Wednesday morning news: November 6, 2024

Trump victory » Former President Donald Trump is now once again President Elect Donald Trump. He declared victory early this morning shortly after Fox News called the election for the 45th and soon to be 47th president.

TRUMP: We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible, and it is now clear that we've achieved the most incredible political thing. Look what happened. Is this crazy?

He had the teleprompters removed from the stage before he walked out, winging his victory speech.

Trump vowed to get to work quickly and to help the country heal.

He was joined on stage by Vice President Elect JD Vance:

VANCE:  I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America!

Vice President Kamala Harris did not immediately concede. In fact, a crowd gathered at her campaign headquarters last night did not see the vice president. Instead, hearing only a brief statement from campaign chairman, Cedric Richmond:

RICHMOND: We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight.

Trump won the critical swing states of Georgia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. And as of early this morning, he also appeared likely to win Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada. That would be a clean sweep of all the major battleground states.

He also appears likely to win the popular vote. That would make him the first Republican presidential candidate in 20 years to do that.

GOP claims Senate, House undecided » And when Trump moves back into the White House in January, he’ll have a friendly Senate to work with. Republicans won control of the upper chamber last night, including a hotly contested race in Ohio.

Brandon Moreno addressed supporters after unseating incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.

MORENO:  Today starts a new wave. You know, we talked about wanting a red wave. I think what we have tonight is a red, white, and blue wave.

And as of 3 a.m. Eastern Time this morning, Republican Senate candidates were ahead in the vote counts in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Montana.

After this election, Republicans could control as many as 56 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate.

That majority will include Sen. Ted Cruz, who won reelection in Texas, soundly defeating Democratic challenger Colin Allred in the most expensive Senate race in history.

CRUZ:  I want to thank every Texan across our great state who has stood with us in this fight, who worked, and who fought for Texas.

Republicans are defending a narrow majority in the House. Donald Trump expressed confidence that the GOP will keep control of the chamber.

But with plenty of votes left to count in so many different races, it could be several days — perhaps even more than a week — before the battle for the House is officially decided.

Gubernatorial races » Republicans also had a big night in gubernatorial races, winning seven races, including in New Hampshire where former Sen. Kelly Ayotte is now governor-elect.

AYOTTE: Tonight’s victory is a victory for New Hampshire, but it’s also a victory for an even brighter future for the greatest state in the nation.

She defeated Democrat challenger Joyce Craig.

Democrats successfully defended three governorships last night.

Florida rejects Abortion, pot ballot initiatives » And last night also delivered a massive victory for pro-life advocates in Florida.

Voters rejected a ballot initiative that would have enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution and another ballot measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis campaigned hard against both measures …

DESANTIS:  The people that are pursuing this, they're not spending 120 million dollars, you know, just for, for, for kicks. They're doing it because they're gonna make a lot of money off this.

That means a law protecting unborn children after six weeks gestation will remain in place.

An abortion ballot measure also failed in South Dakota.

But pro-abortion activists succeeded with abortion ballot measures in several other states, including Missouri.

Missouri is positioned to be the first state where a vote will undo a ban that's already in place. Currently, unborn children are protected at all stages of pregnancy with an exception only when a medical emergency puts a mother’s life at risk.

SOUND: [Israel protest]

Netanyahu fires defense minister » Protests have erupted in Israel …

SOUND: [Israel protest]

After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant in a surprise announcement. The prime minister said he’s lost faith in Gallant.

NETANYAHU: [Speaking in Hebrew]

Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival before taking the step as the world’s attention was focused on the U.S. presidential election.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz will step into the role.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: our reporters spent yesterday at a handful of battleground state polling stations. We’ll hear from voters. Plus, a WORLD Opinions roundtable—considering the lessons learned during the 2024 election.

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