Trump's strength, Democrats' message and the shutdown effect. What to watch on Election Day 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tuesday marks the nation’s first major Election Day since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, and his leadership and policies dominated the debate in almost every race — even though the Republican was absent from the campaign trail.

The biggest contests are in Virginia and New Jersey, the only states electing governors this year. Trump lost both last fall, but voters in each have a history of electing Republicans for statewide office. The GOP candidates have closely aligned themselves with the president, betting that his big win last year can still provide a path to victory this time, even if the party occupying the White House typically suffers in off-year elections.

Strong Democratic showings, meanwhile, could provide the party a pathway back to national relevance — even if its top candidates have taken very different approaches, from adhering to a moderate line to wholeheartedly embracing government spending to improve voters' lives.

In New York City, a self-described democratic socialist who already has been a target of Trump’s criticism could emerge as a national star if elected mayor. And California voters will decide whether to redraw the state's House map, as Democrats look to counter a push by Trump to reshape the balance of congressional power.

Here's what to watch:

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Mamdani and Cuomo face off as New York City chooses new mayor, while Sliwa hopes for an upset

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City's voters are deciding the outcome of a generational and ideological divide that will resonate across the country Tuesday as they choose the next mayor to run the nation's largest city.

Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary earlier this year, faces former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and perennial Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, who is trying to land a massive upset.

A victory for Mamdani would give the city its first Muslim mayor and its youngest leader in generations, while elevating the democratic socialist to political stardom and giving his brand of economic populism one of the most visible political perches in America.

If Cuomo comes out on top, he will have staged a remarkable political comeback four years after resigning as governor over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations.

For Sliwa — the creator of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group and a longtime New York tabloid fixture — a win would put a Republican in charge of the nation’s largest city at a time when many New Yorkers are seeking a leader who can keep President Donald Trump at bay.

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Government shutdown could become longest ever as Trump says he 'won't be extorted' by Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown is poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has dragged into a new month. Millions of people stand to lose food aid benefits, health care subsidies are set to expire and there are few real talks between the parties over how to end it.

President Donald Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday that he “won't be extorted” by Democrats who are demanding negotiations to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. Echoing congressional Republicans, the president said on CBS' “60 Minutes” he'll negotiate only when the government is reopened.

Trump said Democrats “have lost their way” and predicted they’ll capitulate to Republicans.

“I think they have to,” Trump said. “And if they don’t vote, it’s their problem.”

Trump’s comments signal the shutdown could drag on for some time as federal workers, including air traffic controllers, are set to miss additional paychecks and there's uncertainty over whether 42 million Americans who receive federal food aid will be able to access the assistance. Senate Democrats have voted 13 times against reopening the government, insisting they need Trump and Republicans to negotiate with them first.

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G2 or not G2: Trump's new favorite term for US-China relations carries a lot of history's baggage

WASHINGTON (AP) — In diplomacy, even short words matter. And with a brief Truth Social post, President Donald Trump may have revealed his approach to the U.S.-China relationship — to the delight of reputation-conscious Beijing but to the worries of U.S. allies concerned with China's ascending global power.

“The G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!" Trump wrote moments before he headed into a widely watched summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Oct. 30 in South Korea, reviving a phrase that dates to the early 2000s but had been rejected by Washington for at least the past decade — including during Trump's first term.

G2, or Group of Two, was first proposed by American economist C. Fred Bergsten in 2005 to urge what he considered the necessity for the two major economies to talk to each other. It has come to imply a power equilibrium between the two nations — something that Beijing has long coveted as it ascended from regional powerhouse to pivotal global player.

But that equilibrium, and how China might approach it, stirs fears among U.S. allies and partners.

“The G2 concept implies that China and the United States are peers on the global stage and their positions should be given equal weight,” said Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

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Republicans seek to tap into Trump energy on eve of Election Day in New Jersey, Virginia

TOTOWA, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Republicans are trying to ride the coattails of Donald Trump’s 2024 electoral momentum, with gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli courting voters in a key — and traditionally Democratic — stronghold that contributed to the president's gains in the state.

Ciattarelli and Virginia candidate Winsome Earle-Sears are crisscrossing their respective states, while Trump spoke at telephone rallies with voters later Monday. This comes after their opponents, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, campaigned over the weekend alongside former President Barack Obama.

It’s a delicate balance for Republicans, who want to catch some of Trump’s electoral energy by drawing infrequently voting conservatives to the polls while not dismissing concerns about increasing costs. Democrats are urging voters to see the off-year election as a referendum on Trump’s economic policies and his efforts to expand his power.

Trump said Monday that Virginia voters should back “Republicans up and down the ballot” in an effort to make the state more affordable. “Republicans will bring back everything that you want,” he said at the virtual town hall alongside Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Still, the president was seemingly hesitant to assert himself in the race. Despite throwing barbs at Spanberger, Trump avoided key opportunities to endorse Earle-Sears by name. The lieutenant governor did not speak during the call.

