- 6 minutes ago
Europe Today: Democrats win Senate in rebuke of Trump as Poland’s constitutional crisis drags on
A blue wave has swept the US in the midterm elections, with Democrats winning the Senate and heading for a big House majority as votes are still being counted on the West Coast. We bring live analysis from Philadelphia and Brussels, plus Poland’s crisis, Ukraine talks and the EU enlargement race.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/11/04/europe-today-democrats-win-senate-in-rebuke-of-trump-as-polands-crisis-drags-on
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
A blue wave has swept the US in the midterm elections, with Democrats winning the Senate and heading for a big House majority as votes are still being counted on the West Coast. We bring live analysis from Philadelphia and Brussels, plus Poland’s crisis, Ukraine talks and the EU enlargement race.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/11/04/europe-today-democrats-win-senate-in-rebuke-of-trump-as-polands-crisis-drags-on
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:15Good morning, it's Wednesday, November 4th, you're watching Euronews, and this is Europe Today.
00:22Our top stories.
00:24A blue wave has hit America.
00:26In the U.S. congressional midterm elections, practically everywhere across the country, Republicans forcefully rejected the Trump agenda, as Democrats
00:35scored massive wins, with every voting bloc pulling significantly to the left.
00:40In Congress, Democrats will now control the Senate and are on track for a huge majority in the House of
00:45Representatives, as votes are still being counted on the West Coast.
00:49We'll bring you live analysis from the U.S. and from our studio.
00:54Brussels has given Euronews governments just days to nominate candidates to become the next president of the European Central Bank,
01:01signaling that the race to find Christine Lagarde's successor could come to a head quickly.
01:06The president of the Eurogroup, Kyriakos Kierakakis, called on the bloc's 21 member states to submit their nominations by Friday.
01:14Lagarde announced last week that she will step down as ECB president in February, nine months before the end of
01:20her eight-year term.
01:21And several flights across Europe received alleged bomb threats that ultimately turned out to be hoaxes, but prompted searches, diversions
01:30and, in one case, an escort by the Italian Air Force until landing.
01:35The impacted airlines included Polish airline Lotz, Scandinavian Airlines and Ryanair.
01:41Police bomb disposal experts carried out security checks of passengers, crew and baggage and found no explosives.
01:48Last month, the flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing because of the bomb threat.
01:54Welcome to the program. I'm Stefan Grober.
01:57But first, the midterm elections in the United States.
02:00Let's head straight over to Philadelphia, where elections expert and former Euronews head of polling, Boyd Wagner, is standing by
02:07for us.
02:08Good morning, Boyd. You've been following the whole thing throughout the night.
02:11What's the latest? What can you tell us?
02:14Well, we'll start with the House, where the AP now says that the Democrats have control of the lower body
02:20of Congress.
02:21They needed a net gain of just three seats.
02:24They are at 220 now, which gives them the majority per the AP.
02:28However, there are some projections, including NBC News, which is projecting them as many as 252.
02:36That would be the largest House majority in nearly two decades.
02:39And that's not even mentioned in the Senate yet.
02:41Well, let's talk about the Senate then.
02:44This was probably the biggest surprise, right?
02:47Yeah, this was going to be the dogfight and where Republicans thought that they could continue to keep control.
02:53The Democrats needed four seats, three to get to 50 and then plus one to bypass any advance swing vote
03:00there that would happen from the vice president.
03:03That number got blown away, though.
03:06We are now looking at 55, maybe 56 seats for the Democrats in this upcoming term in the Senate.
03:16So what is striking here, talking about the Senate at the beginning of the cycle, nobody had the Senate on
03:22the map because most races took place in deeply red states.
03:28Tell us about the inroads that Democrats made here.
03:32Well, they did run a few very good candidates, including in Tallarico and Texas, where they flipped deep red Texas.
03:40They ran a conservative-leaning pastor as a Democratic candidate in Kansas, which they flipped to Republican for the first
03:48time since 1932, nearly 100 years.
03:51We now have our eyeballs looking at the state of Mississippi, which is even deeper red than those other two
03:57states.
03:57And this, per the latest numbers that we saw, is now a 29 vote, 29 people, 29 voters lead for
04:07the Democrats right now.
04:08That one's going to go on much longer.
04:09But you're looking at many, many deep red states that have flipped to the Democrats in this election.
