Control of Congress Is at Stake on Election Day

Today is Election Day in the United States, and control of Congress is on the line. This campaign season has cost more money than any other in U.S. history. A record number of lawmakers chose not to run again, which could make it easier for Democrats to take over Congress. President Trump's approval rating is at its lowest point ever, and voters are paying close attention to key races in states like Ohio, Kansas, and South Carolina.

Voters across the country are worried about several big issues. The war with Iran, rising gas prices, and government corruption are all on their minds. NPR's Stephen Fowler says some voters feel like President Trump has spent too much time on large events and not enough time on the things that matter to them. Both political parties have spent huge amounts of money on House races. Republicans asked voters to give them two more years to fix the country's problems, while Democrats said Republicans have already had too long.

President Trump spoke about the election on Monday. NPR's Franco Ordoñez noticed that Trump used the past tense when talking about the campaign, which is unusual for him. Trump said his supporters could win in a 'landslide' if enough of them voted, but he also seemed aware that the road ahead was tough. Election results could take several days to come in. Republican voter turnout in key Senate states will be closely watched, and a close race in South Carolina or Florida could mean a bad night for Republicans.

Iran has been keeping a close eye on the U.S. midterm elections. Iranian leaders hope that if Trump's party loses control of Congress, the U.S. might return to the negotiating table. The Associated Press reported that U.S. forces carried out defensive strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, including Qeshm Island, a key location for Iranian military activity. Iran reported explosions on the island, though NPR could not independently confirm all the details. Similar strikes have happened several times in recent months, happening at the same time as increased Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait.

Inside Iran, life is very difficult right now. The country's inflation rate is around 90%, meaning prices have gone up sharply and people are struggling to afford basic needs. Iranian officials are urging millions of citizens to use less natural gas this winter because the country's energy networks have been damaged by the war. Officials have said Iran is willing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz two days earlier than previously offered, if the U.S. agrees to restart talks. NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi says Tehran is hoping it can wait out the U.S. election and see what happens next.

In Massachusetts, a judge is deciding whether to dismiss a high-profile murder case. Lindsay Clancy is charged with first-degree murder for the 2023 deaths of her three young children in their home in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Her trial ended in a mistrial in September when the jury could not agree on a verdict. Her attorney appeared in Plymouth Superior Court on Monday and asked Judge William Sullivan to dismiss the case or start a new trial. The judge is expected to announce his decision later this month, and the district attorney's office has not yet said whether it will seek a new trial or push for lesser charges.

A drone photography contest called the Siena Drone Photo Awards named American photographer George Steinmetz as its top winner for 2026. His winning photo shows workers dismantling a large ship on the mudflats of the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh, where enormous vessels are broken apart and their parts are reused. The contest highlights landscapes and human stories that are hard to see from the ground. This year's other winning photos also came from countries in the Global South. The awards are held every year to celebrate the art of aerial photography.

NPR is also reporting on a long-running shortage of special education teachers in America. There are now about 8.2 million students with disabilities in the U.S., roughly 1 in 6 students, but there are not enough trained teachers to support them all. Research shows that these teachers often spend more time on paperwork than on actually teaching, and they usually do not get extra pay even though their jobs are harder. NPR's Jonaki Mehta and Lauren Migaki have been talking with more than a dozen special education teachers from around the country to understand what their jobs are really like. Jeffrey Carroll, a teacher in Newport News, Virginia, said that last year he was teaching students across three different grade levels at once, which meant he was always rushing between classrooms.

Carroll said he felt like he was not really teaching because he never stayed in one class long enough to make a real difference. This year, he only teaches two grade levels and says it has been much better. He now has time to co-teach and says his lesson plans are finally coming to life. The NPR team plans to stay in touch with these teachers throughout the school year and visit some of them in their classrooms. Their goal is to better understand what it truly takes to do this important job.