Image source, Getty Images

California Governor Gavin Newsom is among a crop of Democrats this year that has faulted their own party for campaign shortcomings.

The 55-year-old is sailing toward re-election next week, but he had some tough words for his fellow Democrats on Wednesday, who he said weren't being aggressive enough in their messaging.

“We’re getting crushed on narrative," Newsom told CBS News. "We’re going to have to do better in terms of getting on the offence and stop being on the damn defence."

Party strategists and voters alike have bemoaned the relative weakness of Democratic messaging compared with that of their Republican opponents, but Newsom has been particularly acute in his criticism.

At a September event in conservative Texas, he said "ruthless" Republicans were "winning right now".

“Where are we? Where are we organising, bottom-up, a compelling alternative narrative?"

The governor has shot down claims he is positioning himself as a presidential contender for 2024, but - as he goes out of his way to pick fights with Republicans in other states - he is drawing plenty of buzz.

Image source, Getty Images

Staying with Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano, a Trump-backed candidate for governor who supports the false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, says "history is about to repeat itself in Pennsylvania on election night".

The Pennsylvania Republican candidate made the remarks in a fundraising email to supporters suggesting that the vote in the state could be tampered with.

"You don’t have to look too far back in history (just 2 years) to see what happens when our elections are run by incompetent Democrats with lax laws and barely any enforcement of them," the email adds.

It cites reports that results won't be posted immediately for the state on election day - a delay that election officials said is necessary so that every vote can be counted.

Mastriano's email suggests that his campaign will have 7,000 poll watchers posted around the state, adding they need to be "ready for whatever happens".

Pennsylvania election officials have maintained that the voting process in the state is secure.

As of 2020, all 67 counties in Pennsylvania have been equipped with systems that produce voter-verifiable paper records, and meet modern standards of "security, audibility and accessibility," according to the state's elections website., external

Image source, Getty Images

We've been spending some time today focusing on one of the key states to watch during this year's midterms: Pennsylvania.

Political leaders will also be investing time there in the hopes of helping out their party's respective candidates.

Barack Obama's team have announced that he'll join the Democratic candidate for governor, John Fetterman, for a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

It comes as polls show the Republican candidate, Mehmet Oz, gaining ground on Fetterman, following what was seen as a halting debate performance by the Democrat.

In a hot mic moment caught on tape last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was heard telling Biden that the debate "didn't hurt" Democrats "too much" - a comment backed up by some recent opinion polls.

Fetterman is recovering from a stroke he suffered in May. His health has rapidly risen to the race's top issue as he faces off against Oz, a celebrity TV personality.

Meanwhile, Trump is also planning to campaign in Pennsylvania on Saturday - the same day as Obama.

His rally will be at a regional airport around 40 miles (65km) east of Pittsburgh.

Stocks on the New York Stock Exchange fell after the Federal Reserve’s announcement of a rise in interest rates of 0.75% - it was the fourth consecutive 0.75% climb, and the sixth hike of this year.

After the announcement, the Dow Jones fell 0.8% to 32,391.70, while the S&P 500 dropped 1.57% to 3,795.46.

Markets had rallied after an earlier Fed statement that suggested a more moderate increase, but prices tumbled during the press conference by Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who said such actions were needed to achieve “price stability”.

Image source, Getty Images

Speaking to unionised workers in the electrical industry and other labour workers just now, Biden touched briefly on inflation, saying it is still hurting Americans.

But he added he feels optimistic about the future and noted that the unemployment rate has shrunk since he took office from 6.5% to 3.5%.

He also touted his recently-passed infrastructure bill that he says will create "good paying, high quality" jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors.

The bill, which authorises billions of dollars to rebuild roads, bridges and public transit amid other infrastructure projects, will also help the US meet its climate goals and lead the transition to a clean-energy economy, Biden said.

US President Joe Biden has just begun remarks in Washington, DC, where he is expected to touch on the work his government is doing to create jobs in the construction and manufacturing sectors.

