Stephen Miller is no Susie Wiles: He believes in almost limitless presidential power, considers the Democratic Party an extremist organization, and dreams of ruthless crackdowns on immigration and foreign adversaries. Why it matters: Miller, the new White House chief of staff, isn't just unlike anyone who's had the job under Trump — he's unlike any to occupy the powerful position in the modern era. He puts the hard in hard-liner and understands how to pull the levers of power to get his way and make the U.S. government a MAGA machine. Miller's appointment sets the stage for two years of partisan warfare with the new Democratic-led Congress, which is likely to launch investigations of Trump's administration, political committees and allies. "Stephen is Trump's wartime consigliere," Roger Stone, one of the president's oldest friends and advisers, told Axios. The big picture: Despite his post-midterm comments about finding ways to work with Democrats, Trump's choice of Miller signals that he's not looking for truces. He's prepping for war, and sees Miller as a brass-knuckle general and tactical expert impervious to criticism or traditional restraints. Trump's MAGA brain for a decade, the 41-year-old has detailed his Miller Doctrine in speeches, policies and press conferences: Presidential power is "very substantial and will not be questioned." Miller said those words about Trump's Muslim travel ban in 2017 on CBS's "Face the Nation," but to him they broadly apply to other areas of the executive's authority. Court authority is limited. In May 2025, when courts blocked aspects of Trump's deportation policies, Miller said the rulings were the work of "radical rogue judges" who were "at war" with the executive and legislative branches. The political opposition is a threat to America. "The Democrat Party is not a political party. It is a domestic extremist organization," Miller told Sean Hannity in August 2025. He also warned that if Democrats won Congress, "it's game over.
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Architect of Trump’s far-right immigration agenda is now most powerful unelected figure in government – it suggests White House is moving to a war footing Donald Trump just gave the middle finger to millions of American voters. Any other president who suffered the kind of drubbing at the polls that Trump did this week might have felt at least a sliver of humility – and perhaps even an obligation to work with the new opposition in Congress. Continue reading...
Maga’s regret voters were all-in for Trump’s racism. Then they found out they couldn’t afford it For the first time in a decade, election predictions far exceeded public expectations. What pollsters anticipated as a blue wave billowed into a blue tsunami . Wins that held ground for already blue seats eased nerves, and the flips of swing states like Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio energized the blue base. But red-belt-busting wins in Republican strongholds like Texas, South Carolina and Kansas alongside pending races in Alaska and Mississippi left mouths agape. The explanation was that Democrats turned out far more supporters than their regulars, and that the “ regret voter ” (both swing voters and partisan Republicans) expanded the wave across districts Trump previously won . Elation and sighs of relief rolled over consistently Democratic voters who suffered multiple sucker punches from recent years of Republican upsets. Regret voters, who run the gamut from gen Z men to Latinos , farmers and the white working class , hope a different party can deliver on the economy Trump promised them. Blue voters look at the dismantling of democracy, multiple wars, mass deportations and Trump’s unchecked power in these last two years and see how it all could have been avoided. Regret voters, however, either co-signed or conceded to Trump’s naked racism and brutish bullying of marginalized people, but switched their votes as soon as the consequences hit their pockets. While some of the president’s backers may have been turned away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gunning down American citizens, the final straw for most wasn’t ICE’s brutality , but rather the price of eggs. Some may have been upset by the Tomahawk missile assault that killed 120 schoolgirls in Iran, but most fumed at the rocketing costs at the gas pump that followed. Few demanded answers for the nearly 60 deaths of innocent people detained in DHS detention centers since the start of 2024, but
Democrats and Republicans blast promotion of ‘xenophobe’ who led administration’s immigration crackdown in wake of US midterm elections Democratic lawmakers decried Stephen Miller as a “ hatemonger ”, a “ xenophobe ” and “ vile ” after Donald Trump appointed his most trusted adviser as White House chief of staff. On Friday afternoon, the US president abruptly announced via his Truth Social platform that Miller – the architect of his sweeping immigration crackdown – would replace Susie Wiles, whom he confirmed had been ousted. Continue reading...
President Trump has named his controversial deputy Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff, following the departure of Susie Wiles after Republican midterm losses. NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez reports.
