Mississippi Senate lead grows, oil falls again, Israel coalition talks
Scott Colom's lead in Mississippi's Senate race grows to 1,138 votes, oil falls a fourth straight day as Asian chip stocks sink, Israel's president holds final coalition talks, Governor-elect Klobuchar names her transition team, and Victor Wembanyama scores 52.
Democrat Scott Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes, 464,926 to 463,788 (49% to 48.9%), with about 96% of the expected vote counted, according to unofficial results reported by WLBT and ABC News; his lead had been under 100 votes earlier Wednesday. The Associated Press has not called the race. About 3,600 mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can still arrive through Nov. 10, and an unknown number of affidavit (provisional) ballots are still being processed, per Secretary of State Michael Watson. Mississippi has no automatic or requested recount; after certification a candidate can examine ballot materials and go to court. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by 637 votes Wednesday night with nearly a quarter of votes uncounted, Al Jazeera reports.
Oil prices fell for a fourth straight day early Thursday. Brent crude was down about 1% at around $94 a barrel and U.S. crude around $87, after both dropped more than 8% on Wednesday, as investors weighed a possible easing of the war with Iran and shipments through the Strait of Hormuz were resuming, according to AP and a Reuters-based market report. In Asia, AI-related chip stocks sank: Samsung Electronics fell 5.7% and SK Hynix 7.4%, pulling South Korea's Kospi down more than 3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 2.8%, AP reports. AP says investors are also worried AI-related share prices may have climbed too high.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog accepted the certified results of the Oct. 27 election and began consultations Wednesday on who will try to form a government; eight more parties, including two Arab-led factions, meet him Thursday, with Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud last, AP reports. Netanyahu's bloc won 53 of 120 seats and Eisenkot's 48, short of the 61 needed for a majority, while the Arab-led parties won a record 19, Al Jazeera reports. Herzog then has several days to pick a candidate, who gets 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension; if no one succeeds, Israel would hold another election early next year.
Netanyahu and allies sayNetanyahu and his allies have claimed, without evidence, that Arab-led parties "stole" the election; Likud did not respond to AP's request for comment.
Election officials and Herzog sayThe Central Elections Committee found no evidence of irregularities that affected the results. Herzog said, "The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality," and urged both camps to compromise.
Minnesota Governor-elect Amy Klobuchar named a 14-member transition team chaired by former Human Services Commissioner Cindy Jesson at her first news conference since the election, MPR News and the Minnesota Reformer report. She said she will appoint an independent senior leader to audit every state agency, working with the state inspector general, the Office of the Legislative Auditor and Minnesota Management and Budget to find fraud. She has not said when she will resign her U.S. Senate seat; the timing decides whether she or Gov. Tim Walz appoints her successor, KTTC reports. "I will be very careful in that decision," she said, MPR News reports.
Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 52 points with 24 rebounds and eight blocks as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-111 on Wednesday, BBC Sport and ClutchPoints report; he made the winning free throw, BBC Sport says. Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 29 points as the Mavericks rallied after trailing by 17 in the first half. It was the Spurs' sixth straight win.
