a question and Trump says he doesn’t understand the accent but the reporter should “say hello to Shinzo.”

Trump advances a voter suppression conspiracy theory in some elections polling.

“There were victories last night that nobody would believe, especially under the suppression polls, there were a lot of suppression polls.”

Trump is asked whether the pitched emotional tenor that has defined the national discourse, the dark national mood and incidents of violence might be put in the past.

He takes it as a question about the media. “If they would cover me fairly, which they don’t...

“I would love to see unity, including with the media. I’d be honest. I think it’s an amazingly divisive thing... It really does bring disunity.”

Then he barks down a reporter trying to ask a question. “Excuse me, you were not called on.”

Trump: 'we are a hot country'

Trump is asked whether Russian president Vladimir Putin called to congratulate him and whether they’ll see each other next week at events in France to mark the centenary of the end of World War One.

Trump says he’s looking forward to the ceremony but “I don’t think we have time set aside for the meeting... we will be having a lunch...”

Asked about staff turnover, Trump says “people leave.” He says “it’s an exhausting job” but “I love doing it.”

“We have many people lined up for” jobs in the White House, Trump says.

We are a hot country. This is a hot White House. This is a White House that people want to work with.

Trump predicts “much less gridlock” after the loss of the Republican House majority.

“I think it was a great victory... I really believe there is going to be much less gridlock because of the way this is going.”

Your own party losing its majority easing gridlock on Capitol Hill.

Trump touts 'very close to complete victory'

Trump is asked about last night’s losses, which he denies, then says they were a good thing:

I thought it was a very close to complete victory. When you look at it from the standpoint of negotiation. When you look at it from the standpoint of dealmaking.

Trump on Russia inquiry: 'I could fire everybody right now'

Trump is asked whether he’ll ask Mike Pence to be his running mate in 2020. He calls on Pence to stand up and hands him the vice president rose (verbally) which Pence accepts. Trump-Pence 2020.

Back to Russia:

“I could fire everybody right now, but I don’t want to stop it, because politically I don’t want to stop it.... I could end it right now. I could say that investigation is over. It’s a disgrace. It’s an embarrassment to our country.”

Trump's election take: 'I think people like me'

Trump is asked what he learned from the election result.

He replies:

I think people like me. I think people like the job I’m doing.

The clamor to ask questions at the White House.
The clamor to ask questions at the White House. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Updated

Trump is yelling at reporters including April Ryan to sit down.

Now Trump calls on a woman reporter who asks him whether the election of two Muslim American women to Congress represents a rejection of his message.

Trump says employment numbers for minorities are high.

Updated

Trump attacks CNN reporter as 'rude, terrible person'

Trump is challenged by CNN on his [Trump’s] characterization of migrants in Central America as an “invasion.”

Did you demonize immigrants as a political ploy?

Trump denies it. He says the migrants were an “invasion.”

Jim Acosta of CNN points out Trump’s campaign had an ad of migrants climbing a wall. “They weren’t actors,” Trump says.

“I think you should let me run the country, you run CNN,” Trump says.

Trump says he’s not concerned about Russia because it’s a hoax.

Then he attacks Acosta who is trying to ask a follow up.

“CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a very rude .. person.. the way you treat Sarah Huckabee is...”

Now Acosta and Trump are in a war of words. Trump says CNN is fake news and as such the enemy of the people.

The room falls briefly into chaos before the Q&A rubric is re-established.

Updated

Trump is asked what he’d do if the Democrats try to obtain his tax returns.

He says “people don’t understand tax returns” and his returns are super complicated and processed by top firms and besides summaries he’s submitted (?) are more comprehensive.

Also his company is huge and continuously under audit - the same excuse he was making two years ago: “And it is a very big company, far bigger than you would even understand.”

“Nobody turns over a return when you’re under audit,” Trump says – as if it ever comes up.

Question about Jeff Sessions’ future.

“I’d rather answer that at a little different time. We’re looking at a lot of different things including Cabinet... for the most part I’m extremely happy with my cabinet. I think Mike Pompeo fit in beautifully.”

How about your interior secretary?

“We’re looking at that.”

Trump promises retaliation for oversight

Trump opens it for questions.

First question is about bipartisanship. “Do you really believe given what the relationship has been like that that will happen?”

Trump: “I think there’s a very good chance that it will happen.”

Will you have to compromise? Will you be subpoenaed?

