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The expected surge of support towards Donald Trump’s Republican Party has yet to materialise with many votes still uncounted.

His party had anticipated taking majority control of Congress, making it difficult for President Joe Biden to govern, but the election lies in the balance.

The Republicans should make the required five gains to seize majority control of the House of Representatives, but Democrat fears of a wipe out have been averted.

Trump claims ‘unfairness’ in key state – US midterms latest

Pre-election polling, pointing to 30 to 35 seats changing hands, led some commentators to contemplate the possibility of a “wave” election with the Democrats losing upwards of 40 seats. The average over the past century is a loss of 28 seats for the president’s party at the midterm and the Democrats may well avoid even that outcome.

The Republican vote is up compared with the presidential election two years ago, but the swing since then is a modest two or three percent, which will limit the party’s ability to flip seats in Democrat-dominated states like New York and California.

NBC’s initial seat projection puts the Republicans on 219 House seats, with a margin of plus or minus 13 seats. This points toward a typical midterm election. Concerns that Mr Biden’s woeful personal approval rating, the worst of any modern president, would drag down his party appear unfounded.

The battle for the Senate, currently split 50-50, is likely to continue for some time to come. The Republicans needed a solitary gain to take control, entirely feasible if there was a large swing of voters to their cause. New Hampshire was thought to be a Senate seat that might tip the balance, but Democrat incumbent, Maggie Hassan, is projected to remain in post.

In Georgia, where the race for the Senate in 2020 was the last to be decided, there is another tight finish in prospect. Incumbent Democrat, Raphael Warnock and Republican competitor, Herschel Walker, are neck and neck, but crucially, neither will win 50% of the vote, meaning a runoff election is a real prospect.

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That brings three other Senate seats critical to whether the Republicans succeed or fail in their bid to control both houses of Congress.

In Arizona, Republicans were hopeful of deposing Democrat incumbent, Mark Kelly, but the vote count currently shows him with a sizeable lead. The remaining two Senate seats, Nevada and Pennsylvania, might flip in opposite directions, meaning no effect on Senate control.

With nine in 10 votes counted in Republican-held Pennsylvania the Democrat challenger, John Fetterman holds a very narrow lead but is projected to gain the seat. That raises the bar for the Republicans, meaning rather than a single gain, two gains are now required.

This makes Nevada especially important for Republican aspirations. Catherine Cortez-Masto became the state’s first woman elected as Senator in 2016. She defends a small majority of under thirty thousand votes and is vulnerable to a small swing toward her Republican opponent, Adam Laxalt. Should he succeed, then the race in Georgia takes on huge significance.

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Whatever the outcome in the Senate, the overall impression is a Republican victory that falls far short of a triumph. Donald Trump may still declare his intention to run for the presidency in 2024, but the Democrats will regard this performance as almost a victory given their White House incumbent’s struggle in connecting with voters.

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Former US president Joe Biden diagnosed with ‘aggressive’ form of prostate cancer

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Former US president Joe Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer

Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said. 

The statement said Mr Biden, who left the White House in January, is reviewing options for treatment with his physicians.

It read: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.

“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.

“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the State Department in Washington, U.S. January 13, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
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File pic: Reuters

According to Cancer Research UK, a Gleason score of 9 means the cancerous cells “look very abnormal” and the disease is “likely to grow quickly”.

More on Cancer

A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking has told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.

They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.

Mr Biden, 82, was the oldest person to ever serve as president, with concerns about his health raised regularly during his campaign for re-election last year.

After a poor debate against Donald Trump in June, he withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.

In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.

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Mexican navy training vessel hits New York’s Brooklyn Bridge – as reports say three injured

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Mexican navy training vessel hits New York's Brooklyn Bridge - as reports say three injured

A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.

The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.

Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.

The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.

Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.

The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.

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The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.

A New York Police Department harbour unit prepares to board the Cuauhtemoc. Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.

It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.

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One person dead after explosion outside fertility clinic in California

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One person dead after explosion outside fertility clinic in California

One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.

The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.

The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.

Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.

The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.

“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”

Debris covers the ground after an explosion on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in Palm Springs, Calif.  (ABC7 Los Angeles via AP)
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Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP

In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”

It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.

“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.

The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.

“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.

Debris covers the ground after an explosion on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in Palm Springs, Calif.  (ABC7 Los Angeles via AP)
Image:
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP

The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).

A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.

The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.

Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.

Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”

Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.

California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.

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