Democrats won control of both chambers of the US Congress, and Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump themselves linked the Republican defeat to the war in Iran; in a week Russia, Ukraine and the United States will sit down at a table in Abu Dhabi, while in Europe hackers reached plasma stores of blood in France, continuing their attacks on refrigeration systems.
The day of 4 November worldwide
- 258
House seats for Democrats by NBC’s estimate - 54 to 44
the Senate split, two more races not called - 7
Senate seats Democrats took from Republicans - 10–11 November
trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi - 700
French supermarkets hit by the October wave of attacks on refrigerators - 3
blood storage sites in France where settings were changed
Based on the review’s materials
- 258
Congress: the war and prices
Democrats won both the House and the Senate. By NBC’s estimate they have 258 seats in the House, more than at any time since 1993, and in the Senate they took seven seats and lead 54 to 44; the races in Mississippi and Alaska have not been called. Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become Speaker. The new Congress convenes in January, and until then the powers remain with the old one.
The reaction of the losers is the most noticeable. Vance said the reason for the defeat was the war, and added that many of Trump’s 2024 voters voted for Democrats in 2026. Trump called this “largely true”, but said he would do the same. Asked whether the war will end, he answered: when he says so. The Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the war “must end”.
The opposition now has two levers: money and votes on war powers, and these are what is named as the main scenarios of pressure. On the same day Brent crude fell below 100 dollars a barrel for the first time in a month. For Kazakhstan, which sells CPC Blend and KEBCO oil, the oil price is not an abstraction, although a link with the election results is not confirmed by figures.
Abu Dhabi: the table is laid, the menu unknown
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that trilateral talks will take place on 10–11 November: the United States will mediate at working level, represented by him and Jared Kushner. This week the Americans will meet in Brussels with France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the EU and NATO to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and the post-war security architecture of Europe.
The sides have already spoken on guarantees. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that guarantees “can and must be mutual”, while Volodymyr Zelensky allowed that Russia could receive guarantees within an agreement, but said guarantees for Ukraine must be agreed first. The first trilateral talks of Russia, Ukraine and the United States since the start of the full-scale war were held in Abu Dhabi on 23 January 2026, so the city is familiar to the sides. Both Moscow and Kyiv had said in advance that a meeting was possible after the midterms; Zelensky added, provided it is not hindered by “escalation processes in the Middle East”.
The refrigerator as a target
In France hackers changed the settings of cold rooms at three sites of the national blood service, where plasma for transfusions and samples are stored. The target temperature was raised from about minus 30 to 110 degrees, but the alarm went off before anything spoiled, and, according to the service, blood products were not harmed. The attack, according to Le Canard enchaîné as relayed by Newsweek, went through a contractor that maintains the equipment and happened on the night of 1 to 2 November.
This is a continuation of a wave: in mid-October a similar attack hit about 700 French supermarkets, and similar cases, according to commentators, have been recorded in about ten European countries. Who is behind them has not been established: some outlets write of claims by pro-Russian groups, others that no one has claimed responsibility.
We have a cold chain too: from November Kazakhstan will begin tracking vaccines online at 3,500 sites. Digital control gives visibility of temperature in real time, but also a new entry point for those who know how to change set values.
What next
The nearest dates are known: Brussels on 5 November, Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November. What the election results change for the war in Iran depends on Congress, which convenes only in January, and on Trump himself, who promised to end it when he says so.
