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US midterms: Polls show Democrats ahead in battle for Congress

Democrats lead Republicans in national polling ahead of Tuesday's United States midterm elections, with new surveys showing the party gaining ground in several closely contested Senate races as voters express dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump's handling of the economy. With all 435 House of Representatives seats and 35 Senate seats on the ballot, the elections will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress for the remaining two years of Trump's second term. A RealClearPolling average of surveys conducted through October 30 shows Democrats leading Republicans 52% to 43.1% on the generic congressional ballot, an 8.9-percentage-point advantage. An NBC News survey conducted October 28-30 found Democrats ahead 52% to 45%, while an Emerson College poll conducted October 24-26 put the gap at 10 points. The generic ballot measures nationwide preferences for congressional candidates rather than support in individual districts, meaning a nati...

Trump withdraws Canada’s invitation to join Board of Peace

US President Donald Trump withdrew on Thursday an invitation for Canada to join his Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. Trump's about-face follows Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he openly decried powerful nations using economic integration as a weapon and tariffs as leverage. "Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post directed at Carney. Neither Carney's office nor the White House immediately responded to Reuters requests for comment on Thursday evening. Last week, Carney's office said he had been invited to serve on the board and planned to accept. Carney received a rare standing ovation in Davos after the speech, in which he urged nations to accept the end of a rules-based global order. Canada, which recently signed a trade deal with China, can show how "middle powers" might act together to avoid being victimized by American hegemony, he added. Trump retorted that Canada "lives because of the United States," and told listeners in Davos that Carney should be grateful for the United States’ previous largesse. Read: Trump launches ‘Board of Peace’ as PM Shehbaz, other global leaders sign charter "Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements," he added, addressing Carney directly. The withdrawal of Canada's invitation came hours after Trump officially launched the board, which was initially meant to cement a Gaza ceasefire. Permanent members must help fund the board with a payment of $1 billion each, according to Trump. "Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do," Trump said in Switzerland on Thursday. "And we'll do it in conjunction with the United Nations. The board's establishment was endorsed by a United Nations Security Council resolution as part of Trump's Gaza peace plan, and UN spokesperson Rolando Gomez said on Thursday that UN engagement with the board would only be in that context. Member nations include Argentina, Bahrain, Morocco, Pakistan, and Turkey. Other US allies, such as Britain, France, and Italy, have indicated they will not join for now.

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