MMN Editor

Nonfarm payrolls were expected to increase by 59,000 in October as the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%.

Trump Says US ‘Locked And Loaded’ For Renewed Strikes Against Iran

Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran cannot do anything regarding its nuclear program without approval from Washington and that he would soon decide whether to resume renewed military operations against Tehran.

President Donald Trump in New Jersey, on July 19, 2026. David Ramos/Getty Images

Trump’s remarks on Thursday came during an Oval Office exchange with reporters, who asked for comment on reports that Iranian negotiators are reviewing a new proposal put forward by regional mediators for a deal that would constrain Iran’s nuclear program.“It doesn’t make any difference what they’re looking at,” Trump said. “They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon; they know that. So do I.”Trump said that he would soon decide whether to resume major combat operations in Iran, clarifying that his preference would be for a negotiated solution rather than destruction of the Middle Eastern country.“In Iran we are there for seven months, and we control everything that we’ve wanted to control, and now we’ll make a decision: do we want to go further,” he said.“I think it‘ll take them 25 years to rebuild the country. I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I’ll have to; you’ll know soon enough.”For weeks, Trump has threatened to return to a full-scale bombardment of Iran after the midterm elections if Tehran remained unwilling to reach a negotiated settlement on terms acceptable to the United States, particularly regarding its nuclear program.“We’re locked and loaded,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “If we have to do the rest of the Iran thing, we’re very much locked and loaded.”Iran’s top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, said earlier Thursday that Tehran had set seven conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and enter negotiations with Washington.“As long as they do not execute our seven conditions, we will neither open the Strait of Hormuz nor have negotiations,” he said during a visit to Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, ahead of their talks in Moscow on Nov. 5, 2026. Alexey Babushkin/AFP via Getty Images

Tehran’s demands include sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and paying war reparations.Washington, meanwhile, insists that any initial talks address Iran’s nuclear program.On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance publicly questioned whether the Iran war was worth ​it and said it cost Republicans control ​of Congress in the midterm election.Vance’s remarks stirred debate about whether Trump remained willing to proceed with a potential resumption of major combat operations against Iran. The president’s latest Oval Office remarks suggest that renewed military action remains under consideration.Trump on Monday expressed optimism about a possible settlement with Iran as talks continued in Qatar, with Vance saying he and the president had discussed the matter and both “feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement.”

Vice President JD Vance talks with reporters after arriving on Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Nov. 2, 2026. Tom Brenner/AP

“We’re going to keep working at it,” Vance said.The U.S.–Iran conflict has spread regionally, with clashes between Iran-backed Houthis and a Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and parts of the Red Sea.The Saudi-led coalition said Friday that its air defense systems intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Najran, a major city in Saudi Arabia.

A man inspects damage at the site of an airstrike, reportedly carried out by Saudi Arabia, that targeted the Asr district of Yemen’s Houthi-held capital Sanaa on Oct. 24, 2026. Mohammed Huwais/AFP via Getty Images

“Debris fell as a result of the interception, and damage assessment is underway,” the coalition said in a Nov. 6 post on X.Trump held a phone call with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss the regional situation and efforts to de-escalate tensions, Qatar News Agency reported on Friday.The two men discussed the latest international efforts, notably the initiatives led by the State of Qatar, to bridge the gaps between the concerned parties and support the negotiation process, to pave the way for reaching a comprehensive agreement that resolves the crisis and ensures security and stability in the region, according to the Qatar News Agency.Al Thani highlighted the importance of continuing dialogue and embracing diplomacy as a means of resolving disputes, while calling for safeguarding freedom of navigation and energy supply security, the agency said.Qatar has been mediating between Iran and the United States, with Qatari intermediaries shuttling proposals between Tehran and Washington.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/06/2026 – 08:20

