The week in photos: October 31 to November 6, 2026

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MANILA, Philippines — Democrats took control of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections, making extraordinary gains deep in Republican territory with voters delivering a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump and his agenda.

A wave of anger over Trump’s policies, particularly the US-Iran war’s role in pushing the cost of living higher, helped Democrats take the Senate, where they flipped seats in deeply Republican states for a majority of at least 54-44. Democrats also gained at least 30 seats in the House of Representatives.

Donald Trump’s party has been defeated in states where it hadn’t lost for a generation — or longer: Texas, South Carolina and Kansas. These have been red states for quite some time, but this shows the Republicans really suffered in their own heartland.

Meanwhile, Malacanang announced on November 5 that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has chosen Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda as the country’s 28th Supreme Court chief justice.

Zalameda, the third most senior among the chief justice nominees, replaces Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo who retired during the weekend. Zalameda will serve as chief justice for seven years or until August 2033, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

People cast their vote in the US midterm elections in Milford, Michigan, on November 3, 2026. PHOTO BY BRIAN SNYDER/REUTERS

Tents are set up along Via dei Fori Imperiali, near the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, on October 31, 2026, as protesters continue their demonstration against the rising cost of living and military spending following a nationwide general strike. PHOTO BY REMO CASILLI/REUTERS

A Learjet crashes in a residential area in Palm Beach County, Florida, on November 1, 2026. SCREENGRAB FROM AKI KUUSISTO SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO VIA REUTERS

People offer flowers at the Novi Sad railway station in Serbia, on November 1, 2026, during a commemorative service on the second anniversary of the fatal 2024 canopy collapse of the station, which killed 16 people, triggering nationwide accusations of widespread corruption and negligence. PHOTO BY MARKO DJURICA/REUTERS

US President Donald Trump picks up a photograph after delivering remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC on November 2, 2026, during its reopening after months of repairs, ahead of the midterm elections. PHOTO BY EVAN VUCCI/REUTERS

Vodou followers pose with a skull during Day of the Dead celebrations, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on November 2, 2026. PHOTO BY FILDOR PQ EGEDER/REUTERS

Families of victims of enforced disappearances gather at the Claret School Chapel in Quezon City on All Souls’ Day, November 2, 2026, to remember and honor those who disappeared during the Martial Law dictatorship. PHOTO BY JIRE CARREON/RAPPLER

A man lighting candles during the Japanese ceremony ‘Tooro Nagashi’ before releasing lanterns on the water as part of a traditional ceremony honoring the dead in Registro, Sao Paulo, Brazil, on November 2, 2026. PHOTO BY ROOSEVELT CASSIO/REUTERS

Britain’s King Charles III and Britain’s Queen Camilla pose for a picture with young swimmers during a visit to a beach in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 3, 2026. PHOTO BY BEN STANSALL/POOL VIA REUTERS

Volunteers call people around the country to remind them to vote at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) midterm election night phone bank and watch party at a hotel in Washington DC on November 3, 2026. PHOTO BY JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS

A volunteer sets the stage for the Michigan Democratic watch party during the US midterm elections in Detroit on November 3, 2026. PHOTO BY BRIAN SNYDER/REUTERS

Workers prepare a signage at the entrance of the World Trade Center in Pasay City, on November 4, 2026, in preparation for the 49th ASEAN Summit and related meetings from November 16 to 18. PHOTO BY RAPPLER

A mural of Pope Leo XIV is displayed in Claypole, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires on November 4, 2026, before his trip to Argentina from November 8 to 11. PHOTO BY AGUSTIN MARCARIAN/REUTERS

People set fire to a banner depicting US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Vice President JD Vance and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, on a street in Tehran, Iran, November 4, 2026. PHOTO BY MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA VIA REUTERS

Texas Senator-elect James Talarico and Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, both Democrats, cheer with drinks while being surrounded by supporters at Whataburger in Austin, Texas, on November 4, 2026. PHOTO FROM JAMES TALARICO X SOCIAL VIA REUTERS

A ‘veto’ cap lies on a book, on the day US President Donald Trump signs a proclamation on the ‘Establishment of the Oval Office National Monument’, in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington DC, on November 5, 2026. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH FRANTZ/REUTERS

A French high school student plays the transverse flute as higch school students block a street with garbage bins ahead of a demonstration in Paris, France, on November 5, 2026, as part of a nationwide day of strikes and protests over wages, the cost of living and public services called by French labour unions and joined by high school and university students demanding better school conditions. PHOTO BY ABDUL SABOOR/REUTERS

Activists hold flares as they climb a structure in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on November 6, 2026, during a protest against the construction of a Microsoft data centre, citing environmental concerns and local opposition. PHOTO BY PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW/REUTERS

Thailand’s Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya and Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti take part in a royal barge procession on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 6, 2026, for the offering ceremony of the royal kathin robes to Buddhist monks at Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) on the occasion of Queen Suthida’s 48th birthday. PHOTO BY PATIPAT JANTHONG/REUTERS

Newly appointed Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda takes his oath as the 28th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines before Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen during a ceremony on November 6, 2026. PHOTO BY RAPPLER

—with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com