A Venezuelan man who had guns in his vehicle and told officers that voices in his head urged him to kill President Donald Trump was arrested Thursday near the White House, the federal government said.
Vice President Vance has spent the past two weeks personally involved in indirect talks with Iran aimed at reaching a new ceasefire and resuming nuclear negotiations, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. Why it matters: Vance's heavy involvement shows he's taking it upon himself to extract the U.S. from a conflict he blamed for the GOP's staggering losses in this week's election. It also elevates the latest round of indirect talks to the highest levels of the administration. The big picture: U.S. officials and regional sources say that for now Trump is willing to let diplomatic efforts play out and wants to see if any kind of deal is possible. "We're talking to them," Trump told reporters on Friday, when asked what his message to Iran was. But if he changes his mind and orders renewed strikes, the U.S. military is ready to launch strikes on a relatively short timetable. Behind the scenes: Vance has been speaking almost daily to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and other mediators about the negotiations with Iran, sources with direct knowledge said. White House envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner are also involved. Vance and Qatari and Pakistani mediators have been discussing the possibility of a working-level technical meeting between the U.S. and Iran in the coming days, but it hasn't materialized yet, the sources said. The vice president's office declined to comment. Catch up quick: Vance was the most skeptical voice in Trump's inner circle about the war before it began at the end of February, advocating instead for a diplomatic solution. He led the U.S. negotiating team to an April summit on Iran in Islamabad, and he was personally involved in talks that led to the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) in June. Vance then led the U.S. delegation to a round of direct talks with Iran in Switzerland, which ended wit
Between the GOP's thrashing at the polls, another one of President Trump 's planned D.C. construction makeovers being halted and an uphill battle to overturn his conviction on 34 felony counts, this week has netted a string of setbacks for the president. Why it matters: Trump's administration is entering its lame-duck era, facing criticism and potential investigations as its power to reshape the federal government dwindles . But Trump is showing little inclination to change course. Driving the news: Trump has remained defiant about the midterms, blaming the Iran war and the GOP's candidates for the losses while spending a lot of time discussing planned D.C. construction projects . On Friday, Trump announced he would replace White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller , a champion of his most hard-line policies. The move could signal that the president plans to push even harder on some of his unpopular policies, Axios' Marc Caputo and Andrew Pantazi write. Zoom in: Voters told Trump loud and clear they're dissatisfied with his policies, particularly on the Iran war, cost of living and economy. Roughly two-thirds of voters said Trump's agenda had fueled inflation, per the AP's Voter Poll. Trump admitted the unpopular war helped Republicans lose their majorities. With Democrats poised to control Congress and potentially restrict war funding, he has few good options for a decisive win. As one of his former advisers told Axios' Barak Ravid: "It's one thing to lose the midterms. But Trump doesn't want to look like a loser twice." What they're saying: "I don't think conciliatory is in [Trump's] vocabulary or ethos," Republican strategist Barrett Marson told Axios, calling Miller's appointment evidence that Trump won't "go away quietly." "He's taken the architect of many of the worst policies and elevating him. I'm not really sure how that is sort of acknowledging voters' discontent," Marson said. Marson said Trump's inability to run for president again could
Secret Service officers arrested a Venezuelan migrant in Washington, D.C., after finding firearms in a stolen vehicle and hearing an alleged threat against Trump.
Stephen Miller is replacing Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff on Monday, President Trump wrote in a Friday Truth Social post. Why it matters: The appointment of Miller, who favors a more hardline approach to the Iran war and immigration, could signal a shifting strategy. Wiles' departure removes a crucial stabilizing force from the West Wing just as Trump confronts the fallout from Republicans' sweeping midterm losses and a Democratic Congress intent on investigating his administration. What they're saying: "I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation. I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff." Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
New details are emerging about a deadly shooting at Citibank's corporate campus near Tampa, Florida.
Democrats won over rural voters from Maga in the midterms by focusing more on working people and less on culture wars Long before Jamie Ager entered politics, he was making a name for himself in a very different place: the meat counter of a grocery store in Boone, North Carolina. It was the early 2000s, and Ager owned and operated Hickory Nut Gap, a regenerative farm near Asheville. Over the next 20 years, he helped build a regional food system that delivered healthier food to thousands of people, improved land stewardship and made farming a bit more profitable. Continue reading...