04:16And there, of course, is Maine, not a deep red state, because Maine votes Democrat in every presidential election, almost.
04:24But Susan Collins, the long-term Republican senator, lost.
04:30Tell us about this briefly.
04:33Yeah, Susan Collins has always been able to overcome polling deficiencies, we'll say.
04:38Three terms in the Senate.
04:40This time, it did not come out that way.
04:42She finally got taken down by the Democrats in this one.
04:46Another very close race.
04:47She did exceed expectations with polling.
04:50However, she will be unseated this time around.
04:55All right.
04:55Boyd Wagner in Philadelphia, thank you very much.
04:58Now, to make sense of what we've just heard, I'm joined in our studio by Penny Nass,
05:03Senior Vice President and Brussels Office Director of the German Marshall Fund.
05:07Good morning and welcome.
05:08So, Penny, it's quite normal that the presidential party loses in midterm elections.
05:16Why is it different this time?
05:18I think that this blue wave has been larger than many of us were anticipating.
05:24It's at the upper end of the ranges that were being talked about just a few weeks ago.
05:29I think that there is a lot of issues that are really top of mind for Americans, many of which
05:34aren't foreign policy,
05:35but are foreign policy related, such as gas prices, which have been very heavily impacted by the president's war in
05:42Iran.
05:43But affordability and kitchen table issues have really been what's been, I think, driving this issue
05:47and deep dissatisfaction with the president and some of his policies in that area.
05:51On that note, I mean, the Democratic victories in ruby red states like Texas, like Kansas, like Kansas.
05:59Herbert Hoover was president when the Democrats won a Senate seat there.
06:04And South Carolina, of course, where Trump campaigned massively.
06:09Is this the end of Trumpism?
06:11I think that Trumpism is still alive.
06:14It's always been something that's been very strong in the base of supporters that the president has.
06:20But in the past, the president has been able to tap into a deep dissatisfaction with kind of where the
06:26country was going.
06:27It just seems to me that what we've seen is people have not endorsed the direction the president has taken
06:33to address some of their concerns.
06:35Right, right.
06:36Speaking of Trump, he went on quite a rant throughout the night and was very defiant.
06:44At least at the beginning, stressing the fact that, you know, it's not his fault.
06:50And we have, if we can pull this up here, he tweeted, I wasn't on a ballot.
06:55And if I was, we would have won in a landslide.
07:00Now, who does he think is he impressing with this after such an outcome?
07:05Yeah, I mean, I think there's a lot here to unpack for the president.
07:10But where he is now, he's got two more years.
07:12He's going to be very focused on his legacy.
07:15And this is a gentleman who does not like to be seen as losing in any way, shape or form.
07:19So I think he's going to be moving very much into the phase of trying to preserve his legacy, looking
07:26at building out Washington, D.C., creating the monuments that I think he thinks nobody will face in his honor.
07:32It hasn't gotten easier, right?
07:34It hasn't gotten easier, but some of it is in executive control.
07:37A lot of it has been money that he's solicited from private parties to help him to achieve.
07:42So I think that will continue.
07:44And you saw that very much in his rant on Monday night and what should have been the closing moments
07:49presenting his case to the American people for how he's been delivering for them.
07:53And instead, it largely focused on the reflecting pool and what he has done to build out Washington, D.C.
07:59Right, right.
08:00Let's talk about the various voting blocs.
08:02Those who carried Trump to victory just two years ago.
08:05So, I mean, from Florida to Texas, it looks like Republicans suffered a bloodbath with Hispanic voters.
08:13African-Americans ran away from him.
08:15Young people as well.
08:17Your take.
08:19Yeah, I think that the president appealed to a lot of people back in the last presidential election with regards
08:26to being an outsider, coming in, change, people looking for a change election.
08:31And in some sense, he's delivered, but probably a bit too much for many of them.
08:35Tariff policy has been great for certain people in the United States, but really lousy for many others.
08:41Same with what's been going on with Iran and with gas prices.
08:46Those are all things that I think that he had promised voters he would have no new elections.
08:51He would worry about pocketbook issues.
08:54And at the end of the day, I don't think people have seen those results and that as a result,
08:59they're voting once again for change.
09:00And what does it tell us for 2028?
09:03I mean, every election is also the beginning of the next campaign.
09:05Very briefly.
09:06I think that the gun is going off today.
09:09And I think Democrats have a heavy lift to show that they can deliver the agenda they've now promised to
09:14the American people.
