Here is your Wednesday midday roundup, with one story from Massachusetts, one from across the United States and one from overseas — a major T shutdown starting this weekend, Washington’s first explanations for Tuesday’s midterm wave, and the start of coalition talks in Israel.

Massachusetts: MBTA Green Line closes nine days for signals and accessibility

Starting Saturday, Nov. 7, through Sunday, Nov. 15, the MBTA will shut large parts of the Green Line so crews can keep replacing the central tunnel’s century-old signal system and advance accessibility upgrades on the C Branch, the agency said in a Nov. 2 reminder. The work needs nine straight days of around-the-clock track access.

During the outage, free accessible shuttle buses will run on the B Branch between Babcock Street and Back Bay, on the C Branch between Cleveland Circle and Back Bay, and on the D Branch between Kenmore and Back Bay, with Orange Line connections at Back Bay for downtown trips toward North Station, Massachusetts. Route 57 and Route 39 will run fare-free; the Worcester Commuter Rail Line will be fare-free between South Station, Back Bay and Lansdowne. Saint Mary’s Street, Kent Street and Brandon Hall will not have shuttle stops, so riders should use the next nearest stop.

The MBTA says this phase will install roughly 16 more miles of signal cable plus about a mile of fiber, finish connections at Copley, Park Street and Government Center, and begin testing. On the C Branch, crews will keep rebuilding seven above-ground stations so all C Branch stops become accessible. Streetsblog Massachusetts and Boston University’s BU Today confirmed the Nov. 7–15 window and noted this is the fourth multi-day Green Line central-tunnel closure in the past year, with more work still expected in December.

United States: Vance says Iran war drove Republican midterm losses

Hours after Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress, Vice President JD Vance said the “real reason” Republicans lost was voter anger over the U.S. war with Iran. “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote in a lengthy post on X, according to NBC News. He said anyone who still defends the conflict should at least call the Senate loss “a worthwhile cost to pay,” but that “everyone knows why we lost.”

Vance said a pollster he trusts told him voters named four top issues Republicans must fix: ending the war on Iran, focusing on the cost of living and inflation, putting America first, and changing the U.S. relationship with Israel. “Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats,” he wrote. The Associated Press also reported Vance’s remarks blaming the Iran war for the GOP’s midterm defeat.

President Donald Trump, in a Wall Street Journal interview cited by NBC News, said “Iran was a piece of it” while defending the decision: “I did the right thing. I would have done it again.” The U.S. began joint strikes with Israel on Iran in late February; Trump said in recent days he had no immediate plans for new strikes after the election. Tuesday’s results still leave races to finish counting, but the debate has already shifted to why his party lost both houses.

World: Herzog opens Israeli coalition talks after election deadlock

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday began consulting party leaders on who should try to form the next government, after receiving certified results from last week’s general election that left no clear majority, the BBC and AFP reported. Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc nor rival Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist-led bloc won enough seats alone.

In the Oct. 27 vote for the 120-seat Knesset, Netanyahu’s Likud and its allies won 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties in his bloc won 48, the BBC reported. Two Arab-led alliances — the United Arab List and the Joint List — together took 19 seats after a surge in Arab turnout, making them potential kingmakers even though most Jewish parties pledged before the vote not to govern with them.

Herzog told party leaders that “not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled” if Israel wants to avoid another election, and he condemned “coarseness and racist expressions” aimed at Arab citizens. Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg said there was no evidence of irregularities that would justify delaying certification. Herzog will choose a Knesset member he believes has the best chance of building a coalition; that person gets 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension. AFP noted Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022 after repeated deadlocks.

Stay connected

That’s the Wednesday midday roundup. For community gatherings, talks and family events happening around Massachusetts this week, see the Mass Halal events calendar.