Yes, the Republicans suffered humiliating defeat. But the fact that a Trump presidency was even possible means something like it could happen again He’s down, but not quite out. Barring divine or other intervention, Donald Trump will remain in the Oval Office for a further two years and 10 weeks. Or, as the White House put it in a plaintive social media post brimming with neediness: “PSA [Public Service Announcement]: Trump is still your president.” But that’s not the only reason why the global celebrations that greeted the Democratic tidal wave that swept Republicans out of even their deepest heartlands should be tempered, if only a tad. Don’t get me wrong, the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections are cause for genuine international jubilation. The defeats of Trump allies in Serbia and Brazil were delicious appetisers, but this was the feast. No mere electoral setback in line with midterm tradition, this was a thorough repudiation of the second Trump presidency and of Trumpism. The 16% swing to Democrats in the popular vote for the House of Representatives was greater even than the 11.2% swing recorded in the Watergate midterms of November 1974, following the resignation in disgrace of Richard Nixon. Trump had worked hard for many months to undermine these elections , either by gerrymandering districts in his favour or preparing the ground for a later claim the vote was rigged, but to no avail: the democratic system proved too resilient, and the American public too determined to have their say. And have it they did, in a voice loud and clear. Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday that he says will prevent future administrations from changing his design of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room, spaces he declared to be national monuments that should be preserved. Since returning to office, the US president has transformed the Oval Office with gold accents and statuettes, portraits of famous Americans pulled from storage and a copy of the Declaration of Independence that hangs on the wall. The redesign has drawn criticism, including from the former president Barack Obama, who recently joked that 'he’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory. Just gold everywhere.' Trump signs proclamation to try to prevent changes to gold-covered Oval Office Continue reading...
Religious "nones" outnumbered white evangelicals by a stunning ten percentage points in the 2026 midterms electorate, up from just one point in 2024. Why it matters: The era of conservative white evangelicals dominating America's religious-political narrative faces a mathematical collapse. By the numbers: White evangelical or born-again Christians accounted for 17% of voters Tuesday, down from 23% in 2024 and 24% in 2022 , according to preliminary 2026 voter polling and earlier exit polls. Their Republican loyalty barely budged: 82% backed GOP House candidates, compared with 84% in 2024 and 83% in 2022. Religiously unaffiliated voters, known as "nones," accounted for 27% of the electorate Tuesday, compared with 24% in 2024. Their Democratic support climbed from 70% to 78%. What they're saying: "In most of those midwestern states, the white evangelicals are outnumbered in the population by the white mainline Protestants," Robert P. Jones, president and founder of the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), told Axios. Jones said their decline over roughly two decades extends beyond election results, with evangelical denominations losing millions of members. The big picture: White evangelical Protestants account for just 13% of American adults, down from 23% in 2006, according to PRRI's 2025 Census of American Religion . Yet they accounted for 17% of voters Tuesday, a larger share than their population footprint, though the surveys define the group differently. Religious "nones" now account for 28% of adults, up from 16% in 2006. Zoom in: Even Trump's most loyal religious supporters have cooled on his second term. His approval among white evangelical Protestants fell from 78% in early 2025 to 58% before the midterms, according to Pew Research Center . They remain the only major religious group Pew analyzed in which a majority approves of his performance. Between the lines: So far, the religious right's shrinking demographic footprint hasn't weakened its
A suspect trying to board an RTD bus near Denver opened fire on Lakewood police officers, killing one and wounding three others Thursday evening.
President Trump said the deal “might involve all of Europe.” He indicated he had met with a Kremlin envoy whom Melania Trump hosted at the White House on Thursday.
