Republicans are paying the Trump tax  —  Trump's political strategy is failing.  —  At this point, Democrats look certain to take back the House.  But due to geography and gerrymandering, their majority in the chamber will fall far short of their majority at the polls.

Trump tells confidants Ryan is to blame for Republican election setbacks  —  Hours before polls closed on Tuesday, President Trump already was blaming retiring Speaker Paul D. Ryan for not doing enough to support his agenda and keep the House in Republican hands.

Dana Rohrabacher, Putin's Favorite Congressman, Loses his Seat to Democrat Harley Rouda  —  Rep. Dana Rohrabacher—the pro-Russia Republican who once boasted about a drunken arm-wrestling contest with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the 1990s—has lost his seat to Democrat Harley Rouda.

Dennis Hof, the brothel owner who died last month, wins election  —  The reality TV star was found dead on Oct. 16 after a weekend of parties celebrating his 72nd birthday.  —  LAS VEGAS — A Nevada brothel owner and reality TV star who died last month after fashioning himself …

7 takeaways from a wild midterm election  —  Driven by massive voter turnout, the 2018 midterm election was both a blue wave and a red wave.  It just depended on which map you were looking at.  —  Democrats blazed a suburban trail to wrest control of the House from Republicans …

Last Slide  —  MADISON - After upending Wisconsin politics and infuriating liberals across the country, Gov. Scott Walker narrowly lost his bid for a third term Tuesday to Tony Evers, the leader of the education establishment Walker blew up eight years ago.  —  The Associated Press called …

Live blog: Midterm election 2018 results, news and analysis  —  Watch Live: NBC News coverage of the 2018 midterm elections  —  Tuesday's pivotal midterm elections will determine control of Congress — and while President Donald Trump's name doesn't appear on the ballot, his presidency and his policies are on the line.

Ted Cruz wins reelection over Beto O'Rourke  —  Republican Sen. Ted Cruz locked in a second term Tuesday by defeating Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke, seeing off Democrats' most aggressive attempt in decades to win a statewide office in Texas.  —  Cruz had 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent …

Sinema vs. McSally … For Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally, Tuesday night was supposed to mark the end of a hard-fought battle that tested vastly different visions for the nation.  —  But as Election Day came to an end, the race for Arizona's open U.S. Senate seat ended exactly how it has played …

Schiff: Democratic House will tackle the oversight that GOP ‘abdicated’  —  California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff vowed Tuesday to ensure that the House Intelligence Committee reclaims its duty to conduct oversight of the Trump administration — a job he said the GOP “completely abdicated.”

House GOP fight begins: Jordan challenges McCarthy  —  Conservative Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced his bid for House minority leader on Wednesday, challenging Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) hours after Democrats regained control of the lower chamber.  —  “I plan to run for minority leader …

Florida U.S. Senate race could be heading for recount  —  Florida Gov. Rick Scott takes to the stage as he stands with his wife, Ann Scott, (L) and daughter Alison Guimard (R) during his election night party at the LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort on November 06, 2018 in Naples.  (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

Two Americas: amplified, tearing apart  —  The midterms produced a divided Congress that's emblematic of a split America, drifting further apart and pointing to poisonous years ahead.  —  The net result: Two parties with two wildly different bases and philosophies are pulling farther and farther apart …

Election results 2018: Forget the blue wave and behold the purple puddle  —  Democrats in the House and Republicans in the Senate means gridlock.  That's a good thing, but it is only a temporary solution.  —  CONNECT  —  Well, it wasn't the huge Blue Wave we were promised …

Sharice Davids makes history: Kansas' 1st gay rep, 1st Native American woman in Congress  —  Kansas voters made history Tuesday night when they selected Sharice Davids to be their next congresswoman.  —  Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, will be the first Native American woman to serve in Congress …

If the midterms were a test of the country's character, Americans failed  —  Sarah Kendzior is the author of The View From Flyover Country and the co-host of the podcast Gaslit Nation.  —  On Monday, former president Barack Obama tweeted: “Tomorrow's elections might be the most important in our lifetimes …

Three red states vote to expand Medicaid during an election where health care was the top issue  — Three red states were projected to approve measures to expand Medicaid on Tuesday, according to NBC News.  — Utah, Nebraska and Idaho were set to pass propositions to broaden the federal and state health insurance program.

Paul Ryan: “Tonight history has repeated itself”  —  House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, issued a statement following Tuesday's election results.  —  Ryan, who did not seek re-election, congratulated Democrats on winning the majority in the House of Representatives …

With the midterms over, Mueller faces key decisions in Russia investigation  —  For more than seven weeks, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has been silent.  —  In the run-up to Election Day, there were no indictments or public pronouncements by the special counsel's office …

Kim Davis, clerk who refused to sign marriage licenses for gay couples, loses to Democrat  —  MOREHEAD  —  Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk made famous by her refusal to sign marriage licenses for gay couples, lost Tuesday in her reelection bid for the Rowan County clerkship.

Hours after conceding to Chris Collins, Nate McMurray calls for recount  —  Rep. Chris Collins, a Clarence Republican indicted on felony insider trading charges, narrowly won his bid for a fourth term Tuesday after one of the most unusual congressional campaigns in recent Western New York history.

MEPs to Draghi: Don't listen to our colleague's ‘gender’ comments  —  In a last-minute intervention ahead of a key meeting on who will become the eurozone's top banking supervisor, three influential MEPs urged the European Central Bank ... not to listen to their colleague Roberto Gualtieri …