What a week for the left. When you’re hot, you’re hot!First, they absolutely wiped the floor with Republicans in the midterm elections. Just a bloodbath. I’m pretty sure Democrats now own every single congressional seat known to man, along with a few others we don’t even know exist.None of it was great, and it somehow got worse.That’s right. It was a blue tsunami on Tuesday, and a red stock market on Thursday. And I mean a reeeeeeeeeeeed stock market.WNBA FINALS TEAMS END SEASON WITH ONE FINAL NATIONAL ANTHEM SNUB AS DREAM, VALKYRIES LEAVE COURTLast night, we saw all the different colors on display our in San Francisco, where a gay man not only sang the national anthem before the Golden State Warriors game, but he also waved a tiny Pride flag during the song.A tiny rainbow flag. During the national anthem. During the actual national anthem.You wanna talk about disrespectful. This makes the WNBA nonsense from last month look like child’s play.Woke 3.0 is off to a BLAZING start:It’s just horrible. It’s so embarrassing, and pathetic, and — again — disrespectful. Why? Why do this?Yes, it was “Pride Night” at Oracle Arena because every team has to have a Pride Night. Why? I don’t know, but they do. I get it. That’s fine.But “Pride Night” doesn’t give you a hall pass to do whatever you want during our country’s national anthem. Feel like that’s off-limits to anything and everything.There’s a right way to do it, and a wrong way to do it. No in between. Waving a Pride flag while singing it is the wrong way to do it. Plain and simple.Even the players were stunned by it. Look at them! They can’t hold back their laughter. I’m sure Steve Kerr loved it. He’s probably still giddy over Tuesday’s election results.While Woke 3.0 is very clearly here, sanity still prevailed online, where this gay anthem singer was absolutely crushed for pulling this move:Why is so difficult to just … act normal? I don’t get it? Just act right. It’s not asking a lot. Really, it’s not.It’s asking that you don’t wave your tiny Pride flag during the national anthem, and smirk about it like you’re taking some big stand. You’re not taking a big stand. You look like an idiot. We’re all mocking you.ATLANTA DREAM AND GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES SKIP NATIONAL ANTHEM FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WNBA FINALS GAMEWe spent two weeks monitoring the WNBA Finals just to see if anyone would stay on the court of the national anthem, which really wasn’t asking a ton.They did not.SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY OUTKICK NEWSLETTERNow, we’re waving Pride flags during the anthem? Come on.Woke 3.0 is here, folks. Strap in for a long two years.

