https://www.scmp.com/rss/513923/feed The US midterm elections, to be held on November 8, 2022, will see voters choose all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 members, in addition to legions of state and local officials. Midterms are traditionally seen as a referendum on the president’s performance, and the Democratic party losing control of the two houses of Congress would undercut Joe Biden’s ability to pass legislation. However, a tougher policy towards China remains one of the rare area of... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Former US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi was injured on a trip to Luxembourg and has been admitted to a hospital for evaluation, her office said in a statement on Friday. Pelosi, 84, was the first woman to serve as speaker of the House and had also been a long-time leader of the House Democratic Caucus. “While travelling with a bipartisan Congressional delegation in Luxembourg to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi sustained an injury... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3290768/ex-us-house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-84-hospitalised-after-injury-luxembourg?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3290768/ex-us-house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-84-hospitalised-after-injury-luxembourg?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2024 17:54:28 +0000 Ron DeSantis announced his US presidential candidacy last week in a disastrous appearance on Twitter Spaces. To many, DeSantis represents Donald Trump’s first serious challenger for the Republican presidential nomination in seven years. But he is far more likely to meet the same fate as Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz – who all lost the nomination to Trump in 2016. Last year could not have ended better for DeSantis when he won his re-election in November by nearly 20 percentage points, while... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3221989/why-desantis-no-match-trump-race-republican-presidential-nomination?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3221989/why-desantis-no-match-trump-race-republican-presidential-nomination?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 May 2023 19:30:15 +0000 The volume of classified documents is vastly different, the circumstances of discovery worlds apart. But the revelation that lawyers for US President Joe Biden have located what the White House says is a “small number” of classified documents in a locked closet is an unexpected wrinkle for a Justice Department already investigating Donald Trump over the retention of top secret documents at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate. Despite abundant factual and legal differences in the situations, Trump... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3206335/republicans-seek-intelligence-damage-assessment-joe-biden-documents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3206335/republicans-seek-intelligence-damage-assessment-joe-biden-documents?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jan 2023 18:40:17 +0000 Newly elected House speaker Kevin McCarthy sought to rally Republicans with pledges to champion federal spending cuts, strengthen border security and counter “woke indoctrination,” hinting at his dependence on a small group of populist conservatives over the next two years. Fresh from a leadership struggle that lasted more than four days and raised questions about his party’s capacity to fulfil basic functions of governing, McCarthy now confronts a Democratic-controlled Senate and White House at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3205983/new-us-house-speaker-mccarthy-starts-out-agenda-already-hemmed-dissidents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3205983/new-us-house-speaker-mccarthy-starts-out-agenda-already-hemmed-dissidents?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Jan 2023 21:13:45 +0000 US congressman Kevin McCarthy struggled to beat back hard-line conservative opposition and secure enough votes to give him the speakership when the new House of Representatives convenes with a narrow Republican majority on Tuesday. The speaker is a powerful role, in line behind the US vice-president to succeed the president should the commander in chief be incapacitated. After a poorer-than-expected showing in the November midterm elections, McCarthy’s fellow Republicans have been embroiled in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3205368/kevin-mccarthy-struggles-top-spot-new-republican-led-us-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3205368/kevin-mccarthy-struggles-top-spot-new-republican-led-us-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jan 2023 02:23:00 +0000 An Arizona judge on Saturday dismissed a lawsuit brought by Republican candidate Kari Lake, a Donald Trump loyalist who sought to overturn her unsuccessful bid to become the southwestern state’s governor. The court found no “clear and convincing evidence of misconduct” that would have impacted the outcome of the November election as Lake alleged, Judge Peter Thompson said in his decision. Lake, a 53-year-old former television news anchorwoman, tweeted Saturday that “for the sake of restoring... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3204509/trump-acolyte-kari-lake-loses-bid-overturn-arizona-election-loss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3204509/trump-acolyte-kari-lake-loses-bid-overturn-arizona-election-loss?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Dec 2022 22:28:17 +0000 Former US president Donald Trump trails Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the favoured Republican presidential nominee by a 23 per cent margin among Republican voters – and would lose to President Joe Biden in a 2024 general election, a new poll finds. Burdened by flagging support after the midterm elections, Trump has the backing of just 33 per cent of Republican voters compared to 56 per cent for DeSantis in the Suffolk University/USA Today poll released on Tuesday. Trump would get just 40 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3203214/trump-trails-desantis-23-cent-republican-primary-poll-would-lose-biden-2024?