Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including Republicans underperformed in the midterm election as an expected red wave never materialized; The EU’s second-highest court backed a refusal from Brussels to implement proposals for protecting minority languages; A decades-old law governing the adoption of Native American children was scrutinized by the Supreme Court, and more.

National

Control of Congress hangs in balance as midterm tally continues

The nation’s 118th Congress remains undefined on the morning after Tuesday’s midterm elections, but the immediate results were clear in at least one respect: there won’t be a GOP supermajority.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., arrives to speak at an event early Wednesday morning, Nov. 9, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump got his pink slip in 2022 midterm elections

The biggest loser of Tuesday’s election wasn’t even on the ballot. Candidates who were endorsed by former President Donald Trump or who expressed loyalty to him underperformed across the board, turning what could have been a massive red wave into a ripple and energizing opposition to him within his own party as he appears to be preparing another presidential bid.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Robstown, Texas, on Oct. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Nick Wagner)

Adoption case divides justices and leaves tribal sovereignty on knife’s edge

A decades-old law governing the adoption of Native American children is on thin ice Wednesday after scrutiny by the Supreme Court.

Chebon Kernell beats a drum and sings during a rally in support of 3-year-old baby Veronica; Veronica's biological father, Dusten Brown; and the Indian Child Welfare Act in Oklahoma City on Aug. 19, 2013. Brown is trying to maintain custody of the girl who was given up for adoption by her birth mother to a couple in South Carolina. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Regional

Keeping Ohio red, Republican Vance wins US Senate race

Despite favorable polls in the run-up to Election Day, Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan was unable to pull off an upset in Ohio's U.S. Senate race as J.D. Vance kept Republicans' streak of high-profile victories in the Buckeye State alive with a comfortable win.

Republican U.S. Senator-elect JD Vance speaks during an election night party Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Texas demands governor’s dismissal from case spurred by order targeting migrants

An executive order from Texas Governor Greg Abbott directing state police to stop anyone suspected of transporting Covid-19-infected immigrants was blocked via two lawsuits. But a Fifth Circuit panel appeared ready Wednesday to dismiss Abbott from the litigation.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during an election night party in McAllen, Texas, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

International

EU court finds Brussels is doing enough to protect minority languages

The European Union’s second-highest court on Wednesday backed a refusal from Brussels to implement proposals from a citizens' petition to protect minority languages, finding the bloc's leaders are already acting on signers' demands.

A pedestrian walks past the European Commission headquarters in Brussels in December 2020. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Science

Study of Nazi propaganda reveals role of dehumanization of Jews in Holocaust

Dehumanizing propaganda has long been seen as a precursor to and promotion of mass violence. But Alexander Landry of the Stanford Graduate School of Business set out to prove this empirically, exploring how Nazi propaganda affected Jews before and during the Holocaust.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin. (William Dotinga/Courthouse News)

Octopuses gone wild: Cephalopods caught throwing silt, shells at each other

In a study published Wednesday in PLOS ONE, researchers revealed they caught octopuses throwing silt at each other — the first time this behavior has been reported in the eight-armed cephalopods. Not only are the throws purposeful, but they are usually directed at their peers.

This image shows an octopus in active sleep. (Credit: Sylvia S L Madeiros)

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