International

Biden, Trump clash on eve of midterms set to upend Washington

Photo: Jeff Kowalsky / AFP

| By AFP | Sebastian Smith |

Republicans and Democrats traded final blows Monday ahead of midterm elections that could upend Joe Biden’s presidency, weaken Western support for Ukraine and even open the door to a comeback bid by Donald Trump.

More than 40 million ballots have been cast through early voting options, meaning the outcome was already taking shape with hours to go before polls open nationwide Tuesday.

In a typically attention-grabbing move, Elon Musk used his newly purchased Twitter social media site to endorse a Republican takeover of Congress.

“Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties,” the world’s richest person tweeted to his 114 million followers. “Therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.”

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Adding to tensions — and a reminder of Moscow’s murky role throughout Trump-era US politics — Kremlin-connected oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin boasted that Russia was trying to tilt the outcome.

“We interfered, we are interfering and we will interfere… carefully, precisely, surgically and the way we do it, the way we can,” said Prigozhin, a pivotal figure in the Ukraine invasion where his Wagner military contractor group is on the front lines.

Biden, who has framed his closing argument as a warning that American democracy is on the line, was set to close out days of frantic campaigning for Democratic candidates at a rally Monday evening near Baltimore.

Trump — using the midterms to repeatedly tease a possible 2024 White House run, even as he faces criminal probes over taking secret documents and trying to overturn the 2020 election — was holding a rally in Ohio.

With polls showing Republicans in line to seize the House of Representatives, the increasingly far-right party eyed snarling the rest of Biden’s first term in aggressive investigations and opposition to spending plans.

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Kevin McCarthy, who would likely become speaker of the House — placing him second in line to the president — also refused to rule out impeachment proceedings.

“We will never use impeachment for political purposes,” McCarthy told CNN. “That doesn’t mean if something rises to the occasion, it would not be used at any other time.”

One key question remained whether the US Senate would also flip, leaving Biden as little more than a lame duck.

With Congress out of Democrats’ hands, Biden would see his legislative agenda collapse.

That would raise questions over everything from climate crisis policies, which the president will be laying out at the COP27 conference in Egypt this week, to Ukraine, where Republicans are reluctant to maintain the current rate of US financial and military support.

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While insisting he supports Ukraine’s struggle, McCarthy told CNN there could be no “blank check” — a nod to the isolationist, far-right Trump wing of his party and a signal likely sending shivers through Kyiv.

Just how bad Tuesday goes will also likely determine whether Biden, who turns 80 this month and is the oldest president ever, will seek a second term or step aside, plunging his party into fresh uncertainty.

‘Wake-up call’

Up for grabs are all 435 House seats, a third of the 100 Senate seats, and a slew of state-level posts.

Popular former president Barack Obama and other Democratic stars have been racing from campaign to campaign in hopes of seeing off the predicted Republican “red wave.”

But the political landscape has been tilting away from Democrats since the summer, as Republican messaging about high inflation, crime and illegal immigration overwhelmed the incumbents.

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“This is going to be a wake-up call to President Biden,” was the bullish weekend prediction of Glenn Youngkin, Virginia’s Republican governor and a rising star being touted as a possible party alternative to Trump in 2024.

The Senate is more of a toss-up but Democratic hopes of keeping the upper chamber, which they currently only barely control thanks to the tiebreaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris, hang in the balance.

Dave Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report told MSNBC there could be a Republican gain of 15-25 House seats, while “Republicans might gain the one seat they need to win control of the Senate.”

Races in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Ohio have narrowed to projected photo finishes, and any one of them could swing the balance of power.

Democrats have focused their closing arguments on voting rights, protecting abortion access and welfare — and on the threat posed by growing support among Trump Republicans for political conspiracy theories.

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Republicans counter that a vote for Democrats means more soaring inflation and crime.

Related Topics:Biden Élections Midterms Trump

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International

Rubio signals possible engagement with Iranian factions amid internal divisions

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Washington is hopeful of engaging with factions within the government of Iran, noting that the United States has received positive private signals.

Speaking to ABC News’ Good Morning America, Rubio suggested that internal divisions exist within the Islamic Republic and expressed confidence that figures with the authority to act could emerge.

“We are hopeful that this will be the case,” Rubio said. “Clearly, there are people there who are communicating with us in ways that those previously in power in Iran did not. This is reflected in some of the steps they appear willing to take.”

Despite this, Rubio maintained a firm stance toward Iran, reiterating that the ongoing conflict seeks to eliminate its capacity to develop nuclear weapons—an objective that President Donald Trump has previously claimed was achieved during a military strike last year.

International

King Charles III to visit the U.S. on first state trip since taking the throne

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will undertake a state visit to the United States on the recommendation of the British government, Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday, adding that further details will be released at a later date.

The visit aims to highlight the historic ties and current relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, as both countries prepare to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026.

The trip is expected to take place at the end of April and follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom last year, which sought to strengthen bilateral relations.

This will be Charles III’s first state visit to the United States since ascending to the throne in 2022, although he previously traveled there 19 times as Prince of Wales.

By comparison, Queen Elizabeth II made four state visits to the United States—in 1957, 1976, 1991, and 2007—while U.S. presidents have carried out four state visits to the United Kingdom since 1952, in 2003, 2011, 2019, and 2025.

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Following the U.S. trip, the monarch is also expected to travel to Bermuda, marking his first official visit to the territory since becoming head of state.

The visit comes amid tensions between the two countries due to differences between President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the war in Iran. Starmer has reiterated that the United Kingdom will not take part in the conflict, although it will defend its interests and support allies in the Persian Gulf.

Trump has criticized that stance, urging countries not involved in the military campaign to act decisively, stating that “the hardest part is already done.”

The trip also follows a request by U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna, who called on the king to meet privately with victims linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his stay.

The case has also involved the king’s brother, Prince Andrew, who has faced scrutiny over his past associations with Epstein. The former royal, stripped of his titles and honors, has denied any wrongdoing despite ongoing allegations and investigations.

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International

Leopoldo López thanks Spain for fast-track citizenship but says “I am still Venezuelan”

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López expressed gratitude on Tuesday to the Government of Spain after being granted Spanish citizenship through an expedited process, following the revocation of his Venezuelan nationality by the administration of Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking in Madrid, López acknowledged the gesture but admitted having mixed emotions. “I am grateful to the Spanish government for granting me citizenship, but I have mixed feelings, as do millions of Venezuelans who have had to leave their country. It is not easy,” he said.

The opposition figure highlighted Spain’s role as a refuge for Venezuelans, while emphasizing that his identity remains unchanged. “Spain has been, for me, my family, and hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, a homeland away from home. That does not mean we stop being Venezuelan. I am Venezuelan, I carry Venezuela in my heart, and everything I have done has been for Venezuela,” he added.

López requested Spanish nationality after the Venezuelan government stripped him of his citizenship in October, accusing him of promoting a “military invasion,” a move that left him effectively stateless.

Initially, he applied through the standard process in late 2025 but, unable to meet the requirements, later sought nationality through a special mechanism known as “carta de naturaleza,” with the support of Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares.

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To support his application, López submitted documentation from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which determined that he had been a victim of political persecution, arbitrary detention, imprisonment, and other actions by the Venezuelan government.

“For me, this has been a long journey. The persecution by the dictatorship against me began many years ago. I was banned, persecuted, censored, imprisoned, and sentenced to 14 years in prison. I had to escape from Venezuela, from prison,” he said.

Spain’s decision to grant him citizenship through an exceptional procedure was justified by his “very special situation,” including the lack of documentation and legal status.