President Trump said after meeting with his national security advisers Thursday that he'll soon decide whether to resume all-out war in Iran now that the midterms are over. Why it matters: The election was seen as an inflection point for Trump on whether to unleash a new wave of bombing to try to bring the war to an end. The president, at least for now, is considering three options: launch new strikes, continue to strangle Iran's regime economically or cut a deal that includes significant concessions to the Iranians. On Thursday, Trump and his top national security advisers met on Iran for the first time since the election, as part of his weekly intelligence briefing, two U.S. officials said. What he's saying: "Now we will make a decision," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "Do we want to go further" with strikes to ensure Iran's nuclear program is dead and that "it will never happen again?" he added. "I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You'll know soon enough." State of play: As Trump weighs his next move, there was a flurry of diplomatic activity on Thursday, including multiple phone calls between Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and regional mediators from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, Oman and Egypt. The Qatari mediators continued discussions with the Iranians and the White House about a draft proposal calling for the two sides to take a series of steps over two days to build mutual confidence toward a broader deal. On the first day, the U.S. would lift its naval blockade and release some Iran's frozen funds. In return, Iran would issue an official invitation to the International Atomic Energy Agency to send inspectors to bombed nuclear sites, based on an agreement reached in Cairo a year ago, regional sources say. On the second day, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen, after which nuclear talks would resume, focusing on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The big picture: The sec
Kirill Dimitrov, envoy to Russian president Vladimir Putin, delivered a gift to Melania Trump at the White House on Thursday to thank her for brokering a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russian forces in Oleshky, Ukraine. During the same event, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets gifted the first lady with the Order of Princess Olga, 1st Degree award. Continue reading...
Jacob Allen Morley hid in an Illinois shed near Marion, drinking beer and making garlic bread before FLOCK cameras helped track the Tennessee escapee.
As war rages on in Kyiv and other cities, the first lady celebrates her single-city ceasefire with Russian and Ukrainian envoys Beaming from a podium in the White House’s Grand Foyer, Melania Trump welcomed senior Russian and Ukrainian officials on Thursday to celebrate a ceasefire in an embattled Ukrainian town for which she has become the unlikeliest broker. The evacuation from Oleshky, a frontline Ukrainian town now occupied by Russia where 800 people lived through a protracted humanitarian crisis, may seem like a sideshow at this point in the war. Russian missiles and drones continue to rain down on Kyiv and other major cities, and a single Russian strike described as a “double-tap” bombing killed 40 people in Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday. Continue reading...
The president seems to accept this is his last White House stint and is focused on renovating whatever he can get his little hands on As you’d expect, the right is in a shambles right now. Elon Musk is making jokes about his “election-interfering space lasers” and pretending that he really, really doesn’t care that he threw away nearly half a billion dollars trying to influence the midterms. JD Vance is writing long essays on social media about how he agrees the Iran war was a bit of an oopsie. Donald Trump, meanwhile, seems to be going through his own idiosyncratic grieving process about the Republicans’ historic midterm beating. The president has skipped all the way past shock, denial and anger and landed at the “admiring my beautiful renovations” stage of grief. Continue reading...
Kirill Dimitrov, envoy to Russian president Vladimir Putin, delivered a gift to Melania Trump at the White House on Thursday to thank her for brokering a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russian forces in Oleshky, Ukraine. Russia first occupied the village during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Continue reading...
Young voters swung so hard toward Democrats in Tuesday's midterms that it raises new doubts about whether Republicans can build a lasting coalition among Americans under 30. Why it matters: Trump's success with Gen Z voters, especially young men , fueled talk of a generational shift toward Republicans. Tuesday's results tell a different story. By the numbers: An estimated 66% of voters ages 18–29 backed Democratic House candidates Tuesday, compared with 31% for Republicans, according to Tufts University's CIRCLE , which analyzed preliminary data from the NORC Civic Health & Elections Project. That's a 35-point Democratic advantage, compared with 14 points in the 2024 national House exit poll , when young voters favored Democrats 56%–42%. Democratic support among men under 30 rose from 51% in 2024 to 59% in 2026. Among young women, it climbed from 61% to 70%, according to 2024 exit polling by Edison Research and CIRCLE's updated 2026 analysis of NORC data. Young white voters favored Democrats 63%–34% in the SSRS survey, after splitting 50%–48% in 2024. State of play: Polls flashed warning signs for Republicans in the final weeks before Election Day. An October Harvard Youth Poll found voters ages 18–29 who said they would definitely vote favored Democrats 63%–26%. Just 9% of young Americans said the country was headed in the right direction. Zoom in: Democrats drew overwhelming support from young voters in major statewide races, according to preliminary SSRS polling. In Texas, 76% of voters under 30 supported Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, while 73% backed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa, according to CIRCLE's state analysis . In Georgia, 70% backed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms. More than 60% favored Democratic candidates for Senate and governor in Ohio. In Iowa, where young voters backed Trump in 2024, Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson lost significant ground with the group, according to AP Voter Poll
An envoy to Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at a White House event celebrating a temporary ceasefire in Oleshky brokered by Melania Trump
Watch live coverage as first lady Melania Trump convenes representatives from Russia and Ukraine at the White House to discuss the humanitarian ceasefire she helped broker between the warring countries.
