The balance of power

Control of Congress hangs in the balance as Americans cast ballots today in the 2022 midterm elections. Someone has won the record-breaking Powerball jackpot. And controversy about Qatar hosting the World Cup continues as the tournament nears.

👋 Hello! Nicole Fallert and Laura Davis here! It's Election Day, so we're tag-teaming the news today. Let's do this.

But first, did you catch that lunar eclipse? 🌝 We sure as heck didn't. Totally slept through the alarm. Too bad it's the last one until 2025.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here.

No major issues at polling sites as voters cast midterm ballots

Election watchdogs reported routine issues in key battleground states Tuesday but no major problems as ballots were cast across the country. The midterms are the first national election since 2020, when former President Donald Trump refused to accept the results, sparking conspiracy theories and thrusting voting processes into the spotlight. Live updates on the midterms.

• We're probably not going to have final election results tonight. Because of different laws for counting mail ballots, especially in battleground states like Pennsylvania, final results in some crucial contests might not be clear for days.

• Arizona has become the epicenter of concerns about ballot drop box security and voter intimidation. In one county, a judge ruled that ballots cannot be hand-counted as planned.

• Which party will control the Senate? The House? What about state-level measures on abortion policy? Get results from all the national, state and local races here.

😲 Stressed about the midterms? You're not alone. Here's how to stay calm.

Will Democrats get a boost from youth turnout?

Democrats are betting that a summer of unprecedented news – including the overturn of Roe v. Wade, rising inflation and President Joe Biden's student loan relief program – could prompt young voters, especially women, to turn out at historic levels. But younger voters are notorious for skipping the polls, especially during midterms, fueling worries that even such a momentous news year might not be enough to get those ballots in. And the data on young voters is fraught. Read more.

• New voting laws and state discrepancies leave young voters worried about their absentee ballots.

• 'It feels like we’re going backward': On both sides of the aisle, voters in blue-turned-red West Virginia are anxious about the direction of the nation.

• 'This is what we feared': Latinas are the largest group of women of color affected by abortion bans.

🛑 Can't read the story about young voters? That's because it's subscriber-only. To access more compelling reporting like this, please consider joining our subscriber community.

What everyone's talking about

• The Jewish community fears rising hate following comments from Trump, Kanye West and Kyrie Irving.

• Chris Evans has been named People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2022.

• College Football Playoff rankings: Predicting who will land at No. 4

• 'Black Panther 2' review: A profound, action-packed take on life and legacy.

• Elon Musk and the Twitter controversy create unique challenges for automakers.

The Short List is free, but several stories we link to are subscriber-only. Consider supporting our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.

We've got a Powerball winner, folks

A single ticket sold in California won the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball drawing Tuesday morning, Powerball officials announced. The winning ticket was sold at a service center in Altadena in Los Angeles County, according to a tweet from the California Lottery. Monday's highly anticipated drawing was delayed about 10 hours because a participating lottery was still processing its sales and play data, the Multi-State Lottery Association said in a statement. The winning numbers of the largest lottery prize ever were 10-33-41-47-56 and the Powerball was 10.

• What should you do if you win the lottery? The first piece of advice: Don't tell everyone.

Why a museum wants a Vietnam vet's unusual prosthetic legs

The last day Jack Simpson had both his legs was Nov. 10, 1968, when he was a 19-year-old Marine deployed for the Vietnam War. At 6 a.m. Nov. 11 – on Veterans Day – Simpson stepped on an anti-tank land mine. The double amputee went through various pairs of prosthetic legs about every two years throughout his life – which ended from COVID-19 in February 2021. But his prosthetics were so unique, the National Museum of the Marine Corps wants them for its collection in Quantico, Virginia. Here's why.

Real quick

• Tropical Storm Nicole could reach hurricane strength before hitting Florida.

• Ukraine's president makes rare but contingency-laden pitch for peace talks with Russia.

• Twitter lost more than 1.3 million users in the week after Elon Musk bought it.

• Cornell halts frat parties after reports of nearly a half dozen people being drugged, sexually assaulted.

• What the Colts hiring Jeff Saturday means for Black NFL coaches.

🌤 What's the weather this Election Day? Check your local forecast here.

World Cup ambassador from Qatar denounces homosexuality

An ambassador for the World Cup in Qatar has described homosexuality as a “damage in the mind” in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF only two weeks before the opening of the soccer tournament in the Gulf state. The comment highlights concerns about the conservative country’s treatment of gays and lesbians. Former Qatari national team player Khalid Salman told a German reporter in an interview that being gay is “haram.” That means "forbidden" in Arabic. Read more.

• England's coach encourages gay soccer players to come out.

• FIFA urges World Cup teams to focus on soccer over politics.

• A look at the players who won't be at the World Cup in Qatar.

• Qatar’s promise of a ''carbon-neutral'' World Cup raises doubts.

'I Voted' stickers got a revamp by readers

As voting is underway across the USA, what better way to show your patriotism than a sticker on your shirt? Last week, we asked readers for their take on the classic "I Voted" stickers. They delivered. All the submissions are masterpieces and deserve to be on stickers around the country. We can't really help with that, but thank you to everyone who submitted a design!

Did you vote? Tell the world! Share one of our reader-designed "I Voted" stickers to your Instagram Story. See all the stickers here.

👏 A round of applause for our artists: Caroline Reisman, New York, N.Y.; Rande Brewer, Colorado; Glenn Murray, Buffalo, N.Y.; Roseann Standera, Buffalo, N.Y.; Bob Balsman, Johnstown, Colorado.

A break from the news

• 👼 What are angel numbers? A guide to angel numbers and what they (could) mean.

• 👩‍💻 Ask HR: How do I maintain a solid work-life balance while working remotely?

• 🐴 At 20 inches tall, Pumuckel the pony is vying for the title of world's smallest horse.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Midterm elections, Powerball jackpot winner, FIFA, Chris Evans. It's Tuesday's news.