We've been reporting on the cost of living and the midterms - and Biden is also expected to promote his government's other policies, like the recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act.

Follow along for live updates from Biden's speech.

Mike in South Carolina says inflation is affecting his health and he hopes the Republicans can offer solutions to the cost of living crisis.

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Back to Pennsylvania where Rachel shares why she's voting for the Democrats.

Many eyes will be on Pennsylvania on Tuesday, as Democrat John Fetterman faces off against Mehmet Oz.

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Join our voter panel.

Now over to Minnesota to voter panel member Tracy Ries.

As a cost of living crisis envelopes the US, Ries says she's voting Republican on Tuesday.

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Chloe Kim
BBC News, Washington

We're kicking off the BBC's midterms voter panel!

I've been speaking to voters across the country about what is driving them to the polls on Tuesday.

For many, the economy and cost of living are top of mind. I'm going to be sharing what Americans have been telling me about how inflation has influenced their daily lives and how it will affect their vote. Stay tuned.

Are you an American voter? It's not too late to join the panel and share your opinion.

Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, has been giving a press conference following the latest interest rate hike.

He explains that the Fed's responsibility is to "restore price stability", which serves as the "bedrock" of the American economy and is needed to achieve a strong labour market.

Powell anticipates that other interest rate increases will be needed and that a restrictive stance in policy will have to continue. He also says that the US economy has slowed "considerably" since last year, as have growth and consumer spending.

Despite this, the unemployment rate is at a 50 year low and job gains have been robust, Powell says.

He notes that one of the risks with continued high inflation - which has hit food prices, fuel and housing - is that expectations that it will continue to grow will become entrenched. As such, the Fed continues to be committed to keeping inflation at 2%.

"At some point, it will become appropriate to slow the pace of increases as we approach the level of interest rates that will be sufficient to bring inflation down to our 2% goal," Powell says, although he notes "we still have a ways to go."

"We will stay the course until the job is done," he adds.

Powell concludes by saying that he knows the Fed's actions will affect families, communities and businesses across the US, but that "everything we do is in service to our public mission" of achieving employment and stability goals.

The US central bank hopes pushing up borrowing costs will cool the economy and bring down price inflation.

The sharp rise in borrowing costs has already started to cool some parts of the economy, such as housing.

But economists say more economic slowdown is necessary if inflation is to return to the 2% level considered healthy.

"There is always the hope of painless, immaculate disinflation," said economist Willem Buiter, a former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England who is now an independent economic advisor. "Unfortunately there are very few historical episodes that fit that picture".

"This is not going to be a pleasant year," he added.

Read more here.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US Federal Reserve's latest move to raise its benchmark interest rate will help to bring down inflation, and a rise in mortgage rates should cool inflation in the housing market.

Image source, Reuters

As the US gets ready for next Tuesday's crucial vote, we'd love to hear about which key issues matter most to you, to help shape our coverage.

Whether you have a particular interest in how much abortion is defining the Midterm campaign, or the effect other issues like inflation, crime and immigration are having on voters, please do get in touch.

Over the coming days, BBC News correspondents from across the US will be answering your questions as part of the build up to election day - one which could define the next two years of Joe Biden's presidency.

For anyone who would like to submit one, click here and fill out the form so our experts can take a look.

The Federal Reserve has just boosted rates for the sixth time this year in a bid to reduce inflation - an issue on the minds of many Americans, and which has now become a hot topic in the midterms campaigns.

The cost of food in the US is rising at the fastest pace since the 1970s, with grocery prices up 13.5% in the 12 months to September - and wages are failing to keep pace.

Shoppers across the country are feeling the pain. The Republicans are running with it as one of their key talking points to attack the Democrats.

However, for the Democratic base, polls suggest that inflation concerns have been overshadowed by the fight over abortion - which returned to the spotlight after the Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion in June - as well as worries about democracy generally, which some attribute to former president Donald Trump's involvement in politics.

For Republicans, the economy remains key, especially as the price of gasoline - which looms larger than food prices in the public imagination - has started to tick higher, after dropping this summer. But Republican candidates are also focused on issues that appeal to their base, like immigration - and pollsters have warned of the risks of running a one-issue campaign.

