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🏈 1 fun thing: College football reveal College Football Playoff via X Miami, Georgia, Utah and Indiana nabbed the top 4 spots in the first College Football Playoff rankings released last night, Axios' Donica Phifer writes. Why it matters: The final of six weekly rankings will determine the bracket for the 12-team playoff. UCLA — one of just three undefeated teams along with Miami and Utah — was ranked No. 8 because of a weak schedule. Ohio State (6-2) is the first team out of the playoffs. If the regular season ended today, No. 25 Boise State would make it in as the best team from a non-major conference. Go deeper.

📜 Election time capsule This morning's homepages.

🏛️ D.C. elects socialist mayor D.C. mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George votes at Ida B. Wells Middle School in Washington yesterday. Photo: Daniel Heuer/Reuters D.C.'s next mayor will be democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George, who swept her primary in June amid unhappiness with the city's direction and promises to expand affordable child care, Axios D.C.'s Cuneyt Dil reports. Lewis George's biggest task will be rebuilding the capital's economy, which has lost 45,600 jobs since President Trump returned to office. 🦆 Voters also overwhelmingly voted in favor of banning foie gras, a ballot initiative that invited fury from chefs like José Andrés and the owner of Butterworth's, a Capitol Hill French bistro popular among Trump's circle. Go deeper. Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman dances with supporters last night. Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP 🌴 In the Los Angeles mayoral race, democratic socialist Nithya Raman is running neck-and-neck with incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.

🍑 Night of historic firsts Georgia Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms embraces her daughter Lincoln at an election night party in Atlanta. Photo: Brynn Anderson/AP Yesterday's elections delivered a string of historic firsts, breaking barriers in governors' mansions and the Senate, Axios' Julianna Bragg writes. With her victory in Georgia, former Atlanta mayor and Biden aide Keisha Lance Bottoms will become the first Black woman governor in U.S. history. Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Crowley were elected the first Black governors in Florida and Wisconsin, respectively. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) won New Hampshire's open Senate seat, becoming the first openly gay man elected to the chamber. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed will become the first Muslim to serve in the Senate. Deb Haaland (D) won New Mexico's governor's race, becoming the first Indigenous woman elected governor of a U.S. state. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) became the first Indigenous woman elected to the Senate. More historic firsts.

🤖 AI loses everywhere Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios Voters showed deep distrust of the AI race, approving dozens of data center moratoriums and electing a raft of candidates who favor slowing a $10 trillion buildout, including in Texas — the epicenter of the boom, Axios' Maria Curi writes. Why it matters: The results were a warning shot to some of the nation's wealthiest and most powerful executives, many of whom are already working on ways to build a more palatable version of the revolution they are dead-set on winning. 🔬 Zoom in: All told, nearly two-thirds of 2028 data center capacity could face delays, although most political analysts don't see Democrats permanently blocking construction. Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa's surprise victory in the Texas governor's race fundamentally scrambles the math for the AI buildout. She campaigned on keeping a moratorium on data center construction in place until at least mid-2027. The state accounts for 41% of new U.S. capacity expected in 2028, according to the research firm SemiAnalysis. Via X Democrats also won gubernatorial races in Ohio, Georgia and Arizona — the three states expected to have the most new data center capacity after Texas. The winners in Ohio and Georgia favor restricting construction. Out of 41 data center measures on the ballot across 10 states, about two dozen proposals designed to restrict or block development appeared to have passed based on initial returns. 💰 The other side: In California, a measure that would've enacted a 5% wealth tax on individuals and trusts with more than $1 billion in assets appeared headed for defeat after facing heavy opposition from Silicon Valley.