“If that happens,” Trump says, “then we’re going to do the same thing, and government comes to a halt, and I would blame them.”

Trump invites 'beautiful bipartisan type of situation'

“It really could be a beautiful bipartisan type of situation,” Trump says. “We have a lot of things in common on infrastructure ... healthcare. There are a lot of great things we could do together.”

Updated

Trump says loss in House opens 'much easier path'

Trump says he gives Nancy Pelosi “a great deal of credit”.

“Hopefully we can all work together,” he says. He names infrastructure, trade, prescription drug costs ...

“If the Republicans won and let’s say we held on by two or one or three, it would have been very hard” to hold a majority, he says. “That puts us in a very bad position. In other words, had we kept ... it puts us in a very tough position.”

He does not seem to understand the nature of congressional leadership and the majority party’s ability to run committees, conduct oversight and advance a legislative agenda.

“Now we have a much easier path because the Democrats will come to us ... and we’ll negotiate.”

Then his biggest whopper yet: “The Democrats stick together well.”

“I really respect what Nancy said last night about bipartisanship and ... uniting.

“I can see it being extremely good politically because I think I’m better at that than they are.”

Updated

“In the House Republicans dramatically outperformed historical precedents,” Trump falsely says. It’s possible to point to worse midterm elections for Republicans in the House but not recently.

Trump says the governor’s races were great too, which is hard to square with the fact of the Democrats’ having picked up seven statehouses but voilà.

The voters “clearly rebuked the Senate Democrats for their handling of the Kavanaugh hearing”, Trump says, which is a theory Republicans are clearly excited about this morning.

Trump says “great judges excelled ... we have a list of people that were fantastic”.

Updated

Trump calls out Republicans who declined his support – and lost

Trump is now reading a list of victorious House Republicans. He dwells on Andy Barr’s victory in Kentucky’s sixth – “and that one I did do”.

Trump says candidates who declined to campaign with him “did very poorly” – then he names a few. Carlos Curbelo, Mia Love ...

“Mia Love gave me no love and she lost. Too bad. Sorry about that, Mia,” Trump says.

He says Barbara Comstock “didn’t want the embrace”. Bob Hugin, John Faso he names. Calling out Republicans who didn’t run with him.

Updated

Trump is reading a list of Senate races Republicans won.

He looks bored with this part.

Updated

Trump begins. He starts with three brags about how great the night was and then offers three excuses for what went wrong.

“Big day,” “incredible day”, historic day, “midtown and midterm year”, he says, despite a “dramatic funding disadvantage, “very hostile media coverage, to put it mildly,”, and a “staggering number of House retirements.”

He points out that the candidates he campaigned with mostly won. “This vigorous campaigning stopped the blue wave they were talking about ... if we didn’t do such campaigning it could’ve been.”

They were the largest Senate gains for a president’s party in a president’s first midterms since 1962, Trump points out. No arguing there. He says the Republicans gained most likely three seats.

Updated

Trump news conference begins

Still waiting for Trump. Here are some popular vote totals to tide you over:

Multiple analysts are observing that based on the latest returns, it appears as if Democratic senator Jon Tester is on track to hold his seat in Montana, which Trump won by 20 points and where Trump campaigned against him.

As we wait for Trump, what’s on your mind?

From the comments:

User avatar for rumblestrips

Now then Donald, about those tax returns...

A modest ask...

User avatar for Raptorius

Oh poor him.. he’s being “harassed”. He has harassed and bullied and hurt many people over the years and long before he was running for president. But as is the case with every bully, they have no self awareness. They just want attention and worship.

Trump is about to get a lot of attention...

User avatar for simonsaint

I just wonder what Trump has to do to lose support. How big does the scandal have to be before the tide turns against him, or will it ever? At the moment my money is on two terms.
I can't deny I'm disappointed by the Democrats' showing despite winning the House. They need a figure head.

Who’s the candidate to beat Trump?

User avatar for suddenoakdeath

I love McConnells threat. Don't complain about sexual assault or the GOP will get even. Just because you are immoral Mitch doesn't mean everyone else is. We will never roll over.

It’s true; what is touting the supposed “Kavanaugh effect” supposed to achieve, for Republicans? Team spirit perhaps.

Trump’s late.

Trump live stream

Trump to speak. Here’s a video stream:

From Hillary Clinton’s 2016 communications director:

Obama sees 'a start' on 'change we need'

Here’s video of McConnell on “presidential harassment”:

McConnell is asked whether he intends to run for re-election in 2020. He says yes. He’s asked whether he thinks Trump will back his candidacy.

