Is Hegseth’s job in jeopardy?
After Democrats swept the midterms on Tuesday, many have blamed the war in Iran for the losses. Vice President JD Vance and Sen. Ted Cruz have done so. This puts Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in a sticky situation. Hegseth has been one of the war’s biggest advocates, and the Trump administration has mostly leaned on him. Rep. Thomas Massie, who has consistently tried to oust Hegseth, has once again issued him an ultimatum: Leave, or Congress will make you leave. Given the election results and the impending influx of leftists in Congress, this threat actually holds weight and could spell doom for Hegseth’s job security. Hegseth was even offered a Senate appointment to replace Tennessee Gov.-elect Marsha Blackburn, but that offer was declined. It remains to be seen whether the secretary will see the wrath of his own party.
Jeffries declares bid for House speaker
Yesterday afternoon, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries addressed the newly elected members of the 120th Congress. “I write to humbly request your support in connection with my candidacy to serve as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives,” Jeffries said. The New York Democrat would be the first black House speaker in congressional history. Democrats flipped enough seats to control both the House and the Senate, and every incumbent Democrat won reelection in a battleground state. That makes Jeffries’s election highly likely. Previously, however, Jeffries has spurred party infighting and faced criticism for comments calling for “maximum warfare” on Republicans.
Johnson will step down as party leader
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday that he is stepping down as the Republican leader in Congress. The announcement came just one day after the Democrats captured the House majority. President Donald Trump praised Johnson and said he would stay out of the race. “The speaker was fantastic,” Trump said. “The people under him were fantastic. All good people.” Johnson’s departure leaves open the House minority leader position, and several Republican candidates could fill it. The GOP will hold an internal election on November 10 to select a candidate. Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the second most powerful GOP leader, declared his bid, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump advocate, has also entered the race.
Democrat Party sweeps state legislatures, too
Democrats are poised to sweep into power in state legislatures across the country. Arizona Democrats won down-ballot statewide races and appear to have won the legislature as well, granting them a trifecta. Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are now under Democrat dominance. Democrats broke Republican trifectas in North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, and New Hampshire, leaving former Republican strongholds under divided government. Florida is the only one of the 10 largest states where Republicans still control the government. All told, Democrats seem likely to have at least 22 trifectas across the Union, while Republicans will hold only 18.
AI data centers lose badly
One thing was an even bigger loser than the Republicans on Tuesday — AI data centers. Voters across the board resoundingly agreed that they don’t want data centers in their backyards. There were 47 ballot measures regarding data centers in precincts across the country. So far, 39 restrictions have been approved and six are leading. The one precinct where AI companies will want to start buying land is in Harwood, North Dakota; voters there were the only ones willing to allow a data center. Ohio had the most precincts voting on data center measures, but all 21 said they want to restrict them. Elon Musk responded to the bloodbath, saying, “Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now.”
Party that regularly used the filibuster will end it as “a Jim Crow relic”
Sen.-elect James Talarico is beginning to advocate for eliminating the filibuster now that Democrats have gained majorities in both houses. The Texas Democrat stated that “the majority has the right to govern in this country,” going on to call the filibuster unconstitutional and “a Jim Crow relic.” Because Talarico’s position makes no sense, even Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave a noncommittal answer about the filibuster. Typically, it takes 60 votes in the Senate to overcome the filibuster, but Democrats won 54 and perhaps 56 seats. It has remained a viable way for the minority party on both sides to not be completely overrun by the majority, and both parties have effectively utilized it in the past. Some in both parties have advocated for its elimination upon taking power. Typically, cooler heads have prevailed, but time will tell in the days ahead.
Omar’s post-election comments
Ilhan Nur Said Elmi — or “Ilhan Omar,” as she is commonly known — won reelection on Tuesday night despite an investigation into her citizenship status. The Somali congresswoman gave a fiery speech striking back at President Trump, who focused much of his final midterm campaign speeches on her. She said the election results showed “the bigot in the White House and his friends that we are not going to be a pawn in their game.” She added that Operation Metro Surge, wherein immigration enforcement agents took to the Minneapolis streets to arrest the worst of the worst illegals, worked against the administration: “[We] knew when Election Day came that we were going to provide an answer by directly rejecting them in the ballot box.” She concluded with a threat: “If you thought that the Democrats took it easy on you in 2019, wait until you meet these kind of new Democrats.”
Alito isn’t retiring
Given the midterm shellacking the Republicans just took, questions about two of the oldest members of the U.S. Supreme Court have come to the forefront once again. Justice Clarence Thomas is 78 and Justice Samuel Alito is 76. Rumors have swirled for months that either could retire soon, giving President Trump time to appoint new justices, but on Wednesday, Alito reportedly put those rumors to bed by telling close friends he’s not going anywhere. This aligns with his comments in an interview last month, when he said “I intend to stick around through this term” regardless of the midterm election results. Now, with Democrats soon gaining congressional majorities, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pointedly observed, “Chance of confirming a worthy successor to Justice Thomas and/or Alito during President Trump’s term: Zero.”
Cruz reflects on Texas downfall
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas offered his assessment of the “blue tsunami” in a post on X. “It was not simply a bad 2006 midterm election,” he said, but a “Watergate-level repudiation.” In his home state, Democrats won every statewide race, ending Republicans’ decades-long dominance in Texas. “Texas is blue. That is a hard sentence to utter. But Texas, today at least, is blue,” Cruz wrote. James Talarico won the first Democrat Senate victory in Texas in almost four decades, and state Rep. Gina Hinojosa unseated three-term Gov. Greg Abbott. Cruz noted that Republicans had not done enough to address everyday Americans’ real pain, and that tariffs and the Iran war had contributed to voter frustration. Cruz pointed out that it is dark right now, but he believes there will be a comeback for Republicans as they “rebuild as a true blue-collar party, not by embracing socialism, but by being real free-market conservatives.”
West Hollywood legalizes polyamory
The polyamorous romantic “relationships” of throuples and foursomes will now be legally recognized in West Hollywood, California, following the passage of a new law. While the law does not grant the same legal rights as married couples, it does give certain rights, such as hospital visitation and renter protections. According to activist Christina Fialho, “This law is just [the] beginning. I think it makes it possible for people to dream about a future they once thought was out of reach.” Those in polyamorous relationships can now be officially registered with the city if certain conditions are met, including mutual consent and that they are not blood relations. The continued degradation of marriage is the inevitable outcome of the Supreme Court’s notorious Obergefell decision redefining marriage.
Headlines
- Ballot measures restricting male athletes in girls’ sports pass handily in WA, AZ (Fox News)
- DSA’s Nithya Raman ousts Karen Bass as Los Angeles mayor (The Hill)
- Democrats move quickly to hire investigators after blue wave “lawyer up” warning (Washington Examiner)
- Prosecutors authorize felony charges against UM student who attacked conservative influencer (Breitbart)
- Russell Brand convicted of rape in UK (NY Post)
The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, Jacob Geoffrey, Hudson Baldwin, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.