⚡ Hakeem's dream majority House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is set to preside over a commanding Democratic majority after his party swept districts President Trump carried by double digits, Axios' Andrew Solender writes. Why it matters: Democrats' landslide win will make it much, much easier for the likely next speaker to secure the gavel without a sweat and ignore the demands of his progressive wing. It's a major partisan win for Democrats as a whole, but the party's centrist wing is also hailing the result as a much-needed strategic victory over the left. Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), a leader of the center-left New Democrat Coalition, told Axios in an interview that Jeffries "now has the space to utilize his full talents as speaker." The size of Democrats' victory, Stanton said, "allows him to govern without worrying about being leveraged by anyone." 🔎 Zoom in: Progressives — particularly "The Bloc," a group made up of hard-charging leftists — had hoped to use a small majority to extract concessions from Jeffries. Many of them have declined to commit to supporting Jeffries as speaker and signaled they would use their votes as leverage to force votes on progressive legislation such as Medicare-for-All, defunding ICE and cutting aid to Israel. But the left's strategy is "going to look different from what it would have been with a smaller margin," one incoming House progressive told Axios, noting that "leaders have more flexibility when they have big majorities." 👓 Between the lines: Stanton noted that most of the incoming Democrats who won in purple and red districts were endorsed by the center-left New Dems — one of Jeffries' most reliable power bases in the caucus.

🤯 Biggest election shockers Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-Texas) and Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa (D) visit a Whataburger in Austin after winning last night. Photo: James Talarico via X Democrats racked up stunning margins in red states that President Trump carried in landslides just two years ago, Axios' Hans Nichols writes: 1. The Texas trifecta: Democrats won the races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, giving the party unified control of state government for the first time since 1995. 2. North Carolina was a bloodbath. The man in charge of steering House Republicans to victory — Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee — lost his own seat. He'll join the ranks of other defeated party leaders who spent so much time trying to build a majority that they failed to protect themselves. 3. Hispanic voters swung back. Democrats are poised to control three congressional seats in the Rio Grande Valley that President Trump carried in 2024 — and the margins weren't even close. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) was leading Republican Tano Tijerina, 66% to 30%. Democrat Bobby Pulido was leading Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, 62% to 38%. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) was leading Republican Eric Flores, 56% to 40%. Keep reading.

🥊 Susie Wiles: Foot on gas Via Truth Social White House chief of staff Susie Wiles made these remarks to senior staff gathered in her office last night, a person in the room tells me: "We're going to take a page out of President Trump's playbook and keep fighting for the American people. We will not stand by while radical Democrats try to undo the progress we've made by reopening our borders, making our communities less safe, and raising taxes on hardworking families. Anyone who thinks President Trump or this team is going to take our foot off the gas over the next two years is sorely mistaken. We know exactly what's at stake, we know what we're fighting for, and we have no intention of backing down. There is work left to do, and we intend to finish the job." Via Truth Social 📱President Trump told The New York Times in a phone interview shortly before 10:30 p.m. ET that he's "absolutely willing" to accept the results, and is prepared to work with Democrats: "We'll, you know, look forward to working with them ... We'll probably work something out." He called his decision to go to war with Iran a "very wise decision." On Republican Darline Graham's stunning loss of her Senate race in South Carolina, Trump said: "I'm just looking at these results as I'm talking ... I see that Darline lost. Wow, that's amazing." Referring to Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died in July, Trump added: "How do you think Lindsey would have done if he ran?"

🌊 Blue tsunami breaks MAGA Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images The 2026 midterms will go down as one of the most sweeping repudiations of a sitting president in modern American history, on a scale reminiscent of the post-Watergate reckoning of 1974, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Democrats seized control of both chambers of Congress, on course to hold at least 54 Senate seats and potentially more than 255 in the House. The wave swept deep into Republican territory, from Texas and Georgia to both Carolinas, flipping hundreds of legislative seats and delivering Democratic trifectas in the unlikeliest of states. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's bitterly contested Senate race and will be the nation's first Muslim senator. Cover: The New York Post Takeaways: 1. Texas turns blue: Democrats finally conquered the nation's most coveted Republican stronghold — in a landslide so sweeping that even three-term Gov. Greg Abbott was driven from office. Gina Hinojosa became the state's first Latina governor, while James Talarico defeated Trump-backed Ken Paxton to become the first Texas Democrat elected to the Senate since 1988. The Democratic onslaught extended across statewide offices and into the legislature after 32 years of GOP dominance. 2. Democrats storm Senate: What once looked like an impossibly difficult map for Democrats gave way to a historic rout, as Republicans watched their 53-seat majority crumble in states Trump carried by double digits. Democrats broke a 94-year losing streak in Kansas, ousted Republicans in Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina, and captured South Carolina for the first time since 1998. In Maine, Democrats finally toppled five-term Sen. Susan Collins after many failed attempts. 3. MAGA coalition collapses: The multiracial, working-class coalition that powered Trump's 2024 comeback fractured spectacularly. AP's nationwide voter survey found roughly 70% of voters under 30 and 60% of Hispanic voters backed Democratic House candidates, amid widespread anger over the economy and the Iran war. 4. GOP House firewall crumbles: Democrats are on course for their largest House majority since 2009. Casualties spanned the entire GOP conference, from MAGA firebrands to battle-tested moderates. Even seats redrawn to shield Republicans from a blue wave fell to Democrats, turning Trump's redistricting offensive into a spectacular miscalculation. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) arrives to deliver a victory speech at an election night party in Atlanta. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images 5. 2028's winners and losers: Yesterday's landslide elevated a new generation of Democratic contenders and cast a shadow over Vice President Vance's presidential ambitions. Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, whose race was called 15 minutes after polls closed, immediately vaulted into the top tier of Democratic prospects. Keisha Lance Bottoms' historic victory for governor removed a key obstacle for both Ossoff and Sen. Raphael Warnock: She could appoint a Democrat to fill their seat if either became president. Vance, Trump's presumed political heir, now faces the fallout from a deeply unpopular Iran war and the collapse of a once-in-a-generation coalition he hoped would carry him to the White House.

