U.S. polls open as control of Congress hangs in balance

And polls are opening up around the country today for the midterms. Democrats are hoping to ride a predicted blue wave as Republicans hope to salvage control of Congress. Douglas Ader has more this morning from Washington. Good morning, Doug. Good morning. Looks to be shaping up to be a pretty busy election day as we have heard closing arguments in a number of states that will determine which party controls the reins here on Capitol Hill. The rapper Common almost blowing out the sound system at an 11th hour rally for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. A critical contest with Republican Mike Rogers laying out what he sees as the stakes. Are you guys ready to fight for freedom tomorrow? And that is playing out in state after state. Early polling shows a great deal of enthusiasm, and we're hearing some anger on both sides. I was a Democrat years ago. I'm embarrassed to be one today. But I cannot bring myself to vote for a Trump minion under any circumstances. This is the pipe inside here. President Trump, meantime, talking about renovations at the newly reopened reflecting pool in Washington, hoping there aren't waves here or elsewhere today. When you vote, remember a party that hates America cannot. Be allowed to rule over the people who built our country. And he has crisscrossed the country over the past month. The White House says 30 events in 32 days. And while state and local races also play into turnout, Senate races are a big driver. I would really be watching Maine, Michigan, and Alaska. That's going to determine the Senate. Veterans of these contests will look for early signs today to see what kind of message voters are sending. And while we do expect a lot of voting today, more than 50 million Americans have already cast their ballots through early voting or voting by mail. So a lot of this support one way or the other is already locked in, Desiree. I know that. I mean, that number you gave is pretty impressive, Doug. I mean, how does that compare to previous midterms? Well, it's higher, but, you know, you have a couple things at play there. One, it may reflect genuine enthusiasm, but it also reflects probably more adoption as more people get used to voting this way. All right. Well, we shall see. It's going to be a busy day, Doug. We love your backdrop this morning. Beautiful day there in Washington. It's very nice. Thank you. Thank you.