The Federal Reserve has announced it is boosting its benchmark interest rate by 0.75%.

It's the fourth consecutive 0.75% increase and the sixth hike of the year.

The push marks the latest effort to contain spiking costs being felt by households around the world.

Michelle Fleury
North America Business correspondent, New York

Generally, US politicians have stayed out of the Federal Reserve’s way as it tries to tame inflation.

But that is changing, as the central banks’ rate hikes start to bite.

More Democrats are warning of job losses as a result of the Fed’s moves.

In a letter addressed to Fed Chair Jay Powell, 10 Democrats - including Senator Elizabeth Warren - cautioned about potential consequences for the labour market as policymakers try to calm prices and crush inflation that is hovering near a 40-year high.

To fix the cost of living crisis, America’s central bank has embarked on its most aggressive series of rate hikes in decades, with another big increase to be tagged on at its meeting later today.

The US central bank is attempting to weaken the jobs market, as a way to curb demand that it thinks is keeping prices high. The danger is that if it goes too far, it could push the economy into recession and turn what is currently an inflation nightmare into a jobs nightmare.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've reported earlier, the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and Donald Trump's attempt to overturn it looms large ahead of this year's midterms.

A House select committee is still investigating US Capitol riots on 6 January 2021, and newly-submitted evidence has suggested Trump lawyers saw conservative Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas as the "only chance" to stop the 2020 election from being certified.

"We want to frame things so that Thomas could be the one to issue some sort of stay or other circuit justice opinion saying Georgia is in legitimate doubt," Trump's lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, wrote in an email to Trump's legal team that was submitted to the committee and obtained by US news outlet Politico., external

Chesebro added that Justice Thomas is the only likely route "to get a favourable judicial opinion" ahead of election's formal certification by Congress on 6 January 2021.

The emails were obtained from John Eastman, a California law professor who was researching ways then-President Trump could block Joe Biden's victory certification.

Eastman had tried to block the committee from obtaining those emails, but a judge ordered that they be turned over.

Image source, Getty Images

It looks unlikely that Donald Trump is going to have his Twitter account back before the midterms in six days.

New Twitter owner Elon Musk says that it will be "a few more weeks" before any banned accounts are restored.

Many have been waiting to see if Musk reinstates Trump, who had his account "permanently suspended" in wake of the attack on the US Capitol in January 2021.

"Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks," Musk tweeted.

The midterm elections take place on Tuesday.

Since Musk took over Twitter, Trump has suggested he would be happier sticking with his own Truth Social messaging platform.

But while Trump has a healthy 4.4M followers on Truth Social, it's dwarfed by the 88.7M he had on Twitter, and many think he would struggle to resist returning.

Trump isn't on the ballot for the midterms, but he's backing many Republican candidates.

If many prove to be successful, they could help set the stage for whether Trump runs for president again in 2024.

Nada Tawfik
BBC News, reporting from New Jersey

My first stop in New Jersey's 7th District was an early voting site where I spoke to two gentlemen.

When I approached Gregory Johnson, a 60-year-old black resident of the district, and asked what issue mattered to him most as he cast his ballot, he said "democracy, the end".

He used to be a Republican, but switched sides after Donald Trump took office, who he said was "not a respectable president".

While he believes neither party is honest, he said the Republican Party is getting "a little too crazy" for him and that basic issues such as the economy are on the backburner for him right now.

Peter Lombardi, an 82-year-old white resident, voted Republican down the ballot except in the crucial House race.

He said he's been satisfied with the incumbent democrat Tom Malinowski as his representative.

And while he ranks crime and inflation as his top issues, abortion is right behind that. Peter and his wife weren't crazy about what they viewed as the Republican candidate Tom Kean Jr's unclear stance. Kean voted against a bill that is now state law that codified the freedom of reproductive choice.

Here in one of the crucial districts for control of the House, concerns about democracy and abortion are swaying some voters.