A cute question, receiving the answer it deserves:

I wouldn’t be surprised.

That’s it for McConnell. Stay tuned for Trump.

Updated

On judges, McConnell vows to confirm 'as many as we possibly can'

Mitch McConnell, on Trump judicial nominations:

We intend to keep confirming as many as we possibly can for as long as we’re in position to do it.

He says it’s a top priority he will continue to pursue in the new Congress.

McConnell touts 'Kavanaugh effect'

McConnell calls the supposed “Kavanaugh effect” very helpful. “I think it was like an adrenaline shot” to core Republican voters, McConnell says.

He notes that Joe Manchin, a Democratic senate incumbent running in a Trump-backing state, won after voting for supreme court nominee (now justice) Brett Kavanaugh, whereas other Democrats who voted against Kavanaugh lost.

But Manchin looked strong before Kavanaugh, and the Democrats who fell – Heitkamp, Donnelly, McCaskill, perhaps Nelson – faced uphill fights irrespective of Kavanaugh and some lost by wider margins than a Kavanaugh bump would seem to explain.

McConnell dodges questions about the quote-unquote caravan which Trump spent the last the weeks stoking fears about and now which Republicans presumably hope never to mention again.

McConnell says the top legislative priorities are finishing this session (farm bill, funding government); and “something on infrastructure”.

Then he complains that bipartisan work never makes any news. “There are plenty of things that we work together on,” he says.

McConnell said “we’re certainly going to try to help the president achieve what he would like to do” on the border wall.

On lowering pharmaceutical drug costs, McConnell says, “I can’t imagine that that won’t be on the agenda.”

Asked about recruiting more women candidates, McConnell says it’s a “frustration.

McConnell is asked about protecting Dreamers, Daca recipients.

“It’s on the agenda every year,” he says. Low motivation there.

Updated

McConnell warns Democrats against 'presidential harassment'

McConnell is asked how he will respond if Democrats subpoena Trump’s tax returns.

McConnell notes that Bill Clinton’s popularity grew after Republicans in the House impeached him in the 1990s.

The Democrats “have to decide how much presidential harassment is good strategy”, McConnell says, continuing:

I’m not sure how it will work for them. All I’m doing is making a historical observation. That the business of presidential harassment, which we were deeply engaged in in the 1990s, improved the president’s approval ratings.”

Updated

McConnell praises Trump

McConnell speaks. He calls it a “good morning for senate Republicans.”

He spoke with Nancy Pelosi, he said, and they discussed “ways forward.” “We’ll probably have a lot more dealings with each other in the future.”

“I want to thank the president. He was extremely helpful to us... he worked very hard and drew large crowds.”

As we wait for McConnell we would commend to you in case you have not yet red it Ben Jacobs’ five key takeaways, including these two:

The ‘blue wave’ washes up in weird places

Democrats won seats in places like Oklahoma and South Carolina on Tuesday night in addition to their expected victories in suburban districts around urban centers. The result is that there will be several members of the new Democratic majority running for re-election in traditionally Republican areas that Trump won by double digits in 2016. This serves up an additional check on what the new but narrow Democratic majority will be able to do legislatively in the next two years.

Trump’s 2020 election map still looks OK

While Democrats made gains in some of the states that were part of the much vaunted “blue wall” in 2016, Trump is still in strong position in the swing states that gave him his electoral college victory.

Democrats lost governor’s races in Florida and Iowa that party operatives were feeling bullish about. Further, Democrats had an underwhelming performance in Ohio, where gubernatorial nominee Richard Cordray lost and incumbent senator Sherrod Brown won by only six points against a weak Republican. All are states that Barack Obama won twice but that Trump won in 2016, and are a indication that Republicans may have made lasting gains in those states.

However, Democrats did eke out a narrow win to beat Scott Walker in Wisconsin and comfortably won the governor’s office in Michigan.

McConnell to speak

We’re about to hear from the senate majority leader on the topic of last night’s Republican wins.

Scott on Florida recount: 'The race is over'

Chris Hartline, spokesman for Scott for Florida, has issued a statement on Democratic senator Bill Nelson’s call for a recount:

This race is over. It’s a sad way for Bill Nelson to end his career. He is desperately trying to hold on to something that no longer exists.