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3203214/trump-trails-desantis-23-cent-republican-primary-poll-would-lose-biden-2024?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Dec 2022 02:55:05 +0000 Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced on Friday that she was leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent in a surprise move just days after President Joe Biden’s Democrats increased their slim majority in the chamber. Sinema’s decision is not expected to significantly shift the balance of power in the Senate but it could increase her influence and that of another centrist Democratic senator, Joe Manchin of West Virginia. “Like a lot of Arizonans, I have never fit perfectly in either... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3202790/us-senator-kyrsten-sinema-leaves-democrats-go-independent-surprise-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3202790/us-senator-kyrsten-sinema-leaves-democrats-go-independent-surprise-move?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Dec 2022 17:43:07 +0000 US Representative Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican likely to become House speaker when the new Congress convenes next month, reiterated his pledge on Thursday to establish a select committee on China “to expose and fight against the Chinese Communist Party’s cyber, trade and military threats against America”. McCarthy made his announcement a day after Representative Andy Biggs, a hard-right Arizona Republican, declared a challenge to McCarthy’s bid for speaker when the full House votes... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3202615/likely-us-house-speaker-promotes-china-panel-naming-ardent-hawk-its-chair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3202615/likely-us-house-speaker-promotes-china-panel-naming-ardent-hawk-its-chair?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Dec 2022 20:30:03 +0000 With the collapse of Russia’s status as an efficient military juggernaut and China’s status as the undisputable global leader in pandemic management, US President Joe Biden has much to be thankful for as we head into the final weeks of 2022. The US leader got another early Christmas gift in the form of the Iranian government’s suspension of its morality police amid relentless pressure from defiant and brave women. For those who buy into Biden’s theory about the world falling into two camps –... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202077/georgia-run-chance-biden-solidify-gains-over-trumpism-and-republicans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202077/georgia-run-chance-biden-solidify-gains-over-trumpism-and-republicans?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:00:13 +0000 Tension and unpredictability will remain a big part of US-China relations in the long-term as America remains firm on its goal of “outcompeting” China, even though both nations have stepped up communications, Chinese analysts say. During a Wednesday panel discussion on US diplomacy, most experts said they did not expect the midterm election results to have any drastic impact on US foreign policy, especially towards China. But some analysts said ties between the two rivals will continue to see... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3200765/cold-peaceful-chinese-experts-predict-future-us-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3200765/cold-peaceful-chinese-experts-predict-future-us-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Nov 2022 09:00:27 +0000 For months, Donald Trump had teased another run for the presidency. Now, it’s official. “America’s comeback begins now,” he said last week at Mar-a-Lago. But while his re-election is far from likely, one certainty already exists: either the Republican Party follows his lead or Trump will burn it to the ground. We have seen this movie before. America has turned into a hellhole, a quagmire of corruption, economic instability, drugs and despair. While Trump turned things around during his tenure by... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3200111/trumps-message-republicans-clear-back-me-over-desantis-or-prepare-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3200111/trumps-message-republicans-clear-back-me-over-desantis-or-prepare-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Nov 2022 17:00:14 +0000 No one should have been surprised by the gargantuan distortions of facts that former US president Donald Trump lobbed out as he announced his re-election bid from the ballroom of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last week. As with the assertions that no one ever paid any duties on Chinese imports before he took office – “No president had ever saw [sic] or received one dollar for our country from China until I came along” – and that he prevented the Chinese economy from overtaking the US by 2019,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3200364/2024-looms-world-hasnt-seen-last-donald-trumps-fact-distortion-field?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3200364/2024-looms-world-hasnt-seen-last-donald-trumps-fact-distortion-field?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Nov 2022 19:30:12 +0000 US President Joe Biden made lighthearted references to Democrats’ success in the midterm elections as he pardoned two turkeys, Chocolate and Chip, in what has become a quirky Thanksgiving tradition under presidents of both parties. “The votes are in, they’ve been counted, verified. There’s no ballot stuffing, there’s no ‘fowl’ play,” Biden joked Monday during the ceremony on the White House’s South Lawn. He added the “only red wave this season” would be if his German shepherd, Commander, knocked... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3200472/no-fowl-play-no-ballot-stuffing-joe-biden-jokes-thanksgiving-turkey-pardon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3200472/no-fowl-play-no-ballot-stuffing-joe-biden-jokes-thanksgiving-turkey-pardon?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Nov 2022 19:13:49 +0000 Former US vice-president Mike Pence has doubled down the Trump administration’s hardline approach to China, recounting exchanges with Chinese leaders in his memoirs as he weighs up a run for the presidency. In the book So Help Me God, published on Tuesday, Pence plays up his China credentials and says he was motivated to join the Donald Trump ticket in part because of the rising threat from China. “I’m not going to put my little boy on a bus in 10 years to go fight a war I could have helped... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3200291/mike-pence-plays-his-china-credentials-us-attention-turns-2024-presidential-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3200291/mike-pence-plays-his-china-credentials-us-attention-turns-2024-presidential-race?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Nov 2022 12:00:12 +0000 Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the trailblazing first female speaker of the US House of Representatives, said on Thursday that she will step down as party leader when Republicans take control of the chamber in January. “I will not seek re-election to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” the 82-year-old Pelosi said in an emotional speech on the House floor. “The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus.” Republicans secured a slim majority in the House in last week’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3200031/nancy-pelosi-stand-down-leader-us-democrats-after-republicans-take-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3200031/nancy-pelosi-stand-down-leader-us-democrats-after-republicans-take-house?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Nov 2022 18:20:26 +0000 Vote counting for the US midterm elections is finally coming to an end. The usually staid event defied the pundits and pollsters yet again. A Republican “red wave” never materialised and election deniers did not take over. Donald Trump’s ambitions for another run at the White House were weakened after major candidates he backed lost. The net result of the vote is a split Congress, with Republicans taking control of the House of Representatives with a slim majority and Democrats holding the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199815/bidens-asia-agenda-unlikely-change-even-midterm-election-gives-house-republicans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199815/bidens-asia-agenda-unlikely-change-even-midterm-election-gives-house-republicans?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Nov 2022 17:00:08 +0000 Former US president Donald Trump, whose administration steered Washington into direct economic confrontation with Beijing, announced late on Tuesday that he will run for a second term in the White House. Undeterred by an impeachment and an investigation by the US House of Representatives for his role in the January 6 riots on Capitol Hill last year and poor results for a slew of candidates that he backed in last week’s midterm elections, Trump declared his intention during a prime-time event at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3199881/donald-trump-announces-2024-bid-us-presidency-vows-cut-dependence-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3199881/donald-trump-announces-2024-bid-us-presidency-vows-cut-dependence-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Nov 2022 17:05:28 +0000 Kari Lake, one of the most high-profile Republican candidates in the midterm elections to embrace former president Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in 2020, lost her bid to become the next governor of Arizona, Edison Research projected. The closely fought governor’s race between Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs was one of the most significant in the general election because Arizona is a battleground state and is expected to play a pivotal role in the 2024 US presidential election. Lake’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199627/trump-ally-kari-lake-loses-governors-race-battleground-arizona?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199627/trump-ally-kari-lake-loses-governors-race-battleground-arizona?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Nov 2022 02:55:37 +0000 Political events in China and America have given rise to new power dynamics, with the 20th Communist Party congress solidifying the policies of President Xi Jinping, and a midterm election further muddying the already chaotic political waters in the United States. The austere choreography of Beijing’s twice-a-decade leadership reshuffle contrasted with the bruising political campaigns of the US midterms, which have yet to reveal how much power Republicans will have starting in January and what... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3199503/global-impact-what-do-us-midterms-mean-joe-bidens-already-shaky-anti-china-partnerships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3199503/global-impact-what-do-us-midterms-mean-joe-bidens-already-shaky-anti-china-partnerships?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Nov 2022 06:00:13 +0000 Days before he is expected to launch another White House run, Donald Trump is again at war with his own party, angrily denouncing potential rivals, airing old grievances and acting more like the insurgent who stormed to victory six years ago than a former president. The former one-term president has slapped the man seen as his main threat, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, with the label “DeSanctimonious” and tried out a nickname with a racist tone for Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin as he looks... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199372/donald-trump-war-fellow-republicans-he-eyes-new-white-house-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199372/donald-trump-war-fellow-republicans-he-eyes-new-white-house-run?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 21:29:31 +0000 A swing in voter intentions towards the Republicans became evident in polling long before the United States midterm elections. But it failed to gather momentum. It fell well short of a possible landslide, or a “red wave”, which would have wiped much Democratic Party blue from the electoral map, the White House excepted. At best, it seems the result has reversed a small Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. Control of Congress ultimately depends on a run-off for a Senate seat in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199368/midterms-provide-no-let-china-divided-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199368/midterms-provide-no-let-china-divided-america?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 21:15:07 +0000 Few voted for him, but he has plunged American politics into uncertainty: Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver won just enough votes in his Senate election race to force a run-off that could shape the rest of Joe Biden’s presidency. Oliver grabbed some two per cent or 81,000 votes in Georgia’s Senate poll at Tuesday’s midterm elections – enough to prevent his more powerful rivals, Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker, from taking the seat outright. Now that sliver of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199229/georgia-senate-run-chase-oliver-obscure-candidate-who-could-impact-us-national-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199229/georgia-senate-run-chase-oliver-obscure-candidate-who-could-impact-us-national-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 04:29:25 +0000 The powerful media empire of conservative billionaire Rupert Murdoch appeared to turn its back on Donald Trump, labelling the former US president a “loser” who shows “increasingly poor judgment” after the midterm elections. Just days before he is expected to announce his 2024 White House candidacy, the Wall Street Journal, the flagship of Murdoch’s News Corp, declared in an editorial that “Trump Is the Republican Party’s Biggest Loser”, pointing to the party’s disappointing performance in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199221/powerful-murdoch-media-dumps-loser-donald-trump-ron-desantis-shines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199221/powerful-murdoch-media-dumps-loser-donald-trump-ron-desantis-shines?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 03:51:12 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199202/video-biden-us-midterm-elections-good-day-democracy-democrats-exceed-expectations-polls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199202/video-biden-us-midterm-elections-good-day-democracy-democrats-exceed-expectations-polls?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 01:49:13 +0000 Control of the US Congress hung in the balance on Thursday as ballot-counting dragged on and attention shifted to the next big election – the 2024 presidential race – and whether Americans could see a Joe Biden-Donald Trump rematch. With 209 seats so far, Republicans appear poised to secure a slim majority in the 435-seat House of Representatives, but control of the Senate may come down to an early December run-off in the southern state of Georgia. Biden celebrated on Thursday what he said was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199198/us-midterm-count-drags-focus-shifts-2024-white-house-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199198/us-midterm-count-drags-focus-shifts-2024-white-house-race?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Nov 2022 23:02:36 +0000 Yevgeny Prigozhin has had many roles. Convicted felon and hot dog vendor. Owner of a swanky St Petersburg restaurant and holder of lucrative government catering contracts. Founder of a mercenary military force involved in Russia’s various conflicts. Prigozhin has kept a low profile over the years. But in recent months, the 61-year-old entrepreneur with links to Russian President Vladimir Putin has become more public with his activities, especially involving Moscow’s eight-month-old war in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3199194/who-putins-chef-and-what-russian-hot-dog-vendor-turned-mercenary-boss-cooking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3199194/who-putins-chef-and-what-russian-hot-dog-vendor-turned-mercenary-boss-cooking?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Nov 2022 19:49:50 +0000 Now that Republicans look poised to win control of the House after the midterm elections, their party faces the task of defining what economic “decoupling” from China and defending Taiwan will look like amid their broad push for a tougher stance against Beijing. Republicans are sounding calls for greater decoupling despite early consequences ranging from product shortages to inflationary pressure already being felt by voters. Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August this year and Beijing’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3199069/after-house-gains-republicans-differences-being-tough-china-emerge-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3199069/after-house-gains-republicans-differences-being-tough-china-emerge-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Nov 2022 23:10:41 +0000 Former US president Donald Trump – who picked many of his party’s candidates and demanded fealty from them throughout the 2022 midterm campaign – was likely an albatross for the Republicans on Tuesday night, limiting their gains in a midterm election the party expected to dominate. But if recent history is any guide, Trump’s not going anywhere. The once and likely future presidential candidate is unpopular, but he continues to exercise outsize sway over the Republican base, and could hamstring... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199068/disappointing-us-midterms-show-how-donald-trump-could-hurt-republicans-years-come?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199068/disappointing-us-midterms-show-how-donald-trump-could-hurt-republicans-years-come?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Nov 2022 22:55:07 +0000 Republicans appeared poised to take control of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday as midterm election results were tabulated, but the Senate result was unclear as Democrats held off an anticipated “red wave” that could have empowered Republicans to push through legislation aimed at China. Counting of the votes cast on Tuesday continued across the US. Control of the House requires 218 of the chamber’s 435 seats. Republicans were projected to win as many as 222, which would give them the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3199062/us-midterms-control-congress-remains-unsettled-several-house-and-senate-races-unresolved?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3199062/us-midterms-control-congress-remains-unsettled-several-house-and-senate-races-unresolved?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Nov 2022 16:37:51 +0000 Ron DeSantis won a second term as Florida governor, a victory that could bolster a potential challenge of former president Donald Trump for a White House run in 2024. The Republican governor beat Democratic challenger Charlie Crist by a tally of 59 per cent to 40 per cent in the third most populous state in the US, according to Associated Press. DeSantis, 44, hasn’t said he plans to run in 2024 and squarely avoided questions about the presidential race during his debate with Crist. Still, he has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199003/ron-desantis-re-election-florida-puts-2024-and-donald-trump-sight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3199003/ron-desantis-re-election-florida-puts-2024-and-donald-trump-sight?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Nov 2022 08:29:40 +0000 Republican US Senator Marco Rubio has won a third term, defeating congresswoman Val Demings and holding a key seat as the Republican Party tried to regain control of a closely divided Senate. Rubio, 51, faced perhaps his toughest battle since he was first elected in 2010 after serving as the Florida House speaker. Once a presidential hopeful in 2016, Rubio’s name is less often mentioned as a potential 2024 candidate. Rubio ran a campaign pulled from the Republican playbook, tying Demings to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198983/republican-marco-rubio-long-time-critic-china-wins-3rd-us-senate-term?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198983/republican-marco-rubio-long-time-critic-china-wins-3rd-us-senate-term?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Nov 2022 06:10:10 +0000 Control of Congress was up for grabs after Tuesday’s US midterm elections with many of the most competitive races uncalled, leaving it unclear whether Republicans would seize control from President Joe Biden’s Democrats. In a bright spot for Democrats, NBC News and Fox News projected John Fetterman won a critical US Senate seat in Pennsylvania, beating Republican celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and bolstering his party’s chances of holding the chamber. The mood at the White House improved as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198947/us-midterms-americans-set-deliver-verdict-joe-biden-and-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198947/us-midterms-americans-set-deliver-verdict-joe-biden-and-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Nov 2022 00:09:34 +0000 Tuesday’s US midterm elections could decide the political future of both President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump – who has all but announced he will seek the White House again in 2024. The midterms will determine control of Congress and with it, the fate of Biden’s agenda. Democrats are unlikely to retain control of both the House and Senate, analysts and experts project. With Republicans well-positioned to take control of at least the House, Biden is likely to face roadblocks as he... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198888/us-midterms-could-decide-political-future-both-joe-biden-and-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198888/us-midterms-could-decide-political-future-both-joe-biden-and-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 21:00:11 +0000 Tuesday’s US midterm elections will determine which party will control Congress, who will serve in governors’ mansions and who will define policies in dozens of states. Control of the Senate may be decided in a handful of high-profile races in Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania, which drew last-minute campaign stops from President Joe Biden and former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The fate of the House follows a similar storyline. Republican challengers in Virginia, Texas and Michigan... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198882/us-midterm-elections-senate-house-and-governor-races-watch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198882/us-midterm-elections-senate-house-and-governor-races-watch?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 19:00:07 +0000 Here is some advice for anyone following Tuesday’s US midterm elections: be ready for a long night and maybe days of waiting before it’s clear whether Republicans or President Joe Biden’s Democrats will control Congress. All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives are up for grabs, as are 35 US Senate seats and 36 governorships. Republicans would need to pick up five seats to take a majority in the House and just one to control the Senate. Non-partisan election forecasters and opinion polls... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198880/us-midterm-elections-how-long-will-it-take-know-who-won?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198880/us-midterm-elections-how-long-will-it-take-know-who-won?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 17:00:21 +0000 Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday urged the United States to remain united, as questions hover over American support for his country following midterm elections to determine control of the US Congress. “I call on you to maintain unwavering unity, as it is now, until that very day when we all hear those important words we have been dreaming of … until we hear that peace has finally been restored. Democracies must not stop on their way to the victory,” he said in a recorded address,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198922/ukraines-zelensky-urges-unwavering-unity-us-until-peace-restored?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198922/ukraines-zelensky-urges-unwavering-unity-us-until-peace-restored?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 13:27:30 +0000 Former US president Donald Trump said on Monday he will be making a “big announcement” next week in Florida as he teased a third presidential run while campaigning in Ohio ahead of the final day of voting in this year’s midterm elections. “I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, November 15 at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said before a cheering crowd in Vandalia, Ohio Monday night, where he was holding his final rally of the midterm season to bolster Senate candidate JD Vance. “We want... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198818/donald-trump-says-hell-make-very-big-announcement-november-15?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198818/donald-trump-says-hell-make-very-big-announcement-november-15?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 03:39:50 +0000 US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her decision on whether to remain in Congress if Democrats lose control in the midterm elections has been impacted by the assault on her husband at the family’s home in San Francisco. The Democratic leader did not disclose her plans for her future, at a time when many expect Pelosi and other Democrats would step down from leadership if the party suffers losses. But during an interview with CNN, Pelosi said with certainty that the attack on her 82-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198813/nancy-pelosi-says-attack-husband-weighs-her-future-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198813/nancy-pelosi-says-attack-husband-weighs-her-future-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 03:13:37 +0000 In a hotly contested California race for the US House of Representatives, incumbent Michelle Steel has slammed her Asian-American candidate challenger, Jay Chen, as a lover of Beijing, Communist Party sympathiser and “China’s choice”. While this may seem like business as usual in a country where anti-Asian violence and hate speech have spiked recently, there is a notable difference. Steel is Asian-American. And so is the Vietnamese community being fought over. While the irony is rich, for some... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3198801/california-congressional-race-pits-asian-vs-asian-strong-anti-china-bias?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3198801/california-congressional-race-pits-asian-vs-asian-strong-anti-china-bias?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:00:38 +0000 Americans on Tuesday cast the final ballots in US midterm elections, with Democrats fearing they could lose control of at least one of the two chambers in Congress amid high inflation and the dwindling popularity of President Joe Biden. While the midterms usually serve as a referendum on the incumbent leader, Biden has sought to make the elections about his predecessor Donald Trump and “extremist” Republicans aligned with him, warning that they threaten democracy and basic rights, including... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198799/joe-biden-and-donald-trump-clash-eve-us-midterm-elections-set-upend-washington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198799/joe-biden-and-donald-trump-clash-eve-us-midterm-elections-set-upend-washington?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 22:32:07 +0000 No US State Department or National Security Council press briefing is complete these days without an attempt to get confirmation that Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will meet in person as presidents for the first time at the G20 summit in Indonesia this month. On Friday, less than two weeks before the leaders’ summit on the resort island of Bali, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby responded to one of the more creative ways to ask whether the two would meet: had council officials “seen a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198686/will-xi-meet-biden-china-should-decide-after-results-us-midterms-are-known?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198686/will-xi-meet-biden-china-should-decide-after-results-us-midterms-are-known?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 21:40:41 +0000 Twitter Inc owner Elon Musk told his audience of more than a 100 million followers on the social media platform to vote for Republicans – on the eve of midterm elections where Democrats are poised for losses. “To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic,” Musk wrote. Musk, who also serves as chief executive officer of Tesla Inc, pointed out that independent... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198796/elon-musk-tells-twitter-followers-vote-republicans-us-midterms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198796/elon-musk-tells-twitter-followers-vote-republicans-us-midterms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 17:51:26 +0000 Kremlin-connected entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted that he had interfered in US elections and would continue to do so – confirming for the first time the accusations that he has rejected for years. “We have interfered, are interfering and will continue to interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way,” Prigozhin said in remarks posted on social media on Monday. The statement, from the press service of his catering company that earned him the nickname “Putin’s chef”, came... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3198795/putins-chef-yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-interfering-us-elections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3198795/putins-chef-yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-interfering-us-elections?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 17:07:18 +0000 Relations between Beijing and Washington will face more uncertainty and could worsen after the US midterm elections if the Republicans win control of one or both chambers of Congress, Chinese analysts say. The two powers have been at loggerheads over a range of issues in recent months, from Taiwan to human rights and export controls on microchips. Tuesday’s midterms are likely to result in a Republican-led House of Representatives and possibly a Republican Senate, according to Diao Daming, an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3198772/more-uncertainty-looms-us-china-relations-after-midterms-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3198772/more-uncertainty-looms-us-china-relations-after-midterms-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 15:59:07 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. US President Joe Biden’s September speech on the threat of the “make America great again” movement and former president Donald Trump, while intending to shore up his Democratic base and salvage his second-term prospects, was... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3198679/will-bidens-midterm-election-strategy-offer-trump-opening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3198679/will-bidens-midterm-election-strategy-offer-trump-opening?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 06:32:46 +0000 US President Joe Biden pulled out the stops to mobilise US voters in defence of democracy, hoping to counter a Republican “red wave” in this week’s midterms that could help set Donald Trump on a course back to the White House. “If you all show up and vote, democracy sustained, not a joke,” the 79-year-old told a rally in upstate New York on Sunday, ahead of Tuesday’s vote. “This is your generation’s moment to defend it. To preserve it. To choose it,” Biden told the audience at St Lawrence... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198690/us-midterms-2022-joe-biden-says-democracy-stake-republicans-eye-red-wave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198690/us-midterms-2022-joe-biden-says-democracy-stake-republicans-eye-red-wave?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 05:06:48 +0000 Arkansas US Senator Tom Cotton has decided against waging a 2024 presidential run, the first Republican aspirant to forgo a bid as former president Donald Trump readies a third White House campaign. Cotton has informed donors and supporters of the decision in recent days, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named discussing internal deliberations. Trump is tentatively planning to announce his widely anticipated 2024 campaign for the White House during the week... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198668/tom-cotton-first-republican-forgo-white-house-run-donald-trump-readies-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198668/tom-cotton-first-republican-forgo-white-house-run-donald-trump-readies-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 02:50:06 +0000 Winston Churchill’s thoughts on democracy – “the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried” – have over the decades been quoted so often they have become clichéd. But as we sit on the eve of the midterm elections in the United States, we must pause for careful thought. The current reality seems to be that democracy, as it is evolving in some countries, might have become such a hopelessly dysfunctional form of government that it is conceivable that some other... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198610/us-standard-bearer-democracies-must-first-fix-their-faults-deserve-their-good-name?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198610/us-standard-bearer-democracies-must-first-fix-their-faults-deserve-their-good-name?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Nov 2022 19:30:10 +0000 Asian-American communities have emerged as a critical constituency for both Republicans and Democrats, particularly in key battlegrounds like Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District – one of the most expensive congressional races in the country. Asian-Americans are the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the United States and make up more than 10 per cent of the population in five states, including Nevada, which has large Filipino and Chinese-American populations. The state’s Asian-American... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198654/asian-americans-are-highly-sought-after-voters-us-midterm-race-win-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3198654/asian-americans-are-highly-sought-after-voters-us-midterm-race-win-house?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Nov 2022 17:20:00 +0000