Health costs were a central issue in the midterm elections, with many voters feeling pressure from rising premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. In the United States, most people get coverage through employers, government programs or individual plans, so changes in premiums or subsidies hit household budgets directly. When costs climb faster than incomes, voters often judge the party in power on affordability. That pattern can shift the outcome of congressional races, and it shapes which healthcare policies come next.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.