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11:45 AM ET, November 5, 2026

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 Top Items: 
CNN:
Republicans quickly turn against Pete Hegseth after midterms rout  —  Pete Hegseth Donald Trump The Middle East US military  —  President Donald Trump may have made the decision to launch the war that tanked voters' support for the GOP and dealt them a midterm shellacking.
RELATED:
New York Times:
‘I Have Seen the Enemy, and It Is Us’: Inside Team Trump's Historic Collapse  —  How an unpopular president and an unpopular war provided an opening for Democrats to make sweeping gains in the midterms.  —  President Trump at a campaign rally in Kalispell, Mont., last month.Doug Mills/The New York Times
Axios:
Vance takes a step toward 2028 in MAGA power play  —  Vice President Vance stepped out of President Trump's shadow Wednesday, seizing on the GOP's midterm catastrophe to begin the explosive task of claiming MAGA as his own.  — “The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote …
Axios:
Why Pete Hegseth could fall through “thin ice”  —  It's a de facto motto in the Trump White House: “Somebody's gotta take the fall.”  Lately, that person looks like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. … - “Hegseth is definitely on thin ice,” a Trump adviser told Axios.
Paul Krugman:
What Democrats Can Do  —  Yes, Trump has veto power.  Force him to use it. … The American people have just delivered a stunning rebuke to Donald Trump.  If we had a parliamentary system, the moving trucks would already be at the White House.  As it is, however, an increasingly deranged …
Fox News:
Republicans turn on Trump after devastating midterm losses hand Democrats control of Congress  —  Donor Dan Eberhart called it ‘a Trump loss’ as Democrats flipped seven Senate seats and 27 House seats on Election Night  —  Seismic political change is coming to Washington, D.C. …
Discussion: Semafor
Ron Dicker / HuffPost:
Ron DeSantis Pins Blame For GOP's Midterm Flop On Surprising Factors
Discussion: The Hill and Associated Press
Ann E. Marimow / New York Times:
Justice Alito Will Not Retire Immediately, Despite Election Outcome
Associated Press:
After midterm loss, Trump is left to weigh his next move in Iran war that contributed to GOP debacleNEW!
Wall Street Journal:
How Trump Lost the Midterms
Victoria Bisset / Washington Post:
‘JD, habibi ... swear me in’: What El-Sayed's quip to Vance means
Discussion: Newsbusters and The Hill
Avery Lotz / Axios:   Trump: Sen. Sullivan should get votes cast for Alaska's other Sullivan
Miranda Devine / New York Post:   Look in the mirror, President Trump, after Republicans' midterm rout
Politico:
Democrats' slow Bern
Discussion: The Washington Sun
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Trump's MAGA Makeover Of The Courts Is Over
Discussion: Washington Examiner
The Atlantic:
Republicans Redistricted Themselves Out of Congress
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
The only thing Democrats have to fear is fear itself
Discussion: The Atlantic
Andrew Pantazi / Axios:
Democrats poised to break GOP's 16-year grip on statehouses  —  Democrats are on track to take control of a majority of legislative chambers, ending 16 years of Republican dominance over America's statehouses.  — If current leads hold, 75% of Americans will live in a state with a Democratic governor …
RELATED:
NBC News:
Anger over GOP education agenda helped fuel Democratic sweeps in Texas, advocates say  —  Before they flipped Texas blue, Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico made names for themselves fighting book bans, private school vouchers and restrictions on classroom instruction.
Bloomberg Law:NEW!
Dhillon Plans DOJ Civil Rights Exit After Democrats' Sweep  —  Harmeet Dhillon plans to step down from her role leading the Justice Department's civil rights unit, marking the first senior DOJ official to resign following Democrats' massive midterm wins.  —  Dhillon, who has vastly transformed …
Discussion: KTVU-TV and Law and Chaos
Joe Berkowitz / Fast Company:
Bluesky was right all along and will accept your apology any time  —  Bluesky is a niche Twitter-clone frequently accused of being an echo chamber for progressives.  After the blue tsunami of this week's midterms, however, its inhabitants don't seem to be echoing themselves so much as the vast majority of American voters.
Ashton Pittman / Mississippi Free Press:
Liveblog: Mississippi's 2026 U.S. Senate Election Results  —  Mississippi election workers are counting ballots amid a tight race between Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom.  Follow this liveblog for the latest updates.  See results in other races here.
RELATED:
New York Times:
How Colom Changed a Long Shot in Mississippi Into a Race Too Close to Call
Natalie Hausmann / Democracy Docket:
Mississippi made thousands of valid voters inactive ahead of critical Senate race
Discussion: Magnolia Tribune
The Independent:
Marco Rubio ‘on resignation watch’ from Trump administration after midterms disaster  —  Exclusive: The US secretary of state is thought to be preparing for a presidential run in 2028 and will likely want to distance himself from Trump, The Independent can reveal.  —  Become an Independent member to bookmark this article
RELATED:
The Independent:
Marco Rubio expected to step down and launch bid to be next US president25 minutes ago
Discussion: Political.org
Aoife Walsh / Washington Post:
Midterm results ‘a Watergate-level repudiation,’ Cruz says  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) described the Republicans' historic losses in the midterm elections Tuesday as “an ass-kicking.”  —  “2026 was not simply a blue wave.  It was a blue tsunami,” Cruz on his podcast.
RELATED:
NBC News:
‘A Watergate-level repudiation’: Ted Cruz weighs in on midterm wave
Jeff Stein / The Washington Sun:
Democrats Are Reviewing a Plan to Investigate Corporate America  —  Party lawmakers have reviewed ideas for subpoenas, hearings and oversight next year.  — Copy  —  Senior congressional Democrats have been studying a 181-page dossier that identifies hundreds of executives and companies …
Bloomberg:
Democrats Projected to Win Control of US House  —  Democrats are projected to take control of the House from Republicans in Tuesday's midterm elections, according to Decision Desk HQ.  Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become the next House Speaker.  He would be the first African American to ever have the post.
RELATED:
CBS News:
Republicans point fingers after massive midterms defeat; Jeffries runs for House speaker
Discussion: FOX 7 Austin and Mediaite
Will Neal / The Daily Beast:NEW!
Trump's Putin Claim Crumbles as Secret Deal Revealed … Donald Trump's claims that Vladimir Putin is doing “very little, if anything” to help Iran have been blown apart by fresh details of Moscow's support for Tehran's war machine. … The export order was for the very same systems used by Russian forces …
Discussion: The Guardian and Reuters
Deutsche Welle:
Bavarian politician Hubert Aiwanger found dead in Berlin hotel  —  Aiwanger was Bavaria's Economy Minister and the chairman of the right-wing populist Free Voters party.  The circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear. … Bavarian politician Hubert Aiwanger was found dead …
 