ABC News’ “The View” hosted just one conservative guest and 21 liberal guests in the weeks leading up to Election Day, according to a new study by the conservative media watchdog Media Research Center (MRC).The study found that from Sept. 8, the start of Season 30, through Nov. 3, “The View” invited 21 liberal guests who were either critical of President Donald Trump or the Republican Party, with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, being the lone conservative guest.Four of the guests classified as liberal were politicians: Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky.; Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who appeared on the show the day before Election Day alongside liberal podcast host Kara Swisher.Although a retiring Republican senator, Tillis was included in the liberal guest count due to being invited on to discuss his anti-Trump book, “How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents.” STEPHEN A SMITH DOUBLES DOWN ON TRUMP DINNER, CHALLENGES CRITICS BY ASKING, ‘WHAT THE F— ARE YOU DOING?’Tillis has been vocal in calling for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s firing, and has publicly broken with the president over the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill. In his book, Tillis wrote that he hoped Republicans would learn from midterm losses, which he predicted when the book was released in early October.”What I hope is that members of my party take the loss and learn something,” he wrote, according to The New York Times, “specifically that putting party affiliation — or loyalty to one man — before your own conscience never turns out well in the end.”The show hosted several liberal celebrities as well, including Maisie Williams, Ethan Hawke, Chelsea Handler, Michael Douglas, Billy Crystal, Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams-Lee, D.L. Hughley, Chandra Wilson, Busy Philipps, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eisa Davis, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Sophia Bush.Neil deGrasse Tyson and Stephen A. Smith were among the other guests included in the study. Smith appeared on the show to discuss his recent White House meeting with Trump, a decision that drew criticism from the co-hosts. He defended his decision to attend. The ESPN host also criticized the president during the appearance.TRUMP SPILLS DETAILS ABOUT DINNER WITH BILL MAHER, STEPHEN A SMITH AND KID ROCK AT THE WHITE HOUSEAccording to the study’s methodology, guests had to express liberal or conservative views during their appearances on the talk show to be counted in either category.”If a celebrity did not discuss politics, they were not included in the count of political leanings even if they had a history of being outspoken in the past,” the MRC said.The show hosted 56 guests in total between Sept. 8 and Nov. 3, according to the study.The daytime talk show drew scrutiny in 2025 after hosting 128 liberal guests over the course of the year and just two conservatives. In 2026, the show hosted Vice President JD Vance and Alina Habba, a former legal spokesperson for Trump. The show also had several Republican fill-in co-hosts while Alyssa Farah Griffin was on maternity leave. The fill-ins included Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Savannah Chrisley, among others.In January 2026, the co-hosts interviewed former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican who became a fierce Trump critic.”The View” did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.’THE VIEW’ CO-HOST WARNS AGAINST VANCE INTERVIEW BECOMING ‘FREE-FOR-ALL’ TO SELL BOOKSMRC President David Bozell said in a statement, “ABC has learned nothing from the FCC’s continued scrutiny. ‘The View’ continues to insult the intelligence of the American public by passing off pure Democratic propaganda as a ‘bona fide news program.’” “With 21 anti-Republican voices and a single conservative in the two months before the midterms, ABC’s political agenda could hardly be more obvious,” he continued. “And ABC is hardly alone. The entire elitist media landscape deserves serious scrutiny. The Federal Communications Commission must hold ABC accountable for its abuse of the public airwaves for partisan political purposes.”The program has faced a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigation over the past year. ABC has responded by defending “The View” as a “bona fide news” program.The investigation is related to the agency’s crackdown on equal-time requirements for political candidates. A source at the FCC told Fox News Digital in February that the show’s interview with James Talarico triggered the probe.”‘The View’ has been broadcasting under a bona fide news exemption granted to it more than twenty years ago … The Commission has taken no action over the last two decades to modify or overturn the Declaratory Ruling and there is no basis for doing so now,” ABC said in a petition in May in response to the FCC’s probe.’THE VIEW’ EASED UP ON POLITICAL CANDIDATE BOOKINGS AMID FCC INQUIRY, REPORT SAYSThe co-hosts interviewed Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico on Wednesday after he won his election in Texas and interviewed Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed on Thursday after his election victory.Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who won her re-election campaign, is going to appear on the program next week.