The Trump obliteration Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Make no mistake: Democrats won by epic, sometimes historic margins across red and blue states, up and down ballots, obliterating almost everything President Trump, and a Republican Party remade wholly in his image, built over the past decade in American politics, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column. Why it matters: Trump and Republicans are left with a mostly white, mostly old House and Senate minority, confronting a younger, more diverse ascendant Democratic Party with power and margins it hasn't held in 18 years, since the dawn of the Obama era. 📊 The results speak louder than any words we can write: Democrats won Senate races in Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, Ohio, and perhaps Mississippi en route to what could be a 55-seat majority. Democrats won swing districts all across red America, with national average margins of victory of roughly 13 points, according to a New York Times estimate. Dems appear headed for a 250+-seat majority, an 18-year high. Texas is now a Democratic state, top to bottom — unthinkable mere months ago. James Talarico crushed Ken Paxton (55% to 43%) like it was Connecticut. State Representative Gina Hinojosa will become the first Democratic governor of Texas in 32 years. Pastor Adam Hamilton is the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Kansas in 94 years. North Carolina looks like a true-blue state after Democrats flipped the Senate seat and likely ousted Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) — meaning he led the GOP drive to keep the House. North Carolina's congressional delegation could swing from 10R-4D to 5R-9D. Georgia was even worse for Republicans, where they lost all power at the state and U.S. Senate levels. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) predicted on X that the losses were so widespread, so deep, so severe that Republicans might not "have a shot at Senate control until 2032." 💡 How to think about last night more broadly: This is a 50-50 nation with fast, whiplash shifts in power at the federal level due to persistent discontent with the party in power. So, on one hand, this isn't terribly surprising. On the other, Republican losses were so deep, so wide, so everywhere that it would be foolish to see this as anything but a massive repudiation of Trump, his agenda, his style, his rhetoric and his presidency. If anything, what's left of the Republican Party is more pro-Trump and less likely to challenge him. His critics, even the timid ones, were ousted long before the general election. So Republicans are left with two more years of riding a very unpopular leader managing a very unpopular war. A trapped, embarrassed Trump is even more unpredictable. Democrats have the numbers to investigate Trump, his family and supporters, and the power to set the agenda in the House and Senate. The bottom line: Voters nationally said government corruption was a "crucial issue" in their vote for Congress. Democrats will spend months trying to rehab a party that, despite its victory, remains deeply unpopular as a brand. Expect a vigorous fight between Mamdani-like socialists and Schumer-like center-leftists.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY November 4 1922 Entrance to King Tut’s tomb discovered British archaeologist Howard Carter and his workmen discover a step leading to the tomb of King Tutankhamen in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Read More Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1777 George Washington learns of effort to discredit him Arts & Entertainment 1990 ‘Dances with Wolves’ premieres in Los Angeles 1948 T.S. Eliot wins Nobel Prize in Literature Crime 1928 One of New York’s most notorious gamblers is shot to death 1995 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin assassinated Early U.S. 1791 Native Americans deliver crushing defeat at the Battle of the Wabash European History 1956 Soviets put a brutal end to Hungarian revolution Inventions & Science 1960 Jane Goodall observes a chimpanzee making and using tools LGBTQ+ History 2008 Proposition 8 is passed in California, banning same-sex marriage Middle Eastern History 1979 Iran hostage crisis begins after U.S. embassy in Tehran is stormed Natural Disasters & Environment 2016 Paris Agreement comes into effect Sports 1924 California legalizes professional boxing after 10-year ban U.S. Government & Politics 1924 The first female governors are elected in the United States U.S. Presidents 2008 Barack Obama elected as America’s first Black president 1842 Abraham Lincoln marries Mary Todd Vietnam War 1963 General Minh takes over leadership of South Vietnam World War I 1918 Poet Wilfred Owen killed in action