Updated

Criminal justice reform witnessed a wave of victories on the state level last night, too.

The Appeal’s roundup includes:

Democrat J.B. Pritzker wins the Illinois governor’s race. Pritzker campaigned strongly on marijuana legalization.

Florida voters have approved Amendment 4, automatically restoring voting rights in the state for people previously convicted of felonies. The victory means more than 1 million people will regain the right to vote.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf wins re-election. Now the state’s moratorium on executions will continue for at least four more years.

With Rachel Rollins winning the Suffolk County district attorney race she will be bringing reform to charging practices in Boston. Rollins plans to decline to prosecute several low-level offenses.

Amendment 11 passed in Florida. This amends Florida’s Constitution so sentencing reforms can apply retroactively—the state’s Constitution previously barred retroactive application.

Nashville passes Amendment 1, which creates a police oversight board with subpoena power to investigate and make recommendations on police misconduct claims.

Bexar County, Texas, goes from tough-on-crime to Joe Gonzales who has promised to reform bail, roll back the death penalty, and stop criminalizing poverty.

It goes on and on. Read the whole thread here.

Weed won – except in the Flickertail state.

What happens in Las Vegas is trimmed, packaged and distributed across an undetermined radius.
What happens in Las Vegas is trimmed, packaged and distributed across an undetermined radius. Photograph: John Locher/AP

Updated

Nelson campaign calls for recount

The Florida senate race has just leapt from floor where it had been impaled in a very-fatal seeming way to jump in your face and whisper, Boo.

Nelson is the Democratic in the race and for a recount to happen the secretary of state, Ken Detzner – who was appointed by Nelson’s opponent, outgoing governor Rick Scott – would have to accede, which he would be under enormous pressure to do should the current margin hold.

Updated

Union bids Walker terse farewell

Defeated Wisconsin governor Scott Walker was a national pioneer in the movement to strip unions of collective bargaining rights and membership muscle. Despite untold millions spent by the conservative megadonor Koch brothers to turn him into a national candidate and the unwavering support of Wisconsin’s preternaturally active conservative voters, Walker last night lost.

And here’s what the AFL-CIO has to say about that. Six words:

Scott Walker was a national disgrace.

It was real.
It was real. Photograph: Darren Hauck/Getty Images

Updated

Democrats show ability to make inroads at state level in midterm elections

State-level victories in midterm elections were supposed to be a Democratic weak point. But when a lot of people turn out to vote the results reflect that. Control of statehouses and legislatures is crucial to the battles over gerrymandering, voting rights, abortion rights, immigration, climate change – it’s a bid deal. And last night the Democrats performed.

Updated

Florida Senate recount possible

It’s remarkable how a state with so many people manages to deliver such close election results with such consistency. Will that change with the restoration last night of the political franchise to about 1.5 millions felons in Florida? Let’s revisit that question in 2020.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Times reports that a recount may be triggered in the Florida Senate race – but only if the secretary of state, who happens to have been appointed by the Republican candidate currently leading the Senate race, calls for a recount:

Did Republican Rick Scott speak too soon when he declared victory in his US Senate race last night?

Maybe.

Just 34,435 votes separated Governor Rick Scott and Democrat Senator Bill Nelson on Wednesday morning, a difference of 0.42 percentage points.

That’s within the margin that could launch a recount. But it’s not automatic.

If the two candidates are separated by one-half of a percentage point or less, state law allows for a machine recount of the results. Only Secretary of State Ken Detzner – an appointee of Scott – can call for a recount.

Updated

One of the most significant implications for the Democratic takeover in the House is that Trump may be constrained from attempting to pull the plug on the Robert Mueller investigation. Although Jeff Sessions’ status as attorney general seems freshly in doubt, and any pairing of the words “Trump” and “constraint” is suspect.

Stefanowski concedes Connecticut

One more Democratic victory, in a very closer gubernatorial race, via the Hartford Courant:

Democrats swiped at least seven statehouses from Republicans last night – in Maine, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico and Nevada – that’s a big deal. Alaska and Georgia are still counting.

From the comments:

User avatar for PercyThrills

None of these results are a victory for Americans. Both parties remain in the pocket of Wall Street and the MIC.

The only good result will be if a truly social democratic candidate ever wins the Democratic nomination. Then people will be offered a real choice.

Bernie 2020 then?...

