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What you need to know

Democrats gain ground in state and local contests

The elections held on 4 November 2025 in the United States produced a clear, if uneven, swing toward the Democratic Party. 

In New York City, Zohran Mamdani won the mayoralty, defeating both Republican and independent rivals to become the city’s first Muslim mayor.

In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger won the governorship, while fellow Democrats Jay Jones and Ghazala Hashmi secured the attorney-general and lieutenant-governor posts respectively, completing a full statewide sweep. The party also expanded its majority in the House of Delegates from 51 to roughly 64 seats, signaling a pronounced realignment of suburban and exurban districts that had leaned Republican in recent years.

In Pennsylvania’s Bucks County, a flashpoint during the 2021 wave of conservative school-board takeovers and anti-LGBTQ policies, Democrats achieved sweeping victories across local boards, prompting local media to label the outcome a “blue sweep.” 

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party regained control of the State Senate after special elections restored its slim majority.

Some early claims, such as every Virginia county turning blue or all Republicans being ousted from Bucks County boards, appear overstated. Even so, the pattern points to a Democratic revival across multiple states and different tiers of government. Taken together, the results suggest a political climate drifting leftward as the 2026 mid-term elections approach.

It’s now the U.S. vs China, everyone else needs to choose a side

Belgium closes its airspace after coordinated drone incursions

Belgium temporarily closed all of its airspace on 4 November 2025 after several more groups of unidentified drones were detected over both Brussels Airport and Liège Airport within the span of an hour, according to the public broadcaster RTBF.

The national air-traffic authority, Skeyes, ordered an immediate suspension of takeoffs and landings at both airports, with disruptions rippling across Antwerp, Charleroi and other regional hubs as a precaution.

The incidents came after a series of drone sightings over the Kleine-Brogel air base, which is widely believed to house U.S. nuclear weapons under NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangement, prompting concern that the incursions may have been coordinated.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken described the flights as “professional,” suggesting that state-level actors rather than hobbyists may have been involved. Counter-drone measures, including radio jamming, reportedly failed to neutralize the aircraft, indicating sophisticated technology and deliberate intent.

Although officials have not assigned responsibility, the episode reflects growing concern across Europe about hybrid operations that employ unmanned aerial systems to probe air-defense vulnerabilities and disrupt civilian aviation.

Similar incidents in neighboring countries have increased pressure on EU authorities to strengthen coordination and response mechanisms against drone threats. For Belgium, a country that hosts several NATO facilities and major logistics hubs, the incident reveals how exposed European infrastructure remains to unconventional aerial activity and the strategic difficulty of protecting densely populated airspace.

Europe's center of gravity shifts east, politics moves right, hostility to migrants from the south rises, as ties with the U.S. fray, and fear of Russia increases

Tommy Robinson acquitted after court finds UK terror stop was political

A British court has handed down an exceptional ruling in the case of Tommy Robinson (born Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), a right-wing activist charged under the United Kingdom’s Terrorism Act 2000 after refusing to unlock his iPhone for police.

Robinson was stopped at the Channel Tunnel port in Folkestone under Schedule 7 of the Act, which permits officers to question travelers and demand access to electronic devices without suspicion or a warrant.

The judge ruled that the stop was unlawful, concluding that it had been politically motivated rather than based on a genuine national-security concern.

The court further found that Robinson’s views qualified as a “protected belief” under the Equality Act 2010, meaning he had been targeted for his philosophical convictions rather than his actions. In effect, the ruling treated the Equality Act as a shield against discriminatory state conduct, similar in function to the First and Fourteenth Amendments in U.S. constitutional law.

If upheld on appeal, the decision could sharply limit the broad powers police currently wield under Schedule 7. It may oblige authorities to demonstrate credible security grounds for such stops, rather than relying on ideological factors, and could encourage citizens to use anti-discrimination law to contest state overreach.

Move fast and break things

U.S. shutdown strains air traffic and deepens economic pain

The U.S. government shutdown has entered its 35th day, tying the record for the longest in history, and its effects are rippling across the country.

The Department of Transportation has warned that if the impasse continues into next week, parts of U.S. airspace may be closed. Roughly half of all air-traffic control facilities are operating with critical staff shortages, and about 13,000 controllers are working without pay. Flight delays and cancellations are mounting, while concerns about air safety are intensifying.

The economic and social fallout is worsening. President Donald Trump announced that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will remain suspended until Congress approves a spending bill, cutting off aid to 42 million Americans. SNAP distributes around $8.2 billion (A$12.4 billion) in monthly food assistance, and nearly 39 percent of recipients are children. With payments halted, food banks across the country are being overwhelmed. In Illinois alone, 1.9 million people stand to lose access to $350 million (A$532 million) in monthly aid.

The repercussions reach well beyond households. SNAP spending typically generates about $1.54 in economic activity for every dollar distributed, meaning the freeze could erase roughly $12.6 billion (A$19.2 billion) in economic output each month. Small grocers and neighborhood shops, many of which rely on SNAP for up to half of their revenue, face closures and layoffs.

Meanwhile, around 900,000 federal employees have been furloughed, and another two million are working without pay.

Public frustration is mounting, and polls suggest most voters blame Trump and congressional Republicans more than Democrats, a political reality likely to shape the eventual compromise.

Markets reel as shutdown clouds data and sentiment

Roughly $730 billion in market value disappeared from U.S. equities today as investors re-priced risk amid rising unease over missing economic data and corporate layoffs.

Bitcoin, which now appears to function largely as a gauge of speculative appetite, slipped below $100,000 for the first time since June.

The global cryptocurrency market, valued at about $4.3 trillion a month ago, has now fallen to roughly $3.4 trillion, reflecting the same retreat from risk that is unsettling equity markets.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 opened nearly 4.5 percent lower, led by heavy losses in technology firms.

IBM announced plans to cut about 1 percent of its global workforce, or roughly 3,000 jobs, this quarter. The decision reflects mounting pressure across the technology sector, where weaker valuations and restrained capital spending are eroding profitability.

Adding to the uncertainty, the U.S. Department of Labor said it would suspend publication of key economic indicators until the federal government shutdown ends, creating a blackout that could stretch beyond 60 days. Figures typically released each month, including employment data, unemployment rates, inflation measures (CPI and PPI), retail sales, and housing starts, will be withheld.

With policymakers deprived of timely data, the Federal Reserve must now determine interest rates without a clear view of economic conditions. Traders fear that the absence of reliable indicators will intensify volatility and speculation, turning a routine budget impasse into a broader crisis of confidence.

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