Newly elected Democrats touched down in D.C. this weekend after a midterm blue wave handed them both chambers, and the President is already drawing his line. Trump says he'll veto "insane" bills coming out of the new majorities, while simultaneously congratulating Democrats and insisting he can "work with them on many things." Democrats are on pace for more than 250 House seats and at least 54 in the Senate — short of the two-thirds needed to override anything.
Susie Wiles is out, and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller steps into the White House chief of staff job starting tomorrow. JD Vance called him "an amazing patriot"; Sen. Thom Tillis called the move a "colossal mistake," and Rep. Marlin Stutzman flatly labeled it a "horrible decision." The fight is really about whether immigration policy cost Republicans Hispanic voters in places like Texas.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is now facing impeachment threats from both parties, with Republicans openly blaming the Iran war for their midterm wipeout. Rep. Thomas Massie, who introduced eight articles against Hegseth back in September over the War Powers Resolution and the Maduro operation, intends to refile when Congress reconvenes. Hegseth, meanwhile, is pushing back and asking for a 350-billion-dollar military plus-up.
Regular gasoline is sitting around 4.17 a gallon and diesel near 6.29, with September CPI clocking in at 3.7 percent. Analysts pin almost all of the inflation upswing on energy costs from the Iran war that began in February, with diesel peaking above 6.50 in October. Add mortgage rates over 7 percent, and you have the clearest explanation for the midterm result.
The administration stood up a roughly 20-person task force based in Tampa to extend the Iranian blockade from ports to ground routes and the Caspian Sea. Trump said Sunday a renewed war is "highly unlikely" if Tehran moves on a nuclear deal and reopens the Strait of Hormuz, adding the U.S. could drop 38 Iranian bridges in an hour but would rather not. Foreign Minister Araghchi countered with seven conditions and a warning that Iran would "rain down hell."
A 24-year-old Polish man in military-style gear opened fire from a Subaru along Slawkowska Street and into Krakow's Main Market Square around 3 p.m. local time, killing at least five and wounding roughly fifteen, including police. Officers shot and detained him after a gunfight, and more weapons and ammunition were found in his car. Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed three more bodies — likely family members — were found at the suspect's home.
Moscow fired 36 ballistic missiles and 172 drones at Kyiv and a dozen other regions overnight Saturday, wounding at least nine people including a child. A Russian drone then struck emergency crews working the Komyshuvakha site on Sunday, where the death toll from Monday's guided-bomb strike has climbed to 55. Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators are still scheduled to meet Tuesday in Abu Dhabi — the fourth round brokered by this administration.
Speaking at the UP Summit at Kennedy Space Center, the President said NASA will launch the first-ever nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars inside two years. Administrator Jared Isaacman framed the goal as planting the Stars and Stripes on Mars, with Artemis III testing in Earth orbit in 2027 and Artemis IV attempting a lunar landing in early 2028. Trump also touted a new "American Declaration of Freedom in Space."
Tulane sophomores Dominic Roy and Cooper Bruce spotted an unidentified muscle deep in a cadaver's pelvis running out to the front of the hip, then combed the literature and found nothing matching it. Their professor, Dr. Shane Tubbs, expects it to eventually land in anatomy textbooks after it's confirmed across other populations. As minimally invasive hip procedures become routine, knowing it's there could genuinely change surgical outcomes.
The 76-year-old actor turned up at Rory Dolan's Restaurant and Bar in New York, sat down with the owner, and then got behind the tap to pour pints for customers. It came shortly after Murray admitted publicly that fame "is not easy." Apparently the cure is a proper two-part pour.