User avatar for David Heseltine

After 2 years of this lunatic president this is the best America can do? Trump is going to win in 2 years, I've already decided. What an utterly broken society you must be to have so many who will vote for this madness. I'm in despair at all of this, I still can't make sense of it. And yes, I know the democrats won the house, but for God sake, what a low bar against this vile administration.

When you put it that way ...

User avatar for Haigin88

Scott Walker a.k.a. Mad magazine's Alfred E. Neuman and Kris Kobach both crashing and burning is a beautiful thing.

Scott Walker, who left the 2016 primary race with a call to stop Trump ...

User avatar for Whereangelsfear

Btw, I like the habit of the Guardian to lighten up reports, facts and figures with tweets by a guy called the "real Donald".
He's very funny, keeps posing as if he were the President of the US. The thing that's not very convincing is that he occasionally comes across as a bar room brawler. Otherwise a good act. Did you pay him to join your staff as a sort of extraterrestrial contribution?

Bad news, whereangelsfear ...

Updated

The Republicans fell hard in conservative-leaning metro areas and big cities, the New York Time’s Jonathan Martin points out.

The underlying question being whether Trump’s 2016 coalition holds for 2020. Will places like this return to the Republican fold in 2020? Or will Trump’s (presumed) presence in that race set up an even sharper repudiation of Trump Republicanism?

The trailblazing candidates who have broken barriers in the midterms - video

Updated

Trump endorses Pelosi for speaker

About half a Diet Coke after threatening Democrats with senate-led corruption investigations and quipping “Two can play at that game”, Trump has endorsed Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the House.

We’ll see where he lands in a few hours, when he’s scheduled to hold what is sure to be a measured, linear and coherent news conference.

Updated

Women win in record numbers

All across the country, female candidates ran for office and won in record numbers. They were powered mostly by a female-led resistance movement forged in opposition to the election of Donald Trump two years ago, though there were also notable victories among Republican women.

By early Wednesday morning, 92 women had been elected to the 435 member House, surpassing the previous record of 84. In the Senate, 10 women had been elected bringing the total number of women who will serve in the 100-person chamber to 23 – and more victories were expected.

Ayanna Pressley and Katherine Clark introduce Senator Elizabeth Warren in Boston, Massachusetts on 6 November.
Ayanna Pressley and Katherine Clark introduce Senator Elizabeth Warren in Boston, Massachusetts on 6 November. Photograph: Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images

Read the full piece here:

Aimee Allison, founder of She The People, issued a victory statement.

“Women of color have shown the country that we are the saving graces of our democracy,” she said. “We took back the House thanks to an unprecedented number of female candidates who ran for the first time. Victories by Deb Haaland, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Lauren Underwood, Sharice Davis, Jahana Hayes, Ayanna Pressley, Veronica Escobar, Sylvia Garcia, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ushered a new era in politics, one that is just coming into view. To the thousands of organizers and leaders on the ground, and to the millions of women that proved our progressive and democratic might at the polls – we see you and thank you.”

Updated

It looks like we’ll get the senate majority leader before the president. Stay tuned.

Inside the Abrams race

The outcome of a closely watched and bitterly contested governor’s race in Georgia hung in the balance in the early hours of Wednesday morning as the Democrat, Stacey Abrams, refused to concede the election while her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp, did not claim victory.

Abrams, vying to become America’s first female African American governor, trailed Kemp by just under 100,000 votes out of more than 3.8m votes counted as her campaign maintained there were still enough ballots left to count to take the race to a runoff election.

Kemp did not declare outright victory as Luke Bryan’s country song Chuggin’ Along blasted through the speakers. Rather, he avoided mentioning the specific results, saying: “We have votes to count but we have a very strong lead.” He added: “I’m confident victory is near” as he mentioned the math looked good for his side.

In a rousing speech at the Regency Ballroom in Atlanta, Abrams vowed to make sure “every vote is counted” as her campaign maintained that tens of thousands of absentee and provisional ballots could mean Kemp would not take the required 50% to claim victory outright.

“Democracy only works when we work for it. When we fight for it. When we demand it,” Abrams said. “And apparently, today, when we stand in lines for hours to meet it at the ballot box.”

Read the full piece:

Updated

Here’s a scan of some of the good news to emerge from the night for Democrats:

Two can play at that game, mon vieux.

How might Democrats use their subpoena powers next year? Here’s a quickie list via CNN:

The Washington Post’s Dave Weigel adds that “Democratic candidates I talked to in the final days told me they also wanted to investigate Trump’s decision to send troops to the border, right before the midterms, for a caravan that posed no security threat.”