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville warned Democrats from reviving DEI and woke policies after dominating the midterms, arguing these policies hurt the party.Carville spoke with a panel on Thursday’s episode of the “Politics War Room” podcast about the Democrats’ midterm victories before responding to a statement from Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., declaring that “DEI is back.””I really like him. He’s a very personable man. I think these people are all wrong,” Carville reacted. “They tried DEI. The country hated it. Just hated it. It cost us seats.”Carville agreed with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, D-N.Y., comments dismissing “Woke 1” and argued that returning to those policies would take the party in the wrong direction.CARVILLE SAYS ONE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST’S ‘LUNACY OF THE HIGHEST LEVEL’ POLICY COULD HAUNT SWING-STATE DEMS “The DEI people asked me to honor your identity above your humanity. I cannot do that. To me, you’re a human being first. And if we bring this bulls— language back, we’re going to pay for it,” he said.After the 2024 presidential election, Carville warned that the “stench” of woke politics would cling to the party like a foul smell on a shirt. While he said Democrats had made progress since then, he lamented that some were returning to those policies.”We’re finally washing the stench of defund the police, communities of color, or every idiotic jack– academic word that [they] could think of. And we got rid of it. And AOC is right. Woke one was some crazy s—. Let’s all go back and do it,” he said. “Let’s have progressive taxation. Let’s have pluralism in America. Let’s get out of Iran. Let’s open rural hospitals. Okay, these are things that we can agree on.”Carville explained that he is a liberal, not a progressive, and wants to help rural Americans who may feel abandoned by the Democratic Party.”I think rural America is the most forgotten part of America,” he said, warning that his fellow Democrats need to be “talking about the problems of rural America or rural hospitals or rural education or rural libraries or anything else.”JAMES CARVILLE WARNS FAR-LEFT CANDIDATES ‘TOO HARD-HEADED’ TO KNOW THEY’RE UNPOPULAR”And I think to the extent that this whole thing strikes people as another coastal people trying to impose something on the rest of the country, and the rest of the country doesn’t want this, and now we’re talking about bringing it back?” he warned. Democrat Dan Turrentine, a co-host of “The Huddle,” told Fox News Digital that Democrats largely abandoned social issues leading up to the midterms and focused on the economy and tackling “corruption.””Not a single new member from a competitive state or district ran on restoring DEI. Quite the contrary, they stayed away from relitigating settled social issues and focused like a laser beam on costs, chaos, and corruption,” Turrentine wrote. “Many people on our side are considering running for president and, in an effort to create a spark, will say controversial things to select audiences. The winning candidate will be focused on a broad coalition and keep the main things the main thing.”CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Got an old Android phone collecting dust in a drawer? You might want to hang on to it. Researchers at UCLA have figured out how to turn an aging smartphone into the brain of a small walking robot. It’s called PhoneBot, and it can walk on two legs, follow people and even get back up after falling face down.The most surprising part? The researchers estimate the robot’s hardware costs about $400, excluding the phone. So, that forgotten smartphone could have a pretty interesting second life. Here’s how the researchers pulled it off and what it would take to build one yourself.Missed CyberGuy LIVE? Watch the replay and discover 5 ways to travel smarter and save money.Our free CyberGuy LIVE class, 5 Ways to Travel Smarter and Save Money, has ended, but you can still watch the full replay. Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson walks you through five practical ways to protect your phone and personal information, avoid common travel scams, find better deals, save money on bookings and use technology to make your travels easier and less stressful. No technical experience is needed.Watch the free replay + downloadable checklist now at CyberGuyLive.com.GOOGLE TURNS OLD PHONES INTO CLOUD SERVERSPhoneBot comes from UCLA’s Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory, also known as RoMeLa. The team built a miniature humanoid robot that stands about 19 inches tall and weighs roughly four pounds, including the smartphone attached to its body.Instead of developing an expensive custom computer, researchers used technology already inside an Android phone. The robot has 13 motorized joints, with six in each leg and another that lets its upper body rotate. That extra movement allows the smartphone’s camera to turn toward someone while the robot’s feet stay planted.The researchers’ goal is to make humanoid robotics more affordable for schools and research teams that cannot spend thousands of dollars on specialized machines.Think about everything your smartphone already does. It can recognize objects through its camera and detect movement using built-in sensors. It also has enough processing power to run sophisticated software. PhoneBot puts those capabilities to work. An Android app uses the phone’s motion sensors to help the robot maintain its balance. Meanwhile, the camera helps it recognize and track people. The phone also runs an artificial intelligence-powered walking controller that tells the robot how to move. Those instructions travel over Wi-Fi to a small computer inside the robot, which communicates with the motors. The smartphone has no physical electrical connection to the robot’s hardware. That design makes it easier to swap phones without rewiring the machine. Researchers trained PhoneBot’s walking system in computer simulations before testing it on the actual robot. They also developed a way to improve how evenly it uses both legs. As a result, PhoneBot can walk on flat surfaces and stand up from a face-down position. For something powered largely by an old smartphone, that’s quite an accomplishment.Here’s something I found especially interesting. UCLA didn’t need the latest expensive smartphone to make