What’s been likely for days is now official: Democrats will hold the US Senate. Media outlets on Saturday night projected that Nevada Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto had narrowly won her race, giving Democrats at least 50 Senate seats—enough to control the chamber.

The party has many people to thank. Their own candidates for staying on message, avoiding gaffes, raising hundreds of millions of dollars, and generally coming across as the kind of people who don’t laugh at octogenarians who get assaulted in home invasions. The other party for nominating candidates who had no business making it to general elections. The Supreme Court for overturning women’s right to have an abortion five months before Election Day. And finally the voters—particularly in Arizona and Nevada—who decided by the slimmest of margins that they preferred people who accepted the results of the last election. 

It all combined to create an exceptionally good week for Senate Democrats, who could now actually gain a seat if Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) prevails in his December runoff against Herschel Walker. If Warnock wins, Dems will hold a 51-49 majority instead of the 50-50 split that’s required Vice President Kamala Harris to cast tie-breaking votes. As a result, the party would no longer have to get both Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to sign off on everything.

The House, on the other hand, still appears more likely than not to flip to the Republicans. The odds that a divided Congress will pass major pieces of President Joe Biden’s agenda in the next two years are slim. But Democratic control of the Senate means that they will remain able to confirm judges to federal courts, fill positions in the executive branch, and determine what legislation makes it to the Senate floor. It will also prevent at least one-half of the Benghazi-style hearings Republicans are expected to launch on Capitol Hill.

On a fundamentals level, Democrats had no business doing as well as they did. Biden’s approval rating is stuck in the low 40s, inflation is running at the highest level in decades, and off-year elections are almost always bad for the party in power. Democrats responded by focusing on the threats to abortion and democracy posed by their opponents. Republicans were plagued by what (at least for now) Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called his “candidate quality” problem. Four of the five nominees in the closest Senate races—Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania—were exceptionally weak.

FiveThirtyEight’s final election forecast projected that Washington Republican congressional candidate Joe Kent would win by more than 12 points. Instead, in the biggest upset of the midterms, Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has carried the Republican-leaning district in southwestern Washington.

Gluesenkamp Perez is the kind of relatable candidate Democrats have often struggled to nominate in recent years. At 34, she is more than two decades younger than the average House member. After Reed College, she started running a Portland, Oregon, auto shop along with her husband. They live across the state line in rural Skamania County, Washington, in a home they built themselves. She’d run for office once before in 2016. Gluesenkamp Perez lost that race for county commission, but managed to run ahead of Hillary Clinton by 6 points.

In her first debate with Kent, Gluesenkamp Perez introduced herself as a practical small business owner who was struggling with the costs of health care, child care, and government regulations. Her opponent, she argued, was an extreme figure who lived in a social-media-warped reality while she ran her auto shop.

Gluesenkamp Perez introduced herself as a small business owner who was struggling with the costs of health care, child care, and government regulations. Her opponent, she argued, was an extreme figure who lived in a social-media-warped reality.

Kent had gotten into the race after Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, the Republican who currently represents the district, voted to impeach Donald Trump in the wake of January 6. In August, Kent and Gluesenkamp Perez advanced to the general election after prevailing over Herrera Beutler in an open primary. Kent’s main consultant was Matt Braynard, a prominent election denier, and his people were the ones who thought Trump won.

Still, Kent, 42, had the kind of personal story and charisma that should have assured victory in an off-year election. After enlisting in the Army as a teenager in the late 1990s, he became a Green Beret and served 11 combat deployments—mostly in Iraq. In 2019, his wife Sharon, a Navy cryptologist, was killed in Syria by a suicide bomber. He was comfortable in front of the camera and gave hours-long interviews in which he tried to make sense of his service and his wife’s death. “He’s got a very clean-cut, square-jawed sort of marketing,” Gluesenkamp Perez told the New York Times, “and if you’re not really paying attention, you’re going to get distracted by the hair.”

Arsenal have clinched the win at Wolves this evening to send us five points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League table going into the World Cup.

The game started slowly, with Granit Xhaka taking a blow in the opening minutes, but he eventually run it off and was able to continue initially. 10 minutes later he had to be replaced by Fabio Vieira however.

We looked to have taken the early lead, with Gabriel Jesus being played in behind the defence and smashing it into the side netting, but he was rightly spotted to have been offside when he was played in.

The game got quite scrappy after that, with neither side able to create much space in attack, and there was a number of physical challenges being allowed by the referee. We went into the break level, but the ref did eventually start dishing out the cards, with both Toti and Boubacar Traore going into the book.

We didn’t have to wait too long after the break to get our opener however, with Fabio Vieira’s run in behind the defence being the key factor, with the midfielder beating the goalkeeper to leave Odegaard with a tap-in close to the line.