09:15All right.
09:15Wonderful.
09:16Peggy Nass, thank you so much from the German Marshall Fund.
09:19Thanks for breaking it all down for us.
09:21And now back to Europe.
09:22Poland is still struggling to resolve a constitutional crisis that has pitted judges against judges, president against courts and prime
09:31minister against president.
09:32Years after the EU launched its unprecedented rule of law battle with Poland, the question remains, can judicial independence be
09:40restored without creating yet another constitutional confrontation?
09:44Joining me now from London is former EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, who was at the center of that battle
09:51to assess where Poland stands today.
09:53Good morning to you.
09:55Good morning.
09:55So you spent years confronting the Polish government over judicial independence.
10:01How worried are you today about the situation?
10:05Well, I indeed I spent 10 years with this issue and it was maybe the most difficult part of my
10:13portfolio because Poland needs to be strong.
10:16Europe needs strong Poland and now the current conflict is weakening Poland in a very unfortunate situation, considering the geopolitical
10:30situation.
10:31It was not the case so much when the conflict started in 2015.
10:36And can you have an independent judiciary where judges themselves are divided over which other judges and institutions are legally
10:45legitimate?
10:47This judicial schism, if I can call it like that, is very unpleasant and it is decreasing the trust of
10:55people in justice and in independent judiciary in Poland.
11:00So these two lines of judges, which is not only the case of the constitutional tribunal, we see it in
11:11the whole judiciary system in Poland, is something which is necessary to solve.
11:17And it is also said by the European courts, there are very clear messages.
11:24Constitutional tribunal is not legally established at this moment and you have to correct things.
11:32This is what the current government tries to do.
11:36Would you say that Poland has reached the point where there is no longer one universally accepted judicial system?
11:45Poland is in this situation over years because there was a cascade of different grievances since 2015 and the accumulation
11:57of problems in Poland in the judiciary is something which the European court called systemic breach of the rule of
12:06law.
12:06So it's broader than just problems in the justice system and it requires corrections.
12:14Right. Does the European Union have the legal and political leverage to force Poland to resolve this crisis?
12:24Well, EU, of course, has the Article 2 in the treaty, which says that each member state has to respect
12:31and promote and guarantee the rule of law in the country.
12:34And so it was the main leverage for the commission, not only in my times, but also now the commission
12:41already made a declaration.
12:45Mr. McGrath, the commissioner of justice, said clearly that constitutional tribunal needs to be able to function in accordance with
12:54the Polish constitution and the case law of the court of justice.
12:59So this is the warning from the commission. And I cannot predict what steps will follow.
13:06OK, former you, Justice Commissioner Vera Jura. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us.
13:12U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff announced the round of talks today and tomorrow with EU countries, the World Bank and
13:19NATO in a bid to kickstart negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
13:23The gathering comes after several weeks of shuttle diplomacy among the U.S., Ukraine, Russia and Europe.
13:30Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gasteure and Finnish President Alexander Stupp have been leading some of the talks for Europe.
13:36Let's bring in our NATO correspondent Shona Murray, who is in the Finnish capital Helsinki, where she's been discussing the
13:43talks with European officials.
13:44Good morning, Shona. Please fill us in. What can we expect from the talks this week?
13:51Well, good morning, Stefan. And it's hard to understand exactly what work will get done across the European capitals today
13:57as European governments digest those results in the United States and what it all means for the continent and, of
14:04course, Ukraine.
14:05But indeed, there are working level meetings in Brussels today and tomorrow with NATO, the European Commission, the World Bank,
14:11leading countries like Germany, the U.K.
14:13and France ahead of crucial meetings next week. And we saw yesterday a post from U.S.
14:18envoy Steve Witkoff saying the U.S. will mediate working level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on the 10th and
14:2511th of November in Abu Dhabi.
14:27Discussions will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and the next steps towards peace.
14:35This is very important because, you know, Ukraine is heading into a very potentially brutal winter.
14:40And these are the first important talks, you know, since really the war in Iran started.
14:45Stefan.
14:46You've been speaking with officials close to the talks.
14:49What have you heard about the prospects of any peace settlement?
14:54Well, indeed, as we know, the Finnish president Alexander Stubb and Jonas Estore, the Norwegian prime minister, held a phone
15:03call with Vladimir Putin that lasted 90 minutes just a few days ago.
