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Hispanic voters are twice as likely to favour Democratic Party over Trump’s Republican Party in the November elections.

A new poll from the news agency Reuters and the research firm Ipsos has found that United States President Donald Trump’s approval rating remains at a record low as the midterm elections approach in November.

The six-day survey, completed on Monday, found that just 32 percent of US voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president.

While that low rate has held steady since September, the latest Reuters-Ipsos poll suggests his support among Latino voters is continuing to slide.

Trump’s approval rating shrunk this month to 24 percent among Hispanic voters, its lowest point in either of his two terms in office.

The Republican leader had previously made substantial inroads with that constituency.

The Pew Research Center estimated that Trump and his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, were within three percentage points of each other in the 2024 presidential race, earning 48 percent and 51 percent of the Hispanic vote, respectively.

That rate marked a significant jump for Trump over the 2020 election, when he only earned 36 percent of the Hispanic vote.

Experts have credited the boost in Hispanic support with helping Trump win the 2024 race. His 2020 bid, by contrast, ended in defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.

The Monday poll found that Trump’s gains among Hispanics have largely evaporated.

About 52 percent plan to vote for the Democrats in the November midterms, compared to 26 percent for Republicans.

The upcoming midterm is largely viewed as a referendum on Trump’s second term and will decide whether the Republicans maintain their majorities in the US House of Representatives and the Senate.

Democrats have seized on Trump’s low approval ratings, hoping to translate frustration with the president into voter momentum for their party.

A Democratic majority in one or both houses of Congress would place substantial constraints on Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his time in office.

But Trump has also faced rumblings from within his Republican Party as the November 3 midterms approach.

One Republican incumbent, Representative Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, released a campaign advertisement last month that addressed Trump directly, saying, “The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”

She cited Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown as a source of tension. “Some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” she said, pointing to the detention and deportation of immigrants with no criminal record.

Experts have also warned that the president’s shrinking popularity, driven in part by concerns about the cost of living and his decision to launch a war on Iran, could weigh down Republican candidates in key races across the country.

Still, Trump has continued to express confidence about the prospects of his Republican Party in the upcoming midterms.

He has also defended his decision to place himself at the centre of the Republican election campaign strategy. Trump recently launched a 32-day blitz of cross-country rallies ahead of the November 3 midterms.

“Just so you understand, they all want me to go,” Trump said, denying that some Republicans would prefer he keep his distance. “They all want me to go campaign.”

ONE of the longest piers in the UK has unveiled its latest restoration update after being forced to close four years ago.

Southport Pier in Merseyside has been closed since 2022 after being deemed unsafe but is currently undergoing a huge £20million restoration project.

As part of the project, sections of the pier are being stripped back including the decking.

There will also be replacement steelwork, such as restoring the existing handrails and tramlines.

A total of 27 lighting arches have been removed as well as a half-way house and kiosk that have been taken down.

The pier, which is one of the longest in the UK and dates back to 1860, will undergo construction and reconstruction work until around September next year.

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Sefton Council previously said: “The first task contractors will have is to assess the current condition of the existing paintwork on the structure’s columns. We want to ascertain if there has been any deterioration since previous assessments were undertaken.

“If the condition is good it can be left as is, however if not we will also need to repaint the whole structure as part of the repair works.

“This pre-construction work will take at least five days to complete.

“Following this we’ll shortly be moving onto the ground investigation stage within the coming weeks, which checks the stability of the ground underneath and around the Pier for materials like scaffolding.”

The pier originally opened in 1860 but the pavilion was destroyed in 1897 by a fire.

Another fire damaged the deck in 1959.

Then in 1975, it was awarded a Grade II listed status and a £7million tramway was added in 2002 running along the pier.

Notably figures associated with the pier include Charlie Chaplin, who performed there during his early career.

The first full week of October, though light, brings a diverse earnings slate spanning consumer staples, beverages, travel, apparel, and AI infrastructure, with companies offering fresh reads on both consumer demand and the capital-intensive technology buildout. PepsiCo (PEP), Constellation

Latest polls suggest Lula’s lead over Bolsonaro is narrowing, with neither candidate likely to win outright on Sunday.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro have wrapped up their election campaigns, each voicing confidence in victory ahead of Sunday’s tightly contested first-round presidential vote.

