BREAKING Slovakia's prime minister injured in shooting
Media reports say Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico was injured in a shooting and taken to hospital.
Americans head to the polls next week in critical midterm elections that could define or imperil the remainder of President Joe Biden’s agenda – and it’s not looking good for his party.
The economy has become the dominant issue in the campaign’s home stretch, creating worrisome headwinds for Democrats, while boosting the odds of Republicans winning control of Congress.
Runaway inflation is driving up prices from food to fuel, and Americans appear to be voting with their wallets. Several polls suggest they think Republicans are more trusted to fix the economy.
“Unfortunately for Democrats, the economy supersedes everything else” Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s (UVA) Center for Politics, told CTV National News.
Sabato publishes UVA’s “Crystal Ball,” an influential guide analyzing U.S. election and polling data down to each district.
In an interview with CTV National News at UVA’s historic campus in Charlottesville, Va., Sabato forecasts “a tide pulling in the Republican direction.”
“It’s very easy to run against an incumbent administration when the economic conditions are not good,” he said.
Despite a strong labour market and a summer of economic growth, Americans are facing rising interest rates, decades-high inflation and talk of recession.
“The president’s messaging on the economy has been indecipherable. I think it’s hurt Democrats. I think it’s hurt [Biden]. He was given bad advice,” he said.
Earlier this summer, Democrats seized on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning abortion rights. The party has made protecting women’s rights and saving democracy a centrepiece of their campaign.
Republicans, meantime, have mostly avoided the abortion debate, instead focusing on the flailing economy and flooding local TV markets with advertisements.
The pressure is being felt by Democrats in tight campaigns.
Mark Kelly, a Senate Democrat seeking re-election in Arizona, distanced himself from Biden in a recent TV ad.
“When Joe Biden gets it wrong, I call him out” he says in the ad, looking into the camera.
In response, Biden has been shifting his message to reflect the economic anxiety.
“Inflation is still hurting people,” he said at the White House to assembled guests.
“We’re making real progress”, he said, insisting the economy is improving.
Currently, Democrats hold razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate. Many polls suggest Republicans will win control of the House, but the Senate remains a toss-up.
Historically, the president’s party is punished in midterm elections. Democrats felt optimistic at the start of campaign season, but growing economic trouble appears to have soured their confidence.
Media reports say Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico was injured in a shooting and taken to hospital.
Wildfires continue to impact air quality across Western Canada, with conditions expected to worsen on Wednesday before improving.
A new COVID-19 subvariant is dominant in Canada, representing just over 30 per cent of cases in the country, but infectious disease experts say there’s no sign it’ll evolve into a summer 'scarient.'
A massive manhunt was underway in France on Wednesday for an armed gang that killed two prison officers and seriously injured three others to spring an inmate they were escorting.
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
The sun produced its biggest flare in nearly two decades Tuesday, just days after severe solar storms pummelled Earth and created dazzling northern lights in unaccustomed places.
As wildfires rage in British Columbia, the family of a nine-year-old who died last summer is trying to protect people from poor air quality due to smoke this year.
A Malahide Township resident is out more than $2 million following a romance scam.
The husband of adult film actress Stormy Daniels said on Tuesday that there’s a 'good chance' the couple will leave the country if former U.S. president Donald Trump is acquitted in his Manhattan criminal trial.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.