PhoneBot work. In fact, the researchers successfully tested its core functions on four different Android devices, including an Honor 9 released back in 2017. The other models included a Samsung Galaxy A16 5G and two Motorola Moto G phones from 2024 and 2025.Researchers purchased the three prepaid models for roughly $50 to $90 each. Those were the prices reported during testing, rather than guaranteed prices today. All four phones handled the essential functions, including movement control and camera-based recognition. However, the older Honor 9 could not run one of the robot’s mapping features because the required Google services were unavailable on that device in the United States. That means you cannot assume every Android phone will work. Still, the tests suggest you may not need an expensive new phone to run a capable little robot.A WHEELED ROBOT MAY BEAT HUMANOIDS INTO YOUR HOMEYes, at least within the limits of what UCLA has demonstrated. PhoneBot can use its smartphone camera to identify a person and adjust its movement to follow them. It can also rotate its upper body to keep someone in view. The robot supports conversational interaction, too.However, there’s an important limitation. Its current system uses a separate laptop to process speech and generate AI responses. The smartphone records your voice and plays the response through its speaker. Before you start thinking about having PhoneBot clean your house, there’s something else you should know. It doesn’t have arms. That means it cannot pick up your laundry or carry groceries.Researchers also trained its walking system on flat ground, so navigating stairs and uneven surfaces remains a challenge. For now, PhoneBot is best viewed as an experimental platform. UCLA has demonstrated what it can do under research conditions, but it hasn’t established that the robot can independently navigate a typical home.If you’re comfortable with electronics and robotics, PhoneBot could become a pretty interesting project. UCLA has developed it as an open-source research platform and published hardware designs and building resources. The official PhoneBot website at phonebot.dev/ provides information about the robot’s design, components and assembly process. The published hardware materials are available for noncommercial use under a Creative Commons license.There’s an important distinction, though, between having the hardware plans and being able to build a fully working robot. The project website provides hardware designs and assembly resources but does not clearly offer a download for the complete Android app and trained walking software. Although UCLA describes PhoneBot as an open-source platform, anyone hoping to reproduce its capabilities should first confirm that the necessary software is available.And there’s another consideration: the $400 price tag. It’s an approximate hardware cost, and it doesn’t include the smartphone. Depending on what equipment you already have, you may also need access to a 3D printer and tools for assembly. Shipping and other expenses could push the total higher. You’ll also need the technical skills to put everything together and configure the software. So, don’t expect to download an app and watch your old phone suddenly sprout legs. There’s real engineering involved.Humanoid robots are getting a lot of attention, but building one remains expensive. Some small research models cost several thousand dollars. More advanced systems can cost considerably more. PhoneBot takes advantage of hardware that millions of people already own. By letting a smartphone handle much of the sensing and computing, researchers can avoid buying some specialized components. That helps bring the overall cost down.The approach could also make robotics more accessible to students. Instead of requiring a large research budget, a smaller team could experiment with a relatively inexpensive walking machine. They could test new software or explore ways to improve movement without building every electronic component from scratch.The UCLA team already has ideas for what comes next. Researchers want to improve PhoneBot’s ability to handle uneven terrain and eventually give it lightweight arms. They’re also exploring ways to run more conversational AI directly on the smartphone, which could reduce the need for a separate computer. Those improvements are still future goals. Even so, PhoneBot offers a promising starting point for building more affordable humanoid robots.You probably won’t see PhoneBot on store shelves anytime soon. But this research shows how much useful technology may still be inside a smartphone you’ve stopped using. A phone that feels outdated for daily use could still handle surprisingly demanding tasks.If you’re interested in robotics, PhoneBot could eventually offer a more affordable way to experiment with walking machines. Meanwhile, for families with kids who love technology, an accessible version of this project could make for a fascinating hands-on learning experience.And if you’ve been thinking about getting rid of your old Android phone, this research offers another reason to consider what it might still be capable of. Of course, building a robot won’t be for everyone. You can also sell, donate or recycle your old phone. Before you do, check out our article on securely getting rid of your old cell phone to make sure your personal information doesn’t go along with it.I love the idea that a smartphone sitting forgotten in a drawer could become the brain of a walking robot. We’ve gotten so used to replacing our phones every few years that we sometimes overlook how powerful these devices still are. What UCLA has done with PhoneBot makes me wonder how many other uses we’re missing. Now, let’s be realistic. This little guy isn’t ready to take over household chores, and putting one together requires some serious know-how. But the price is what caught my attention. When researchers can build a walking robot with roughly $400 in additional hardware, it opens the door to possibilities that once seemed out of reach. I’d love to see someone turn this into an affordable kit that families could build together. That could be a great way to get kids excited about engineering.Would you spend a few hundred dollars to turn your old Android phone into a walking robot? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy NewsletterCopyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.

