2025 election outcomes; Longest authorities shutdown : NPR

Good morning. You are studying the Up First e-newsletter. Subscribe right here to get it delivered to your inbox, and pay attention to the Up First podcast for all of the information it’s worthwhile to begin your day.

As we speak’s prime tales

NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent Domenico Montanaro joins the e-newsletter at this time to interrupt down the 2025 off-year elections.

Up and down the poll, Democrats did nicely, from the marquee gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey to a key redistricting poll initiative in California and even state Supreme Court docket races in Pennsylvania. Listed here are 5 takeaways from the 2025 off-year elections:

It is nonetheless the price of dwelling, silly. Costs, costs, costs. Affordability was a by line in many of the races Tuesday. President Trump’s lack of give attention to it seemingly damage his celebration, as voters overwhelmingly sided with Democrats on the economic system. Republicans nonetheless have a Trump drawback — in two alternative ways. Republican candidates are in a quandary — Trump is unpopular and a drag with independents, however with out him on the poll, they proceed to have issues turning out base voters. The Trump stoop with Latinos seems to be actual. Trump made inroads with Latinos in 2024, however that has slid backward. Latinos selected Democrats within the governors’ races by 2-to-1 margins. The redistricting arms race is on, and Democrats received a lift Tuesday on that entrance. Sure on Prop 50 gained large, giving Democrats an opportunity to counterbalance GOP efforts to squeeze out extra Republican Home seats. It was an enormous win for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, too. The Democratic Celebration should wrestle with its id over the following 12 months. From Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York to Abigail Spanberger for Virginia governor, there’s going to be an actual debate on how greatest for Democrats to current themselves to win in subsequent 12 months’s midterm elections.

Keep knowledgeable with extra information and evaluation by subscribing to the NPR Politics e-newsletter and listening to the NPR Politics podcast.

As we speak marks day 36 of the continued authorities shutdown, making it the longest in U.S. historical past. It takes the title from the newest shutdown, which stretched from December 2018 to January 2019 throughout President Trump’s first time period in workplace. With no sign of ending, People are feeling the worsening impacts every single day, from disruptions at airports throughout the U.S. to federal employees going and not using a paycheck. This is how this shutdown compares to earlier ones.

The Supreme Court docket hears arguments at this time on whether or not Trump can unilaterally set tariff charges beneath the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act. Decrease courts say he has exceeded his authority, whereas Trump argues that the measure permits him to impose tariffs to handle commerce imbalances and fentanyl imports. Tariffs are producing billions of {dollars} for the federal authorities, however they’re additionally elevating the prices of products for shoppers and irritating companies. Hearken to the oral arguments within the case right here.

Israeli authorities have arrested and detained the army’s prime lawyer after she admitted leaking footage of Israeli troopers sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee at a facility the place Israel has held Palestinian prisoners all through the battle in Gaza. The army advocate basic, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, said in her resignation letter that she licensed the video’s launch to defuse assaults on investigators dealing with the case. Tomer-Yerushalmi has now been arrested for leaking the footage. Hearken to NPR’s Daniel Estrin focus on the importance of the case with Morning Version or learn the transcript right here.

As we speak’s pay attention