AP News Summary at 2:24 p.m. EST

By The Associated Press

Trump wins the White House in a political comeback rooted in appeals to frustrated voters

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday. He is the first person convicted of a felony to win the White House and the first former president to regain power since 1892. The victory marks an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, faced dozens of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. He will be joined in the new administration by his vice president, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. At 40, Vance will become the highest-ranking member of the millennial generation in government. Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump to concede on Wednesday afternoon.

Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has promised sweeping action in a second administration. But his proposals are more complicated than that sounds and often lack specifics. For example, his approach would not only crack down on illegal immigration but curtail immigration overall. He rails against federal rules, but his policies could often lead to more rather than less federal power. He talks about ending federal taxes on workers’ tips and Social Security, but his tax policies broadly tilt toward corporations and wealthier Americans.

Republicans take Senate majority and eye unified power with Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have taken the Senate majority and are fighting to keep control of the House. A unified Republican grip on Washington would set the course for President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda. Or if Democrats wrest control of the House, the chamber would provide an almost certain backstop, with veto power over the White House. Trump said he has won a “powerful mandate.” House races are in a state-by-state slog, with many races too early to call. The Senate rally started with a GOP pickup in West Virginia and later in Ohio and early Wednesday in Montana as Democrats own hopes for a sweep fizzled — though Sen. Tammy Baldwin won reelection in Wisconsin.

Democrats hoped Harris would rescue them. On Wednesday, she called Trump to concede

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris is expected to speak on Wednesday afternoon after losing the presidential election to Donald Trump. Harris called Trump on Wednesday afternoon to concede the election and congratulate him on his victory. Harris trailed Trump in every battleground state, a profound rejection by American voters. In a bitter footnote, as the sitting vice president Harris is expected to oversee Congress’ ceremonial certification of the election. In the campaign, she faced steep odds after replacing Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket with only 107 days until the end.

Stocks and bitcoin jump after Trump’s victory. So do worries about inflation as Dow surges 1,300

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market, Elon Musk’s Tesla, banks and bitcoin are storming higher as investors bet on what Donald Trump’s return to the White House will mean for the economy and world. Among the losers the market sees on Wednesday: solar energy companies and potentially anyone worried about higher inflation. The S&P 500 rose 2.2% and was on track to top its all-time high set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1,382 points, or 3.3%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 2.5%. Investors expect Trump’s victory to lead to faster economic growth and more market-friendly policies.

Trump promises to bring lasting peace to a tumultuous Middle East. But fixing it won’t be easy

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Donald Trump will return to the presidency at a time of unprecedented conflict and uncertainty in the Middle East. He has vowed to fix it. While he has a history of strong support for Israel, his insistence during the campaign that the war in Gaza should end quickly, the isolationist forces in the Republican party and Trump’s penchant for unpredictability all raise a mountain of questions over how his second presidency will affect the region at this pivotal moment. Barring the achievement of elusive cease-fires before the inauguration, Trump will ascend to the highest office in the country as a brutal war in Gaza still rages and as Israel presses on with its offensive against the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group.

Abortion rights advocates win in 7 states and clear way to overturn Missouri ban but lose in 3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Abortion rights advocates lost on Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota ballot measures but prevailed in seven other states, including Missouri, where an amendment clears the way to undo one of the nation’s strictest bans. By rejecting adding abortion rights to their state constitution, Florida voters kept a ban on abortion after the first six weeks of pregnancy in place. It’s the first time abortion rights groups have lost in a statewide ballot question since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended a national right to abortion in 2022. Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Montana and Nevada voters adopted such measures and New Yorkers passed an amendment to bar discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy outcomes.”

UK identifies 4 cases of new mpox variant, the first cluster outside Africa

LONDON (AP) — British health officials say they have identified four cases of the new, more infectious version of mpox that first emerged in Congo, marking the first time the variant has caused a cluster of illness outside of Africa. Scientists said the risk to the public remains low. Authorities announced the first case of the new form of mpox in the U.K. last week, saying the case was being treated at a hospital in the capital after recently traveling to countries in Africa with ongoing outbreaks.

Hurricane Rafael strengthens to powerful Category 3 storm as it heads to Cuba

HAVANA (AP) — Rafael has strengthened into a powerful Category 3 hurricane ahead of its expected landfall in Cuba. Forecasters warn that Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds and flash floods on western swathes of the island, after knocking out power and dumping rain on the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.It was expected it hit the Isle of Youth in the coming hours and make landfall later on Wednesday. Forecasters expected the storm to later weaken over Cuba, but emerge on the southeastern Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane.

Baby girl and her mother among those lost in Spain’s catastrophic flooding

PAIPORTA, Spain (AP) — Jorge Tarazona is mourning the loss of his 3-month-old niece and sister-in-law in last week’s catastrophic flooding in eastern Spain. They were caught along with his brother in a traffic jam when the wave of water hit. His brother survived after he managed to get out of the car and cling to a fence. But his brother’s wife and their newborn child were found dead in the mangled vehicle. It’s unknown if the two are included in the official toll of the 217 confirmed dead. The fatalities are slowly ticking up, eight days after the deadliest floods in Spain this century.