News From Around the Web
#1 Texas is Blue After Democrats Swept Statewide Races - Michael Sinkewicz for Fox News, Professor Nez, NewsNewsNews, The Blaze, Our Own Nation, Merry KrazIIvan, and Politics & Poll Tracker on X
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, delivered a scathing assessment on Wednesday of Republicans' sweeping midterm election losses, describing the results as a "blue tsunami" and warning that his party had lost touch with voters, particularly in the Lone Star State. In a lengthy post on X, Cruz acknowledged that Republicans had suffered historic defeats, losing control of both chambers of Congress while Democrats swept statewide races in Texas. "2026 was not simply a blue wave; it was a blue tsunami. It was an a-- kicking," Cruz wrote. "It was not simply a bad 2006 midterm election. It was a Watergate-level repudiation."
#2 Mike Johnson Will Step Aside as Top House Republican Next Congress - Barbara Sprunt for npr, NOLA.com, Dian, Molly Ploofkins, Jan, and Bill Manzi on X
After a bruising defeat for Republicans, House Speaker Mike Johnson does not plan to stay on as Republican leader in the new Congress, according to a source familiar with his plans who was not authorized to discuss them publicly. The Louisiana Republican served two terms as speaker, elected after his predecessor, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, was ousted in 2023. Johnson's decision will open a role for the top House leadership position in the minority. Republicans are scheduled to hold their leadership elections on Nov. 10...
#3 DeSantis Rips GOP Over Immigration: "There Were So Many Things That Could Have Been Done, They Didn't Even Attempt It" - Ian Schwartz, Ron DeSantis, Eric Daugherty, Daily Loud, Robert W Malone, MD, and James Fishback on X
In an interview with FOX News host Laura Ingraham, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) assailed Congressional Republicans for failing to codify President Donald Trump's immigration executive orders and other measures. Earlier today, DeSantis likened the midterm election results to an "extinction-level event" for the Republican Party. "I'd love to see all this great stuff being done," DeSantis said of the proposed Republican agenda when they held the majority. "I just never saw an indication that they did it. And look, this midterm, no question, was a rebuke of the president and the Congress by Democrats, Independents, and some Republicans that crossed over. But a lot of our voters who stayed home, they stayed home because they were frustrated with the lack of productivity from Republicans in the House and Senate."
#4 Republicans Turn On Hegseth Over Iran War as Democratic Majority Grows - CNN Live Updates, The Calvin Coolidge Project, Thomas Massie/Natasha Bertrand, CBS News, DataRepublican (small r)/Politics On đť•Ź, Acyn, AF Post, and Michael Goolsby on X
Blaming the war: President Donald Trump said it was “largely true” the Iran war contributed to the GOP shellacking, echoing Vice President JD Vance. Many Republican lawmakers and allies are moving swiftly to pin blame on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the House could vote as soon as next week to impeach the Pentagon’s chief. New oversight: Senate Democrats have issued document preservation letters ahead of expected investigations into the Trump administration. And the Department of Homeland Security is bracing for an onslaught of congressional oversight efforts, according to current and former officials.
#5 Mississippi Senate Race Still a Toss-Up, With Razor-Thin Margin - Kaia Hubbard for CBS News, James Lipton #FBPE, The Good News, William Glad, Clayton Perry 980-433-7416, Unknown Territory, and Ahmed Baba on X
The Senate midterm race in deep-red Mississippi remains unresolved, with Democrat Scott Colom mounting a surprisingly competitive challenge to incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. With about 96% of the vote in, at one point Wednesday morning just a few dozen votes separated the candidates, a stunningly close result in the Magnolia State. By early Thursday morning, Colom was leading Hyde-Smith by just over 1,100 votes. Hyde-Smith, 67, has been in the Senate since 2018 and is seeking reelection. But Colom, a district attorney, launched a formidable challenge and could deliver Democrats yet another victory...
#6 Alaskans Wait for More Votes in Us Senate, Governor’s Races. Both Could Go to Ranked Tabulations - Becky Bohrer for AP, Byron York, HoneybadgerLA #NAFO #Fella, Seth Keshel, Bobby, and Yi Li You on X
Alaskans settled in Wednesday to await more results from key races on the general election ballot, including a bitterly fought U.S. Senate campaign and an open seat for governor. A ballot measure seeking to repeal Alaska’s unique system of open primaries and ranked vote general elections was also too early to call. If no candidate wins more than 50% of first-choice votes, rankings will come into play. Alaska accepts ballots from overseas voters for up to 15 days after the election, making Nov. 18 the date targeted by state elections officials to tabulate under the ranked vote system. The major candidates in the Senate race are two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola...
#7 Judges to Hear Trump’s Appeal of 2024 Criminal Hush Money Conviction - Aaron Katersky and Peter Charalambous for ABC News, Pandora, i am what i am!, CBS News, and The White House/Rickey Rantle
Two and a Half Years After a New York Jury Convicted Donald Trump of 34 Felony Counts, Lawyers for the President Are Set to Appear in a Manhattan Courtroom to Argue the Case Be Overturned. Trump’s Attorneys at the White Shoe Law Firm Sullivan & Cromwell Argue the Case Is the “Most Politically Charged Prosecution in Our Nation’s History” and Should Be Reversed. “The DA, a Democrat, Brought Those Charges in the Middle of a Contentious Presidential Election in Which President Trump Was the Leading Republican Candidate. These Charges Against President Trump Were as Unprecedented as Their Political Context,” Trump’s Lawyers Wrote in a Filing at the First Department of the State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division...#8 Wave of Bomb Threats Against European Airliners Triggers Diversions and Tarmac Searches - NBC News, Worldwide News Network, All Israel News, CGTN Europe, Mark Rowley, and Headlines on X
A wave of bomb threats against passenger airliners caused chaos in the skies and airports of Europe on Thursday, the latest such incidents this week that have prompted emergency landings and security sweeps on runways. No explosives have so far been found, and it is not clear who or what is behind the security threats made against at least 14 airliners. But the threats alone have caused disruption to Europe’s airspace and some of its busiest airports. One of the first reports involved Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome, which changed course near Paris and diverted to a French Air Force base, the airline said. There, all 151 passengers and six crew were evacuated from the plane while the bomb squad inspected the aircraft, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office said in a statement...
#9 Conservative US Supreme Court Justices Thomas and Alito in Spotlight After Democratic Landslide - John Kruzel for Reuters, Steve Milloy, Chad Mizelle, and NBC News on X
The US midterm election landslide that gives Democrats control of Congress starting in January is fueling questions about the longevity of the Supreme Court's two eldest justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, and the durability of its ​conservative majority. As Republicans prepare to cede control of the Senate to Democrats for the next two years or more, some conservative commentators already are expressing concerns about the health prospects ‌of Thomas, 78, and Alito, 76, placing renewed focus on their continued service on the top US judicial body...#10 Momentum: When AI Talks Itself Past the Warning - Tracy Beanz and Michelle Edwards for The HighWire
In August, as AI rapidly influences all facets of daily life around the globe, the United Kingdom’s AI Security Institute carried out a controlled hacking exercise on one of Anthropic’s models, a version called Claude Mythos 5. The model was told to break into a small network of test computers and retrieve a hidden piece of data. For the test, the safety guardrails that Anthropic normally has in place on its public models were switched off...
