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.

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 …

Big win for conservative big money  —  Establishment Republican money finally got what it paid for — an electoral wave.  —  After two cycles during which conservative mega-donors' record spending was plagued by flawed candidates and internecine squabbling, their side's big money operatives got to do some gloating on election night.

Democrats Sink to Pre-Great Depression Levels in State Legislatures  —  In addition to the GOP gains in the U.S., Senate, House and governorships it was an historic night for the party in state legislatures.  —  Here is the summary by Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures:

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 …

Alex Rodriguez's DEA confession: Yes, I used steroids from fake Miami doctor  —  ›  —  ‹  —  For 21 tumultuous months, New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez has defiantly maintained he never used banned substances from a Coral Gables anti-aging clinic …

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.