AP News in Brief at 6:04 a.m. EST

In a victory for the Democratic party’s progressive wing, Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani must now navigate the unending demands of America’s biggest city and deliver on ambitious — skeptics say unrealistic — campaign promises.

With his commanding win, the democratic socialist will etch his place in history as the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage and the first born in Africa. He will also become New York's youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on Jan. 1.

“The conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate. I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this,” Mamdani declared to a roaring crowd at his victory party.

He cast his win as a boon for blue-collar workers struggling to get by. “New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change,” he said, vowing to ”wake up each morning with a singular purpose: To make this city better for you than it was the day before.”

Democrat Mikie Sherrill elected governor of New Jersey, defeating opponent who aligned with Trump

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday was elected governor of New Jersey, raising hopes for Democrats and highlighting Republican vulnerabilities after there had been signs of a rightward shift in recent years in what has been a reliably blue state.

Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and four-term member of Congress, defeated Jack Ciattarelli, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, and quickly cast her victory late Tuesday as a referendum on the Republican president and some of his policies — from health care to immigration and the economy.

“We here in New Jersey are bound to fight for a different future for our children,” Sherrill told her supporters gathered to celebrate her victory. “We see how clearly important liberty is. We know that no one in our great state is safe when our neighbors are targeted, ignoring the law and the Constitution.” She was joined on stage with her husband and children.

Sherrill, 53, offers some reassurance for moderates within the Democratic Party as they navigate the path forward for next year’s midterms. A former prosecutor and military veteran, Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, the other Democrat who was elected as Virginia governor, embody a brand of centrist Democrats who aim to appeal to some conservatives while still aligning with some progressive causes. Sherrill campaigned on standing up to Trump and casting blame for voters’ concerns over the economy on his tariffs.

Ciattarelli called Sherrill to congratulate her on the results and did not mention Trump in his address.

Israel returns bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hospital officials in Gaza said they have received the bodies of 15 Palestinians from Israel.

The announcement, made by officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, brings the number of Palestinian bodies returned to Gaza to 285.

The latest return of bodies made as part of the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire came a day after Palestinian militants in Gaza handed over the body of an Israeli soldier taken hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that started the war.

Hamas has returned the remains of 21 hostages to Israel under a ceasefire that began Oct. 10, which is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Palestinian militant group. All living hostages have been released.

Militants in Gaza have released one to three bodies every few days. Israel has pushed to speed up the returns and in certain cases has said the remains were not those of hostages. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.

Abigail Spanberger elected Virginia governor in a historic first that boosts Democrats ahead of 2026

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday, defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to give Democrats a key victory heading into the 2026 midterm elections and make history as the first woman ever to lead the commonwealth.

Spanberger's win was the first in a big night for Democrats in Virginia and around the country, casting new doubts about President Donald Trump's political strength less than a year into his second White House term.

“We sent a message to every corner of the commonwealth, a message to our neighbors and our fellow Americans across the country,” Spanberger told supporters Tuesday night in Richmond. “We sent a message to the whole word that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our commonwealth over chaos.”

Also Tuesday, Democrat Ghazala F. Hashmi won the lieutenant governor's race and will succeed Earle-Sears. Hashmi is the first Muslim woman to win a statewide office in the U.S. And in a night of firsts, Democratic challenger Jay Jones defeated Republican Jason Miyares to become the state's first Black attorney general and complete a Democratic sweep of the commonwealth's statewide posts. Democrats also retained control of the state legislature.

Spanberger, a former congresswoman and CIA case officer, won by emphasizing economic issues, a strategy that may serve as a model for other Democrats in next year’s elections as they try to break Republicans’ hold on power in Washington and gain ground in statehouses.

California voters approve new US House map to boost Democrats in 2026

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California voters approved new congressional district boundaries Tuesday, delivering a victory for Democrats in the state-by-state redistricting battle that will help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026 and, with it, the power to thwart or advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The approval of Proposition 50 gives Democrats a shot at winning as many as five additional seats, just enough to blunt Texas Republicans’ move to redraw their own maps to pick up five GOP seats at Trump’s urging. Texas’ move and California’s response have kicked off a flurry of redistricting efforts around the country, with Republican states appearing to have an edge. Deeply blue California is Democrats’ best opportunity to make up seats.

Midterm elections typically punish the party in the White House, and Trump is fighting to maintain his party’s slim House majority. Republicans hold 219 seats to Democrats’ 213.

Tuesday’s results mark a political victory for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cast the measure as an essential tool to fight back against Trump and protect American democracy.

