Elections; Skydance; Christa Pike; Russia plague : NPR

Key Points:

• New polls indicate Democrats are favored to win the House with a narrow majority, potentially gaining 5 to 15 seats, and the Senate is now within reach after six seats shifted toward Democrats since June, amid low approval ratings for President Trump.
• David Ellison's $111 billion merger of Paramount-Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to close, creating a major media conglomerate despite public protests and concerns about media power concentration and CNN's independence.
• Tennessee witnessed a failed execution of Christa Pike, the first woman to face the death penalty in the state in nearly 200 years, raising questions about lethal injection protocols due to her medical condition.
• Russian authorities are investigating the mysterious death of a 28-year-old lab worker at an infectious diseases institute in Siberia, prompting concerns about a possible plague outbreak, though the cause remains unclear.
• NPR's Morning Edition is reporting from six key states ahead of the midterms, focusing on voter concerns such as the cost of living, immigration, data center growth, and voting process changes, with special attention to how Trump's policies continue to influence voter sentiment.