The post Trump’s State Department Is Giving $1 Million to Controversial Group to Study Crimes Against White South Africans appeared first on ProPublica .
Americans made it very clear on Tuesday that health care is too expensive. The challenge for Democrats is to agree on the quickest way to deliver some relief. Why it matters: Voters can't wait until 2029 for life to get cheaper — but any short-term action to meaningfully lower health costs will require Democrats to make deals with President Trump. The big picture: There's already speculation about what a Democratic unity health care agenda would look like, and what progressives' midterms success means for Medicare for All. But that's largely geared toward the 2028 presidential race or a possible Democratic administration. The short-term reality is that any ambitious policies that significantly expand the government's role in health care are almost certain to collide with Trump's veto pen. Strategists say the Democrats' most realistic option is to find piecemeal affordability fixes next year and play the long game when it comes to reshaping the health system. "If you read history, people make the biggest mistakes when they win. That's when they take their eye off the ball and they don't do the right thing," said Zeke Emanuel, an adviser in the Obama White House and a professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania. "This is an affordability election. We need to do affordability, but I do agree with the idea that this is a two-step process," he added. "There's going to have to be longer-term reforms." "For those debating whether the new Congress should consider big and bold reforms or pass practical help for people right away, the answer is yes. Voters can and should expect action on multiple fronts," Families USA executive director Anthony Wright said in a statement. Between the lines: Democrats' top priorities for the next Congress are restoring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies and reversing the Medicaid funding cuts in last year's GOP reconciliation law. Their unexpectedly large majorities in each chamber will give them leverag
It's a de facto motto in the Trump White House: "Somebody's gotta take the fall." Lately, that person looks like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Why it matters: From the unpopular war in Iran to his bad bipartisan relations with members of Congress, Hegseth's record has made him the most vulnerable member of Trump's Cabinet after Tuesday night's midterm shellacking. "Hegseth is definitely on thin ice," a Trump adviser told Axios. "It doesn't mean the president forces him out. But there are complications." Driving the news: As early as next week, the House could impeach Hegseth for allegedly defying Congress and illegally continuing the U.S. war in Iran. The measure is sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a vociferous critic of Israel and foreign wars. Zoom in: Iran is at the center of both Hegseth's possible impeachment and Republicans' midterm collapse. Many voters oppose the war and its byproduct: higher gas prices that spiked after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. Before Trump attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Hegseth was the most gung-ho about the conflict, and he gave the rosiest projections about how quickly and easily it would be resolved, according to sources familiar with the discussions. By August, a senior administration official said, U.S. Central Command was reportedly soliciting new approaches to pressure Iran, suggesting that military leaders were still reassessing how to achieve strategic results. CentCom was also asking: "At what point did Hegseth recognize that our original strategy wasn't going to produce the outcome he expected and pitched?" Trump stood by Hegseth on Wednesday, telling reporters that the secretary is "doing a very good job." Between the lines: Trump has been known to praise an embattled Cabinet secretary, only to seek their ouster shortly thereafter. With Hegseth, four factors are weighing on Trump: 1. The impeachment threat. Democrats already have tried to impeach Hegseth, and with their new House majority in January, those effo
Democrats of all political stripes won so big on Tuesday that the party didn't settle its long-running civil war between moderates and progressives. Instead, the party's historic victories gave each faction some reasons to claim that its brand of Democrats can defeat the GOP in 2028. Driving the news: Democratic operatives are sure of one thing, though: Tuesday's blowout wins mean that more party leaders will be willing to run for the White House than if the midterms hadn't gone so well. Barack Obama's 2012 campaign manager, Jim Messina, told Bloomberg TV this week that he's already met with 29 potential candidates. Zoom in: On Tuesday, moderate Democrats won. Progressives won. Even one-time socialists won. In Michigan, for example, unapologetic progressive Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed won by 7 points after running on Medicare for All. In the same state , William Lawrence, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America before he let his membership lapse recently, flipped a key swing district. Those results were good news for New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the democratic socialist with a national profile who went all-in on electing El-Sayed — and is considering a run for president in two years. More moderate Senate candidates who frequently talked about their faith on the campaign trail — such as Texas' James Talarico and Kansas' Adam Hamilton — pulled off huge upsets in deep-red states, and in the process created a model for some Democrats to follow. Their mild-mannered, religion-infused campaigns mirrored former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential run. For the past year, AOC, Buttigieg and other Democrats eyeing the White House have been laying the groundwork to turn the 2026 elections into a springboard for their potential presidential campaigns. Some put their chips on specific candidates — and virtually all of them succeeded. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a centrist technocrat who campaigned on "getting sh*t done," won reele
Trump’s aggressive ICE raids brought border battles to city streets, sparking fierce backlash over overreach.
