In the news today: Congress flips, Carney on trade talks, fiscal hawks eye budget

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed …

Blue wave crashes over American politics in midterm that rebukes Trump policies

The world is waking up this morning to control of the U.S. Congress shifting to the Democrats in a clear rejection of President Donald Trump’s turbulent second term.

In a clear rebuke of the second Trump administration, Democrats flipped long-held Republican Senate seats in Texas, Maine and South Carolina.

A blue wave also washed over House seats and down-ballot votes in an unprecedented Democratic tsunami expected to send shock waves through the Republican party.

Trump’s approval was plummeting due to rising gas and diesel prices, high inflation, his trade war with Canada, and the unpopular war with Iran.

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More intense U.S. trade negotiations have started, Carney says

Prime Minister Mark Carney says “more intense” trade negotiations with the United States have started since his call with President Donald Trump last weekend.

Carney said some of Canada’s “red lines” have been taken off the table, including language, culture and Canada’s ability to negotiate trade deals with other markets.

Trump told Fox News in an interview Tuesday that a deal with Canada is imminent.

He also claimed Canada would provide fertilizer to the United States tariff-free. Canada does not charge any export tariffs on fertilizer or its components, including potash.

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Here’s what fiscal hawks are watching out for in Budget 2026

Fiscal hawks want the federal Liberals to prove they can keep borrowing on a sustainable track even without higher oil revenues.

Ottawa on Thursday is set to table its second budget under Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose Liberals have announced billions in new spending for measures like an expanded tax incentive for businesses.

Desjardins’ deputy chief economist Randall Bartlett says federal deficits should still come in lower for this year, thanks in large part to higher revenues from a spike in global oil prices.

But he warns those revenues won’t be sustainable and the government is running out of spending room to absorb any new economic shocks.

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Second night for community questions on Nova Scotia’s first proposed AI data centre

Cape Bretoners with questions about Nova Scotia’s first planned artificial intelligence data centre have a second chance to speak up.

The second of two information sessions by EverWind Fuels is set for this evening in southern Cape Breton, in the rural town of Lower River Inhabitants, N.S.

Tuesday’s information session in D’Escousse, N.S., ran late as more than 200 people filled a community hall to hear from company officials.

Speakers asked about safeguards and environmental protections for the $10-billion, 18,600-square-metre AI data centre in Point Tupper, N.S., that’s set to come online by the end of 2027.

Everwind officials said residents had valid concerns, ranging from environmental protections to jobs, and there would be more consultations to come.

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Why mosquito season is longer this year in some parts of Canada

Unusually warm fall temperatures have extended mosquito season in parts of Canada.

Experts say the pesky insects are living longer this autumn in southern and eastern Ontario, Nova Scotia and other parts of Eastern Canada.

Mosquitoes typically thrive in warm and humid environments and these conditions have been extended by this year’s strong El Niño — a natural phenomenon that causes global temperatures to spike every few years.

In Toronto and surrounding areas of southern Ontario, where mosquitoes were present into late October, temperatures reached the low 20s at the end of the month and in the first week of November.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2026.

The Canadian Press