The concept of free exercise increasingly imposes a tangible price on the state, transforming from a shield for individual belief and practice into a mandate for government subsidy for institutions. The post When “Free” Exercise Costs the State: Supreme Court Grapples With Expanding Free Exercise Clause Jurisprudence <label class="rltv-edition-check-wrap" onclick="event.stopPropagation();" title="Add to 5-Story Mini-Newspaper"><input type="checkbox" class="rltv-story-checkbox" data-id="170511842" data-title="When “Free” Exercise Costs the State: Supreme Court Grapples With Expanding Free Exercise Clause Jurisprudence" /><span>+ Edition</span></label> appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

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... and Key Down-Ballot Races Thirty-six states held gubernatorial elections yesterday, with each party defending 18 seats and Republicans entering with a 26-24 edge nationwide. Among the notable results, Democrats flipped the Texas governorship for the first time in more than three decades after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott conceded his reelection bid to Democrat Gina Hinojosa. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to succeed term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine (R), while Democrat Rob Sand beat Republican Zach Lahn in Iowa. Both victories marked the first time in 20 years that Democrats won gubernatorial elections in their respective states. In Wisconsin, David Crowley (D) defeated Tom Tiffany (R) to succeed Gov. Tony Evers (D), becoming the state's first Black governor. In another first, Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) won Georgia's governorship, becoming the nation's first Black female governor and flipping a seat Republicans held for more than two decades. Alaskans used ranked-choice voting to pick a successor to Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R), while also deciding whether to repeal the system; the 2024 repeal attempt failed by just 743 votes. Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins had 49% of the vote with 75% of ballots counted. Separately, California considered a one-time wealth tax on billionaires, while voters weighed abortion-related ballot measures in Idaho, Nevada, Virginia, and Missouri. Several states also voted on voter ID requirements, and Idaho considered naming an official state gun. Dozens of local data center measures were also on ballots. See all results here.

... and the House Democrats are projected to take control of the House, winning at least 228 seats as of this writing, with 68 races still uncalled. Projections estimate Democrats could secure more than 250 seats as votes are tallied. The party needed to net at least four seats to overcome Republicans’ current 218-214 majority. Democrats flipped four key seats in swing state Pennsylvania alone, with Bob Harvie, Bob Brooks, Paige Cognetti, and Janelle Stelson ousting Republican incumbents. In Ohio, Brian Poindexter (D) defeated incumbent Rep. Max Miller (R, OH-07), who is facing domestic abuse allegations. In a sign of the Democratic surge, Rep. Victoria Spartz (R, IN-5) lost to challenger JD Ford (D), despite winning in 2024 by 18 points. Elsewhere, Democratic incumbents held several key districts redrawn by Republican-led states, including in Florida, North Carolina, Alabama and Texas. Roughly one-third of the nation’s congressional districts were redrawn this cycle (scroll for maps). The president's party has lost seats in 18 of 20 midterm elections since 1946. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D, NY-08) is poised to become the first Black speaker in US history when the new congressional session begins Jan. 3. See House results here.

