Residents of a Montana mining town will have their day in court today to see a major chemical company accused of poisoning their homes and schools with asbestos.

In a rout once considered almost inconceivable, Democrats seemingly won a 51st seat in the Senate and regained total control of Congress after 12 years of near-domination by the Republican Party.

US President George Bush, campaigning in a Republican stronghold for an endangered Republican senator, tried to rally his supporters today by portraying Democrats as soft on terrorists and opposed to conservative judges.

Former US Presidential candidate Democratic Sen John Kerry today apologised for “a botched joke” about President George Bush’s Iraq policies that led Bush and fellow Republicans to accuse him of insulting US troops.

A Democrat has emerged from a bitter race to win the right to challenge California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a former Republican congressman from California narrowly beat his Democratic rival early today for a House seat, during the biggest primary night of the US election year.