Police say a suspect near Tampa opened fire at a Citibank complex this afternoon killing one woman. Thousands of employees were on the property at the time of the shooting. Authorities say the suspect died after a security guard engaged in a shootout with him. NBC News’ George Solis has more on the investigation.
Lamar Jackson is out indefinitely with injured thumb Backup Huntley to miss rest of season with turf toe Rookie Fagnano will start for Baltimore on Thursday Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett is heading from the Arizona Cardinals to the Baltimore Ravens, a person with knowledge of the trade told the Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been completed. Continue reading...
Republicans barely had time to absorb their sweeping midterm losses before President Trump returned to a familiar comfort zone: D.C. construction projects. Why it matters: Voters just delivered an overwhelming rebuke of the administration, demanding that politicians focus on the cost of living, yet the president remains fixed on remaking the nation's capital in his image. Driving the news: Trump hosted reporters at the White House on Wednesday for a previously unscheduled event to update them on the East Wing ballroom's construction, marking his first remarks to the White House press pool since the election. He spent the majority of his remarks discussing planned architectural changes around D.C., including a proposed Triumphal Arch, the National Garden of American Heroes and a planned expansion of a publicly owned golf course that would likely eliminate popular running and biking paths. His remarks came after a pre-election appearance Monday, during which he praised the new pipes installed at the Reflecting Pool and a proposed promenade from the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River. What they're saying: Trump addressed criticism he sometimes receives for working on his construction projects, saying he was "doing it because the White House is the ultimate symbol of America, and it's got to be pristine." "It's got to be perfect. And if you take a look at it, that's what it is right now. You have no idea how much work we had to do." He also noted that he spends "very little time" working on the White House, but said he does it because "it's relaxing …I love construction." Catch up quick: Democrats outperformed expectations in Tuesday's midterms, flipping the Senate before the night was over and then the House a few hours later, according to the AP. Democrats have gained complete control of at least five previously divided state governments while ending Republican trifectas in several other states. In ruby-red Texas, the white whale of potential pickups, Democrats fli
The helicopter went down in Biscayne Bay near a state park roughly seven miles from Miami, the authorities said.
Troy Jackson, in just 101 days, bested the Republican, preventing her sixth Senate term: ‘You can’t eat road salt’ The political demise of Susan Collins – a fixture of Maine and Washington politics for three decades – recalls the famous line in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises about how one of the novel’s characters experienced bankruptcy: gradually, then suddenly. In the run up to Tuesday’s stunning Democrat “blue wave” election triumph, it seemed obvious that Collins’ 30-year tenure as Maine’s Republican senator was vulnerable to the challenge of Troy Jackson, the Democrats’ explicitly working-class candidate as voters prepared to unleash pent-up anger with Donald Trump ’s presidency. Continue reading...
Donald Trump responded to JD Vance’s comments on the Iran war ultimately being the reason behind the catastrophic Republican losses in this year’s midterms, saying 'it's largely true' JD Vance says US war on Iran is ‘real reason’ Republicans lost midterm elections Continue reading...
When a new Congress is sworn in, it will have the power to hold hearings and issue subpoenas, prompting one representative to advise White House officials and others to “lawyer up.”