What will Trump say at his news conference in a few hours? The president has declared success this morning despite his party losing the House majority and despite Democrats winning the popular vote margin nationally by high-single-digits – the biggest such margin going back a decade, it appears.

His tendency to declare everything he touches a “win” aside, Trump does have some bright spots to point to from last night. Republicans expanded their Senate majority, making the process of confirming Trump’s picks for federal judges even smoother and minimizing the chances of a Brett Kavanaugh-style showdown on a nominee for the next two years at least.

Trump also showed his power on the campaign trail, with some candidates on whose behalf he made campaign appearances – Ron Desantis in Florida, Brian Kemp in Georgia, Mike DeWine in Ohio, Ted Cruz in Texas – going on to win.

Trump is also showing some pugnacity this morning. “Two can play that game!” he tweets about potential corruption investigations.

Updated

Pictures

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi waits to speak Tuesday night.
Nancy Pelosi waits to speak Tuesday night. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Dean Samuels reacts as CNN predicts Republicans will maintain control of the Senate during an election viewing party at a bar called Piano Fight in San Francisco, California.
Dean Samuels reacts as CNN predicts Republicans will maintain control of the Senate during an election viewing party at a bar called Piano Fight in San Francisco, California. Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
Ilhan Omar, newly elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket, celebrates with her supporters after her Congressional 5th District primary victory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ilhan Omar, newly elected to the House on the Democratic ticket, celebrates with her supporters after her congressional fifth district primary victory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photograph: Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty Images
Texas Republicans follow the election results at Clover 3 in Austin, Texas.
Texas Republicans follow the election results in Austin, Texas. Photograph: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Some tight House races remain too close to call this morning. Texas Republican representative. Will Hurd leads his challenger Gina Ortiz Jones by fewer than 700 votes. The Associated Press and a number of other media outlets withdrew their calls that Hurd had won the race. Hurd is one of the few Republicans in Congress who have been highly critical of Donald Trump.

In Georgia’s sixth House district, Democrat Lucy McBath has a narrow lead over Republican Karen Handel. McBath became a gun control activist after her 17-year-old son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed in 2012.

Updated

Texas senator Ted Cruz won re-election Tuesday night over challenger Beto O’Rourke, though it was a pretty close race, with only three points separating the candidates.

The Houston Chronicle takes a county by county look at how Cruz held on.

Updated

Dead brothel owner wins Nevada legislative seat

A dead man, who before his death was a brothel owner and reality TV star, has won a seat in the Nevada state legislature. The AP reports:

A Nevada brothel owner and reality TV star who died last month after fashioning himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican candidate has won a heavily GOP state legislative district.

Dennis Hof defeated Democratic educator Lesia Romanov on Tuesday in the race for Nevada’s 36th assembly district, which includes rural communities and large stretches of desert in the southern part of the state. County officials will appoint a Republican to take his place in the seat.

Hof was found dead on 16 October after a weekend of parties celebrating his 72nd birthday. Officials are still determining his cause of death, but they don’t suspect foul play.

Hof owned a handful of brothels in Nevada, the only state that allows them to legally operate.

He also starred in the HBO adult reality series Cathouse and wrote a book titled The Art of the Pimp, akin to Trump’s book The Art of the Deal.

Hof was found dead at his Love Ranch brothel about an hour outside Las Vegas. His body was discovered by porn actor Ron Jeremy and a prostitute at the brothel.

Hof had spent the four previous days partying with notables from the sex industry and political world celebrating his 72nd birthday.

The brothel where his body was found is where NBA player Lamar Odom was found unconscious in 2015.

About 20 brothels operate in Nevada, mostly in rural areas. They’re banned in the counties that contain Las Vegas and Reno. The state doesn’t publicize how many are open, and most owners keep a much lower profile than Hof did.

Hof ran for office in 2016 as a Libertarian but lost the race.

This year, he ran as a Republican and earned backing from Trump associate Roger Stone and tax-cut activist Grover Norquist.

He upended Nevada politics this summer when he ousted an incumbent Republican lawmaker in a primary, celebrating at an election night party with “Hollywood Madam” Heidi Fleiss.