Democrats Sweep the Senate ... US voters woke up this morning to a blue wave in the Senate. Republicans entered Election Day with a 53-47 majority; Democrats are projected to secure at least 54 seats as of this writing, with two races still uncalled. In Texas, James Talarico (D) defeated Ken Paxton (R), helping end the party's 32-year losing streak in statewide elections. Talarico led 55%-43% as of this writing, with 93% of the vote counted. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews (D) ousted incumbent Sen. Darline Graham (R), winning by 4.4 points—the first time the state elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton (D) unseated incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall (R) (51%-46%), becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat there since 1932. In Maine, Troy Jackson (D) defeated incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R) (54%-46%), ending her 30-year term. Roy Cooper (D) also flipped North Carolina, defeating Michael Whatley (R), while Josh Turek (D) flipped Iowa, defeating Ashley Hinson (R). In Ohio, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) defeated incumbent Sen. Jon Husted (R) to win back a seat on Capitol Hill. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed (D) defeated Mike Rogers (R) by 6.6 points after one of the most contentious campaigns of the season. In Alaska, Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan led with 48.5% of the vote—but a final winner may not be known until the state's ranked-choice tabulation on Nov. 18. In a final surprise in Mississippi, Scott Colom (D) leads incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) by less than 100 votes. The state does not allow automatic recounts (though courts can order them). See Senate results here.

