McConnell: No Shutdowns, No Full Obamacare Repeal  —  An exclusive interview with TIME about his plans as Majority Leader  —  Sen. Mitch McConnell was giddy, not an emotion often seen in the sober 72-year-old Kentuckian.  But that's the only way to describe TIME's interview with him in Perry County, Kentucky, on Monday afternoon.

9 takeaways from the 2014 election  —  1) The Democrats lost.  —  Badly.  This wasn't just a tough map.  Democrats lost Senate seats in Iowa and Colorado.  They lost governor races in Florida and Wisconsin.  Hell, they lost governor races in Illinois, Maryland, Maine, and Massachusetts!

What really went wrong for Democrats  —  The most common explanation we're hearing for the GOP sweep of a dozen Senate races last night is that an already-treacherous map for Democrats was made a lot worse by the failure of core Dem voter groups to show up.  —  But multiple Democratic …

President Obama Left Fighting for His Own Relevance  —  WASHINGTON — Two things were clear long before the votes were counted on Tuesday night: President Obama would face a Congress with more Republicans for his final two years in office, and the results would be seen as a repudiation of his leadership.

The Polls Were Skewed Toward Democrats  —  For much of this election cycle, Democrats complained the polls were biased against them.  They said the polls were failing to represent enough minority voters and applying overly restrictive likely-voter screens.  They claimed early-voting data was proving the polls wrong.

‘Hundred-year majority’ for House GOP?  —  Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, proclaimed Wednesday that Republicans may have built a “hundred-year majority” in the House.  —  “We're as back to a majority as any of us have seen in our lifetimes.

The Evaporating Democratic Majority  —  “For Republicans, what counts as victory?”  I asked in my pre-election post, and now we have an answer: This counts.  Control of the Senate with room to spare, easy victories in what were supposed to be tight purple-state races and even easier victories in red states …

First Impressions: Historic GOP House Majority  —  It's hard to overstate House Democrats' bad night.  By all measures, Republicans enjoyed an historic night, exceeding pre-election expectations across the country.  There are fewer than ten races where the outcome is in some doubt …

NBC's Today Show ‘Hires’ Pippa Middleton  —  After rumored courting by both ABC and NBC, Pippa Middleton is reportedly inking a deal to become a Today correspondent.  Buckingham Palace may not be amused.  —  NBC News, which has an expensive affection for royalty—whether British or American …

Colorado to vote on personhood, again  —  On November 4, Colorado voters will vote on Amendment 67 which would change the criminal code to include ‘an unborn human being’ as a ‘person.’ Proponents argue the measure would protect pregnant women while opponents say it's a veiled abortion bill.

Meet Elise Stefanik, the Youngest Woman Ever Elected to Congress … Republican Elise Stefanik has become the youngest woman elected to Congress in history, winning her race against Aaron Woolf in New York's 21st open district 56-32, ABC News projects.  —  She's the first Republican to win the district …

Sullivan lead holds in Alaska U.S. Senate race; Begich won't concede  —  Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan appeared to grab an insurmountable lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Begich early Wednesday, with all of Alaska's precincts reporting.

27 senators who voted for Obamacare won't be part of new Senate  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL CONGRESS OBAMACARE SENATE HEALTH CARE 2014 ELECTIONS  —  On Dec. 24, 2009, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed President Obama's healthcare law with a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority …

Election Results 2014: Here Are the Key Races That Are Still Too Close to Project  —  Voters in states across the nation handed Republicans control of the U.S. Senate on Election Day 2014, strengthened their majority control of the House of Representatives and also made a strong showing in gubernatorial races.