Lula, 80, closed his re-election bid on Saturday with a march through Sao Paulo, Brazil’s economic powerhouse, drawing what his campaign called a record crowd for a closing rally.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to win the elections in the first round,” he told supporters, describing Sunday’s vote as a choice between “democracy and barbarism” and promising to “defeat the far right”.

He has also framed the election as a test of Brazil’s sovereignty, warning against “meddling” by Washington.

Bolsonaro led a motorcycle caravan through towns in Sao Paulo state, echoing the campaign style of his father, before rallying later in Rio de Janeiro. “I am convinced that everything is in place for us to win this election in the first round,” he said.

The 45-year-old is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a close ally of US President Donald Trump. The former leader, 71, is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting to overturn his 2022 election loss to Lula.

The younger Bolsonaro was photographed at his rally holding a portrait of his father.

Trump has not formally endorsed Bolsonaro but has said he is watching the election “very closely”, a level of US interest that has become a flashpoint in the campaign.

Lula’s supporters have seized on it as evidence Washington is trying to meddle in the elections, while some Bolsonaro supporters, frustrated by the cost of living, say they would welcome US pressure if it helped force change at home.

Polls released on Saturday suggested Lula was still ahead but his lead was narrowing, with neither candidate likely to win outright on Sunday. Such a result would send the race to a run-off on October 25 between the two frontrunners, a contest polls suggest would also be close.

It is a far tighter race than Lula’s last victory in 2022, when he beat the elder Bolsonaro by less than two percentage points.

Meanwhile, the Bolsonaro campaign has faced scrutiny over a film-funding scandal. Flavio Bolsonaro is under investigation over financing for Dark Horse, a biopic about his father, bankrolled by a jailed banker tied to one of Brazil’s biggest financial scandals.

Brazil’s Supreme Court authorised federal police in April to investigate whether Flavio Bolsonaro made defamatory statements about Lula.

Bolsonaro has pledged to seek his father’s release from prison if elected, and has echoed his father’s unsubstantiated claims questioning the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system, which analysts say could be laying the groundwork to contest the result if he loses.

Beyond the presidency, Brazil’s nearly 160 million registered voters will also choose lawmakers, governors and senators on Sunday.

Right-wing candidates have gained ground in Latin America in recent months.

Cristiano Ronaldo withdrew from the Portugal squad, but Bruno Fernandes says forward remains team’s ‘greatest symbol’.

Portugal playmaker Bruno Fernandes said Cristiano Ronaldo remains the country’s greatest footballing icon despite walking out on the squad this week after finding out he would not start a match.

The 41-year-old superstar said on Wednesday that he had left the team after coach Jorge Jesus said he would not start against Denmark in the Nations League, a match Portugal won 4-2 without him.

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United attacker’s future with the national team, for whom he is the leading goalscorer and most capped player, is in doubt after his walkout.

“Regarding Cristiano, I had a conversation with him, and what I told him, and what I repeat here, is this – the most important thing is that, regardless of what happens, Cristiano Ronaldo will never cease to be the greatest symbol of our national team, of our football, and of the country, for what he has done not only in Portugal but throughout the world,” Fernandes told reporters on Saturday.

Manchester United midfielder Fernandes called for unity after a tumultuous few days in which Portugal fans’ opinions have been split over Ronaldo’s decision.

“He has a reserved place not only among the best of all time, but also in the hearts of all Portuguese people and the most important thing is that we stop dividing things,” said Fernandes.

“There are no divisions in the national team, it is one and will remain so, despite any noise that may come from outside…

“We are outside of this controversy, but what I ask is that the country does not divide itself, does not make choices, that it respects all sides, but, at the same time, Cris is and will be the biggest icon of our national team, he deserves everyone’s respect, regardless of who likes him more or (who likes him) less.”

Portugal beat Norway and Denmark away from home without Ronaldo starting and face Norway again on Sunday.

Coach Jesus said Ronaldo was a “symbol of Portugal” and said there would be time to speak about him after Sunday’s game in Porto.