Democrats won a historic victory in the 2026 midterm elections. Not only did they win back the House and the Senate, but they also flipped the GOP strongholds of Texas, Kansas, Ohio, South Carolina, and Iowa, some of which haven’t gone blue in decades. The GOP did not flip a single statewide race.
Democrats will likely win over 250 US House seats and over 55 US Senate seats. Comfortable majorities that the party has not had since Obama’s landslide victory in 2008.
These defeats were generational for the GOP, and the party has once again been forced into the political wilderness. They must decide what kind of party they want to be, as they may not win back either chamber of Congress for at least the next two election cycles.
The question that many Republicans are asking is who should take responsibility for this embarrassing loss? There is one man who played a huge role. That man is Senator John Thune, R-SD.
Thune served as Senate Majority Leader during the 119th Congress. This is first time in almost two decades the caucus has been led by someone who isn’t Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY.
McConnell had also reportedly handpicked Thune to be successor, giving Republicans more of the same they had experienced the past two decades.
President Trump even once called Thune “Mitch’s boy” that nickname is more relevant than ever:

Republicans in the Senate so quickly forget. Right now they would be down 8 seats without my backing them in the last Election. RINO John Thune, “Mitch’s boy”, should just let it play out. South Dakota doesn’t like weakness. He will be primaried in 2022, political career over!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2020

In the months leading up to the midterms, Thune was already under fire by the President and other prominent figures on the right over his failure to pass the SAVE America Act, which the House had already passed under Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA.
Unlike the House, President Trump’s agenda stalled in the Senate, contributing to another two years of a do-nothing Congress.
Republicans had everything. They had the House, the Senate, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court. Now they just lost both chambers of Congress by substantial margins.
Mike Johnson did his part to pass the President’s agenda, Thune did not.
Thune has decided to run for reelection to lead the GOP Senate Caucus despite the public scrutiny. His job is in jeopardy as GOP politicians and voters are growing frustrated over these midterm results.
President Trump already publicly confirmed that he will not support Thune for another term as GOP Senate leader.
A potential challenge to Thune from Senator Rick Scott, R-FL, could emerge in the coming weeks. Scott has run for the position in the past, and these midterm losses could give him an ample opportunity to beat the unpopular Senator.
President Trump has yet to weigh in on who he will support.
The House, firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan, R-OH, is seeking to become the next GOP minority leader and he will face outgoing Majority Leader, Steve Scalise, R-LA.
This creates a deeply divided battle that will determine which direction House Republicans take going forward. President Trump also has yet to weigh in on who he will support in this battle.
If Thune were to save any part of his stained legacy, then he should step aside and let someone else lead the Republican Senate Caucus. Someone who is not handpicked by fellow R.I.N.O. Mitch McConnell.
What is the GOP’s future following these terrible losses? What direction will the party take in future election cycles?
Let the political infighting begin.
 

