INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
presidency after Democrats won control of the U.S
House of Representatives and pledged to hold the Republican accountable after a tumultuous two years in the White House.Trump and his fellow
Republicans expanded their control of the U.S
Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections, following a divisive campaign marked by fierce clashes over race and immigration.But they lost their
majority in the House, a setback for Trump after a campaign that became a referendum on his leadership.With some races still undecided,
Democrats were headed for a gain of more than 30 seats, beyond the 23 they needed to claim their first majority in the 435-member House in
eight years.Seizing the Senate had never looked a likely prospect for the Democrats, and in the event they fell short of a tidal wave of
voter support that would have given them control of both chambers of Congress.Winning a Senate majority would have allowed Democrats to
apply the brakes even more firmly on Trump's policy agenda and given them the ability to block any future Supreme Court nominees.However,
the Democrats will now head House committees that can investigate the president's tax returns, possible business conflicts of interest and
possible links between his 2016 election campaign and Russia.The Democrats could also force Trump to scale back his legislative ambitions,
possibly dooming his promises to fund a border wall with Mexico, pass a second major tax-cut package, or carry out his hardline policies on
trade."Today is more than about Democrats and Republicans, it's about restoring the Constitution's checks and balances to the Trump
administration," Nancy Pelosi, leader of the House Democrats, told supporters at victory party.Despite the Republican loss of the House,
Trump wrote on Twitter, "Tremendous success tonight."Early on Wednesday, he added: "Received so many Congratulations from so many on our Big
Victory last night, including from foreign nations (friends) that were waiting me out, and hoping, on Trade Deals
Now we can all get back to work and get things done!"It was not clear what Trump meant by his reference to trade deals
In pressing for what he views as better trade terms for America, he has imposed import tariffs and pushed Canada and Mexico into agreeing an
overhaul of the NAFTA trade accord.Trump, 72, had hardened his rhetoric in recent weeks on issues that appealed to his conservative core
He threw himself into the campaign, issuing warnings about a caravan of Latin American migrants headed to the border with Mexico and
condemnations of liberal American "mobs" he says oppose him.The party with the presidency often loses House seats in midterm elections
Former President Barack Obama's Democrats suffered what he called a "shellacking" in congressional elections in 2010.GridlockWith divided
leadership in Congress and a president who has taken an expansive view of executive power, Washington could be in store for even deeper
political polarization and legislative gridlock.Financial markets often favor Washington gridlock because it preserves the status quo and
reduces uncertainty, even though many in the market this time around had been hoping for a continuation of the Republican agenda.Wall Street
was set for a modestly firmer open on Wednesday and global stocks rose after the election results
The fact that House gains for Democrats may rule out further tax cuts sent the dollar and Treasury yields sharply lower."With the Democrats
taking over the House we will now have to see what gridlock in Congress means for policy
As for the market impact, a split Congress has historically been bullish for equities and we expect to see the same pattern again," said
Torsten Slok, Chief International Economist of Deutsche Bank.Losing the House will test Trump's ability to compromise, something he has
shown little interest in over the last two years with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress.There may be some room to work with
Democrats on issues with bipartisan support such as an infrastructure improvement package or protections against prescription drug price
increases."We will have a responsibility to find our common ground where we can, stand our ground where we can't," said Pelosi, who has been
one of the most frequent targets for Trump's scathing attacks on his critics and political opponents.Foreign policy has been an area that
Trump has approached in a very personal way, sometimes antagonizing allies such as Canada while making what critics see as unduly warm
overtures to traditional rivals or foes.But House Democrats are expected to try to harden U.S
policy toward Saudi Arabia, Russia and North Korea, and maintain the status quo on areas like China and Iran.The Kremlin said on Wednesday
it saw no prospects for an improvement in relations following the elections."We can say with a large amount of confidence that of course no
bright prospects for normalizing Russian-American relations can be seen on the horizon," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.Trump has
sought better ties with Russia but the two countries are at odds over the civil war in Syria, a nuclear arms treaty and the U.S
allegations of election meddling.In Germany, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday it would be wrong to expect policy change from
Trump.Democratic ProbesEvery seat in the House was up for grabs on Tuesday
The Republicans had an advantage in Senate races because elections were held for only 35 seats in the 100-member chamber and many of them
were in states that often lean Republican.Republicans built on their slim Senate majority by several seats and ousted four incumbent
Democrats: Bill Nelson in Florida, Joe Donnelly in Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota and Claire McCaskill in Missouri.Those gains are
are sure to bolster Republicans' efforts to get conservative federal judges through confirmation proceedings during a "lame duck" session
that starts next week, as well as from January when the new Congress convenes.In the 36 gubernatorial contests, Democrats won governorships
in states that supported Trump in 2016 but lost high-profile races in Florida and Ohio.Democrats could make life difficult for Trump by
launching another congressional investigation into allegations of Russian interference on his behalf in the 2016 election
Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russia's role in that election is ongoing.Moscow denies meddling and Trump denies any collusion.A House
majority would be enough to impeach Trump if evidence surfaced of collusion by his campaign, or of obstruction by the president of the
But Congress could not remove him from office without a conviction by a two-thirds majority in the Republican-controlled Senate, an unlikely
scenario.Most Democratic candidates in tight races stayed away from harsh criticism of Trump during the midterm campaign's final stretch,
focusing instead on bread-and-butter issues like maintaining insurance protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions, and
safeguarding the Social Security retirement and Medicare healthcare programs for senior citizens.Women, Young, Hispanic Voters Fuel GainsThe
Democratic gains were fueled by women, young and Hispanic voters, a Reuters/Ipsos Election Day poll found
Fifty-five percent of women said they backed a Democrat for the House this year, compared to 49 percent in the 2014 midterm congressional
election.A record number of women ran for office this election, many of them Democrats
The party picked up seats across the map but some of the campaign's biggest Democratic stars lost.Liberal Beto O'Rourke's underdog Senate
campaign fell short in conservative Texas against Republican Ted Cruz
Andrew Gillum lost to Republican Ron DeSantis in his quest to become Florida's first black governor.The gubernatorial race in Georgia, where
Democrat Stacey Abrams was seeking to become the first black woman to be elected governor of a U.S
state, remained too close to call early on Wednesday.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff
and is published from a syndicated feed.)
