US Domestic News Roundup: Democrats win governors' races in three crucial 'blue wall' states; U.S. Supreme Court weighs race-based challenge to Native American adoption law and more

Democratic governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Tony Evers of Wisconsin were re-elected, while Josh Shapiro succeeded an outgoing Democratic governor in Pennsylvania, according to projections from Edison Research. Election denier in Michigan loses bid to run 2024 vote in state Voters in the key election battleground of Michigan on Tuesday rejected a Republican candidate vying to run the 2024 presidential election in their state who backed former President Donald Trump's false claims that he won in 2020.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Democrats win governors' races in three crucial 'blue wall' states

Democrats won elections for governor in the "blue wall" states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Tuesday, enabling them to defend against Republican-dominated state legislatures on issues such as abortion rights and fair elections. Democratic governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Tony Evers of Wisconsin were re-elected, while Josh Shapiro succeeded an outgoing Democratic governor in Pennsylvania, according to projections from Edison Research.

U.S. Supreme Court weighs race-based challenge to Native American adoption law

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday is set to consider a dispute over the legality of decades-old federal requirements that give preferences to Native Americans and tribal members in the adoption or foster care placements of Native American children. The justices are due to hear oral arguments to weigh a challenge by a group of non-Native American adoptive families and the Republican-governed state of Texas to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 after lower courts declared parts of the law unconstitutional. Democratic President Joe Biden's administration and several Native American tribes are defending the law.

Election denier in Michigan loses bid to run 2024 vote in state

Voters in the key election battleground of Michigan on Tuesday rejected a Republican candidate vying to run the 2024 presidential election in their state who backed former President Donald Trump's false claims that he won in 2020. Kristina Karamo was beaten by Democratic candidate Jocelyn Benson in the race to be Michigan's secretary of state, Edison Research projected.

Michigan headlines night of state abortion rights victories

Voters in at least three states, including the battleground state of Michigan, approved ballot measures in favor of abortion rights on Tuesday, ensuring access to the procedure within their borders after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Michigan voters passed a constitutional amendment known as Proposal 3 that enshrines the right to an abortion by nearly 55%, according to Edison Research. In California and Vermont, voters also approved adding abortion protections to their state constitutions.

Race for U.S. Congress is tight, no Republican 'red wave'

Republicans made modest gains in U.S. midterm elections but Democrats did better than expected, leaving control of Congress and the future of President Joe Biden's agenda unclear on Wednesday morning. Many of the most competitive races were too close to call and Republicans acknowledged that the election was not producing the sweeping "red wave" victory they had sought.

Factbox-U.S. midterm elections: The race for control of the Senate

Control of the U.S. Senate was unclear on Wednesday morning following midterm elections that will determine whether President Joe Biden's Democrats keep control of the chamber, as 35 of its 100 seats are up for grabs. The chamber is divided 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to cast tie-breaking votes for the Democrats, so Republicans need to pick up only one seat to take the majority.

U.S. Supreme Court weighs barring lawsuits against public nursing homes

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday signaled they were unlikely to broadly prevent people who depend on federal assistance programs including Medicaid from suing when states violate their rights even as they weighed barring a narrower class of cases concerning nursing home care. The justices heard arguments in an appeal by Health and Hospital Corp of Marion County, an Indiana municipal corporation, of a lower court's ruling that let the family of Gorgi Talevski, a nursing home resident diagnosed with dementia, pursue a lawsuit claiming his rights were violated while at the facility.

Voting machine problems in Arizona seized on by Trump, election deniers

Problems with dozens of electronic vote-counting machines in the battleground state of Arizona on Tuesday were seized upon by Republican former President Donald Trump and his followers, who falsely claimed it was evidence of election fraud by Democrats. Just a few hours into Election Day, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer told reporters that about 20% of electronic vote tabulation machines in the state's most populous county were malfunctioning, and technicians were being deployed to fix them.

Trump gears up to run after midterms. Many Republicans appear unexcited

Former President Donald Trump has spent months teasing a 2024 presidential run, suggesting to supporters on the eve of Tuesday's midterm elections that he would throw his hat into the ring as soon as next week. "I'm going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida," Trump told supporters at a rally for Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance.

Analysis-Four takeaways from the U.S. midterm elections

Democrats were enjoying a stronger-than-expected showing in the U.S. midterm elections early on Wednesday, as it appeared the party was limiting its losses in the U.S. House of Representatives and capturing important governors' races. But as votes were still being counted in several states, there remained the possibility that Republicans could end up with control of both the House and the U.S. Senate.