Speaking to reporters in Sacramento, Newsom cast the California vote as part of a broader national rejection of Trump's policies that saw Democratic governors elevated in New Jersey and Virginia. But he warned the more consequential battle would come next year.

Democrats dominate as economic woes take a toll on Trump's GOP. Takeaways from Election Day 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats dominated the first major Election Day since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

And while a debate about the future of the Democratic Party may have only just begun, there are signs that the economy — specifically, Trump's inability to deliver the economic turnaround he promised last fall — may be a real problem for Trump's GOP heading into next year's higher-stakes midterm elections.

Democrats on Tuesday won governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey, the only states electing new chief executives this year. They also swept a trio of state Supreme Court contests in swing-state Pennsylvania and ballots measures from Colorado to Maine.

Trump was largely absent from the campaign trail, but GOP candidates closely aligned themselves with the president, betting that his big win last year could provide a path to victory this time. They were wrong.

Democrats are hoping the off-year romp offers a new winning playbook, but some caution may be warranted. Tuesday's elections were limited to a handful of states, most of which lean blue, and the party that holds the White House typically struggles in off-year elections.

Massive fireball erupts as UPS plane crashes at Kentucky airport, leaving 7 dead

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded in a massive fireball while taking off from the company’s global aviation hub in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least seven people and injuring 11, authorities said.

The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday as it was departing for Honolulu from UPS Worldport at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

Video showed flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke. The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball. Video also revealed portions of a building’s shredded roof next to the end of the runway.

The death toll had risen to at least seven Tuesday night, and four of those killed were not on the plane, officials said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he expects the death toll to increase. Eleven people were also hurt, some of whom had “very significant” injuries, he said.

Typhoon Kalmaegi leaves 66 dead, mainly in Philippine province still recovering from deadly quake

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Typhoon Kalmaegi has left at least 66 people dead with 26 others missing in the central Philippines, many in widespread flooding that trapped people on their roofs and swept away cars in a hard-hit province still recovering from a deadly earthquake, officials said Wednesday.

Among the dead were six people who were killed when a Philippine air force helicopter crashed in the southern province of Agusan del Sur on Tuesday. The crew was on its way to provide humanitarian help to provinces battered by Kalmaegi, the military said. It did not give the cause of the crash.

Kalmaegi blew away from western Palawan province into the South China Sea before noon Wednesday with sustained winds of up to 130 kph (81 mph) and gusts of up to 180 kph (112 mph), according to forecasters.

Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, and provincial officials said most of the deaths were reported in the central province of Cebu, which was pummeled by Kalmaegi on Tuesday, setting off flash floods and causing a river and other waterways to swell.

The resulting flooding engulfed residential communities, forcing startled residents to climb on their roofs, where they desperately pleaded to be rescued as the floodwaters rose, officials said.

Trump administration announces 16th deadly strike on an alleged drug boat

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced yet another deadly strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, coming the same day an aircraft carrier began heading to the region in a new expansion of military firepower.

The attack Tuesday killed two people aboard the vessel, Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from the Trump administration's campaign in South American waters up to at least 66 people in at least 16 strikes.

President Donald Trump has justified the strikes by saying the United States is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations. The administration has not provided evidence or more details.

“We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens,” Hegseth posted while on a trip to Asia.

Lawmakers from both parties have pressed the Trump administration for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the strikes given that Congress has not authorized military action. United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk last week called for the U.S. to halt the attacks and “prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats.”

Talks to end the government shutdown intensify as federal closure nears longest ever

WASHINGTON (AP) — Talks intensified Tuesday toward a potential end to the government shutdown, as the federal closure was on track to become the longest ever, disrupting the lives of millions of Americans.

But tensions also rose as senators from both parties, Republicans and Democrats, quietly negotiated the contours of an emerging deal. With a nod from their leadership, the senators are seeking a way to reopen the government, put the normal federal funding process back on track and devise some sort of resolution for expiring health insurance subsidies that are spiking premium costs from coast to coast.

“Enough is enough,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the South Dakota Republican, as he opened the deadlocked chamber.

On day 35 of the federal government shutdown, the record for the longest will be broken after midnight. SNAP benefits have been interrupted for millions of Americans depending on federal food aid and hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed or are working without pay. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted there could be chaos in the skies next week if air traffic controllers miss another paycheck. Labor unions put pressure on lawmakers to reopen the government.

President Donald Trump has stayed largely on the sidelines, refusing to negotiate over the demands for health care funds until government reopens, and Democrats are wary of making any deal with Republicans unless it has approval from the White House.