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Could the the US Midterms be a reckoning for Trump? | Midday News Bulletin 4 November 2026

SBS News Australia •
November 04, 2026 • 01:00 AM
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US Midterm elections widely seen as a referendum on Donald Trump's second term; Canva announces mass redundancies; and in tennis, Novak Djokovic has become the oldest match winner in Paris Masters history.

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In the United States, voters have cast ballots in midterm elections widely seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump's second term.

Democrats are hoping to regain control of the House of Representatives, while control of the Senate remains uncertain.

More than 57 million Americans have already voted before election day, with reports of voter turnout on pace to beat the numbers in last midterm in 2022.

Georgia's Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, says based on the numbers he is seeing, the state is on track to have a total turnout of 1.4 million votes on election day alone.

He says the day has been relatively smooth, but there have been screen errors.

"With Fulton (county) approximately 1,000 ballots from advance voting will be re-scanned, as the equipment was taken out of service as a precaution due to screen errors. This will not delay the results at the end of the day. It is one of those things that can happen - and we have procedures in place."

Problems with voting equipment were also reported in other parts of the country - including counties in Georgia, Iowa, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin - potentially causing local delays in voting and ballot-counting.

Ballot scanners failed to accept ballots at polling sites across New York’s Westchester County, prompting right-wing influencers to voice unfounded allegations of fraud, with local election officials insisting all ballots would be counted.

Democrats are aiming to flip about a dozen battleground districts to take control of both chambers of Congress from the Republicans.

The US Senate race in Texas between Republican Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, and Democrat James Talarico is being closely watched due to the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on advertising by both campaigns.

The Democrats are looking to win Texas for the first time in over 30 years.

Female voter: "I feel like it's [Texas] been red a long time, so it's time to give us another colour, and that's blue."

More than 1,200 jobs will be impacted by a major restructure at software design firm Canva, with some roles to be cut and others relocated.

Founder and chief executive of the Sydney-based company Melanie Perkins broke the news in a company-wide note on Wednesday.

As many as 1,271 staff - or 22 per cent of the firm's headcount - will be impacted by layoffs, role changes or relocations as it confronts a year of slowed growth.

It comes amid concerns design firms may lose business to an increasingly competitive AI industry.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he's had a successful meeting with UK PM Andy Burnham, where they discussed the progress of AUKUS.

Speaking from Antigua and Barbuda where he's attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Mr Albanese says AUKUS is essential for Australian jobs as well as the country's national security.

"Prime Minister Burnham is very supportive of it, and we were able to talk about the progress that has been made at Barrow in the UK, and the progress that has been made - particularly in Adelaide, Osborne, but also at Henderson Osbourne South Australia of course it is critical because the SSN-AUKUS (class submarines) will be built - in Barrow and in Adelaide."

Mr Albanese also met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney , where he says they discussed defence, critical minerals and trade.

Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine – SSN-AUKUS – will be a trilaterally-developed submarine based on the UK’s next-generation design that incorporates technology from all three nations, including cutting edge US submarine technologies.

Labor's budget tax changes have sparked the biggest fall in investor home loans on record falling 27 per cent below their November 2025 peak.

The Reserve Bank hiked interest rates to an 18-year high on Tuesday [[Nov 3]], adding to borrowing costs and weighing on housing demand.

While the government has shared credit for the housing downturn with the central bank, lending figures showed the curbs to investor tax breaks were having the desired effect of giving owner-occupiers the upper hand.

But Canstar's Sally Tindall says while that's good news for those entering the housing market, existing mortgage holders may struggle to keep up with rising rates.

"In fact, some borrowers may find that their rate after this hike starts with a seven. If that's you and you're an owner-occupier, good track record of paying down your debt, you need to do something about it. Pick up the phone and haggle with your bank. Consider switching to a lender. It might be a smaller bank willing to offer you a better deal because there will still be competitive rates in the market."

Novak Djokovic has become the oldest match winner in Paris Masters history, beating Monaco's Valentin Vacherot 6 -7, [[5]] 7-5, 6-1 in the opening round, keeping his hopes for the finals alive.

Djokovic received a medical timeout for a shoulder issue at 2-1 down in the second set, while Vacherot later required treatment on an ankle problem.

The momentum swung shortly afterwards, with Vacherot's movement appearing restricted and Djokovic capitalising to force a decider.

The former world number one told Bein Sports that at at 39-years old he is still young enough to win matches in major tournaments.

"For an old guy not so bad. People think I am too old, too slow, but some how I manage to win these kind of matches especially the ones that go the distance. I am still there, I am still hanging on. I am giving it whatever I can."

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