Live: Mississippi and Alaska races on knife-edge as Republicans reel from midterm losses

Fri 6 Nov 2026 at 5:16amFri 6 Nov 2026 at 5:16amTrump loyalist Harmeet Dhillon resignsSenior US Justice Department official Harmeet Dhillon has resigned.Dhillon, who was in charge of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, is one of the first high-ranking departures from Donald Trump’s administration to quit following the staggering midterms loss.Harmeet Dhillon was the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. (Reuters: Kent Nishimura)Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed her resignation."Today, I accepted the resignation of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Civil Rights Division with conviction the past 18 months," he wrote on X."She has defended the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favor."The Department is grateful for her dedicated public service, and we wish her every success in her future endeavors."Dhillon was a Trump ally and oversaw a sweeping overhaul of the civil rights unit.Fri 6 Nov 2026 at 5:10amFri 6 Nov 2026 at 5:10amCruz calls midterms defeat a 'Watergate-level repudiation'Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who some readers might remember ran and lost against Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary in 2016, has blamed a lack of focus on the high cost of living for the drubbing his party received on Tuesday.In the latest episode of his Verdict podcast, Cruz said Republicans received a "Watergate-level repudiation"."We've lost the House. We've lost the Senate," he said."We lost in historically red states like South Carolina and North Carolina and Kansas and Iowa."Nowhere are the consequences of this election greater than Texas. In the Lone Star state, we lost every single statewide election."Ted Cruz is the incumbent Republican senator for Texas. (Reuters: Jonathan Ernst)Cruz said the result was an "ass-kicking", with voters choosing Democrats.He said exit polling in Kansas showed the most important issue for voters was the cost of living, followed by corruption and the cost of the Iran war."When all the votes were counted, the problem wasn't turn out.""Instead, our voters – Republicans, libertarians, independents – showed up and voted and rejected our candidates, voting Democrats instead."Fri 6 Nov 2026 at 4:44amFri 6 Nov 2026 at 4:44amDemocrat Katherine Clark runs for Majority House leadershipMassachusetts Democrat Katherine Clark confirms she will run to be the majority leader in the House of Representatives in the next Congress.In a letter obtained by American broadcaster CBS, Clark asked fellow Democrats for their support."Today with pride in what we've achieved and confidence in what we will deliver, I ask for your support," she wrote.Katherine Clark at a Washington press conference on Wednesday. (AP: J. Scott Applewhite)Clark is currently the Democratic House Whip.If successful, she would be the first woman to become a majority leader in Congress."In the words of the great Dolly Parton, it's been a long hard fight, but I see a brand new day a-dawning," she said on Wednesday.Fri 6 Nov 2026 at 4:44amFri 6 Nov 2026 at 4:44amDonald Trump hits out over close-run Alaska contestThe US president is keeping an unusually low profile today.We're yet to see him front the media in person, but he has made one post on social media.In his Truth Social post, he weighed in on the Alaska Senate count, which as of this moment is yet to be decided.The race is particularly interesting because it features two Dan Sullivans: Republican incumbent Dan S Sullivan and Independent Dan J Sullivan, whom Republicans accuse of being encouraged to run by Democrats to confuse voters.The situation appears to have frustrated Donald Trump, who wants their vote totals combined and given to Republicans."The vote totals for the Fake Dan Sullivan, plus the other “slug” that the Dems put on the Ballot, should be immediately given to the REAL Dan Sullivan, and the Election is over - He easily wins. There is no other fair solution! President DJT"Democrat candidate Mary Peltola is currently leading by a narrow 637-vote margin over Republican Dan Sullivan, and the independent currently has 3,600 votes.Fri 6 Nov 2026 at 4:41amFri 6 Nov 2026 at 4:41amGood morning and welcome to our live blogWe're on deck to bring you the latest developments through this Friday after this week's decisive midterm results.There's still a decent number of US House races and two key US Senate races still up in the air, and we'll be bringing you the latest from those counts as they progress.We'll bring you the latest reaction from across the US and around the world, as Republicans face a stunning midterm defeat which will see Democrats take control of both chambers of Congress.Thanks for joining us!