“I’m going to focus on the team, on the opponent which is Norway, one of the five best teams in Europe. That’s the problem right now,” said the 72-year-old coach.

Strictly fans could see a change in the hosting format this weekend after complaints were made that it “didn’t work” last week.

While fans were happy to see Emma Willis hosting from the dance floor, they were unconvinced that Josh Widdicombe belonged in the role at her side.

“The Strictly producers will be in a bit of a pickle now,” one fan pointed out at the weekend. “The overwhelming view seems to be that Emma is perfect and should host downstairs alone, and Josh should be moved upstairs as he’s way more of a comedic, lighthearted chat sort of host.”

Former pro dancer Vincent Simone told the Mirror this week that he sees the upheaval in the presenting duties is a major “downside”.

“I think the only downside of this year is that there’s been way too many changes all in one go,” he said. “Some people like changes, like me. Some people don’t.

“I can imagine some people saying, ‘Oh, Tess and Claudia are not going to be presenting, I won’t be watching it,’ or, you know, some of the professionals that I used to love, they won’t be performing again, ‘I’m not going to watch it again.’

“So unfortunately, it is what it is. I think there’s been way too many new changes all at once.”

The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for Tennessee inmate Christa Pike to be executed, overturning a last-minute reprieve.

The killing by lethal injection was scheduled for Wednesday morning before judges from the Sixth Circuit Appeals court halted the execution. Tennessee’s attorney general then immediately requested the Supreme Court to overrule the lower court’s stay.

Pike, 50, has been awaiting execution since she was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer.

If the execution proceeds, Christa Pike will be the first woman to be executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. It was not immediately clear when the execution would take place.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh granted the application to vacate the stay of the execution. No explanation for lifting the stay was provided in the order.

The top court’s three liberal justices – Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson – dissented in Wednesday evening’s order.

Sotomayor wrote that she dissents because the decision cleared the way for Tennessee to execute Pike before her pending legal challenges to her conviction “can be properly considered”.

“Tennessee’s desire to expedite Pike’s execution by a few days or even weeks cannot outweigh her ‘fundamental interest in [her] own life,” she said.

In a ruling earlier on Wednesday, judges from the Sixth Circuit Appeals court paused the execution saying they needed more time to consider the arguments in Pike’s case.

Pike’s lawyers said that for years, the state of Tennessee argued in court that she had lied about being sexually abused as a child.

But at a recent hearing about her execution method, the state said it did not dispute she suffered sexual abuse and rape.

Pike’s legal team asked the appeals court to send her motion back to the district court, arguing that if the federal courts based their ruling on the state’s earlier claim that she was lying, then the federal review was affected.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court refused to hear a different appeal from Pike.

Tennessee governor also denied a clemency request this week from the death row inmate.

Pike was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and murdered Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old they met at a job training camp for troubled teens.

BROOKLYN Beckham and his wife Nicola Peltz have risked running in to his parents David and Victoria.

The young couple have flown into Paris for fashion week ahead of his mum’s fashion show.

Brooklyn, 27, and Nicola, 31, have been seen walking hand-in-hand around the city of love.

Looking smitten as they wandered around, the pair narrowly avoided bumping into David and Victoria.

Brooklyn’s parents are currently in Paris, with Victoria seen taking on the most fashionable week of the year earlier this week.

Despite being in the city at the same time, Brooklyn is not expected to attend his mum’s show due to them being locked in a bitter family feud.

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Nicola and Brooklyn continue to be embroiled in the ongoing row which has now rumbled on for almost a year.

The feud heated up when Brooklyn let loose on his family in a scathing social media post in January.

Brooklyn said at the start of the year that he did “not want to reconcile” with his family, and accused his parents of “controlling” the narrative.

His initial statement read: “I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private.

“Unfortunately my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.

“I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”

He then went on to recall the night of his wedding and how his mother danced in an “inappropriate way”.

Brooklyn also sent his parents David and Victoria a legal notice warning they can now contact him only via lawyers.

The extraordinary “desist” letter also instructed them not to “tag” him on social media.

Things then led to Brooklyn snubbing his father’s Hollywood star unveiling in June.

