11.7.2022

Election Eve

Voters in the US head to the polls tomorrow, casting ballots in one of the most contested midterm elections in recent memory. 

Projections suggest momentum has shifted to Republicans in the closing weeks of campaigning. The GOP must flip a single seat in the Senate to retake the majority. Tight races include Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, among others. Pennsylvania—which saw two former presidents join rallies over the weekend—is an open race to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey's (R) seat. Questions abound around the accuracy of current polling; see a comparison between current polls and their accuracy in 2020 here. 

In the House, analysts say Republicans appear poised to retake their first majority since 2018. With 218 seats needed to assume control, the GOP currently holds 212 seats and leads in a pair of elections for vacant seats. See a breakdown of toss-up districts here.

Historically, the party that holds the White House averages a loss of 28 House seats and four Senate seats during midterm cycles (see data). Find your nearest polling location here.

Astros on Top

The Houston Astros won the 2022 World Series Saturday night, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Six by a score of 4-1. The championship-clinching victory came on the back of a sixth-inning, three-run homer by Yordan Álvarez that traveled 450 feet out center field (watch here). 

The win marks the second Astros' World Series championship in franchise history, having won their first in 2017 (though it was marked by a sign-stealing scandal). It also caps a dominant stretch for Houston, who finished with the second-best regular season record (106-56) and swept both the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees en route to the championship. Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña became just the third rookie to be named World Series MVP. 

Dusty Baker, who played in the league for 19 seasons and has coached five teams across three decades, won his first championship as a manager. See photos from the celebration here.

India Under Smog

Smog in New Delhi, India, reached hazardous levels late last week, as the air quality index hit over 400 on multiple days—10 times the World Health Organization's target level. Many schools, factories, and construction sites closed Friday out of health concerns.

India regularly tops the list of most polluted countries due to a mix of geographic- and human-caused factors. Cool, windless days in winter exacerbate the country's greenhouse gas emissions, with cold air keeping particulates close to the ground. On top of vehicular, industrial, and energy pollutants, annual agricultural burnings in the country's north—a practice meant to speed up the clearing of ground to plant winter crops—compound the area's poor air quality. An estimated 1.6 million people die every year in India due to complications from air pollution. 

The pollution crisis comes as the United Nations' annual climate change conference begins in Egypt, where climate change compensation to developing countries is on the agenda for the first time. 

Science & Technology

Business & Markets

Politics & World Affairs

Visualizing how South Korea's Halloween disaster happened.

An interactive tour of Giza's Great Pyramid. 

Seven in 10 US adults say voting makes society better. 

Stunning photos of thirsty African wildlife. 

The new technology looking to eliminate potholes. 

Rangers paintball wolves to make them less tame. 

Powerball jackpot hits new $1.9B record. 

Two water skiing squirrels. (via Instagram)

Clickbait: Christmas rolled in early in London this year. 

Historybook: Nobel Prize-winning physicist and chemist Marie Curie born (1867); Jeannette Rankin becomes first woman elected to US congress (1916); Evangelist Billy Graham born (1918); Eleanor Roosevelt dies (1962); Magic Johnson announces HIV-positive diagnosis (1991).