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!

Battle for the Senate: How the GOP woke up while Democrats were feeling the drag  —  One night in early September, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called a longtime colleague, Sen. Pat Roberts, from his living room in Louisville, furious about the 78-year-old Republican's fumbling and lethargic reelection campaign.

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 …

Climate Change?  An Issue for Losers  —  Ross Douthat nails it in his NY Times blog post-mortem: … Andrew Restuccia notes in Politico: … Will Bunch in the Philadelphia Daily News: … The Keystone pipeline appears to have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, according to the National Journal:

‘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.

Wisconsin Three-Peat  —  Why no one can beat Scott Walker.  —  WEST ALLIS, Wisconsin—"First off, I want to thank God."  —  Gov. Scott Walker had just come on stage at the State Fair Exposition Center to give his third victory speech in four years, and the supporters mashed up in front of the stage were totally losing it.

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.

Transcript: President Obama's Nov. 5 news conference on midterm election results  —  President Obama held a news conference Nov. 5 at the White House to discuss the results of the midterm congressional elections .  —  PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good afternoon, everybody.  Have a seat.

New Outside Groups Prove Worth to Conservative Donors  —  Last fall, Steven Law, the president of the nation's largest Republican “super PAC,” met with two of his party's biggest donors in a Houston office.  Both had given generously to Mr. Law's organization, American Crossroads …

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 …

West Virginia Elects America's Youngest State Lawmaker  —  A West Virginia University freshman who did most of her campaigning out of her dorm room became the youngest state lawmaker in the nation Tuesday.  —  Republican Saira Blair, a fiscally conservative 18-year-old …

EXCLUSIVE - Navy SEAL who killed bin Laden revealed: Rob O'Neill named as SEAL Team Six hero who shot 9/11 mastermind three times in head - and has already inspired series of Hollywood films  — SEAL Rob O'Neill named ahead of Fox News interview in which he will tell how he killed bin Laden and why he is giving up his anonymity

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 …

Congratulations, Voters.  You Just Made This Climate Denier the Most Powerful Senator on the Environment.  —  In handing Republicans control of the Senate on Tuesday, Americans effectively voted for the party's hostile plans against President Barack Obama's environmental legacy.