November 5, 2026 4:50 am
World shares are mostly higher though heavy selling of artificial intelligence-related stocks offset gains for some markets following the U.S. midterm elections. South Korea’s Kospi sank 5.3% and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo lost nearly 2% on Thursday. Oil prices fell and U.S. futures were mixed after the Dow industrials jumped more than 3% on Wednesday after the Republican Party lost control of the U.S. Congress in the midterm elections. The S&P 500 picked up 1.6% and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.4%. U.S. stocks usually climb following midterms regardless of who wins. But technology shares have taken a hit as investors mull the potential impact on the AI boom from a Congress led by Democratic Party lawmakers.
November 4, 2026 5:50 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks soared after President Donald Trump’s party lost its sole control of Washington in the midterm elections. Stocks generally do well in the months following any midterm U.S. election, regardless of who wins, and the S&P 500 jumped 1.6% Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 1,500 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.4%. Stocks of hospital owners and retailers focused on lower-income Americans helped lead the widespread rally. Investors meanwhile see risks for Trump’s social-media company, the AI industry and Elon Musk’s businesses. Oil prices tumbled, which helped Treasury yields ease in the bond market.
November 4, 2026 5:46 pm
Police continue their investigation into the apparent murder-suicide of a father and his two young children. Authorities say they found the bodies of 42-year-old Patrick Lynch, eight-year-old James Lynch and six-year-old Caroline Lynch, lying at the bottom of a parking garage at Municipal Way in Mt. Lebanon Tuesday afternoon.
November 4, 2026 10:43 am
Democrats have won control of Congress in a widespread repudiation of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Democrats have flipped at least seven Senate seats in ruby-red states and battlegrounds alike: Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. In the House, Democrats flipped more than two dozen districts, some that voted for Trump by double digits in 2024. House Speaker Mike Johnson will not seek election as House Republican leader following the Democrats’ win. Trump faces a profoundly reshaped Washington for the last two years of his presidency. Democrats will have the power to block his legislative agenda, reject his appointees and investigate his administration.
November 4, 2026 12:00 am
Republican candidates for office in Washington County bucked the national trend by electing Republican candidates to all contested races. In the 46th Senate district, Senator Camera Bartolotta held off independent candidate Jodi Borello 56% to 44%. In House races, in the 48th district Tim O’Neal held off Rebecca MacTaggart 57%-43%. In the 50th district Ben Humble beat Lois Bower-Bjornson 65%-35%, in the 15th district it was Josh Kail over Sydney Speicher 62%-38%. In the remaining races involving Washington County, In the 39th district, Andrew Kuzma beat Dylan Altemara 53.5%-46.5%, in the 40th district, Natalie Mihalek held on to defeat Jon Lloyd 51.5%-48.5% and finally in the 46th district Jason Ortitay beat Mike Crossey 53%-47%. Results are unofficial until certified by the counties where the elections were held.
November 4, 2026 12:01 am
Voters in Hanover Township voted against adding two supervisors to their board of supervisors. In a ballot referendum question, residents were asked if they would want to add two supervisors to the township board of supervisors to bring the total number of supervisors to five. The measure to add supervisors failed with 52% of residents wishing to retain the current set up. Those residents in favor of expansion only had 48% of the vote. The final vote total was 482 no and 443 yes.
November 4, 2026 12:23 am
United States Representative for the Pennsylvania 14th Congressional District Guy Reschenthaler will retain his seat in Washington D.C. The Associated Press called the election in favor of Reschenthaler. As of 11:50 pm on Election Day, Reschenthaler led challenger Alan Bradstock 59%-41%. Reschenthaler will be seated for his fifth term in January of 2027.
November 4, 2026 2:29 am
Washington County Elections Director Melanie Ostrander tells WJPA News an incident at the Chartiers-3 Precinct during Tuesday’s election is under investigation but could not offer any other details at this time. Ostrander says another hearing before Common Pleas Court Judge Tracy McDonald is being planned. WJPA News reached out to Judge McDonald’s office and we were told additional information on that hearing has not been given out. According to reports, twenty-three people were affected by signature issues between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. at Miraculous Medal Church in Meadowlands. According to several officials, a Judge of Elections was removed and a hearing was held before Judge McDonald. That hearing resulted in an order to keep the precinct open for two additional hours until 10 p.m. Attempts were made to reach those voters and have them return to the church to cast a provisional ballot.
November 4, 2026 5:00 am
Within minutes of polls closing at 8 p.m., both the Associated Press and NBC declared Josh Shapiro the winner in Pennsvlvania’s Governors race, defeating Republican state treasurer Stacy Garrity. Not even 4% of the votes had been counted when the race was called. In remarks at his watch party, Shapiro focused on “getting stuff done.” “Pennsylvania, with your vision and your votes, you declared that we are ready to keep getting stuff done and moving this Commonwealth forward. Tonight, you declared that we are ready to keep delivering results — and that we reject the chaos, cruelty, and corruption in Washington, D.C.,” Shapiro said. “Over the last four years, we’ve gotten a lot done — growing our economy, making our communities safer, investing in our kids’ education, and protecting our freedoms and democracy. I could not be more humbled and grateful for the opportunity to keep serving as your Governor — and I am ready to keep fighting and delivering for you every single day. Thank you, Pennsylvania.”
November 4, 2026 4:38 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, delivering a decisive rebuke of Republican governance in Washington and ushering in a new era of congressional resistance to President Donald Trump. Michigan progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed became the latest in his party to win. Tuesday’s midterm elections laid bare voters’ deep frustration with high prices, the war in Iran and concerns about government corruption. Democrats routed their rivals across the map, flipping states that have voted Republican for decades and that Trump won by double digits just two years ago. Democratic control will profoundly reshape Trump’s final two years in office and likely hamstring his ability to push his agenda.