15:07And Finland here obviously has a very important obligation to end the war, given that it has the longest border
15:13with Russia inside NATO, 1,500 kilometers.
15:16And some member states weren't very happy that that call took place.
15:20But European officials are saying that it actually it was very important and very constructive because it brought the situation
15:25back from the brink.
15:26You have to recall just a few days ago, a couple of weeks ago, Donald Trump was saying that the
15:30Ukrainian president Zelensky had to be replaced.
15:33The Ukrainians had no access to Starlink satellite system, important for their military.
15:38And the U.S. President Donald Trump had waived sanctions against Russia.
15:41So it was a very crucial, intense moment that seems to be brought back on track.
15:46But in terms of prospects for peace, what I have heard is really the best that can be hoped for
15:50is something like a ceasefire agreed by Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainians, which obviously want this to happen.
15:56But there's no indication yet that the Putin is going to do it.
15:58And also very crucially, there's no indication yet that Ukrainians have access to very important U.S. patriot systems intercepting
16:06Russian ballistic missiles.
16:09So a lot, a lot still to play for. Stefan.
16:12All right, Shona Mari, live from Helsinki.
16:14Thank you very much.
16:15The race to join the European Union is heating up, but not everyone is keeping pace.
16:20From Montenegro's ambitious 2028 membership target to Georgia's deepening standoff with Brussels, Europe's enlargement hopefuls have very different roads ahead.
16:29And I'll join live by our correspondent Angela Skugins, who was at the Euronews Enlargement Summit yesterday and heard about
16:36all these journeys.
16:37Good morning, Angela.
16:39What were the highlights?
16:40Good morning, Stefan.
16:41So it's actually quite hard to narrow it down.
16:43We had a strong list of speakers briefing journalists and EU insiders about how their process to join the EU
16:49is faring.
16:50But just to give you a bit of context regarding how that race is unfolding, as you mentioned, Montenegro leads
16:56the pack, aiming to be the 28th member by 2028.
17:00But Albania really nipping at its heels.
17:02But this process is made a little bit more complicated due to a controversial resort development backed by the Kushner
17:09family enveloping that country in protests.
17:13Of course, we have Ukraine and Moldova, their third and fourth place, their bids very much intertwined.
17:19But the importance for these countries to join the European Union, underscored by Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine.
17:25These bids launched in 2022.
17:27But you mentioned highlights.
17:29The first that comes top of the mind is a comment from the Albanian Prime Minister, Eddie Rama, an exchange
17:34in which he really implored that the six EU Balkan aspirant countries to join the European Union should gain unfettered
17:42access when they go through all the loops and the hoops and all these other processes.
17:47He's comparing this to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's seven children.
17:51Let's take a listen to that exchange.
17:53Like Ursula brings her kids.
17:56She has seven.
17:57We are seven.
17:59If you count, we are five negotiating in or in the process in the Western Balkans plus Moldova and Ukraine,
18:10the seven Ursula kids.
18:12Ursula didn't grow her kids in the neighborhood.
18:15She didn't say go or stay in the neighborhood and when you grow, when you are mature, you'll come to
18:21eat with Papa and Mama.
18:22No, she kept her around the table.
18:26As you can see, some laughter in the crowd.
18:29But of course, the summit didn't come without its controversy.
18:32There was quite a terse back and forth between my boss, Euronews' EU editor Maria Taddeo, and the Georgian Prime
18:39Minister, Rakli Kovikitsa.
18:41I really recommend people going online to watch that exchange in full.
18:44So, this is in general a big week for enlargement, also from a EU Commission's perspective.
18:50Absolutely.
18:51So, we heard from those EU candidate countries where they stand today.
18:55It's up to Brussels to give their perspective.
18:58They'll be handing down their EU enlargement reports regarding how the 10 candidate countries are faring when it comes to
19:04judicial reforms, corruption reforms and things like that.
19:07So, it's very much wait and see to what unfolds today.
19:10Okay, we're going to monitor this.
19:12All right, Angela Skudjins, thank you very much for your reporting.
19:15And that brings us to the end of today's edition.
19:18I'm Stefan Grobel.
19:20Take care.
19:20And I'll see you tomorrow.
19:51We'll see you tomorrow.
19:52Bye-bye.
19:53Bye-bye.
19:55Bye-bye.
19:55Bye-bye.
19:56Bye-bye.
19:59Bye-bye.
19:59Bye-bye.