Data: Financial Modeling Prep ; Chart: Ben Geman/Axios Oil prices fell sharply Wednesday as traders weigh signs — including a widely circulated post by Vice President JD Vance — that the midterm election will add pressure on the White House to find an offramp from the Iran conflict. Why it matters: Elections have consequences. Wednesday's price drop — around $8 per barrel — deepened after Vance posted on X that "everyone knows" the war is why Republicans got pummeled and "any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there." Sen. Chuck Schumer (D), the likely Senate majority leader in the next Congress, vowed that Democrats will push to end the war. "This crude price drop is entirely about the U.S. election and the belief that Trump will de-escalate rather than escalate on Iran. JD Vance's statement amplified that sentiment," Ben Cahill, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, told Axios via email. What they're saying: Pavel Molchanov, an analyst with Raymond James, said in remarks circulated to reporters that Vance's post was a "key catalyst" for today's oil price plunge. "The market is saying that Congress and members of his own administration are likely to start acting as a constraint on President Trump's war in Iran," Seb Barker, a strategist with the hedge fund, Marshall Wace, tells the Financial Times. Catch up quick: Oil prices were already falling to start the week on signs of new U.S.-Iran diplomacy. What we're watching: "[I]t remains unclear whether Vance's comments signal a more dovish stance toward Iran," Molchanov said. "For oil prices to sustainably move lower, a durable off-ramp is needed," he added.
Tuesday's election was great for Democrats. It was bad for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and some of the White House's most ambitious national security projects. Why it matters: Surprise wins across the map for Democrats — including in the Deep South — complicate a lot for the Trump administration. Republicans have relied on a simple-majority funding mechanism known as reconciliation to pay for marquee projects like Golden Dome. That option is now a long shot over the next few months, and impossible after that. Outrage over the Iran war, well beyond the half-year mark, is sure to turbocharge a long list of congressional inquiries. And lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Reps. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), have suggested impeaching Hegseth. Follow the money: Defense analysts agree prospects for the administration's full $1.5 trillion defense budget look grim. A Wednesday note from TD Cowen's Washington Research Group warned "Trump 'branded' projects are dead." Golden Dome, Golden Fleet and "other signature efforts," it added, "will be curbed." Meanwhile, Todd Harrison, an American Enterprise Institute defense budget expert, said it's unlikely the lame-duck congressional session will pass reconciliation and instead will keep the defense budget operating under a continuing resolution into next year. "They're all at risk," Harrison said of reconciliation-backed programs. "My base expectation is nothing happens on the defense budget." The other side: The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment. Between the lines: Some of the most powerful Republican lawmakers on defense matters were defeated or are on pace to lose. Sen. Susan Collins, the appropriations chairwoman, lost to Troy Jackson in Maine . Sen. Darline Graham, also on appropriations, lost to Annie Andrews in South Carolina . Rep. Jen Kiggans, a member of the armed services and veterans affairs committees , lost to Elaine Luria in Virginia . And as of Wednesday afternoon, Reps.
A Pennsylvania dad and his two children fell to their deaths on Election Day near a Mt. Lebanon parking garage in what police suspect was a murder-suicide.
Democrats' sweeping statehouse gains Tuesday have opened a path to effectively replacing the Electoral College with a national popular vote in time for the 2028 presidential election — without needing to amend the Constitution. Why it matters: The results could give Democrats the legislative power to fundamentally change how America picks its president, potentially ending the possibility of winning the White House while losing the national popular vote. Driving the news: Democrats have won control of the governorship and both legislative chambers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada, enough to push an agreement called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact beyond the 270-vote threshold required to take effect. The compact has been enacted by 18 states and Washington, D.C. since launching in 2006, representing 222 electoral votes so far. The agreement only kicks in when participating states collectively control at least 270 electoral votes. The five new Democratic trifectas could bring the total to 283. How it works: Americans don't directly elect the president. Instead, they actually cast ballots to choose electors, whose votes determine the winner every four years. Nearly every state awards all its electoral votes to the statewide winner. Maine and Nebraska also award electors based on congressional district results. But the Constitution explicitly gives states power to appoint electors "in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct." Under the compact, participating states would instead award their electoral votes to the national popular-vote winner once the agreement reaches 270 electoral votes. Yes, but: The five states would still need to enact the compact, and it's not clear if it will be a priority for the new Democratic states. The Electoral College would formally remain in place, and the compact could face constitutional challenges, including over whether congressional approval is required. Michigan failed to enact it during
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded after a small helicopter went down near Nixon Beach off Miami, Florida, with two survivors pulled from the water.