Martin Odegaard has scored his second of the game to put Arsenal 2-0 up on course to victory at Wolves.

The Gunners struggled to find space in the opening half, with the home side proving difficult to break down, but it didn’t take too long after the break for us to find the opener.

With just 15 minutes left on the clock however, we have managed to add a second, with Wolves struggling to clear the ball from danger one too many times, with the Norwegian taking his chance well.

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC!

It's Odegaard again! pic.twitter.com/IuIIpQXhOT

Arsenal have finally taken the lead away at Wolves thanks to a fine team move, with Martin Odegaard credited with the final touch.

The Gunners have struggled to create many clearcut chances this evening, with Wolves proving to be extremely physical and difficult to break down.

After 55 minutes however we have taken our chance, with a perfectly timed pass into Fabio Vieira allowing us to get in behind their defence, before the Portuguese found both Bukayo Saka and Odegaard in the centre to fight over the touch which sent it into the net.

ODEGAARD!

A fifth PL goal this season for Arsenal's captain pic.twitter.com/JL7VkvP4fq

For nearly nine months, the people of Kherson, Ukraine, had been living under Russian occupation, with countless families forced to live without basic means including food, running water, and electricity. But after Russian troops suddenly announced a retreat from the city on Friday, scenes of joy have brought a reprieve from the brutality of the war.

Videos and images quickly began flooding social media, showing Ukrainians taking to the streets to celebrate a rare moment of peace in southern Ukraine, where the fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces has been especially intense. The liberation of Kherson comes as a critical blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who just last month had declared Kherson among four Ukrainian regions to have been annexed into Russia “forever.”

One especially poignant video clip shared online by Myroslava Petsa, a Ukrainian journalist working for BBC News, showed a grandmother weeping with joy at the sight of her grandson, a Ukrainian solder:

The moment a grandmother kneels before her grandson soldier who’d been fighting for Kherson liberation. pic.twitter.com/f6JkBiPmMD

— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) November 12, 2022

The teams are finally out for Arsenal’s final Premier League game before the players head off for the World Cup in Qatar, with us to take on Wolves today.

The Gunners arrive on the back of a defeat to Brighton in the EFL Cup in midweek, but with our first-team returning to the line-up things should go differently today.

Wolves may have that new manager bounce, with Julen Lopetegui having joined at the beginning of the week and starting life with a win against Leeds in the EFL Cup. This is a whole other level however, and it would be a huge result if they were to pick up any points this evening.

We Predicted the below Arsenal XI in our team news earlier on today, and as you can see, there were no shocks.

Ramsdale
White Saliba Gabriel Zinchenko
Partey Xhaka
Saka Odegaard Martinelli
Jesus

Tiffany Trump is so often forgotten among Donald Trump’s adult children. But for one brief Saturday, the former president’s 27-year-old daughter will be the focus of media and family attention as the Trumps gather in Mar-a-Lago for Tiffany’s wedding to her fiancé, a Lebanese billionaire heir named Michael Boulos. Or at least that’s what one might reasonably expect.

But after a gaggle of Trump-endorsed Republican candidates lost in the midterm elections, the GOP knives are out and dad is in the midst of a vintage meltdown. Who knows what chaos could erupt at Mar-a-Lago, as many in the GOP blame Trump for backing extremist, lying candidates and setting the stage for what proved to be a red dribble. 

Control of Congress has yet to be determined—but watch out wedding guests. Ketchup may fly during the traditional father of the bride speech. An early warning sign: Look how sullen Trump appeared to be while practicing the walk down the aisle on Friday night:

Donald Trump walks daughter Tiffany down the aisle at wedding rehearsals https://t.co/ugmERTRx7m pic.twitter.com/QHKDRY2xSt

— Page Six (@PageSix) November 11, 2022

Jack Wilshere has recalled his time on loan at Bournemouth when he was a teammate of Aaron Ramsdale.

Ramsdale made a name for himself on the book of the Cherries before earning two big money moves, firstly to Sheffield United and then Arsenal.

He is now one of the best goalies in England and he is battling Jordan Pickford to become the first choice for the Three Lions.

The 24-year-old has had a storied career despite being so young and he has been relegated twice from the Premier League.

Wilshere remembers him and Bournemouth and recalls how “humble” he was.

Paul Merson has predicted Arsenal’s game against Wolves this weekend, which is their last game before the World Cup.

Mikel Arteta’s men have won 11 of 13 league games so far and they remain at the top of the EPL table.

They will play Wolves this evening before the long World Cup break and will want to go into it with another win.

Wolves have been struggling this season and they have sacked Bruno Lage as their manager.