Political Mortality (Illustration by Cristiana Couceiro. Source: Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty.)   View in browser President Trump has been the dominant political figure of this century. He pulled off one of the most unlikely campaign victories in American history, and then staged the greatest political comeback. He has altered the United States’ relationship with the world, rewritten the rules and expectations of the presidency, inflamed the nation’s divisions, and changed how—and how often—Americans think about his office. He is omnipresent, and draws his power from that ubiquity. But tonight, Trump has been forced to face his political mortality. He asked voters to make these midterm elections a referendum on him, to imagine that his name was on the ballot. They listened—and then rejected him. It is a stunning, widespread rebuke. Democrats appear poised to win the House and, if trends hold, could also capture the Senate after Americans registered their strong disapproval of the direction in which the president has taken the country over the past two years. Trump will now likely have to deal with congressional Democrats who could block his agenda and wield the power of the subpoena. He also must face the possibility that the political party he remade in his image may soon start looking beyond him. Donald J. Trump is now officially, thoroughly a lame duck. But we haven’t heard the last of him. He remains the commander in chief, dominates global affairs, wields the expansive power of executive orders, and remains unequaled at capturing attention. He has escaped the political graveyard more than once before, and emerged stronger. Yet for all his power, for all his volume, he cannot browbeat the unrelenting calendar: The next national election will be the one to replace him. Trump will before long begin to slip in the headlines, pushed off the front page by the presidential campaign. He’ll face the possibility of being succeeded by a Democratic president who could employ the Department of Justice to plumb the previous four years and look into Trump’s allies, friends, family, and businesses. And he’ll confront arguably his greatest fear: irrelevance. Trump will not go quietly. It is not clear whether he and fellow Republicans will even accept the midterm results—and he has defied expectations so often that it would be a foolish exercise to set any. Tonight’s expected losses will not humble him. But they mark the beginning of the end. Trump’s midterm campaign ended in the most ridiculous, yet predictable, way possible. For months, the president had been accused of being out of touch, of losing his once-unmatched feel for what animated his supporters. He has mocked affordability concerns while his own fortune has swelled, started a war that Americans did not want, remodeled the White House, and planned various monuments to himself. And then yesterday, he decided that the best way to push back against the accusation that he’d been consumed with vanity projects and corrupt bargains would be to deliver the final speech of the campaign cycle at the site of his most absurd, failed renovation project. To the dismay of Republicans everywhere, Trump stood in front of the Reflecting Pool on the eve of Election Day and delivered a defense of a project that was doomed by algae and the shoddy work of a no-bid contractor. The project—which Trump had falsely claimed was derailed by vandalism—ran millions of dollars over budget and surely earned not a single vote in places such as Michigan, Kansas, and Alaska. Worst of all, the detour to revisit the Reflecting Pool distracted from Trump’s true closing message: that Senator Jon Husted of Ohio has a great body. Trump was a late entrant on the campaign trail, and had to be talked into holding rallies over the past month or so. But once he was, he insisted that the election be about himself and his successes, and make no acknowledgment of any missteps or empathy for those who are struggling. He insisted that many campaign ads feature him. He demanded a first-of-its-kind midterm political convention, though few who attended the festivities in Dallas seemed happy to be there. Trump threw himself into the campaign, holding nearly-two-hour rallies night after night across the country. But these road shows weren’t quite the same as those that became the defining political event of the past decade. They were smaller than normal, and few were outdoors (in part because of security concerns). One rally in Ohio in the campaign’s final fortnight was held in a small gym, and others featured plenty of empty seats. More striking was where the rallies were held: nearly half in deep-red states where Trump has easily won in the past and has rarely needed to campaign. That led to bigger, more enthusiastic crowds—people in a place like Corinth, Mississippi, were more excited to see Trump for the first time than, say, those in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he has held more than half a dozen rallies over the years. But the geography also told a story: Trump had to visit Republican strongholds such as South Carolina and Montana because seats in those states were suddenly in play and his faithful had to be summoned. But once there, what did Trump really have to offer? Voters, per polling, are angry over his string of broken promises, including his vows to bring down prices, not start new wars, release the Epstein files, and deport only the “worst of the worst.” The parties of incumbent presidents traditionally fare poorly in the midterms, but Trump is also underwater on several of what used to be his strongest issues, such as the economy and immigration. He forced out multiple incumbent senators for being disloyal and backed some problematic candidates, all of which put more races into play. He gave Republican candidates very little to run on, as voters furiously reacted to an economy that seemed to benefit only the rich (a category that includes the president’s family and Cabinet). Instead, Trump tried to recycle culture-war issues from campaigns past, including fears about transgender surgeries, Muslim terrorists, and even communism. He seemed out of step not just with the public but, in many cases, with his own party. Despite warnings that AI could wipe out humanity (or at least a lot of jobs), Trump backed the nascent technology and its data centers—even as the public turned on them—because tech companies are propping up the stock market. He supported a controversial attack ad in the Ohio governor’s race that the state’s Republican governor denounced. He sided with Russia in its war with Ukraine. He threatened to once more bomb Iran. And there really was a lot of talk about butts, which will surely confuse future historians. Americans didn’t seem to go for it. As of this writing Democrats were well on track to decisively take the House. But the story is the Senate: Democrats have already flipped North and South Carolina and easily held on to Georgia. Ohio, Texas, and other deep-red strongholds may soon join them. Trump is now in a new place, and one he won’t like. In his first midterm election, in 2018, Democrats gained control of the House, but that victory was offset by GOP wins in the Senate. House Democrats slowed the president’s agenda, but their 2019 impeachment effort over Ukraine only bolstered Trump’s approval ratings—and he still felt bullish about his reelection chances on the back of a strong economy. (Then, of course, came the pandemic.) Many Democrats say they’ve learned their lesson. Senior members in the party, including Hakeem Jeffries, the likely next House speaker, have been cagey as to their plans for power. The Democratic Party’s approval ratings remain low, and although not being a Republican boosted many Democrats in this year’s campaign, that won’t be the case going forward. Jeffries has signaled that he will focus on measures to try to address affordability and health-care challenges. Democrats are going to say “no” a lot, and now that it appears that they will capture the Senate too, they will likely make it difficult for Trump to confirm any of his nominees, including possible Supreme Court justices. But the Democratic Party’s base is hungry to hold the Trump administration accountable: for DOGE’s destruction of the government, for war, for foreign business deals masquerading as diplomacy, for profiting off the presidency. Accusations of corruption against Trump and his administration have proliferated compared with in his first term. Democrats have promised to issue subpoenas and parade administration officials through the Capitol’s hearing rooms—if they agree to show up. Some close to Trump have theorized that he doesn’t mind having a foil in Washington, and that he would be comfortable tangling with congressional Democrats again. “He likes to have someone to fight—and someone to blame,” one close outside adviser told me on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. But Trump is leery about some of the possible investigations and does not want to be impeached again. (Democrats might be more inclined to try to oust a Cabinet member anyway.) The probes he likely faces next year could act as a preview of what would happen in 2029 if a Democratic president follows him. Trump enjoys a sort of immunity granted by the Supreme Court, and he has vowed to give preemptive pardons to many people in this administration. Yet advisers say he is unhappy at the prospect of his inner circle facing punishing investigations once he leaves office. Today’s vote is a clear marker on Trump’s road to irrelevance. Many close to him believe that his driving motivation—more than power or money—is attention. And for a decade now, he has blocked out the sun, dominating the discourse in a way that no other president has in generations. But that will begin to change as Washington begins to look beyond him. Once a colossus, Trump will quickly find himself to be a secondary storyline. It’s not as if he will suddenly vanish; he’ll aim to play GOP kingmaker, and he’ll still surely inspire loyalty from his hard-core believers, even if that group shrinks. He’ll still be commander in chief, and even lame-duck presidents have broad authority when it comes to foreign policy. A return to war with Iran? A move on Cuba? Revisiting Greenland? With Trump fixated on his legacy and desperate to stay in the spotlight, anything feels possible. Trump also may start to see the complete fealty of the Republican Party erode. This stunning midterms wipeout suggests that Trump’s instincts and influence seem to be waning, and Republicans may be more willing to defy him. As the next round of presidential contenders begins to emerge, Republicans will begin to sort out what their post-MAGA future will look like—and what role, if any, Trump plays in it. Related: Here’s who Democrats want to impeach next. Donald Trump is bad at politics, Jonathan Chait argues.

Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms makes history as the first Black woman ever elected governor ATLANTA (AP) — Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected governor of Georgia on Tuesday, making history as the first Black woman to be elected governor in the United States, defeating Republican businessman Rick Jackson and flipping the top job in a key swing state. https://apnews.com/article/georgia-governor-lance-bottom-jackson-midterm-election-67c22a38b9a6e4cad5584aa44acf106f? Democrat Annie Andrews wins US Senate election in South Carolina over Republican Darline Graham WASHINGTON (AP) — Annie Andrew shattered decades of Republican dominance in South Carolina on Tuesday to become the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from the deeply conservative state in a generation. https://apnews.com/article/darline-graham-annie-andrews-south-carolina-midterms-74fc0bf08f5822378fcfa2fe09377d69? Democrat Amy Acton defeats Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio governor’s race COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Dr. Amy Acton delivered an upset victory in the race for Ohio governor on Tuesday, overcoming more than $100 million spent against her to become the first Democrat to win the seat in 20 years and the first woman ever elected to the state’s top post. https://apnews.com/article/ohio-governor-race-2026-election-ramaswamy-acton-ee7b1860b0b8905c55df27318755f7e3? Democrat James Talarico flips a US Senate seat in Texas and sends a shock through the GOP AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrat James Talarico flipped a U.S. Senate seat in Texas on Tuesday, defeating Republican Ken Paxton to pull off the party’s first statewide victory in more than 30 years and sending a jolt through a longtime GOP stronghold that President Donald Trump carried by double digits just two years ago. https://apnews.com/article/texas-senate-talarico-paxton-midterm-election-66df71a7c2bfa962cffd4134ef1a0364? Sherrod Brown flips Senate seat in Ohio for Democrats by ousting Sen. Jon Husted COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Sen. Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio on Tuesday, flipping a seat that was crucial to Democrats’ strategy to retake the chamber and providing a ray of hope for the party’s longer-term prospects in a former swing state that had turned sharply to the right over the last decade. https://apnews.com/article/election-2026-ohio-senate-brown-husted-9e7ae9e1715c0e8203614aea6f71666d? Midterm elections live updates: Trump defends Iran war after voters give Democrats control of Congress https://apnews.com/live/midterm-election-2026? Democrats win the US House and Senate as voters deliver a strong rebuke to Trump and Republicans WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, delivering a decisive rebuke of Republican governance in Washington and ushering in a new era of congressional resistance to President Donald Trump. https://apnews.com/article/midterm-election-house-senate-democrats-republicans-trump-f126e12e05b579a327b98481c0ae2226? Troy Jackson wins the Maine US Senate race over GOP Sen. Susan Collins in a key Democratic victory PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Late Democratic entry Troy Jackson won Maine’s U.S. Senate seat early Wednesday, defeating longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins, taking advantage of President Donald Trump’s deep unpopularity to dislodge an incumbent who had survived tough challenges in the past. https://apnews.com/article/maine-senate-susan-collins-troy-jackson-election-ac895e873f373e5560c4a6c137b2ac19? Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate race, will become first Muslim senator WASHINGTON (AP) — Progressive favorite Abdul El-Sayed has defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a bitter campaign for Michigan’s open Senate seat, giving the Democratic Party’s left wing a breakthrough victory in one of the nation’s most important swing states. https://apnews.com/article/michigan-senate-abdul-elsayed-mike-rogers-election-d546ffbcf04fbb4eb581f63f807a0609?

