LIVE UPDATES: Trump defends Iran war amid GOP rout in US midterm elections

🚨 Indian Americans could tip Texas midterms A group more open to Republicans than most Asian voters is shifting the other way. In tight Texas races, that matters. Texas has over 600,000 South Asians. Indian Americans are the bulk. Statewide races turn on a few points. South Asian registered voters backed Democrat James Talarico over Ken Paxton 66 to 21 per cent in a SAAVETX Education Fund and UC San Diego survey. A recent national poll of Indian Americans showed a similar Democratic lean. They were once useful for Republicans: high-earning, business-focused. Now rhetoric is pushing them away. After MAGA took power, the tone has hardened. Anti-South Asian posts rose 240% from January 2024 to June 2026, the Center for the Study of Organized Hate found. Much of the increase has been framed around H-1B visas, with Indians cast as "job thieves" and "invaders." In September the Department of Homeland Security itself posted (and then deleted) an AI-generated image of a Sikh man with the line "America for Americans. Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr. Singh." Around the same time, Republican candidate Bo French posted a photo of South Asian students celebrating a University of Texas football win and suggested their presence was a problem. Nearly 100,000 registered South Asian voters in Texas sat out 2022. In close races, that decides outcomes.

— Sputnik India (@Sputnik_India) November 3, 2026

🇺🇸Midterm elections will not affect US foreign policy — expert 💬 “Any speculation as to the possible influence of the midterm elections on American foreign policy should be tempered by the recognition that uncertainty rules,” Michael Brenner, Professor Emeritus of International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, told Sputnik. “First, all executive authority will remain in the hands of Donald Trump and his team. The American system places the powers for conducting the country’s external relations in the White House,” Brenner emphasized. “Second, any serious challenge by a Democratic majority is out of the question since most members – and especially the leadership – share the Trumpian worldview.” 👉 He added that foreign policy would remain unchanged, including regarding Middle Eastern crises and Ukraine, as Washington faces very little pressure to engage Tehran diplomatically, while Trump will continue to string Putin along with the fanciful, unsubstantiated notion of a short-term deal and longer-term conciliation.

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) November 3, 2026

🇺🇸US midterm results could affect Latin America more than Iran policy – expert Republicans retaining control of the US Congress in the midterm elections would benefit Latin America, Marc Little, a conservative political commentator and executive director of CURE America Action, tells Sputnik. 🔶The Trump administration's Donroe Doctrine is aimed at combating drug and human trafficking in the region 🔶 Any outcome of the midterm elections is unlikely to affect Washington's policy toward Iran 🔶 Democrats never cared about high gas prices. Americans saw energy prices and inflation spike under the Biden administration

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) November 3, 2026

🇵🇰 Pakistan watches US midterm elections for potential Iran war fallout Following months of diplomatic mediation, Pakistan’s main focus is to prevent renewed fighting between the US and Iran, Naveed Hussain, chief editor of The Express Tribune told Sputnik. “The stakes could hardly be higher” for Pakistan, whose economy greatly depends on maritime oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, he explained. That’s why US political commentator Tucker Carlson’s recent claim that the Trump administration could use a tactical nuclear weapon against Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain is so concerning for many in Islamabad. “The US president’s constitutional authority as commander-in-chief gives him considerable latitude to order military action, even though Congress retains important war powers,” he said. “A nuclear strike against Iran would be catastrophic, with consequences extending far beyond the Middle East. Tehran’s warning that any renewed American attack would invite retaliation without ‘geographical limitations’ raises the prospect of an uncontrollable regional escalation.”

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) November 3, 2026