 
 New Item Finder: 
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Will Neal / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Putin Claim Crumbles as Secret Deal Revealed   Find
20 minutes ago
Seth Masket / the @smotus report:
The return of the Democratic South?   Find
 
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 More Items: 
José Criales-Unzueta / Vanity Fair:
The Real Reason Ossoff's and El-Sayed's Suits Were Just a Little Too Tight—and Other Midterm-Fashion Hot TakesNEW!
Seth Masket / the @smotus report:
The return of the Democratic South?20 minutes ago
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Elie Mystal / The Nation:
Actually, Democrats Don't Have to Sacrifice Trans People or Immigrants to Win
Sarah Kendis / Washington Examiner:
Suicidal saviorism: Why 60% of Michigan Jews voted for an antisemite
 Earlier Items: 
Ethan Barton / The Washington Free Beacon:
‘We Need To Stop Giving Birth to Them’: Maryland Special Ed Teacher Called To Abort Boys, Overthrow US Government
ProPublica:
Trump's State Department Is Giving $1 Million to Controversial Group to Study Crimes Against White South Africans
New York Times:
Triumphal Arch Set to Win Final Approval Despite Court Challenges
Discussion: NPR and Washington Post
Raquel Coronell Uribe / NBC News:
Billionaire Leon Black sues Rep. Robert Garcia, alleging defamation over Epstein comments
 

 
From Techmeme:

Dina Bass / Bloomberg:
OpenAI pledges to change how it handles data center deals, including avoiding NDAs and lowering power usage during peak times, after Democrats' midterm wins

Andrew E. Freedman / Tom's Hardware:
MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display review: a gorgeous screen, touch is useful for some apps, and excellent speakers with deep bass, but pricey and no Face ID

Andrew Webster / The Verge:
An interview with two Nintendo producers on the new Ocarina of Time remake for the Switch 2, which features modern gameplay mechanics like full camera control

 
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