Pay it forward Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios Tonight's random act of kindness, shared by reader David Jones of Killarney, Manitoba, Canada: "Recently our daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. We received a quick note from someone whose husband was also receiving treatment for cancer." "Just giving us a few tips of how to navigate the system, find parking, and simple things like what streets to avoid and what food was not edible at the hospital was such an act of kindness. It meant a lot, and we have been trying to pay it forward by doing the same." Humankind: Sardinian restaurants ban families from using smartphones and other devices at the table to encourage conversation.

Human genius after AI's new dawn Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios Bradley writes: OpenAI's massive data dump of more than 300 solved math problems triggered a wave of despair about the end of human supremacy. But one mathematician has found reasons to push back against the doom loop. Why it matters: As AI capabilities continue to advance across disciplines, beating humans at one task after another, every new feat requires important contemplation. What problems remain to be solved? Where can humans still have an impact? What does it all mean? For Vanderbilt University's Dan Margalit, the answer within mathematics is that the machines aren't replacing human intellect. They are deeply reliant on it. He sees AI as a tireless finisher of human-led ideas and imagines a future where mathematicians can thrive. ⚡ Catch up quick: The academic world has been reeling since OpenAI released hundreds of AI-generated math papers, offering solutions to major open challenges just a few weeks after also claiming to solve the legendary Navier-Stokes Millennium Prize Problem. The intrigue escalated last week when OpenAI announced its models had disproved the exponential time hypothesis, upending a foundational assumption in computer science. Rival AI giant Anthropic revealed that its own models independently made the same discovery on the same day, pouring 14 million tokens into the effort, according to The Information. The new findings have triggered more shock and awe in academia. Yet in all that frenzy, here are five ways Margalit, who chairs Vanderbilt's math department, says mathematicians are finding hope in the age of AI. 1. 🏁 AI is a finisher, not an originator. The hope: AI didn't solve these problems in a vacuum. It succeeded where humans had brought ideas close enough to a breakthrough. The context: "The problems solved were the ones humans were closest to solving," says Margalit. The AI failed on thousands of other problems where human literature hadn't already pointed the way. 2. ⚠️ The machines still make mistakes. The hope: Mathematicians and others reviewing the AI solutions have found flaws. The context: As mathematicians read the proofs, a number of the released papers are facing retraction because AI made the same logic errors as humans, Margalit said. 3. 🦾 It's brute force, not brilliant intuition. The hope: AI approaches math the way machines approach chess. The context: OpenAI deployed tens of thousands of agents to tirelessly smash together known theorems in millions of configurations. "That's amazing, but like chess, it's about trying all possibilities to get from where we are to where we want to go," Margalit notes. The AI isn't asking interesting questions. 4. 🧮 AI acts as an ultimate calculator. The hope: Humans used to write entire books of integrals until software came along and automated the process. AI can also be a tool for acceleration. The context: This didn't kill math; it freed humans to explore harder concepts. "When an integral appears in a sophisticated problem, I no longer devote my research to it," Margalit says. 5. 💡 Math is about understanding, not just correct answers. The hope: The ancient Greek word "mathematika" translates to "the study of learning," he says. Margalit credited mathematician Bill Thurston, the author of a landmark 1994 essay that has taken on new life, with this observation: If a computer spits out a list of 10,000 prime numbers, it can't tell us about why they exist or the patterns they form. The context: The universe already knows the answers. Math is the process of the human mind grasping them. "If a computer tells me an answer, that doesn't give me insight or satisfaction," Margalit says. "Mathematics is the human endeavor of understanding."

I'm obviously of the view that Women should not be clergy BUT after listening to Jimmy Akin's take on it I'm now wondering about my view.