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Israel hands over bodies of 45 Palestinians after Hamas returns the remains of 3 soldiers

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel handed over the bodies of 45 Palestinians on Monday, the Red Cross said, a day after militants returned the remains of three hostages. Israeli officials identified the three as soldiers who were killed in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023 that triggered the war in Gaza.

The exchange marked another step forward for the tenuous, U.S.-brokered ceasefire intended to end the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas.

Since the truce took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 20 hostages, with eight now remaining in Gaza.

For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. With Monday's return, the bodies of 270 Palestinians have been handed back since the start of the ceasefire.

The Red Cross said it had facilitated the transfer of 45 Palestinian bodies to Gaza on Monday morning. Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson at the Gaza Health Ministry, told The Associated Press that Nasser Hospital received the bodies around noon.

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Anatomy of a news story: '60 Minutes' invites audience into the editing process with Trump interview

During his “60 Minutes” interview, President Donald Trump called Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer a “kamikaze,” complained about investigators searching through his wife's closet, spoke in detail about ending wars and turned the tables on interviewer Norah O'Donnell to ask about safety in Washington, D.C.

None of that was seen by people who watched the CBS telecast Sunday night.

Less than half of O'Donnell's interview, conducted Friday, actually made it onto the air. But CBS posted a transcript and video of the full 73-minute discussion online, so viewers could see for themselves what the president said that the network deemed worthy for inclusion in the 28-minute on-air segment.

That offered viewers a rare look inside the editing process at one of journalism's best-known institutions, showing the dozens of decisions on clarity and newsworthiness that go into telling the story you see on television.

Beyond “60 Minutes,” the process is essentially the same throughout the world of journalism, from local newspapers to The New York Times, from specialty websites to The Associated Press. In short: Much like the old notion that everyone's a critic, with this move everyone can be an editor.

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Rescuers in Nepal search for climbers' bodies after deadly avalanche

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers were digging through ice and snow on a mountain in Nepal on Tuesday to recover the bodies of seven climbers who were killed by an avalanche a day earlier, officials said.

The avalanche pounded the base camp at Mount Yalung Ri, located at 4,900 meters (16,000 feet), on Monday morning. Snowstorms prevented rescuers from reaching the site on the day.

Improving weather allowed a helicopter to reach the base camp Tuesday and rescuers were able to begin shifting through the snow and ice.

Dolkha district Police Chief Gyan Kumar Mahato said four climbers who were injured in the avalanche were rescued by the helicopter and flown to the capital, Kathmandu, for treatment.

Two French nationals were getting treated at the Era Hosptial in Kathmandu for their injuries.

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Worker dies after 11 hours trapped within partially collapsed medieval tower in Rome

ROME (AP) — Firefighters late Monday finally managed to extract a worker from beneath rubble inside a medieval tower that partially collapsed during renovation work in the heart of Italy's capital, but the joy of that rescue proved short-lived.

The man didn’t withstand the trauma he suffered and died soon after.

“I express deep sorrow and condolences, on behalf of myself and the government,” Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni said in a statement after midnight, confirming his death. “?We are close to his family and colleagues at this time of unspeakable suffering.”

The Romanian foreign affairs ministry identified the man as Octav Stroici in a statement Tuesday morning, and thanked rescuers for their determination as they worked 11 hours for his extraction. Another Romanian was successfully removed and is out of danger, the statement said.

Rescuers had faced a complex task as they tried to use a first-floor window to get near the trapped worker. But they were forced to retreat in a cloud of debris as the structure continued to give way. Another approach on two ladders was also aborted, and a drone sent up in their stead.

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What's on the ballot in the first general election since Donald Trump became president

WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after Donald Trump retook the White House and set into motion a dramatic expansion of executive power, the Republican president figures prominently in state and local elections being held Tuesday.

The results of those contests — the first general election of Trump's second term — will be heralded by the victors as either a major repudiation or resounding stamp of approval of his second-term agenda. That's especially true in high-profile races for Virginia and New Jersey governor, New York City mayor and a California proposition to redraw its congressional district boundaries.

More than half of the states will hold contests on Tuesday. Here's a look at some of the major statewide and local races on the ballot:

In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are the nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Sherrill is a four-term U.S. representative and former Navy helicopter pilot. Ciattarelli is a former state Assemblyman backed by Trump. In 2021, Ciattarelli came within about 3 percentage points of toppling Murphy.

In Virginia, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger look to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. While Spanberger has made some efforts to focus on topics other than Trump in stump speeches, the president remained a major topic of conversation throughout the campaign, from comments Earle-Sears made about him in 2022 to some of his more polarizing policies, such as the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill tax and spending cut measure and the widespread dismissal of federal workers, many of whom live in northern Virginia.

News from © The Associated Press, 2025