The post “LET THE POLITICAL INFIGHTING BEGIN”: What’s Next for Republicans After DEVASTATING Election Loss? – RINO John Thune Under Fire appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab has ordered additional election audits in six extremely close contests following Tuesday’s midterm elections, including the governor’s race, secretary of state, attorney general, and three state House districts.
But there is a catch.
Under Kansas election law, officials are required to manually recount ballots from just 10% of precincts in each affected county as part of the close-race audit.
That means roughly 90% of precincts will not undergo the additional hand-count verification, although separate routine audits and other election procedures may review some ballots.
For elections decided by razor-thin margins, that limitation is certain to raise questions about whether the state’s verification procedures go far enough.
On Wednesday, November 4, Schwab’s office announced that six contests had met the statutory threshold for additional auditing after unofficial election-night results showed margins of 1% or less, KCTV reported.
The races include:

Governor
Secretary of State
Attorney General
Kansas House District 27
Kansas House District 40
Kansas House District 117

According to the Kansas Secretary of State’s official announcement, county election officials must hand-count ballots in the selected precincts and compare those results against the electronic voting tabulators.
The requirement is established under Kansas Statute 25-3009.
The audits are performed by bipartisan election boards and are conducted in addition to the state’s routine post-election audits, which examine selected races in 1% of precincts.
SIX RACES — SOME DECIDED BY ONLY DOZENS OF VOTES
The stakes could hardly be higher.
According to KCTV5’s November 4 election report, several statewide contests remained too close to call.
In the governor’s race, Democrat Cindy Holscher led Republican Ty Masterson by fewer than 6,000 votes, approximately six-tenths of a percentage point, with 98% of votes counted at the time of the report.
Republican Pat Proctor led Democrat Jennifer Day in the secretary of state contest by fewer than 11,000 votes.
Meanwhile, Democrat Chris Mann led Republican incumbent Attorney General Kris Kobach by more than 11,000 votes, with the margin reported at approximately 1%.
And the state legislative contests were even closer.
In House District 27, Democrat Sara Kiewiet led Republican incumbent Sean Tarwater by just 43 votes.
In District 40, Republican incumbent David Buehler led Democrat Mika Stilwell by 67 votes.
And in District 117, Democrat Brandon Holland led Republican incumbent Adam Turk by 133 votes.
According to Kansas election officials, the audits must be completed before the county canvassing process.
The county canvasses are scheduled to take place by November 16, with candidates able to request recounts by the applicable November 17 deadline.
Importantly, a close-race audit and a candidate-requested recount are two different procedures.
The audit is automatically triggered by the statutory margin and uses a limited sample of precincts.
A recount, when authorized and requested under Kansas law, can involve a broader examination of ballots.
Kansas has used its close-race audit procedure in previous elections, including two legislative contests in 2024. The state also reported that an August 2026 audit of the House District 42 Republican primary did not change that election’s outcome.
The real question now is whether the results of these six audits will satisfy the candidates and voters in contests separated by the narrowest of margins.
Ten percent of precincts receive the additional hand-count audit. The remaining precincts do not automatically receive the same scrutiny.
That is what the Kansas law requires.
Investigative journalist Lara Logan also weighed in on the audit:
“This is important because when they say they are doing an audit, most people just assume that means every ballot, every race. But 10 percent is a long, long way from that. It is similar in that sense to a risk limiting audit where they don’t even count every ballot. Only a small percentage of the votes in question.
The other problem with audits is that they do not examine whether the vote is legitimate or fraudulent. All they do is match the count. And when a ballot is fake, it does not matter how many times you count it. You will still get the same result.
Audits should be 100 percent not fractions of that.”

This is important because when they say they are doing an audit, most people just assume that means every ballot, every race. But 10 percent is a long, long way from that. It is similar in that sense to a risk limiting audit where they don’t even count every ballot. Only a small percentage of the votes in question.
The other problem with audits is that they do not examine whether the vote is legitimate or fraudulent. All they do is match the count. And when a ballot is fake, it does not matter how many times you count it. You will still get the same result.
Audits should be 100 percent not fractions of that.
— Lara Logan (@laralogan) November 6, 2026

The post Kansas Orders Hand-Count Audits in SIX Razor-Thin Election Races — But Vast Majority of Precincts Will NOT Be Manually Rechecked Under Close-Race Audit appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.