Dennis Hof, center, on 10 February 2016. He was found dead on 16 October 2018.
Dennis Hof, center, on 10 February 2016. He was found dead on 16 October 2018. Photograph: Adithya Sambamurthy for the Guardian

Or as the Las Vegas Review-Journal puts it in their lede: “Democrat Lesia Romanov was the only candidate with a pulse in the race for assembly district 36, but apparently that wasn’t enough to defeat deceased brothel owner Dennis Hof.”

Updated

What will Democrats do with the House?

Now that Democrats have won control of the House of Representatives, what will they do with it?

Don’t bet on a move to impeach Donald Trump as some on the left would like to see, the Guardian’s Tom McCarthy reports.

The focus will instead be on a policy agenda that could even include cooperation with Trump, Democrats say.

Nancy Pelosi celebrates Democrats winning House majority in Washington on 6 November.
Nancy Pelosi celebrates Democrats winning House majority in Washington on 6 November. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi has laid out six legislative priorities she said Democrats would purse. They are:

  • Campaign finance reform.
  • Healthcare legislation focused on lowering pharmaceutical drug costs.
  • Green infrastructure-spending legislation focused on boosting wages.
  • Protecting Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children.
  • “Commonsense background checks to prevent gun violence.”
  • The Equality Act, adding protections for women and LGBT people to the existing Civil Rights Act.

Updated

Election night brought new sadness and frustration to Parkland, Florida, where a school shooting in February left 17 people dead, the Guardian’s Lois Beckett reports.

In Florida, less than nine months after one of the country’s deadliest school shootings, and just days after a mass shooting at a yoga studio in the state’s capital, voters selected pro-gun candidates in the state’s two major races, for governor and for US senate. Republicans Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott won those races.

“I’m shaking with anger right now,” Jacyln Corin, a high school senior who helped found the March for Our Lives student movement, told a room of fellow activists at an election watch party in Parkland Tuesday night.

Donald Trump will hold a late morning press conference to discuss the midterm results, his press secretary says.

Greg Gianforte appears to win re-election

Montana representative Greg Gianforte – best known for his assault on a Guardian reporter – appears to have won re-election over Democrat Kathleen Williams.

He took Montana’s only House seat in a special election last year, and has now won election to a full term. He had 53% of the vote early Wednesday morning.

At a campaign rally last month, Donald Trump praised Gianforte for body-slamming reporter Ben Jacobs.

Updated

Arizona Republican Martha McSally holds lead over Kyrsten Sinema in Senate race

Arizona’s Senate race has not been called, but Republican Martha McSally holds a narrow lead over Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. Green party candidate Angela Green, meanwhile, attracted more votes than the margin between the two major party candidates.

Updated

Here in New York, Democrat Max Rose knocked off the only Republican representing the city in Congress, defeating Representative Dan Donovan with about 53% of the vote. Take a look back at our story on the Army veteran’s ultimately successful quest to the city’s only Republican bastion.

In another closely watched race further upstate, Democrat Antonio Delgado has unseated Republican representative John Faso. That race drew attention for negative ads attacking Delgado’s brief career as a hip-hop artist. The “big city rapper” is also a Harvard law grad and Rhodes scholar, and now a congressman-elect.

In central New York, a third Republican incumbent was defeated, as Democratic challenger Anthony Brindisi narrowly beat Representative Claudia Tenney.

Indicted Representative Chris Collins was ahead in his re-election bid against Nathan McMurray, but the Democrat, after initially conceding defeat, later called for a recount, per the Buffalo News.

Updated

Donald Trump is up and tweeting about what he calls a “Big Victory”, despite his party losing control of the House.

Updated

Good morning and welcome to our ongoing live midterm elections coverage. If you’re joining us now, here’s where things stand:

  • Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives. They’ve picked up at least 26 seats previously held by Republicans, and have at least 219 seats in races that have been called so far. Democrats won Republican-held seats in Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
  • Republicans have kept – and strengthened – their hold on the Senate. They have at least 51 seats, with a net gain of two over the Democrats. Four Democratic incumbents have been defeated: Bill Nelson in Florida, Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota, Joe Donnelly in Indiana, and Claire McCaskill in Missouri.
  • In the governor’s races, Democrats gained seven new seats. In closely watched races, Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum was defeated by Republican Ron DeSantis. In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker lost his seat to a Democratic challenger. In Georgia, the race between Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp has not been called, with Abrams trailing but declining to concede.
  • Voters passed ballot measures across the country with new laws on voting rights, marijuana, taxes and more.

Updated

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