Republicans quickly turn against Pete Hegseth after midterms rout  —  Pete Hegseth Donald Trump The Middle East US military  —  President Donald Trump may have made the decision to launch the war that tanked voters' support for the GOP and dealt them a midterm shellacking.

Democrats poised to break GOP's 16-year grip on statehouses  —  Democrats are on track to take control of a majority of legislative chambers, ending 16 years of Republican dominance over America's statehouses.  — If current leads hold, 75% of Americans will live in a state with a Democratic governor …

Republicans point fingers after massive midterms defeat; Jeffries runs for House speaker  —  House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to step aside from his party leadership role as Republicans reel from the midterm election results.  Meanwhile, current House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries launched his speakership bid.

What Democrats Can Do  —  Yes, Trump has veto power.  Force him to use it. … The American people have just delivered a stunning rebuke to Donald Trump.  If we had a parliamentary system, the moving trucks would already be at the White House.  As it is, however, an increasingly deranged …

Liveblog: Mississippi's 2026 U.S. Senate Election Results  —  Mississippi election workers are counting ballots amid a tight race between Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom.  Follow this liveblog for the latest updates.  See results in other races here.

Marco Rubio ‘on resignation watch’ from Trump administration after midterms disaster  —  Exclusive: The US secretary of state is thought to be preparing for a presidential run in 2028 and will likely want to distance himself from Trump, The Independent can reveal.  —  Become an Independent member to bookmark this article

Bluesky was right all along and will accept your apology any time  —  Bluesky is a niche Twitter-clone frequently accused of being an echo chamber for progressives.  After the blue tsunami of this week's midterms, however, its inhabitants don't seem to be echoing themselves so much as the vast majority of American voters.

Democrats Are Reviewing a Plan to Investigate Corporate America  —  Party lawmakers have reviewed ideas for subpoenas, hearings and oversight next year.  — Copy  —  Senior congressional Democrats have been studying a 181-page dossier that identifies hundreds of executives and companies …

Midterm results ‘a Watergate-level repudiation,’ Cruz says  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) described the Republicans' historic losses in the midterm elections Tuesday as “an ass-kicking.”  —  “2026 was not simply a blue wave.  It was a blue tsunami,” Cruz on his podcast.

Bavarian politician Hubert Aiwanger found dead in Berlin hotel  —  Aiwanger was Bavaria's Economy Minister and the chairman of the right-wing populist Free Voters party.  The circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear. … Bavarian politician Hubert Aiwanger was found dead …

Trump defends Hegseth but acknowledges easier path to replacing him before new Congress  —  President Trump said Thursday morning he intends to keep Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in his current role but acknowledged it would be easier to confirm someone new to lead the Pentagon before Democrats take control of Congress next year.

The return of the Democratic South?  —  Well that was quite an election night.  So obviously Democrats made massive gains across the whole country.  I want to comment briefly on the geography of those gains.  —  The @smotus report is a reader-supported publication.

Actually, Democrats Don't Have to Sacrifice Trans People or Immigrants to Win  —  For two years, leading Democratic factions have insisted the party must abandon key populations to win.  Tuesday proved them wrong.  —  Pocket  —  In Muncie, Indiana, Republican Representative Victoria Spartz lost …