Rising goods and fuel costs are cited as key factors in the sharp drop in consumer confidence.

United States consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level since 2014, just over one month before the congressional midterm elections.

Consumers pointed to higher costs for goods and services as the primary reason for the decline, according to The Conference Board, which released its monthly report on Tuesday.

“The Consumer Confidence Index deteriorated notably in September, following two prior months of softening,” Dana M Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, said in a release announcing the report.

Consumers pointed to higher prices at the pump as one of the driving factors. The average price for a gallon (3.78 litres) of petrol has jumped 37 cents over the past month, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which tracks daily petrol prices. The average price stood at $4.45 on Tuesday, compared with $4.08 a month ago.

“Oil and gas prices in particular rose to new heights, reflecting September’s surge in fuel costs. Comments about war/conflict eased this month but remained elevated,” Peterson said.

The consumer confidence report comes a day ahead of a key inflation report that the Federal Reserve uses to gauge the state of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, which was up 3.7 percent in June from a year earlier.

The US central bank raised interest rates for the first time in three years earlier this month, driving up costs of credit cards and car and bank loans. It is set to make another decision on interest rates at its October 27-28 meeting, putting pressure on Republicans as consumer sentiment tumbles across political affiliations.

Consumer confidence fell among all political affiliations, according to the report, the second-to-last major consumer confidence reading before the midterm elections, which will determine the balance of power in Washington, DC.

US consumers think the Democratic Party would handle the economy better than their Republican counterparts, with 42 percent saying Democrats would do a better job compared with 34 percent for Republicans, according to a recent Marist poll.

US markets are only slightly lower as the trading day comes to a close. The tech-heavy Nasdaq closed down 0.08 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.2 percent and the S&P 500 was down 0.1 percent.

THE VMAs red carpet is known for daring fashion – and celebrities didn’t disappoint.

Stars like Taylor Swift, Teyana Taylor, Charli xcx, and Bebe Rexha lit the carpet on fire with skin-bearing outfits.

Taylor Swift, who is set to accept the inaugural Artist Director Honors award, wore a slinky Tamara Ralph gown.

The pop star paired a sparkly silver skirt with a form-fitting black bodice and mesh side cutouts.

She also showed off her new collarbone length haircut with long, cascading earrings.

Presenter Charli xcx stepped out in an all-black velvet ensemble from Saint Laurent with dramatic, billowing sleeves.

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The low-rise column skirt and tiny top showed off her toned stomach, an a mesh insert covered her chest.

Other stars kept up the black theme.

One Battle After Another actress Teyana Taylor wore a plunging feathered gown from Zuhair Murad, while Bebe Rexha wore an all-black lace look with over the knee boots.

Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink turned heads in a form-fitting red gown and a dramatic furry red cape.

The star is up for four awards tonight and will perform her single SaWaDiKa during the ceremony.

Sombr also kept up the fur theme with an oversized striped jacket over his bare chest.

The pop star accessorized with layered necklaces, black sunglasses, and a bedazzled belt that reads “sex”.

PinkPantheress, who is up for five awards tonight, looked ethereal in tiered Nina Ricci gown.

She paired the burgundy and polka dot dress with light, blushing makeup and a fishtail braid.

Presenter Tyla brought the heat in a blue snakeskin two-piece bra and skirt set from Mowalola.

SNL alum Rachel Dratch wore a structured metallic dress, while sister duo Paris and Nicky Hilton twinned in silver, with presenter Paris rocking tall bedazzled boots and a sparkly mini dress with cut-outs.

Troye Sivan brought the drama in a high-necked Erdem suit with a draped black sash with white feathers.

Singer Normani also went for a metallic look with a large flower embellishment.

Singer Chloe Bailey wore a body-hugging silver dress with intricate beadwork and mirrored embellishments.

The tight bodice on the dress left little to the imagination – including her nipple peeking out the top.

Off Campus star Ella Bright stepped out in a black corseted gown that matched her new dark hair.

Real Housewives star Lisa Rinna debuted a wild new hair look coupled with a white gown with fake nipples.

Singer JoJo paired a black column skirt and bra top for her VMAs appearance.