The Democrats' extraordinary triumph, explained  —  Six charts show how they came out on top  —  US House elections, vote margin, % points  —  051015 195019601970198019902000201020202026 D+13*  —  Sources:  — Brookings  — New York Times - The Economist

Trump asking advisers if Hegseth should go, sources say  —  Washington — President Trump has been asking advisers around him and on the phone whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should stay in his job, following Republicans' catastrophic losses Tuesday night, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CBS News.

House Speaker Mike Johnson will not stay on as Republican leader after GOP losses  —  The Louisiana Republican told staff on a call Wednesday morning that he will not run to lead his party as House minority leader in the next Congress.

Blue Wave Brings in Historic Firsts  —  Election night saw states elect their first Black, Latino and Native American governors, along with unprecedented wins in the Senate.  — Copy  —  The midterm election brought a wave of historic firsts along with seismic shake-ups in Congress.

National Exit Polls: Election 2026 Results  —  Follow exit polls from the 2026 general election.  Explore key insights, voter demographics and trends that may shape the outcomes of key 2026 election races.

Shares of Elon Musk's Tesla and SpaceX Tumble After Republican Losses  —  The world's richest person has antagonized Democrats, some of whom have signaled their intent to investigate him when they take control of Congress.  —  Elon Musk spent nearly $500 million supporting Republican candidates …

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker rolls out a Day One road map for Congress  —  Putting down a marker ahead of a potential presidential bid, Pritzker says the new Democratic Congress must swiftly advance an aggressive legislative agenda. … To help them along, he is out with a road map for what Congress …

Mississippi, Alaska Senate races could take days or weeks to determine  —  Democrats have taken back control of the Senate.  But two marquee races remain too close to call — and may not be decided any time soon.  In Mississippi, with nearly all precincts reporting, Democratic challenger Scott Colom …

Hakeem Jeffries announces run for speaker, promising ‘dramatic change’  —  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is running for speaker, he announced in a letter to colleagues Wednesday.  Democrats have long considered the New Yorker — who has served two terms as minority leader — the heir apparent to longtime leader Nancy Pelosi.

Voters Oust Notorious Pro-ICE Sheriff in Maryland  —  Chuck Jenkins, the notoriously anti-immigrant Maryland sheriff who boasts of having helped deport 2,000 people, was wiped out in Tuesday's blue wave.  —  Voters in Frederick County, a fast-growing and increasingly liberal area north of Washington …

Progressive Senator Demands ‘Bold Agenda’ Before Backing Schumer  —  Key Senate progressive Chris Van Hollen said Wednesday that Democrats should demand a “bold agenda” targeting entrenched corporate interests in Washington before agreeing to back Chuck Schumer or any other aspiring Senate majority leader.

Trump can't pack the Fed board with allies now  —  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.

It Wasn't (Just) the Economy, Stupid  —  2024 was a blip.  This was America.  —  What happened last night was no ordinary election.  It was a mass affirmation that most Americans still believe in our nation's basic values, and a mass rejection of a movement that wants to destroy everything our nation stands for.

Allison Montgomery wins race to become Alabama's first transgender state lawmaker  —  In a historic win, Democrat Allison Montgomery defeated Republican incumbent State Rep. Phillip Rigsby for a seat representing Alabama's House District 25 on Tuesday night, becoming the state's first transgender legislator.

Democrats' midterm gains could sideline Electoral College by 2028  —  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.