They remain without a manager as Julen Lopetegui only takes over after this game.

Mikel Arteta spent time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager at Manchester City after hanging up his playing boots.

The ex-midfielder was still working with the Premier League champions when Arsenal offered him the job as their manager.

He has since proven to be a good appointment and his team tops the EPL table now.

City has dominated the competition in the last few seasons and is just behind the Gunners on the league table.

Interestingly, master and student are both chasing the league title now and most fans attribute Arteta’s success to the time he spent with Pep.

Arsenal will take on Wolverhampton Wanderers this evening with the chance to build a gap on Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

The Citizens slipped up by letting Brentford claim all three points at the Etihad after seeing Ivan Toney score the winner deep into injury time, leaving us top of the table even before we play tonight.

We also go into this evening with plenty of our squad available, with Mo Elneny and Oleksandr Zinchenko both having returned to fitness, but Takehiro Tomiyasu is a doubt today. Emile Smith Rowe is our only remaining long-term absentee.

Predicted Arsenal XI:

Ramsdale
White Saliba Gabriel Zinchenko
Partey Xhaka
Saka Odegaard Martinelli
Jesus

Arsenal’s Beth Mead 50th cap as England Lionesses beat Japan 4-0 in Spain By Michelle

Oh, what a night!  England’s Lionesses made their 4-0 win over Japan look easy..

Before the 7pm kick-off, players of England and Japan paid their respects as they observed 2 minutes silence for Remembrance Day.

There was a false start when Ella Toone took the kick off and then remembered the players are supposed to take the knee.

Beth Mead won her 50th cap for England, and her Arsenal teammate Mana Iwabuchi started for Japan.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has been one of the most outspoken players against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has lasted for most of this year.

The Ukrainian has been passionate about his calls for the Russians to leave his country and now it has earned him an award.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February and since then both countries have been at war on Ukrainian territory,

While remaining in England and playing for Manchester City and Arsenal during that time, Zinchenko continued to protest against the invasion of his homeland.

And now he has won an award for his activism, according to a report in The Daily Mail.

Of all the far-right extremists on the ballot Tuesday, perhaps none had the bona fides of Ammon Bundy.

In 2014, he took part in an armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management at his father Cliven’s Nevada ranch after agents tried to impound Cliven’s cows for his failure to pay 20 years worth of grazing fees. In 2016, he led a 41-day armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon to protest the arrest of two ranchers. Bundy spent more than 600 days in jail, half in solitary confinement, awaiting trial on federal charges related to the standoffs. When he was acquitted by a jury in Oregon and freed after a mistrial in Nevada, it only contributed to his mythical outlaw status.

But then, a year and a half ago, in an unusual career twist, Bundy announced a run for governor of Idaho. He began as a Republican, then he switched to an independent when it became clear he’d lose the primary. On Tuesday, Bundy’s divinely inspired campaign came to an end. He finished in third-place.

Bundy’s campaign platform was extreme. It included criminalizing abortion, eliminating most “immoral” taxes, cutting welfare programs, seizing control of federal public lands in the state and turning much of it over to affordable housing development and extractive industries. His message was a motto: “Keep Idaho Idaho.” He proposed paying liberals to move back to California—an idea that resonated with a significant number of voters who have seen a huge influx of new residents push up housing prices. Bundy jumped on the hateful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric of the far right, calling trans people “groomers” and promising to put drag queens in prison if elected. In one of the weirder ads of the election season, he took on the “woke cult.”

But the outlaw candidate also ran a remarkably energetic, old-fashioned retail campaign of the sort rarely seen in the US these days. For more than a year, he has hosted an endless stream of town halls and in-person events across the state, gladhanding with the public, showing off his beautiful family, and relying on his personal magnetism rather than TV ads. On the trail, the former Virgin River Valley high school class president has seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

Illinois workers are on the verge of a historic win: a labor rights amendment to the state constitution that—among other things—would make the state the first to ban so-called “right-to-work laws” throughout its territory. The amendment, on the ballot in Tuesday’s election, has to meet a high bar: either 60 percent approval (not counting blanks) or more than half of all ballots, even ones that skipped that question. With more than 95 percent of votes counted, unions across the state have already started to celebrate: the yes vote holds a 58 percent lead and looks set to win.

Amendment 1, also called the Workers’ Rights Amendment, makes collective bargaining a constitutional right that can’t be legislated or contracted away. It goes further than any state ever has in barring right-to-work laws—and any other legislation that “interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively.” That mandate, and the bill’s wide support, are the high point so far of a pro-worker push under Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, kicked off by the 2019 Collective Bargaining Freedom Act (which forbid legislation that interfered with union security agreements, where employers agree to require union membership or dues). Amendment 1 protects gains like those from conservative rollback attempts down the line.