Florida authorities on Wednesday confirmed a suspect is dead following a reported active shooter situation at a Tampa-area business park.
Stance signals vice-president seeks to distance himself from the unpopular conflict ahead of possible 2028 run US midterms 2026 live – latest updates Track live results from all 50 states Tell us: what do you want to know about the results? JD Vance said on Wednesday that the war against Iran doomed the Republican party in the US midterm elections, which are widely seen as a sweeping rebuke of Donald Trump’s presidency. The intervention signals that the vice-president, once the face of the Trump administration’s deal-making efforts with Tehran, seeks to distance himself from the unpopular conflict ahead of a possible 2028 White House run. Continue reading...
A recurring subplot of President Trump's term has been a desire to replace Biden appointees to the powerful Federal Reserve Board of Governors — even ahead of their terms ending — with allies. That effort now looks dead in the water. Why it matters: Even if Trump succeeds in his efforts to fire governor Lisa Cook , or to oust any of the other three Biden-era holdovers on the seven-member board, a Democratic Senate will likely block any replacements it views as insufficiently independent from the administration. State of play: The president seeks to fire Cook — whose term runs through 2038 — for alleged mortgage fraud, an effort that has been blocked so far by the courts. The White House plans a hearing over the allegations next month. Former chair Jerome Powell has remained on the board as a governor, a term that ends in January 2028. Michael Barr, whom Biden appointed as top financial regulator, has remained in place as a governor in a term that extends to 2032. Philip Jefferson's term as vice chair ends this coming September, though his term as a governor extends to 2036. Between the lines: It would break with current precedent for those officials to stick around to the end of their terms. In recent decades, Fed governor spots have turned over much more regularly, particularly after their time as chair or vice chair ends. Powell, Barr and Jefferson may feel greater comfort relinquishing their roles as governors before the end of their terms if they are confident the Senate will block any replacements who don't respect the tradition of central bank independence. Of note: Sen. Elizabeth Warren is set to chair the Senate Banking Committee that must advance Fed governor nominees, and she has assailed chairman Kevin Warsh for being a "sock puppet" of the administration. Only one Senate Democrat, John Fetterman, voted to confirm Warsh.
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Voters watched results in near disbelief as James Talarico claimed victory in Senate race and Gina Hinojosa was elected state’s first Latina governor US midterms 2026 live – latest updates Track live results from all 50 states Tell us: what do you want to know about the midterm election results? “This is amazing,” exclaimed Tiffany Dunsmore, 44, the owner of Austin Scavenger Hunt, as the city skyline gleamed in the distance on a balmy night. “I cannot believe Texas went blue!” For 32 long years, turning Texas blue had been an elusive prize for Democrats in the US’s second biggest state. There were false dawns, nearly men and broken dreams. But on Tuesday the party’s agony finally came to an end. Continue reading...
Democrats will be able to take plenty of messaging votes on health care after their blowout wins Tuesday — but they'll face too many limits and internal disagreements to force all of the big policy changes they want. Why it matters: They'll have a tough time repealing Medicaid cuts or restoring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies while President Trump is still in office, and their own divisions will hold them back on other issues. And Medicare for All ? Last night gave the idea a big boost, but don't hold your breath. Friction point: With control of both the Senate and House, Democrats will have powerful new leverage — but that leverage will also expose fault lines. Until now, progressives backing Medicare for All and centrists favoring more incremental changes were united in opposing Trump administration policies and blaming the president and the Republican Congress for the health affordability crisis. They'll try to use their power in the next Congress to promote sweeping changes with an eye toward the 2028 elections while also advancing more piecemeal policies, hoping to force some deals with Republicans. But they'll still face divisions over how to expand the federal government's role in the health system, or how to bend the steep health cost curve. Driving the news: House Democrats have already signaled their opening moves with a 100-hour/100-day agenda agenda that prominently features health policies like reinstating the enhanced ACA tax credits that expired at the end of 2025. There will also be votes to roll back the steep cuts to federal Medicaid spending that Republicans included in their "One Big Beautiful Bill," per an 84-page memo from a health care working group to Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). Other near-term agenda items include expanding Medicare drug price negotiations to private insurance, restoring withheld National Institutes of Health research funding and ending the use of AI in authorizing certain services in traditional Medic