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The Zevin Newsroom · Daily edition · 5 Nov 2026
'The reason we lost is the war': Vance breaks ranks as Republicans turn on one another
A day after Democrats took both chambers, the Vice President blames the Iran war, Trump says he would change nothing, and Speaker Mike Johnson steps aside.
The Zevin Newsroom by Chanan Zevin, daily edition for Thursday 5 November 2026, two days after the US midterm elections. Twenty-four hours after Democrats took both chambers, Vice President JD Vance broke ranks. The reason we lost, he wrote, is the war. President Trump said he would have done nothing different. Why it matters: a wounded White House, a party at war with itself, and markets pricing the end of the Iran conflict. The news is summarised in our own words from reporting by CFRA, Deutsche Bank, Rapidan Energy, Reuters, The Zevin Intelligence Journal and Yahoo Finance, credited on screen for each story.
Today's news
US Politics · Midterms: 'The Reason We Lost Is the War': Vance Breaks Ranks. Trump: 'probably right' on gas prices — 'I would have done nothing different'. Source: The Zevin Intelligence Journal
US Politics · White House: Chandeliers and a shrinking mandate: Trump as lame duck. Two years left; deals, vetoes, executive orders — and possibly a return to war. Source: The Zevin Intelligence Journal
US Politics · House: Mike Johnson steps aside; Scalise and Jordan race to lead. Speaker will not seek to lead Republicans in the minority. Source: The Zevin Intelligence Journal
US Politics · States: Beyond Washington: Democrats sweep governors and Texas. Majority of governorships; full control of several states; Texas streak ends. Source: The Zevin Intelligence Journal
World · Israel: Netanyahu cries fraud as Herzog weighs the next government. Week after losing majority; Shin Bet clash; coalition talks begin. Source: The Zevin Intelligence Journal
World · Aftermath: Tehran celebrates, Kyiv hopes, Jerusalem worries. Governments recalculate after Tuesday's rebuke of the American president. Source: The Zevin Intelligence Journal
US · Courts: Alito and Thomas staying put; Mississippi hangs by dozens of votes. No SCOTUS vacancy expected; Mississippi and Alaska still uncalled. Source: The Zevin Intelligence Journal
Tech · AI: The ballot box turns on the data center. Voters ban or restrict AI facilities; Wall Street noticed. Source: The Zevin Intelligence Journal
Our View · Editorial: The Vice President Named the Cause. Now End the War Wisely. Finding a scapegoat at the Pentagon will not fix what voters already knew. Source: The Zevin Intelligence Journal
Analyst desk
Diora, our markets analyst, on whether Vance's break is the opening move of 2028, and whether traders are pricing the end of the Iran war or just gridlock.
Economic Analysis
Stocks: Dow's best post-midterm day since 1982 — AI trade sits out. Dow +1,569 (+3%); S&P +1.58%; Nasdaq +1.44%; Nvidia -3%. Source: CFRA, Reuters, Yahoo Finance
Commodities: Oil sinks nearly 9%; gold posts its best day in months. Brent $94.62 (-8.7%); WTI $88.12; Gold ~$4,130 (+3.4%). Source: Yahoo Finance, Rapidan Energy
Forex: Dollar slides to its lowest since September. Dollar index ~101.25; EUR $1.126; USD/JPY ~157.95; GBP $1.349. Source: Yahoo Finance, Deutsche Bank
Bonds: Treasuries rally for a second day on gridlock bets. 10-year ~4.85% (lowest since 10 Sep); 2-year ~4.57%; 30-year ~5.27%. Source: Yahoo Finance, Deutsche Bank
Presenters: Chanan Zevin's segments are animated from his real photo with a stock voice (not his own or a cloned voice). Elena (presenter) and Diora (markets analyst) are AI avatars, labelled on screen. Story narration: stock text-to-speech voice. Photos and maps: real, credited public-domain/CC sources. Music: original. Markets segments are for information only, not investment advice.