Right-to-work laws allow employees in a union workplace to not join, not pay dues, but enjoy all the benefits of the union contract. That compels the rest of the employees to work, for free, on behalf of people who specifically don’t want to help or pay—with the idea of starving their funding and killing incentives to join. In right-to-work states, wages are lower across the board, union or not, there’s less employer-provided healthcare, and workers are poorer in retirement. They’re also considerably less safe: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2016 that the rate of workplace fatalities in states with right-to-work laws is 54 percent higher than in those without.

For the cherry on top, their history is also incredibly racist, as noted in 2012 by Dissent :

Southern conservatives feared that if unions united working-class whites and blacks, they could upend the politics of the South, where Jim Crow laws helped keep white and black workers on opposite sides of the political fence. They argued that unions could bring “black domination in the South”…

The England squad has finally been unveiled!! Luke and Marcus are on hand to answer the big questions surrounding Gareth Southgate’s selection, including i) why has he picked Maguire and ii) who will Mr Sheen be supporting at the World Cup?

Elsewhere, we are joined by Iranian football expert Sina Saemian who explains why England shouldn’t underestimate Iran in their opening group game.

@Sinaa_sa & @GolBezan on Twitter to hear more from Sina! Tweet us @FootballRamble and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Mark Finchem, a Trump-backed “poster child” of election denialism, has lost his bid to become Arizona’s top election official.

Even by the current standards of the Republican Party, Finchem is extreme. After spending the first part of his career as a public safety officer in Michigan, he relocated to Arizona and adopted the look of a western lawman. In 2014, while running for the state house, Finchem said he was a member of the Oath Keepers, the right-wing militia whose founder is now on trial for seditious conspiracy. He won that election and has been a state representative ever since.

On January 6, 2020, he was photographed outside the US Capitol in one of his trademark cowboy hats (he didn’t enter the building). The next year, he started his run for secretary of state. As Mother Jones explained in August, he called for decertifying the results of the 2020 election, said he supported banning early voting, and co-sponsored legislation that would allow state legislators to overturn election results. He told supporters that if he’d been secretary of state in 2020, “we would have won. Plain and simple.”

Not surprisingly, Donald Trump endorsed him and other members of the America First Secretary of State Coalition started by Nevada candidate Jim Marchant.

In August, Finchem won his primary by nearly 20 percentage points, despite GOP Gov. Doug Ducey endorsing his main opponent. In the general election, Finchem faced Democrat Adrian Fontes, who’d previously served as the recorder of Maricopa County.

During his days as a Stanford libertarian, Blake Masters was nothing if not principled. The 36-year-old Peter Thiel protégé turned Arizona Republican Senate candidate considered voting morally indefensible, taxation theft, and nationalism a scourge. He called for open borders and full drug legalization. He was an anarcho-capitalist. 

But as I reported this summer, this was not the Blake Masters that Arizona voters saw in one of the closest and most consequential Senate races in 2022. Masters entered the race as a Republican with $10 million from Thiel as the avatar of a young and highly online New Right. He called abortion “demonic.” He tweeted that “not everything has to be gay” after a bisexual Superman was announced. He plugged the Unabomber’s manifesto. More half-heartedly, he claimed Trump won the 2020 election.

After securing Trump’s endorsement, he won a competitive primary with ease. Predictably, he moderated when needed later in the cycle. Abortion was no longer a “genocide,” but something in need of “common-sense regulation.” Instead of gun-slinging campaign videos whose aesthetic reminded one of his childhood best friends of a “creepy teenage boy in his basement,” he ran ads featuring his wife and boys working around the kitchen table. But he never abandoned the idea that Americans would warm to his cold-blooded style of Stanford-knows-best intellectual combat.

But Masters was wrong. Arizonans chose Mark Kelly, the incumbent Democrat and onetime astronaut married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords. Masters’ transformation from college-aged libertarian to champion of state control did not matter so much as what both of those versions of him had in common. He was always, as Kelly put it during their only debate, one of those “guys that think they know better than everyone about everything.” 

Kelly’s winning message: “c’mon man just look at this guy” pic.twitter.com/lce9BJiMXb

Gareth’s Gang has been selected! James Maddison is officially declared a nice man after his call up, while Callum Wilson prepares to clean Harry Kane’s boots.

Marcus, Luke, Vish and Jim pore over that and the final weekend of Premier League fixtures, as Southampton hope to avoid a new manager trounce while Eddie Howe and Graham Potter enter Ru Paul’s Drag Race. The prize: to be the next England boss.

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